Updating the user equipment (UE) allowed closed subscriber group list (ACL)

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

a processor configured to:

receive, at a user equipment (UE), a first indication broadcast on a broadcast control channel (BCCH) from a cell currently serving the UE, the first indication indicating that a restricted access to a closed subscriber group has been changed, wherein the first indication comprises a sequence number;

determine that the sequence number in the first indication has changed from a sequence number in a previously received indication broadcast from the cell; and

initiate a non access stratum (NAS) signaling procedure with the cell based on determining that the sequence number in the first indication has changed, wherein the NAS signaling procedure synchronizes an access control list (ACL).

2. The user equipment of claim 1 , wherein the NAS signaling procedure is at least one of a tracking area update procedure, a service request procedure, and an attach procedure.

3. The user equipment of claim 1 , wherein the first indication is received in one of a master information block (MIB), a first system information block (SIB 1 ), and another system information block of the BCCH.

4. The user equipment of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive, at the UE, a second indication broadcast on the BCCH, wherein the second indication indicates an at least partial identity of the user equipment; and

wherein initiating the NAS signaling procedure is further based on the second indication.

5. The user equipment of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive, at the UE, a third indication broadcast on the BCCH, wherein the third indication indicates an identity of the closed subscriber group that is the subject of the changed restricted access; and

wherein initiating the NAS signaling procedure is further based on the third indication.

6. An access node (AN), comprising:

a processor configured to:

broadcast, on a broadcast control channel (BCCH), a first indication indicating a restricted access to a closed subscriber group has been changed;

broadcast, on the BCCH, a second indication identifying a user equipment (UE) associated with the restricted access change; and

in response to broadcasting the first indication and the second indication, receiving a synchronization request from the UE to initiate synchronization of the restricted access between the UE and the core network.

7. The access node of claim 6 , wherein the first indication is provided in one of a master information block (MIB), a first system information block (SIB 1 ), and another system information block of the BCCH.

8. The access node of claim 6 , wherein the first indication comprises a sequence number.

9. The access node of claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

broadcasting a third indication, on the BCCH, the third indication indicating an identity of the closed subscriber group that is the subject of the changed restricted access.

10. The access node of claim 6 , wherein the first indication comprises one of an indication of an identity of a user equipment and an indication of an identity of a close subscriber group.

11. The access node of claim 6 , wherein the access node is a closed subscriber group (CSG) cell.

12. The access node of claim 11 , wherein the access node belongs to the closed subscriber group to which restricted access has been changed.

13. The access node of claim 11 , wherein the access node does not belong to the closed subscriber group to which restricted access has been changed.

14. A method of synchronizing an allowed closed subscriber group list (ACL), comprising:

when an ACL stored in a core network is changed:

broadcasting, on a broadcast control channel (BCCH), a first indication indicating that a restricted access to a closed subscriber group has been changed;

broadcasting, on the BCCH, a second indication identifying a user equipment (UE) associated with the ACL change; and

in response to broadcasting the first indication and the second indication, receiving a synchronization request from the UE to trigger synchronization of the ACL between the UE and the core network.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first indication comprises a sequence number.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the second indication is based on at least one of an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the UE and a temporary mobile station identity (TMSI) of the UE.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the second indication is a hash of at least one of the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the UE and the temporary mobile station identity (TMSI) of the UE.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

broadcasting a third indication on the BCCH, the third indication indicating an identity of the closed subscriber group that is the subject of the changed restricted access.

19. A method of synchronizing an allowed closed subscriber group list (ACL), comprising:

receiving, at a user equipment (UE), a first indication broadcast on a broadcast control channel (BCCH) from a cell currently serving the UE, the first indication indicating that a restricted access to a closed subscriber group has been changed, wherein the first indication comprises a sequence number;

determining that the sequence number in the first indication has changed from a sequence number in a previously received indication broadcast from the cell; and

initiating, by the UE, a non access stratum signaling procedure with the cell based on determining that the sequence number in the first indication has changed, wherein the non access stratum signaling procedure synchronizes the ACL.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:

receiving, at the UE, a second indication broadcast on the BCCH, wherein the second indication indicates a closed subscriber group identity;

determining that the closed subscriber group identity is contained in the ACL stored by the UE; and

wherein initiating, by the UE, the NAS signaling procedure is further based on determining that the closed subscriber group identity is contained in the ACL stored by the UE.

21. A method of synchronizing an allowed closed subscriber group list (ACL), comprising:

when an ACL stored in a packet data network is changed to remove a closed subscriber group identity, paging a user equipment (UE) associated with the ACL to initiate a non access stratum signaling procedure in response to the ACL change,

wherein the non access stratum signaling procedure synchronizes a copy of the ACL stored in the UE with the ACL stored in the packet data network.

22. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first indication is provided in one of a master information block (MIB), a first system information block (SIB 1 ), and another system information block of the BCCH.

23. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first indication comprises one of an indication of an identity of a user equipment and an indication of an identity of a close subscriber group.

24. The method of claim 14 , wherein the access node is a closed subscriber group (CSG) cell.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the access node belongs to the closed subscriber group to which restricted access has been changed.

26. The method of claim 14 , wherein the access node does not belong to the closed subscriber group to which restricted access has been changed.

27. The method of claim 19 , wherein the NAS signaling procedure is at least one of a tracking area update procedure, a service request procedure, and an attach procedure.

28. The method of claim 19 , wherein the first indication is received in one of a master information block (MIB), a first system information block (SIB 1 ), and another system information block of the BCCH.

29. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:

receiving, at the user equipment (UE), a second indication broadcast on the BCCH, wherein the second indication indicates an at least partial identity of the user equipment; and

wherein initiating the NAS signaling procedure is further based on the second indication.