Patent ID: 9137768
Filing Date: 2015-09-15
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. In a wireless communication system in which a radio access network (RAN) defines a plurality of tracking areas, wherein each tracking area of the plurality of tracking areas includes one or more base stations of the RAN, and wherein each base station of the RAN is provisioned with a respective tracking area identity (TAI) that the base station is configured to broadcast over an air interface, the TAI identifying a tracking area in which the base station is included, a method comprising: the RAN receiving data indicating that a base station located at a particular geographic location is registering with the RAN; responsive to the RAN receiving the data indicating that the base station located at the particular geographic location is registering with the RAN, the RAN making a determination of whether a number of base stations in a particular tracking area that corresponds with the particular geographic location is greater than a threshold number of base stations, the particular tracking area having a particular TAI; and responsive to the RAN making a determination that the number of base stations in the particular tracking area is greater than the threshold number of base stations: (i) the RAN creating a new tracking area having a new TAI, (ii) the RAN provisioning the base station with the new TAI rather than the particular TAI, and (iii) the RAN providing the base station with a tracking area list that includes both the new TAI and the particular TAI, wherein the base station broadcasts the tracking area list to one or more user equipment devices (UEs) in a coverage area of the base station.