Granted Patent B2

US 12,732,545 · App. 17/999,042 · Granted Sep 8, 2026

Inventors: Ashok Kumar Nayak (Bangalore, IN); Devaki Chandramouli (Dallas, TX)

Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy

H04L65/1013H04W8/205H04L41/0893

Abstract

Claims (67)

1 . A local provisioning server of a first standalone non-public network, the local provisioning server comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

wherein the computer program code, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the local provisioning server to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving, from a terminal camping to the first standalone non-public network, a default credential to be used by the first standalone non-public network to onboard the terminal, the default credential comprising a permanent equipment identifier of the terminal;

determining, based on the permanent equipment identifier of the terminal, whether the local provisioning server is storing subscription data for the terminal in association with the permanent equipment identifier of the terminal;

based on determining that the local provisioning server is not storing the subscription data for the terminal in association with the permanent equipment identifier of the terminal:

determining that the first standalone non-public network does not own the subscription data for the terminal;

sending, to a central provisioning server located outside the first standalone network and a second standalone non-public network which is different than the first standalone non-public network, a query to retrieve the subscription data for the terminal, wherein the subscription data for the terminal is stored at the central provisioning server in association with the permanent equipment identifier of the terminal, wherein the subscription data for the terminal is owned by the second standalone non-public network, wherein the query comprises the permanent equipment identifier of the terminal, wherein the subscription data of the terminal includes an identifier of the second standalone non-public network and an identifier of a roaming group that includes the first standalone non-public network and the second standalone non-public network, and wherein the local provisioning server is configured to communicate with the central provisioning server;

in response to the query:

receiving, from the central provisioning server, the subscription data for the terminal; and

providing, to the terminal, the subscription data for the terminal.

2 . The local provisioning server of claim 1 , wherein the subscription data for the terminal further includes a parameter used to establish a packet data unit session for the terminal.

3 . The local provisioning server of claim 2 , wherein the parameter used to establish a packet data unit session comprises at least one of:

single network slice selection assistance information associated with a network slice that the packet data unit session is to be established on;

a data network name of a data network that the packet data unit session is to be established with;

a terminal route selection policy of the terminal; or

a quality of service rule for the packet data unit session.

4 . The local provisioning server of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:

storing, in the at least one memory, subscription data for a second terminal that is owned by the first standalone non-public network; and

providing, to the central provisioning server, the subscription data for the second terminal and a permanent equipment identifier of the second terminal to be used by the central provisioning server to store the subscription data for the second terminal in association with the permanent equipment identifier of the second terminal.

5 . The local provisioning server of claim 4 , wherein the subscription data for the second terminal includes a parameter to establish a packet data unit session for the second terminal.

6 . The local provisioning server of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from a second terminal camping to the first standalone non-public network, a default credential for onboarding the second terminal to the first standalone non-public network, the default credential comprising a permanent equipment identifier of the second terminal;

determining, based on the permanent equipment identifier of the second terminal camping to the first standalone non-public network, whether the local provisioning server is storing the subscription data for the second terminal in association with the permanent equipment identifier of the second terminal; and

based on determining that the local provisioning server is storing subscription data for the second terminal in association with the permanent equipment identifier of the second terminal:

determining that the first standalone non-public network owns the subscription data for the second terminal; and

providing, to the second terminal, the subscription data for the second terminal.

7 . The local provisioning server of claim 1 , wherein the central provisioning server is administered by the first standalone non-public network and the second standalone non-public network.

8 . A central provisioning server comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

wherein the computer program code, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving, from a local provisioning server hosted by a first standalone non-public network that is onboarding a terminal that is camping to the first standalone non-public network, a query for subscription data for the terminal, wherein the subscription data for the terminal is owned by a second standalone non-public network, and wherein the query comprises a permanent equipment identifier of the terminal; and

in response to the query, retrieving, from the at least one memory, the subscription data for the terminal that is stored in the at least one memory in association with the permanent equipment identifier of the terminal, wherein the subscription data for the terminal includes an identifier of the second standalone non-public network and an identifier of a roaming group of standalone non-public networks that includes the first standalone non-public network and the second standalone non-public network; and

after retrieving, from the at least one memory, the subscription data for the terminal, providing, to the local provisioning server, the subscription data for the terminal;

wherein the central provisioning server is located outside the first standalone non-public network and the second standalone network; and

wherein the central provisioning server is configured to communicate with the location provisioning server of the first standalone non-public network and with a location provisioning server of the second standalone network.

