Abstract:
A method and system for reporting evolved universal mobile telecommunication systems (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) capabilities are disclosed. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) sends a first message to a core network (CN) to report the E-UTRAN capabilities of the WTRU. The CN then updates the WTRU capabilities based on the first message. The first message may include a radio access capability information element (IE) which carries information related to E-UTRAN capabilities of the WTRU and/or a network capability IE which carries information regarding network capabilities of the WTRU. The CN may send a second message to the WTRU to report network capabilities with respect to the radio access networks (RANs) to which the core network is connected and services that can be provided over the E-UTRAN.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60/682,634 filed May 19, 2005, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention is related to a wireless communication system. More particularly, the present invention is related to a method and system for reporting evolved universal mobile telecommunication systems (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) capabilities.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     Different types of wireless access systems have been developed to provide different types of services. Some examples of the wireless access systems include wireless local area networks (WLANs), (such as IEEE 802-based networks), and cellular networks, (such as UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN), a global packet radio service (GPRS)/enhanced data rate for global system for mobile communication (GSM) evolution (EDGE) radio access network (GERAN), or the like). Each of these networks have been developed and tailored to provide specific applications.  
         [0004]     Proposals for an E-UTRAN have been made to improve wireless system capacity and enhanced performance. The E-UTRAN will provide significant advantages over existing wireless communication systems and additional services may be available through the E-UTRAN.  FIG. 1  shows an exemplary integrated wireless communication system  100  including the E-UTRAN. The system  100  includes an access system stratum  110 , a network stratum  120  and a multimedia stratum  130 . The access system stratum  110  includes a plurality of RANs, a core network (CN)  116  and an evolved CN  117 . The RANs include a generic access network (GAN)  111 , a GERAN  112 , a UTRAN  113 , an E-UTRAN  114  and an interworking wireless local area network (I-WLAN)  115 . The RANs  111 - 115  are connected to the CN  116  or the evolved CN  117  to provide services, (such as multimedia services from an Internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS)  131 ), to one or more WTRUs while interacting with an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server  121 , a mobile IP (MIP) server  122 , or other network entities in the network stratum  120  via a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN)  118  or a packet data gateway (PDG)  119 .  
         [0005]     Currently, multimode WTRUs for supporting several wireless communication systems are available. The capabilities of each of the WTRUs may vary. For example, some WTRUs may support only UMTS, while other WTRUs may have an I-WLAN support. The WTRUs that are capable of supporting E-UTRAN will also be available in the future. When the WTRU has an E-UTRAN support, it would be desirable to report the WTRU capabilities to a CN and to report additional E-UTRAN services to the WTRUs such that the WTRUs may receive and/or utilize such additional services.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0006]     The present invention is related to a method and system for reporting E-UTRAN capabilities. The WTRU sends a first message to report the E-UTRAN capabilities of the WTRU to a CN. The CN then updates the WTRU capabilities based on the first message. The first message may include a radio access capability information element (IE) which carries information regarding the E-UTRAN capabilities of the WTRU and/or a network capability IE which carries information regarding network capabilities of the WTRU. The CN may send a second message to the WTRU to report network capabilities with respect to the radio access networks (RANs) to which the core network is connected and services that can be provided over the E-UTRAN.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary prior art integrated wireless communication system including an E-UTRAN and an evolved CN.  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an exemplary integrated wireless communication system configured in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of a process for reporting E-UTRAN capabilities of a multimode WTRU in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0010]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  are diagrams of network capability IEs in accordance with prior art and the present invention.  
         [0011]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  are diagrams of radio access capability IEs in accordance with the prior art and the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0012]     When referred to hereafter, the terminology “WTRU” includes but is not limited to a user equipment, a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a pager, or any other type of device capable of operating in a wireless environment.  
