Patent ID: 9294905
Filing Date: 2016-03-22
CPC Classification: H04L,H04W,Y02D

Claim Text:
1. A method for enhancing the use of proximity services in a public land mobile network, wherein the public land mobile network comprises an access network, the access network having a base transceiver station for a geographic area, wherein a plurality of user equipments within the geographic area receive control signals from the base transceiver station, wherein the plurality of user equipment are proximity services-enabled user equipments, wherein—in case of an activated proximity services functionality of a user equipment—a proximity services activation information is either stored in the public land mobile network or sent by that user equipment and the user equipment emits a proximity services discovery signal, wherein the method comprises the following steps: in a first step, the base transceiver station receives a first proximity services activation information related to a first user equipment of the plurality of user equipments; in a second step, the base transceiver station receives a second proximity services activation information related to a second user equipment of the plurality of user equipments; in a third step, a proximity services broadcast information is broadcasted from the base transceiver station to the plurality of user equipments within the geographic area, wherein the proximity services broadcast information indicates that one or more user equipments have activated proximity services functionality; and in a fourth step, in response to receiving the proximity services broadcast information, the first user equipment starts to emit a first proximity services discovery signal and the second user equipment starts to emit a second proximity services discovery signal.