9 . The central provisioning server of claim 8 , wherein the central provisioning server is administered by the first standalone non-public network and the second standalone non-public network.

10 . The central provisioning server of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the local provisioning server hosted by of the second standalone non-public network, the subscription data for the terminal that is owned by the second standalone non-public network and the permanent equipment identifier of the terminal; and

storing, in the at least one memory, the subscription data for the second terminal in association with the permanent equipment identifier of the terminal.

11 . The central provisioning server of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the local provisioning server of the first standalone non-public network, subscription data for a second terminal that is owned by the first onboarding standalone non-public network and a permanent equipment identifier of the second terminal; and

storing, in the at least one memory, subscription data for the second terminal that is owned by the first standalone non-public network in association with the permanent equipment identifier of the second terminal.

12 . The central provisioning server of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the local provisioning server of a second standalone non-public network, the subscription data for the second terminal that is owned by the second standalone non-public network; and

storing the subscription data for the second terminal that is owned by the second standalone non-public network in association with a permanent equipment identifier of the second terminal.

13 . A method comprising:

receiving, by a location provisioning server of a first standalone non-public network, from a terminal camping to the first standalone non-public network, a default credential to be used by the first standalone non-public network to onboard the terminal, the default credential comprising a permanent equipment identifier of the terminal;

determining, by the location provisioning server of the first standalone non-public network, based on the permanent equipment identifier of the terminal, whether the local provisioning server is storing subscription data for the terminal in association with the permanent equipment identifier of the terminal;

based on determining, by the location provisioning server of the first standalone non-public network, that the local provisioning server is not storing the subscription data for the terminal in association with the permanent equipment identifier of the terminal in the at least one memory:

determining, by the location provisioning server of the first standalone non-public network that the first standalone non-public network does not own the subscription data for the terminal;

sending, by the location provisioning server of the first standalone non-public network to a central provisioning server located outside the first standalone network and a second standalone non-public network which is different than the first standalone non-public network, a query to obtain the subscription data of the terminal stored at the central provisioning server in association with the permanent equipment identifier of the terminal, wherein the subscription data of the terminal is owned by the second standalone non-public network, wherein the subscription data of the terminal includes an identifier of the second standalone non-public network and an identifier of a roaming group that includes the first standalone non-public network and the second standalone non-public network, wherein the query comprises the permanent equipment identifier of the terminal, and wherein the location provisioning server of the first standalone non-public network is configured to communicate with the central provisioning server;

in response to the query:

receiving, by the location provisioning server of the first standalone non-public network, from the central provisioning server, the subscription information for the terminal; and

providing, by the location provisioning server of the first standalone non-public network to the terminal, the subscription information for the terminal.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the subscription information for the terminal includes a parameter used to establish a packet data unit session for the second terminal.

15 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

storing, by the location provisioning server of the first standalone non-public network, subscription data for a second terminal that is owned by the first standalone non-public network; and

providing, by the location provisioning server of the first standalone non-public network to the central provisioning server, the subscription data.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the subscription data for the second terminal includes a parameter used to establish a packet data unit session for the second terminal.

17 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

receiving, by the location provisioning server of the first standalone non-public network, from a second terminal camping to the first standalone non-public network, a default credential for onboarding the second terminal to the first standalone non-public network, the default credential comprising a permanent equipment identifier of the second terminal;

determining, by the location provisioning server of the first standalone non-public network, based on the permanent equipment identifier of the second terminal camping to the first standalone non-public network, whether the local provisioning server is storing the subscription data for the second terminal in association with the permanent equipment identifier of the second terminal;

based on determining, by the location provisioning server of the first standalone non-public network, that the first standalone non-public network hosting the local provisioning server owns the subscription data for a second terminal after initial access to a cell of the first onboarding standalone non-public network; and

providing, by the location provisioning server of the first standalone non-public network, to the second terminal, the subscription data for the second terminal.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (22)