Granted Patent B2

US 12,647,879 · App. 18/253,597 · Granted Jun 2, 2026

Inventors: Andreas Neubacher (Korneuburg, AT); Kurt Bischinger (Vienna, AT)

Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG

H04W48/18H04W48/20H04W84/042

Abstract

Claims (45)

1 . A method for network selection, comprising:

determining, by a user equipment in a radio environment comprising a plurality of radio cells of a plurality of mobile communication networks, suitable radio cells of a considered radio access technology based on the cell selection criterion regarding the considered radio access technology, wherein each of the plurality of radio cells is associated, respectively, to at least one mobile communication network of the plurality of mobile communication networks, and wherein determining the suitable radio cells of the respective radio access technology comprises:

measuring or detecting, by the user equipment, reception conditions regarding the plurality of radio cells; and

determining whether respective radio cells of the plurality of radio cells meet or exceed a cell selection criterion, wherein a respective radio cell is considered to be a suitable radio cell based on its respective reception conditions meeting or exceeding the cell selection criterion; and

initiating, by the user equipment, network selection according to an automatic network selection mode, wherein in the automatic network selection mode, the user equipment only considers respective mobile communication networks corresponding to respective suitable radio cells of the considered radio access technology that have or correspond to reception conditions meeting or exceeding an enhanced network selection criterion, wherein the network selection criterion used in the automatic network selection mode is more restrictive than the cell selection criterion used in the determination of suitable radio cells.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the enhanced network selection criterion corresponds to a high quality criterion, wherein the high quality criterion corresponds to:

regarding global system for mobile communication (GSM) as radio access technology: a respective signal level associated with a high quality reception of a public land mobile network according to the 3GPP standardization; or

regarding UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), narrow-band internet-of-things (NB-IoT), or new radio (NR) in 5G systems: a respective signal level associated with the high quality criterion according to the 3GPP standardization, triggering the reporting, at the cell selection stage, of a respective public land mobile network as a high quality public land mobile network.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the user equipment has or is associated with a home public land mobile network (HPLMN):

wherein the enhanced network selection criterion comprises or takes into account a home-operator-controlled value set or adjustable by the HPLMN or its operator; and

wherein the cell selection criterion lacks a home-operator-controlled component.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the home-operator-controlled value of the enhanced network selection criterion corresponds to:

an offset value added to the cell selection criterion; or an absolute value.

5 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the home-operator-controlled value of the enhanced network selection criterion is:

stored in the user equipment within or as part of a subscriber identity module or another secure element or part of the user equipment; and/or

provided or transmitted to the user equipment by the HPLMN or its operator, via an over-the-air transmission method.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

determining mobile communication networks of the considered radio access technology based on the enhanced network selection criterion, wherein determining the mobile communication networks of the considered radio access technology based on the enhanced network selection criterion is conducted:

after switching on the user equipment;

after recovery from lack of coverage;

at a network reselection triggered by a user; or

periodically in case the user equipment is in a visited communication network.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

based on the user equipment not finding mobile communication networks that correspond to suitable radio cells of the considered radio access technology that have or correspond to reception conditions meeting or exceeding the enhanced network selection criterion, continuing, by the user equipment, network selection based on the cell selection criterion instead of the enhanced network selection criterion.

8 . A user equipment in a radio environment comprising a plurality of radio cells of a plurality of mobile communication networks, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having instructions stored thereon;

wherein based on the processor executing the instructions, the user equipment is configured to:

determine suitable radio cells of a considered radio access technology based on the cell selection criterion regarding the considered radio access technology, wherein each of the plurality of radio cells is associated, respectively, to at least one mobile communication network of the plurality of mobile communication networks, and wherein determining the suitable radio cells of the respective radio access technology comprises:

measuring or detecting reception conditions regarding the plurality of radio cells; and

determining whether respective radio cells of the plurality of radio cells meet or exceed a cell selection criterion, wherein a respective radio cell is considered to be a suitable radio cell based on its respective reception conditions meeting or exceeding the cell selection criterion; and

initiate network selection according to an automatic network selection mode, wherein in the automatic network selection mode, the user equipment only considers respective mobile communication networks corresponding to respective suitable radio cells of the considered radio access technology that have or correspond to reception conditions meeting or exceeding an enhanced network selection criterion, wherein the network selection criterion used in the automatic network selection mode is more restrictive than the cell selection criterion used in the determination of suitable radio cells.

9 . A system, comprising:

a plurality of mobile communication networks; and

a user equipment in a radio environment comprising a plurality of radio cells of the plurality of mobile communication networks, wherein each of the plurality of radio cells is associated, respectively, to at least one mobile communication network of the plurality of mobile communication networks;

wherein the user equipment is configured to:

determine suitable radio cells of a considered radio access technology based on the cell selection criterion regarding the considered radio access technology, wherein each of the plurality of radio cells is associated, respectively, to at least one mobile communication network of the plurality of mobile communication networks, and wherein determining the suitable radio cells of the respective radio access technology comprises:

measuring or detecting reception conditions regarding the plurality of radio cells; and

determining whether respective radio cells of the plurality of radio cells meet or exceed a cell selection criterion, wherein a respective radio cell is considered to be a suitable radio cell based on its respective reception conditions meeting or exceeding the cell selection criterion; and

initiate network selection according to an automatic network selection mode, wherein in the automatic network selection mode, the user equipment only considers respective mobile communication networks corresponding to respective suitable radio cells of the considered radio access technology that have or correspond to reception conditions meeting or exceeding an enhanced network selection criterion, wherein the network selection criterion used in the automatic network selection mode is more restrictive than the cell selection criterion used in the determination of suitable radio cells.

10 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon for network selection, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, facilitate performance of the following-steps:

determining, by a user equipment in a radio environment comprising a plurality of radio cells of a plurality of mobile communication networks, suitable radio cells of a considered radio access technology based on the cell selection criterion regarding the considered radio access technology, wherein each of the plurality of radio cells is associated, respectively, to at least one mobile communication network of the plurality of mobile communication networks, and wherein determining the suitable radio cells of the respective radio access technology comprises:

measuring or detecting, by the user equipment, reception conditions regarding the plurality of radio cells; and

determining whether respective radio cells of the plurality of radio cells meet or exceed a cell selection criterion, wherein a respective radio cell is considered to be a suitable radio cell based on its respective reception conditions meeting or exceeding the cell selection criterion; and

initiating, by the user equipment, network selection according to an automatic network selection mode, wherein in the automatic network selection mode, the user equipment only considers respective mobile communication networks corresponding to respective suitable radio cells of the considered radio access technology that have or correspond to reception conditions meeting or exceeding an enhanced network selection criterion, wherein the network selection criterion used in the automatic network selection mode is more restrictive than the cell selection criterion used in the determination of suitable radio cells.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (32)