IP Library Granted Patent US 12707412
Granted Patent B2
US 12707412 · App. 18/529,922 · Granted Aug 11, 2026

Denial of 5G SA coverage when 4G is not available

Inventor: Muhammad Tawhidur Rahman (Bellevue, WA)
Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc.
H04W60/00H04W48/18
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12707412
App. No.
18/529,922
Granted
Aug 11, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Described herein are device(s) of a Fifth Generation (5G) network configured to receive, from a user equipment (UE) a registration request for 5G standalone (SA) coverage and to determine that Fourth Generation (4G) coverage from the telecommunications network is not available to the UE. The device(s) of the 5G network are further configured to deny the registration request in response to determining that the 4G coverage is not available to the UE and regardless of whether 5G SA coverage is available to the UE.

Claims (20)

1 . A method comprising: receiving, by a gNodeB (gNB) of a telecommunications network, a registration request from a user equipment (UE), the gNB providing Fifth Generation (5G) standalone (SA) coverage; determining, by a 5G network node of the telecommunications network, that Fourth Generation (4G) coverage from the telecommunications network is not available to the UE; and in response to determining that the 4G coverage is not available to the UE and regardless of whether 5G SA coverage is available to the UE, denying, by the 5G network node, the registration request; wherein the determining includes receiving or retrieving, by an access and mobility management function (AMF) of the telecommunications network and from a mobility management entity (MME) of the telecommunications network, a list of unavailable eNodeBs (eNBs) in a same geographic area as the AMF.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the 5G network node is the gNB, an access and mobility management function (AMF), or a combination of the gNB and the AMF.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the MME determines the list of unavailableeNBs based on a lack of activity of each cNB in the list of unavailable cNBs exceeding a threshold time period.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining includes: providing, by the AMF, the list of unavailable eNBs to the gNB; and receiving, by the AMF, from the gNB, an indication that 4G coverage is not available, the indication determined by the gNB based on the gNB determining that eNB(s) adjacent to the gNB are on the list of unavailable eNBs, wherein the AMF performs the denying of the registration request in response to receiving the indication.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the 5G network node is the AMF, and the AMF performs the determining based on a mapping of gNBs and eNBs and on the list of unavailable eNBs.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the UE, upon receiving a message denying the registration request, fails over to next generation network(s) successively based on voice-centric logic.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the denying is based at least in part on determining that at least one of the UE or gNB does not support voice over 5G.

8 . A Fifth Generation (5G) system of a telecommunications network, the 5G system comprising: one or more processors; and a plurality of programming instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the 5G system to perform operations including: receiving a registration request for 5G standalone (SA) coverage from a user equipment (UE), the 5G system providing 5G SA coverage; determining that Fourth Generation (4G) coverage from the telecommunications network is not available to the UE; and in response to determining that the 4G coverage is not available to the UE and regardless of whether 5G SA coverage is available to the UE, denying the registration request; wherein the determining includes receiving or retrieving, by an access and mobility management function (AMF) of the telecommunications network and from a mobility management entity (MME) of the telecommunications network, a list of unavailable eNodeBs (eNBs) in a same geographic area as the AMF.

9 . The 5G system of claim 8 , wherein the 5G system includes a gNodeB (gNB), an access and mobility management function (AMF), or a combination of the gNB and the AMF.

10 . The 5G system of claim 8 , wherein the MME determines the list of unavailable eNBs based on a lack of activity of each eNB in the list of unavailable eNBs exceeding a threshold time period.

11 . The 5G system of claim 8 , wherein the determining includes: providing, by the AMF, the list of unavailable eNBs to a gNodeB (gNB) of the telecommunications network; and receiving, by the AMF, from the gNB, an indication that 4G coverage is not available, the indication determined by the gNB based on the gNB determining that eNB(s) adjacent to the gNB are on the list of unavailable eNBs, wherein the AMF performs the denying of the registration request in response to receiving the indication.

12 . The 5G system of claim 8 , wherein the 5G system includes the AMF, and the AMF performs the determining based on a mapping of a gNodeBs (gNBs) of the telecommunications network and of eNBs and on the list of unavailable eNBs.

13 . The 5G system of claim 8 , wherein the UE, upon receiving a message denying the registration request, fails over to next generation network(s) successively based on voice-centric logic.

14 . The 5G system of claim 8 , wherein the denying is based at least in part on determining that at least one of the UE or a gNodeB (gNB) of the telecommunications network does not support voice over 5G.

15 . A non-transitory computer storage medium having a plurality of programming instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors of a Fifth Generation (5G) system of a telecommunications network, cause the 5G system to perform operations comprising: receiving a registration request for 5G standalone (SA) coverage from a user equipment (UE), the 5G system providing 5G SA coverage; determining that Fourth Generation (4G) coverage from the telecommunications network is not available to the UE; and in response to determining that the 4G coverage is not available to the UE and regardless of whether 5G SA coverage is available to the UE, denying the registration request; wherein the determining includes receiving or retrieving, by an access and mobility management function (AMF) of the telecommunications network and from a mobility management entity (MME) of the telecommunications network, a list of unavailable eNodeBs (eNBs) in a same geographic area as the AMF.

16 . The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the 5G system includes a gNodeB (gNB), an access and mobility management function (AMF), or a combination of the gNB and the AMF.

17 . The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the determining includes:

providing, by the AMF, the list of unavailable eNBs to a gNodeB (gNB) of the telecommunications network; and

receiving, by the AMF, from the gNB, an indication that 4G coverage is not available, the indication determined by the gNB based on the gNB determining that eNB(s) adjacent to the gNB are on the list of unavailable eNBs,

wherein the AMF performs the denying of the registration request in response to receiving the indication.