Emergency calling for multi-SIM devices

1. A method for a dual subscriber identity module (SIM) device to perform emergency calling, the method comprising:

by a wireless user equipment (UE) device:

receiving an indication to initiate an emergency call;

selecting a cell on which to initiate the emergency call,

wherein the UE comprises at least a first subscriber identity module (SIM) and a second SIM,

wherein selecting the cell on which to initiate the emergency call is based at least in part on information from the second SIM if a serving cell of the first SIM is not available for the emergency call, wherein the information from the second SIM comprises an indication of a serving cell of the second SIM and one or more neighboring cells of the second SIM, and

initiating the emergency call via the selected cell using the first SIM.

2. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the first SIM is configured for voice communication,

wherein the second SIM is configured for data communication.

3. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein selecting the cell on which to initiate the emergency call is also based at least in part on whether a public land mobile network (PLMN) of the second SIM is in a preferred PLMN list of the first SIM if a serving cell of the first SIM is not available for the emergency call.

4. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the information from the second SIM comprises radio access technology (RAT), signal strength, and absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN) information for each of one or more cells.

5. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:

selecting a serving cell of the second SIM on which to initiate the emergency call if a signal strength of the serving cell of the second SIM is above an emergency calling signal strength threshold and if a serving cell of the first SIM is not available for the emergency call.

6. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein selecting the cell on which to initiate the emergency call further comprises performing a targeted search for one or more cells based on neighbor cell information from the second SIM.

7. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:

performing a location based cell search if a cell on which to initiate the emergency call is not found based on the information from the second SIM.

8. A wireless user equipment (UE) device, comprising:

a radio; and

a processing element operably coupled to the radio;

wherein the radio and the processing element are configured for dual subscriber identity module (SIM) operation, wherein the radio and the processing element are configured to:

receive an indication to initiate an emergency call;

select a cell on which to initiate the emergency call;

wherein if a primary SIM of the UE is registered with a serving cell, the serving cell of the primary SIM is selected as the cell on which to initiate the emergency call;

wherein if the primary SIM of the UE is not registered with a serving cell, the cell on which to initiate the emergency call is selected based at least in part on information from a secondary SIM, wherein to select the cell on which to initiate the emergency call if the primary SIM of the UE is not registered with a serving cell, the radio and the processing element are configured to determine if a serving cell of the secondary SIM has a signal strength above an emergency call signal strength threshold; and

initiate the emergency call via the selected cell.

9. The UE of claim 8 ,

wherein the primary SIM is configured for voice communication,

wherein the secondary SIM is configured for data communication,

wherein the emergency call is initiated using the primary SIM.

10. The UE of claim 8 , wherein to select the cell on which to initiate the emergency call if the primary SIM of the UE is not registered with a serving cell, the radio and the processing element are further configured to:

determine a public land mobile network (PLMN) of the secondary SIM; and

determine if the PLMN of the secondary SIM is a preferred PLMN of the primary SIM.

11. The UE of claim 8 , wherein to select the cell on which to initiate the emergency call if the primary SIM of the UE is not registered with a serving cell, the radio and the processing element are further configured to:

determine if neighboring cell information for the secondary SIM is available; and

search for one or more neighboring cells based on the neighboring cell information for the secondary SIM if neighboring cell information for the secondary SIM is available.

12. A non-transitory computer accessible memory medium comprising program instructions which, when executed at a wireless user equipment (UE) device, cause the UE to:

receive an indication to initiate an emergency call;

determine whether a serving cell of a primary subscriber identity module (SIM) is usable to initiate the emergency call;

determine whether a serving cell of a secondary SIM of the UE is usable to initiate the emergency call if a serving cell of the primary SIM is not usable to initiate the emergency call, wherein determining whether the serving cell of the secondary SIM is usable comprises determining whether a signal strength of the serving cell of the secondary SIM meets a signal strength threshold; and

initiate the emergency call via the serving cell of the secondary SIM if the serving cell of the secondary SIM is usable to initiate the emergency call.

13. The memory medium of claim 12 ,

wherein the emergency call is initiated using the primary SIM.

14. The memory medium of claim 12 , wherein when executed, the program instructions further cause the UE to:

initiate the emergency call via the serving cell of the primary SIM if the serving cell of the primary SIM is usable to initiate the emergency call.

15. The memory medium of claim 12 , wherein when executed, the program instructions further cause the UE to:

determine whether neighboring cell information is available from one or more of the primary SIM or the secondary SIM of the UE if a serving cell of the secondary SIM is also not usable to initiate the emergency call;

search, if the neighboring cell information is available, for one or more neighboring cells using the neighboring cell information; and

initiate, if a cell is found based on searching for the one or more neighboring cells, the emergency call via the cell found based on searching for the one or more neighboring cells.

16. The memory medium of claim 15 , wherein when executed, the program instructions further cause the UE to:

perform, if a cell is not found based on searching for the one or more neighboring cells, a location based cell search; and

initiate, if a cell is found based on the location based cell search, the emergency call via the cell found based on the location based cell search.

17. The memory medium of claim 12 ,

wherein determining whether a serving cell of the secondary SIM is usable comprises determining whether a public land mobile network (PLMN) of a serving cell of the secondary SIM is a preferred PLMN of the primary SIM.