WO2017003154A1

WO2017003154A1 - Method and apparatus for checking availability of specific network in wireless communication system

Info

Publication number: WO2017003154A1
Application number: PCT/KR2016/006900
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul Jolivet
Original assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Current assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Priority date: 2015-06-28
Filing date: 2016-06-28
Publication date: 2017-01-05
Anticipated expiration: 2017-12-28

Abstract

A method and apparatus for supporting roaming within one mobile country code (MCC) in a wireless communication system is provided. An embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) in a terminal transmits a request for checking available networks to the terminal, receives a list of the available networks from the terminal, determines one network access application (NAA) based on the list of the available networks and priority information, and requests the terminal to switch to the one NAA.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CHECKING AVAILABILITY OF SPECIFIC NETWORK IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

The present invention relates to wireless communications, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for checking availability of a specific network in a wireless communication system.

Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a 3^rd generation (3G) asynchronous mobile communication system operating in wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) based on European systems, global system for mobile communications (GSM) and general packet radio services (GPRS). A long-term evolution (LTE) of UMTS is specified by the 3^rd generation partnership project (3GPP) that standardized UMTS.

3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) long-term evolution (LTE) is a technology for enabling high-speed packet communications. Many schemes have been proposed for the LTE objective including those that aim to reduce user and provider costs, improve service quality, and expand and improve coverage and system capacity. The 3GPP LTE requires reduced cost per bit, increased service availability, flexible use of a frequency band, a simple structure, an open interface, and adequate power consumption of a terminal as an upper-level requirement.

A universal integrated circuit card　(UICC) is the　smart card　used in mobile terminals in GSM and UMTS networks. The UICC ensures the integrity and security of all kinds of personal data, and it typically holds a few hundred kilobytes of memory.

Work on machine-to-machine (M2M) applications has given rise to the possibility of having a UICC that is embedded in a communication device in such a way that the UICC is not easily accessible or replaceable. Such UICC may be called an embedded UICC (eUICC). The eUICC is not intended to be removed or replaced in the terminal, and enables the secure changing of subscriptions. The ability to change network subscriptions on such devices becomes problematic, thus necessitating new methods for securely and remotely provisioning access credentials on these eUICC and managing subscription changes from one mobile network operator (MNO) to another.

Need for a new mechanism to check the availability of a specific 3GPP network while connected to another network has been raised. The interest for such mechanism is originally related to the eUICC where several profiles (SIMs) can coexist in the eUICC. In such context, operators may want to offer the connection to another network only as a fall back solution, as long as there is a possibility to switch back to the main network. This is not related to regular roaming. In that specific case, the higher priority public land mobile network (HPPLMN) mechanism is already in use for areas close to borders where users may roam to international networks.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for checking availability of a specific network in a wireless communication system. The present invention provides a method for implementing a mechanism to allow an embedded universal integrated circuit card　(eUICC) to get information of used and available networks and technology and to change operating network access application (NAA) when applicable.

In an aspect, a method for supporting roaming, by an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC), within one mobile country code (MCC) in a wireless communication system is provided. The method includes receiving an activation from a home operator, transmitting a request for checking available networks to a terminal, receiving a list of the available networks from the terminal, determining one network access application (NAA) based on the list of the available networks and priority information, and requesting the terminal to switch to the one NAA.

In another aspect, a method for supporting roaming, by a terminal, within one mobile country code (MCC) in a wireless communication system is provided. The method includes receiving a request for checking available networks from an embedded universal integrated circuit card　 (eUICC) of the terminal, scanning the available networks, transmitting a list of the available networks to the eUICC, receiving a request, from the eUICC, to switch to one NAA, which is determined by the eUICC based on the list of the available networks and priority information, and switching to the one NAA.

