Systems and methods for classifying user equipment and selecting tracking areas

1. A method for providing a tracking area identity list in a communications network, comprising:

maintaining, at a mobility management entity, a tracking area transition likelihood, wherein the tracking area transition likelihood is indicative of a likelihood that a user equipment device moves from one tracking area to another tracking area;

maintaining, at the mobility management entity, a tracking area group transition likelihood, wherein a tracking area group includes at least one tracking area, and wherein the tracking area group transition likelihood is indicative of a likelihood that the user equipment device moves from a first tracking area in a first tracking area group to a second tracking area in a second tracking area group;

recording, at the mobility management entity, a mobility number, wherein the mobility number is indicative of a number of times a tracking area identity has changed for the user equipment device during a period of time;

recording, at the mobility management entity, a paging number, wherein the paging number is indicative of a number of times the user equipment device is paged during a period of time;

determining a category associated with the user equipment device based on the recorded mobility number and the recorded paging number; and

generating the tracking area identity list for the user equipment device based on the category associated with the user equipment device and one or both of the tracking area transition likelihood and the tracking area group transition likelihood;

wherein determining the category associated with the user equipment device includes classifying the user equipment device into one of at least three categories based on the recorded mobility number and the recorded paging number, wherein the at least three categories include:

a first category associated with higher mobility numbers and higher paging numbers compared to respective mobility numbers and paging numbers associated with one of the at least three categories,

a second category associated with lower mobility numbers compared to mobility numbers associated with one of the at least three categories, and

a third category associated higher mobility numbers or lower paging numbers compared to respective mobility numbers or paging numbers associated with one of the at least three categories.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a tracking area group includes at least one tracking area served by a same set of base stations.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising computing the tracking area transition likelihood based on a count of transitions between tracking areas.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a number of tracking area identities in the tracking area identity list depends on the category associated with the user equipment device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein recording the mobility number includes recording the mobility number based on messages exchanged between the user equipment device and the mobility management entity.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein if the user equipment device is classified as the second category, generating the tracking area identity list for the user equipment device includes generating the tracking area identity list based on the tracking area transition likelihood.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein if the user equipment device is classified as the third category, generating the tracking area identity list for the user equipment device includes generating the tracking area identity list based on the tracking area group transition likelihood.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein if the user equipment device is classified as the first category, generating the tracking area identity list for the user equipment device includes generating the tracking area identity list based on the tracking area transition likelihood and the tracking area group transition likelihood.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user equipment device includes of a mobile phone, an in-vehicle security device, or an at home device.

10. A system comprising a mobility management entity (MME), the MME configured to:

maintain a tracking area transition likelihood, wherein the tracking area transition likelihood is indicative of a likelihood that a user equipment device moves from one tracking area to another tracking area;

maintain a tracking area group transition likelihood, wherein a tracking area group includes at least one tracking area, and wherein the tracking area group transition likelihood is indicative of a likelihood that the user equipment device moves from a first tracking area in a first tracking area group to a second tracking area in a second tracking area group;

record a mobility number, wherein the mobility number is indicative of a number of times a tracking area identity has changed for the user equipment device during a period of time;

record a paging number, wherein the paging number is indicative of a number of times the user equipment device is paged during a period of time;

determine a category associated with the user equipment device based on the recorded mobility number and the recorded paging number; and

generate the tracking area identity list for the user equipment device based on the category associated with the user equipment device and one or both of the tracking area transition likelihood and the tracking area group transition likelihood;

wherein the MME is configured to determine the category associated with the user equipment device by classifying the user equipment device into one of at least three categories based on the recorded mobility number and the recorded paging number, wherein the at least three categories include:

a first category associated with higher mobility numbers and higher paging numbers compared to respective mobility numbers and paging numbers associated with one of the at least three categories,

a second category associated with lower mobility numbers compared to mobility numbers associated with one of the at least three categories, and

a third category associated higher mobility numbers or lower paging numbers compared to respective mobility numbers or paging numbers associated with one of the at least three categories.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein if the user equipment device is classified as the second category, the MME is configured to generate the tracking area identity list based on the tracking area transition likelihood.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein if the user equipment device is classified as the third category, the MME is configured to generate the tracking area identity list, based on the tracking area group transition likelihood.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein if the user equipment device is classified as the first category, the MME is configured to generate the tracking area identity list based on the tracking area transition likelihood and the tracking area group transition likelihood.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the MME is configured to record the mobility number based on messages exchanged between the user equipment device and the mobility management entity.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein a tracking area group includes at least one tracking area served by a same set of base stations.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the tracking area transition likelihood is computed based on a count of transitions between tracking areas.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein a number of tracking area identities in the tracking area identity list depends on the category associated with the user equipment device.

18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the user equipment device includes a mobile phone, an in-vehicle security device, or an at home device.