Network sharing
A wireless communication system includes one or more base stations able to divide resources between multiple network operators sharing the base station. A shared base station is configured to monitor a contribution to the load on the base station associated with network operators sharing the base station resources and to provide the determined contribution to the load to one or more other base stations for use in load balancing between the base stations.
1. A User Equipment (UE) for a communication system comprising eNBs, for a radio access network (RAN) that supports RAN sharing by a plurality of operators, each operator being associated with a respective Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity, the UE comprising:
a transceiver circuit configured to receive a system information block 2 (SIB2) that includes an access class barring (ac-barring) per PLMN list, the ac-barring per PLMN list comprising a plurality of ac-barring per PLMN entries, each ac-barring per PLMN entry comprising an indication of a PLMN of at least one said operator and, for each indicated PLMN, an ac-BarringInfo information element (IE) with an associated mobile originating data (ac-BarringForMO-Data) IE.
2. A method for a User Equipment (UE) that communicates in a communication system comprising eNBs, for a radio access network (RAN) that supports RAN sharing by a plurality of operators, each operator being associated with a respective Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity, the method comprising:
receiving a system information block 2 (SIB2) that includes an access class barring (ac-barring) per PLMN list, the ac-barring per PLMN list comprising a plurality of ac-barring per PLMN entries, each ac-barring per PLMN entry comprising an indication of a PLMN of at least one said operator and, for each indicated PLMN, an ac-BarringInfo information element (IE) with an associated mobile originating data (ac-BarringForMO-Data) IE.
3. An eNB for a radio access network (RAN) that supports RAN sharing by a plurality of operators, each operator being associated with a respective Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity, the eNB comprising:
a transceiver circuit configured to transmit a system information block 2 (SIB2) that includes an access class barring (ac-barring) per PLMN list, the ac-barring per PLMN list comprising a plurality of ac-barring per PLMN entries, each ac-barring per PLMN entry comprising an indication of a PLMN of at least one said operator and, for each indicated PLMN, an ac-BarringInfo information element (IE) with an associated mobile originating data (ac-BarringForMO-Data) IE.
4. A method for an eNB for a radio access network (RAN) that supports RAN sharing by a plurality of operators, each operator being associated with a respective Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity, the method comprising:
transmitting a system information block 2 (SIB2) that includes an access class barring (ac-barring) per PLMN list, the ac-barring per PLMN list comprising a plurality of ac-barring per PLMN entries, each ac-barring per PLMN entry comprising an indication of a PLMN of at least one said operator and, for each indicated PLMN, an ac-BarringInfo information element (IE) with an associated mobile originating data (ac-BarringForMO-Data) IE.