In another aspect, a terminal in a wireless communication system is provided. The terminal incluees a memory which stores an embedded universal integrated circuit card　 (eUICC), a transceiver, and a processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver. The processor is configured to control the transceiver to receive an activation from a home operator, receive a request for checking available networks from the eUICC, scan the available networks, transmit a list of the available networks to the eUICC, receive a request, from the eUICC, to switch to one NAA, which is determined by the eUICC based on the list of the available networks and priority information, and switch to the one NAA.

The eUICC can easily check availability of a specific network in case of national roaming.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a UICC architecture.

FIG. 2 shows an example of general concept of subscription provisioning from a network.

FIG. 3 shows an example of checking availability of networks upon request of eUICC according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a method for supporting roaming, by a eUICC, within one mobile country code (MCC) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a method for supporting roaming, by a terminal, within one MCC according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a wireless communication system to implement an embodiment of the present invention.

The technology described below can be used in various wireless communication systems such as code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), etc. The CDMA can be implemented with a radio technology such as universal terrestrial radio access (UTRA) or CDMA-2000. The TDMA can be implemented with a radio technology such as global system for mobile communications (GSM)/general packet ratio service (GPRS)/enhanced data rate for GSM evolution (EDGE). The OFDMA can be implemented with a radio technology such as institute of electrical and electronics engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802-20, evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), etc. IEEE 802.16m is an evolution of IEEE 802.16e, and provides backward compatibility with an IEEE 802.16-based system. The UTRA is a part of a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS). 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE) is a part of an evolved UMTS (E-UMTS) using the E-UTRA. The 3GPP LTE uses the OFDMA in downlink and uses the SC-FDMA in uplink. LTE-advance (LTE-A) is an evolution of the 3GPP LTE.

For clarity, the following description will focus on the LTE-A. However, technical features of the present invention are not limited thereto.

From the GSM, the subscription has been processed based on a removable tamper proof device, which is called a subscriber identifier module (SIM) or universal SIM (USIM). However, a universal integrated circuit card　(UICC) has been used for subscription process lately, while SIM or USIM is now only applied to the application enabling mobile phone network access. In UICC platform, SIM may be a UICC application including parameters and tools to identify and authenticate a GSM user and to run its applications. In UICC platform, USIM may be a UICC application including parameters and tools to identify and authenticate a 3G/UMTS user and to run its applications.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a UICC architecture. A universal integrated circuit card　(UICC)　is a smart card platform as defined by the　European telecommunications standards institute (ETSI) smart card platform (SCP) technical committee. It is designed to provide security and services to any application. Historically, this platform came out of the telecommunication SIM card. However, it may be used simultaneously for multiple other applications, including banking, e-purses, health, transportation, etc. The architecture shown in FIG. 1 shows how applications are based on the common resources of the UICC. The UICC resources are based on international standardization organization /international electrotechnical commission (ISO/IEC) 7816 series specifications, enhanced by ETSI SCP specific features. Applications are developed on top of this platform by different technical committees, including 3GPP for SIM or universal SIM (USIM), etc., EMVCo for financial applications, governments for health cards, or various services providers for transportation applications, e-purses, etc.

Meanwhile, in order to address new business models (specifically machine-to-machine (M2M) communication and internet-of-things (IoT) communication) and to open the path to reduced designs for smaller devices (modules, watches...), the concept of embedded UICC (eUICC) has been introduced. New business models and usage scenarios, primarily driven by M2M, may struggle when supported by the traditional UICC/SIM card. For example, by installing a physical UICC, the user is connected to a specific network, as the card only provides access to one network. Should the user wish to (or need to) use another network, then they or the M2M service provider has to fit another card in the user's device. Further, changing a UICC may be problematic since that M2M equipment may be remotely located and/or hermetically sealed. Where the UICC is not intended to be sealed and inaccessible, the portability of traditional form factor UICC cards is perceived to be a user benefit.

The eUICC is embedded in the terminal, either by means of a soldered chip on the motherboard or a dedicated part of the main chipset. That is, the eUICC is embedded in a communication device, i.e. where the UICC is not intended to be removed. The eUICC is compatible with M2M applications. The eUICC may be embedded at the manufacturing site in advance, depending on the country and network operator, and is compatible for use in a variety of end-user equipment. In these scenarios, there may be a requirement to remotely change a subscription easily, similar to what is currently achieved by physically changing the UICC.

