User equipment and mobility management entity and methods for periodic update in cellular networks

1. A User Equipment (UE) to operate in a mobile network that supports packet-switched (PS) and circuit-switched (CS) communication, the UE comprising transceiver circuitry; and hardware processing circuitry, the hardware processing circuitry configured to:

encode, for transmission to a PS node of the mobile network, a registration message for registration with the PS node and a CS node of the mobile network and for an establishment of a signaling session between the PS node and the CS node for the UE;

encode, for transmission to the PS node, a periodic registration update message for remaining registered with the PS node in response to a change in a state of the CS node, wherein the periodic registration update message further includes a signaling permission indicator to grant permission for a re-establishment, by the PS node, of the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node for the UE;

receive, from the PS node, a registration confirmation message for the periodic registration update message that includes a registration acceptance indicator for the PS node; and

encode for transmission to the PS node, when the registration confirmation message includes a temporary mobile subscriber identity (TMSI) for the registration of the UE with the CS node, a TMSI confirmation message that indicates reception of the TMSI.

2. The UE according to claim 1 , the hardware processing circuitry further to refrain from encoding separate periodic registration update messages for remaining registered with the CS node.

3. The UE according to claim 1 , wherein when the signaling permission indicator of the periodic registration update message grants permission to the PS node for the re-establishment of the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node:

the hardware processing circuitry is further to encode for transmission to the PS node, when the registration confirmation message includes a failure indication for the re-establishment of the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node, a non-periodic registration update message for registration with the PS node and the CS node and for a re-establishment, by the PS node, of the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node for the UE.

4. The UE according to claim 3 , wherein the non-periodic registration update message is a combined Location Area/Routing Area (LA/RA) Update message with International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) attach or a combined Location Area/Tracking Area (LA/TA) Update message with International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) attach.

5. The UE according to claim 1 , wherein when the signaling permission indicator of the periodic registration update message grants permission to the PS node for the re-establishment of the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node:

the hardware processing circuitry is further to encode for transmission to the PS node, in response to a failure to receive the registration confirmation message, a non-periodic registration update message for registration with the PS node and the CS node and for a re-establishment, by the PS node, of the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node for the UE.

6. The UE according to claim 5 , wherein the non-periodic registration update message is a combined Location Area/Routing Area (LA/RA) Update message with International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) attach or a combined Location Area/Tracking Area (LA/TA) Update message with International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) attach.

7. The UE according to claim 1 , wherein:

the mobile network is a 3GPP network;

the PS node is a Mobility Management Entity (MME); and

the CS node is a Mobile Switching Center/Visitor Location Register (MSC/VLR).

8. The UE according to claim 1 , wherein:

the mobile network is a 3GPP network;

the PS node is a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN); and

the CS node is a Mobile Switching Center/Visitor Location Register (MSCNLR).

9. The UE according to claim 1 , wherein:

the PS node is a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN); and

the hardware processing circuitry is further to encode for transmission to the PS node, for reception at a Mobility Management Entity (MME) of the mobile network, a second, non-periodic registration update message for registration with the MME and for an establishment, by the MME, of a second, different signaling session between the MME and the CS node for the UE.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors to perform operations for communication in a wireless network, the operations to configure the one or more processors to:

encode, for transmission to a PS node of the mobile network, a registration message for registration with the PS node and a CS node of the mobile network and for an establishment of a signaling session between the PS node and the CS node for the UE;

encode, for transmission to the PS node, a periodic registration update message for remaining registered with the PS node in response to a change in a state of the CS node, wherein the periodic registration update message further includes a signaling permission indicator to grant permission for a re-establishment, by the PS node, of the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node for the UE;

receive, from the PS node, a registration confirmation message for the periodic registration update message that includes a registration acceptance indicator for the PS node; and

encode for transmission to the PS node, when the registration confirmation message includes a temporary mobile subscriber identity (TMSI) for the registration of the UE with the CS node, a TMSI confirmation message that indicates reception of the TMSI.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10 , the operations to further configure the one or more processors to, when the signaling permission indicator of the periodic registration update message grants permission to the PS node for the re-establishment of the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node and when the registration confirmation message includes a failure indication for the re-establishment of the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node, encode, for transmission to the PS node, a non-periodic registration update message for registration with the PS node and the CS node and for a re-establishment, by the PS node, of the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node for the UE.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10 , the operations to further configure the one or more processors to, when the signaling permission indicator of the periodic registration update message grants permission to the PS node for the re-establishment of the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node,

encode, for transmission to the PS node, a non-periodic registration update message for registration with the PS node and the CS node and for a re-establishment, by the PS node, of the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node for the UE;

wherein the transmission is in response to a failure to receive the registration confirmation message.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10 , wherein:

the mobile network is a 3GPP network;

the PS node is a Mobility Management Entity (MME) or a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN); and

the CS node is a Mobile Switching Center/Visitor Location Register (MSC/VLR).

14. A method of operation in a mobile network that supports packet-switched (PS) and circuit-switched (CS) communication, comprising:

encoding, for transmission to a PS node of the mobile network, a registration message for registration with the PS node and a CS node of the mobile network and for an establishment of a signaling session between the PS node and the CS node for the UE;

encoding, for transmission to the PS node, a periodic registration update message for remaining registered with the PS node in response to a change in a state of the CS node, wherein the periodic registration update message further includes a signaling permission indicator to grant permission for a re-establishment, by the PS node, of the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node for the UE;

receiving, from the PS node, a registration confirmation message for the periodic registration update message that includes a registration acceptance indicator for the PS node; and

encoding for transmission to the PS node, when the registration confirmation message includes a temporary mobile subscriber identity (TMSI) for the registration of the UE with the CS node, a TMSI confirmation message that indicates reception of the TMSI.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein:

the mobile network is a 3GPP network;

the PS node is a Mobility Management Entity (MME) or a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN); and

the CS node is a Mobile Switching Center/Visitor Location Register (MSC/VLR).

16. A packet-switched (PS) node to operate in a mobile network that supports packet-switched (PS) and circuit-switched (CS) communication, the PS node comprising transceiver circuitry; and hardware processing circuitry, the hardware processing circuitry configured to:

decode, from signaling received from a User Equipment (UE), a registration message for registration with the PS node and a CS node of the mobile network and for an establishment of a signaling session between the PS node and the CS node for the UE;

register the UE with the PS node and the CS node;

establish the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node; and

decode, from signaling received from the UE, a periodic registration update message for remaining registered with the PS node in response to a change in a state of the CS node that includes a signaling permission indicator to grant permission for a re-establishment, by the PS node, of the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node for the UE;

encode for transmission to the UE, a registration confirmation message for the periodic registration update message that includes a registration acceptance indicator for the PS node; and

decode, from signaling received from the UE, when the registration confirmation message includes a temporary mobile subscriber identity (TMSI) for the registration of the UE with the CS node, a TMSI confirmation message that indicates reception of the TMSI.

17. The PS node according to claim 16 , the hardware processing circuitry further to re-establish the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node for the UE in response to a determination of an error condition for the signaling session at the CS node and further in response to the reception of the periodic registration update message from the UE.

18. The PS node according to claim 16 , the hardware processing circuitry further to refrain from re-establishing the signaling session between the PS node and the CS node for the UE when the signaling permission indicator declines permission to the PS node for the re-establishment of the signaling session.

19. The PS node according to claim 16 , wherein:

the mobile network is a 3GPP network;

the PS node is a Mobility Management Entity (MME) or a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN); and

the CS node is a Mobile Switching Center/Visitor Location Register (MSC/VLR).