With the eUICC, SIM/USIM may easily be downloaded on the terminal. More specifically, the eUICC may support a network access application (NAA), which is an application residing on a eUICC that provides authorization to access a network. For example, the NAA may be a SIM application or USIM application. An operational profile may contain one or more NAAs and associated network access credentials. It may also be easier to implement multiple profiles or SIM/USIMs available on the same eUICC. User, terminal or operator may be able to switch between one profile and the other profile.

FIG. 2 shows an example of general concept of subscription provisioning from a network. Referring to FIG. 2, at least one profile may be downloaded to the eUICC from a network, e.g. via internet. After downloading the at least one profile, the eUICC may be activated. Upon activating the eUICC, the terminal may be identified by the profile stored in the eUICC. Or, the eUICC may be deactivated. Further, multiple profiles may be downloaded to the eUICC. In FIG. 2, the plug-in SIM card may a soft SIM. That is, the plug-in SIM card in FIG. 2 may be not an independent hardware, but rather a piece of software stored in the eUICC.

One of a use case of the eUICC is national roaming. The eUICC containing multiple profiles may be used for national roaming. National roaming may be used in order to share network among multiple operators and enhance coverage of operator. Lately, national roaming has been used in more countries. Uses cases of national roaming are described below.

(1) In a country, a new operator (i.e. operator A) launches a new network from scratch. In this case, the new network may not be fully deployed in the country and may not have ability to support all coverage in the country. In order to offer service to users before full deployment, the operator A may offer to users two profiles, one of which is the profile of the operator A and the other is the profile of the operator B, which is fully deployed in the country. That is, national roaming may be used when new operators having the possibility for some time to roam over competitor's network while they deploy their infrastructure. In this case, operators (and users) may always prefer that traffic goes onto home network rather than competitors' network, at least for financial reasons.

For another example, the operator A may run a network than does not support 4G network (e.g. 3GPP LTE) but support a 3G network (e.g. UMTS) in some areas. In these areas, the operator A may prefer that its user uses its 3G network for voice call, but 4G network of other operator for data (i.e. national roaming). As soon as the user moves to an area in which the operator A supports 4G network, it is expected that any traffic will use the home network preferably to any competitors' network.

The national roaming may correspond to a broader concept roaming than the conventional roaming. In the conventional roaming, for providing continuity of service, a higher priority public land mobile network (HPPLMN) mechanism has been defined to reduce the risk that a user connects as a roamer while his terminal is connected to his home network. More specifically, the terminal may make periodic attempts to look for a HPPLMN including associated access technology of the same country as the currently received PLMN including associated access technology. In the case that the terminal has stored a list of equivalent PLMNs, the terminal may only select a PLMN if it has a higher priority than all the PLMNs, in the list of equivalent PLMNs, which are of the same country as the currently registered PLMN. This HPPLMN mechanism was specifically designed for border areas where user may switch from the home network to the network of another country easily when being temporarily out of coverage. However, this mechanism does not solve the specific problem of national roaming, or roaming to use a specific technology (likely in the same country).

That is, a problem of capability for the terminal (and its subscription token, i.e. eUICC) to automatically choose the correct network at the right time needs to be addressed. Accordingly, by the present invention, a method for implementing a mechanism to allow the eUICC to get information of used and available networks and to change operating NAA when applicable may be proposed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the UICC may get the information regarding the available networks and/or technologies (i.e. corresponding to NAA) at its request. Further, according to another embodiment of the present invention, timers and priorities to choose the appropriate NAA may be set. In the description below, for the sake of convenience, network corresponding to NAA may be mainly used for the description. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, but the network may be replaced with technology or NAA without loss of generality.

FIG. 3 shows an example of checking availability of networks upon request of eUICC according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, a list of access priorities of networks is managed on the eUICC in order to make switch between NAAs. The eUICC may request to the terminal for checking availability of networks included in the list of access priorities of networks. Upon request of the eUICC, the terminal may scan availability of each network, and may transmit the network availability information to the NAA on the eUICC. Upon receiving the network availability information, the eUICC may trigger the appropriate NAA switch by making a specific refresh command (via extension of the existing one).

Hereinafter, various aspects of the mechanism provided by the present invention is described in detail.

(1) Options for network detection: Two options may be used for network detection so that the eUICC (including the active profile) gets the network availability information which network is available.

1) The eUICC may ask for checking availability of networks. In this option, it is up to the eUICC to decide when to get the network availability information. The eUICC may request for checking availability of networks by using a dedicated SIM toolkit command in order to get the network availability information.

For example, the dedicated SIM toolkit command "RETRIEVE AVAILABLE NETWORKS" may be newly defined. Upon receiving this command, the terminal shall decide if it is able to execute the command. If the command is rejected because the terminal is busy on communication, the terminal may inform the eUICC using TERMINAL RESPONSE (terminal unable to process command). If the command is rejected because the terminal is unable to process the transaction, the terminal may inform the eUICC using TERMINAL RESPONSE (terminal unable to process command - unable to process network search). If the terminal is able to execute this command, the terminal shall retrieve the available network information (i.e. scan networks and technologies). Further, the terminal may store the available network information on the eUICC. The path of the file on the eUICC in which the available network information shall be stored is provided by the UICC in the retrieve command parameters. Optionally, in order to shorten the scanning, the UICC may include in this command network preferences, in that case, as soon as the first available network is detected, the scanning may be aborted.

2) The eUICC may ask for checking availability of networks on a regular basis. This option may allow checking availability of networks based on a timer/counter and the "RETRIEVE AVAILABLE NETWORKS" command described above. As the eUICC does not have internal clock system, a counter may be newly defined in order to check the number of STATUS commands. In idle mode, for the worst case in terms of STATUS occurrence, it is known that card presence is checked every 30 seconds. This may give an idea of the maximum counter when counting STATUS commands.

The counter may be managed within the smart card OS (still proprietary from manufacturers), or may be standardized. Further, a file for the counter may contain the maximum value. The terminal is in charge of updating the counter. Table 1 shows an example of the counter according to an embodiment of the present invention, i.e. NAA search counter (EF_NAA _{_} _SC). Table 2 shows an example of the maximum counter according to an embodiment of the present invention, i.e. NAA search counter max value (EF_NAASCmax).

Referring to Table 1, the NAA search counter contains the counter of status command cumulated. Referring to Table 2, the NAA search counter max value contains the maximum value of counter of status command cumulated.

3) The terminal may provide the network availability information. In this option, as a lighter implementation from smart card point of view, the eUICC may only provide a set of files (priority list, counter and limit), and the terminal may decide to when to transmit the network availability information to the eUICC.

(2) Priority setting: As described above, the UICC may have a priority list of networks, which sets the order of preference of NAAs. The priority list of networks may be updated not only by the operator, but also by the user. Table 3 shows an example of the priority list of NAAs according to an embodiment of the present invention, i.e. NAA priority list (EF_NAAPL).

Referring to Table 3, the NAA priority list contains the priority list for the multiple NAA support on the eUICC, which corresponds to the co-operative network list. The contents of the NAA priority list may include PLMN network subset, service provider ID and corporate ID of co-operative networks.

(3) Switching NAAs: Switching to a new NAA (i.e. operator) may imply the reset of the session and the choice of a new NAA based on the NAA priority list described above. For the mechanism/process available to switch to a specific NAA, NAA switch mode of "REFRESH" command may be used. The NAA switch mode of "REFRESTH" command cause to reset the eUICC and switch from one profile to another profile (e.g. from USIM A to USIM B), in accordance with the 3G session reset procedure. The NAA (e.g. SIM or USIM) may be chosen using the NAA priority list. After correct profile selection, the terminal may perform the USIM initialization and file change notification procedure and the MM restart procedure.

In step S100, the eUICC receives an activation from a home operator. In step S110, the eUICC transmits a request for checking available networks to a terminal. Each network may correspond to information of an operator and an access technology. The request for checking the available NAAs may be transmitted when the home operator is not available.

In step S120, the eUICC receives a list of the available networks from the terminal. The list of the available networks may be received via various options described above. For example, the list of the available networks may be received via "RETRIEVE AVAILABLE NETWORKS" command. Or, the list of the available networks may be received with a periodicity and "RETRIEVE AVAILABLE NETWORKS" command. In this case, the periodicity may be configured based on a NAA search counter (EF_NAA _{_} _SC) in the terminal and a maximum value of the NAA search counter (EF_NAASCmax) in the terminal. The maximum value of the NAA search counter may be configured by the home operator.

In step S130, the eUICC determines one NAA based on the list of the available networks and priority information. The priority information may be configured by the home operator or the terminal. The priority information may be implemented by NAA priority list (EF_NAAPL). The priority information may include at least one of a PLMN network subset, a service provider identifier (ID) or a corporate ID of co-operative networks. The PLMN network subset may correspond to each network among the available networks.

In step S140, the eUICC requests the terminal to switch to the one NAA.

In step S200, the terminal receives a request for checking available networks from a eUICC of the terminal. Each network may correspond to information of an operator and an access technology.

In step S210, the terminal scans the available networks, and in step S220, the terminal transmits a list of the available networks to the eUICC. The list of the available networks may be transmitted via various options described above. For example, the list of the available networks may be transmitted via "RETRIEVE AVAILABLE NETWORKS" command. Or, the list of the available networks may be transmitted with a periodicity and "RETRIEVE AVAILABLE NETWORKS" command. In this case, the periodicity may be configured based on a NAA search counter (EF_NAA _{_} _SC) in the terminal and a maximum value of the NAA search counter (EF_NAASCmax) in the terminal. The maximum value of the NAA search counter may be configured by the home operator.

In step S230, the terminal receives a request, from the eUICC, to switch to one NAA, which is determined by the eUICC based on the list of the available networks and priority information. The priority information may be configured by the home operator or the terminal. The priority information may be implemented by NAA priority list (EF_NAAPL). The priority information may include at least one of a PLMN network subset, a service provider identifier (ID) or a corporate ID of co-operative networks. The PLMN network subset may correspond to each network among the available networks. The request for checking the available networks may be received when the home operator is not available.

In step S240, the terminal switches to the one NAA.

The present invention described above may be applied to various uses cases described below.

(1) In a country, a new operator (i.e. operator A) launches a new network from scratch. In order to offer service to customer before fully deployed in the country, the operator A may offer to its users two profiles, one of which is the profile of the operator A and the other is the profile of the operator B, which is fully deployed in the country. When the user is out of coverage of the operator A, the user may automatically switch to the operator B. The preset invention may allow a fast switch back to the operator A as soon as possible, by checking availability of networks.

(2) The operator A may sell a service in collaboration with the operator B by guaranteeing continuous service (e.g. for emergency call modules in cars). In case that the network of the operator A goes down for whatever reason with emergency coming, any transmission may automatically be switched to the operator B. The present invention may allow a fast switch back to the operator A by checking availability of networks, as soon as the connection is available again on the operator A.

(3) The user may wish to move from a subscription from the operator A to the operator B remotely. This can be done remotely for security reasons. In this case, profile download may be made by keeping the active subscription as default one, in order to allow a fallback in case of bad installation of the new profile. That is, the present invention may allow handling error cases during download, but also the user may change default NAA even when correctly installed.

A terminal 900 includes a processor 910, a memory 920, and a transceiver 930. The processor 910 may be configured to implement proposed functions, procedures and/or methods described in this description. Layers of the radio interface protocol may be implemented in the processor 910. The memory 920 is operatively coupled with the processor 910 and stores a variety of information to operate the processor 910, and specifically, and a eUICC 940. The transceiver 930 is operatively coupled with the processor 910, and transmits and/or receives a radio signal.

The processors 910 may include application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), other chipset, logic circuit and/or data processing device. The memories 920 may include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, memory card, storage medium and/or other storage device. The transceivers 930 may include baseband circuitry to process radio frequency signals. When the embodiments are implemented in software, the techniques described herein can be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. The modules can be stored in memories 920 and executed by processors 910. The memories 920 can be implemented within the processors 910 or external to the processors 910 in which case those can be communicatively coupled to the processors 910 via various means as is known in the art.

By summarizing the present invention described above, currently there is no mechanism when a card is connected to a default operator (fallback), to switch back to the home operator. Only two exceptions, one of which is roaming with higher priority PLMN and the other is out of coverage of default operator, in which case a new research is made and home operator preferred, have been handled. The present invention offers the possibility, without network impact, to offer new and extended services to users, e.g. continuity of service using any possible network when home network is not available. This feature is rather important in the case of M2M devices, but also has applications for smartphones.

In view of the exemplary systems described herein, methodologies that may be implemented in accordance with the disclosed subject matter have been described with reference to several flow diagrams. While for purposed of simplicity, the methodologies are shown and described as a series of steps or blocks, it is to be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is not limited by the order of the steps or blocks, as some steps may occur in different orders or concurrently with other steps from what is depicted and described herein. Moreover, one skilled in the art would understand that the steps illustrated in the flow diagram are not exclusive and other steps may be included or one or more of the steps in the example flow diagram may be deleted without affecting the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

Claims

A method for supporting roaming, by an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC), within one mobile country code (MCC) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

receiving an activation from a home operator;

transmitting a request for checking available networks to a terminal;

receiving a list of the available networks from the terminal;

determining one network access application (NAA) based on the list of the available networks and priority information; and

requesting the terminal to switch to the one NAA.
The method of claim 1, wherein each network, among the available networks, corresponds to information of an operator and an access technology.
The method of claim 1, wherein the priority information is configured by the home operator or the terminal.
The method of claim 1, wherein the list of the available networks is received with a periodicity.
The method of claim 4, wherein the periodicity is configured based on a NAA search counter in the terminal and a maximum value of the NAA search counter in the terminal.
The method of claim 5, wherein the maximum value of the NAA search counter is configured by the home operator.
The method of claim 1, wherein the priority information includes at least one of a PLMN network subset, a service provider identifier (ID) or a corporate ID of co-operative networks.
The method of claim 7, wherein the PLMN network subset corresponds to each network among the available networks.
The method of claim 1, wherein the request for checking the available networks is transmitted when the home operator is not available.
A method for supporting roaming, by a terminal, within one mobile country code (MCC) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

receiving a request for checking available networks from an embedded universal integrated circuit card　 (eUICC) of the terminal;

scanning the available networks;

transmitting a list of the available networks to the eUICC;

receiving a request, from the eUICC, to switch to one NAA, which is determined by the eUICC based on the list of the available networks and priority information; and

switching to the one NAA.
The terminal of claim 10, wherein each network, among the available networks, corresponds to information of an operator and an access technology.
The terminal of claim 10, wherein the priority information is configured by the home operator or the terminal.
The terminal of claim 10, wherein the priority information is configured by the home operator or the terminal.
The method of claim 10, wherein the priority information includes at least one of a PLMN network subset, a service provider identifier (ID) or a corporate ID of co-operative networks.
A terminal in a wireless communication system, the terminal comprising:

a memory which stores an embedded universal integrated circuit card　 (eUICC);

a transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver,

wherein the processor is configured to:

control the transceiver to receive an activation from a home operator,

receive a request for checking available networks from the eUICC,

scan the available networks,

transmit a list of the available networks to the eUICC,

receive a request, from the eUICC, to switch to one NAA, which is determined by the eUICC based on the list of the available networks and priority information, and

switch to the one NAA.