         [0013]     The features of the present invention may be incorporated into an integrated circuit (IC) or be configured in a circuit comprising a multitude of interconnecting components.  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an exemplary integrated wireless communication system  200  configured in accordance with the present invention. In  FIG. 2 , many different types of WTRUs  202   a - 202   d  having different capabilities are communicating with the integrated system  200  including many different types of RANs  212 ,  214 ,  216  and  218 . For example, a cellular phone  202   a  and a personal data assistance (PDA)  202   b  are shown communicating with a global standards for mobile communication (GSM) RAN  212  and a UMTS/GPRS RAN  214 , and a laptop computer  202   c  is shown communicating with the UMTS/GPRS RAN  214  and an I-WLAN  216 . Another laptop computer  202   d  is shown communicating with the UMTS/GPRS  214 , an I-WLAN  216  and an E-UTRAN  218 . All WTRUs  202   a - 202   d  have a capability to communicate with the UMTS/GPRS RAN  214 . As mentioned above, the system  200  of  FIG. 2  is presented as an example. Thus, different types of WTRUs having different capabilities and different types and compositions of RANs are possible.  
         [0015]     Each of the RANs  212 - 218  is connected to a CN entity. For example, the GSM RAN  212  is connected to a mobile switching center (MSC)  222  to handle calls under GSM radio access technology (RAT). The UMTS/GPRS RAN  214  is connected to a GPRS support node (GSN)  224  for supporting UMTS and GPRS services. The I-WLAN  216  is connected to a PDG and/or a WLAN access gateway (WAG)  226  for supporting WLAN services. The E-UTRAN  218  is connected to the evolved CN  228  for supporting E-UTRAN services. The CN entities  222 - 228  are further connected to other network entities, such as a visitor location register (VLR)  230 , a home location register (HLR)  234  and a short message service (SMS)-gateway mobile switching center (GMSC)/interworking mobile switching center (IW-MSC)  232  for providing a service, such as SMS, from a service center  236 . The SMS-GMSC/IW-MSC  232  serves as a gateway between the service center  236  and the MSC  222 , the GSN  224  or the PDG/WAG  226 . The SMS-GMSC/IW-MSC  232  accepts mobile terminated or originated messages and delivers the messages to and from the MSC  222 , the GSN  224  or the PDG/WAG  226 .  
         [0016]     In accordance with the present invention, a WTRU  202   a - 202   d  reports WTRU capabilities including E-UTRAN capabilities to the CN over the UMTS/GPRS RAN  214 . After the CN is aware of the capabilities of the WTRU  202   a - 202   d,  the CN may report network capabilities, such as interworking capabilities and other types of services, (e.g., services that are available to WTRUs having E-UTRAN capabilities), to the WTRU  202   a - 202   d  over the UMTS/GPRS RAN  214 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of a process  300  for reporting E-UTRAN capabilities of a multimode WTRU  302  in accordance with the present invention. The WTRU  302  includes multiple radio units for supporting multiple wireless communication interfaces, such as an E-UTRAN air interface, an UTRAN air interface, an I-WLAN air interface, a GPRS/GSM air interface, or the like. Preferably, the WTRU  302  informs a CN about its E-UTRAN capability during an attachment procedure to the UMTS system, (i.e., registration).  
         [0018]     Upon power up at step  312 , the WTRU  302  sends a radio resource control (RRC) connection request message to a radio network controller (RNC)  304  of an UMTS/GPRS RAN to establish a connection to the UMTS/GPRS RAN (step  314 ). The RNC  304  performs an admission control procedure based on a plurality of factors, such as the availability of resources, or the like (step  316 ). If the RNC  304  decides to admit the WTRU  302 , the RNC  304  sends an RRC connection setup message to the WTRU  302  (step  318 ). The WTRU  302  then sends an RRC connection complete message to the RNC  304  (step  320 ).  
         [0019]     The WTRU  302  then sends an attach request message to the RNC  304  in order to receive GPRS services (step  322 ). In accordance with the present invention, the E-UTRAN capability information is sent along with the attach request message. The RNC  304  selects a serving GRPS support node (SGSN)  306  to serve the WTRU  302  and forwards the attach request message to the selected SGSN along with the E-UTRAN capability information (step  324 ). Authentication and security functions are then performed between the WTRU  302  and the SGSN  306  (step  326 ). Once the WTRU  302  is authenticated at step  328 , the SGSN  306  sends an update WTRU capability message to an HLR  308  to update WTRU capabilities (step  330 ). The SGSN  306  then sends an attach accept message to the WTRU  302  via the RNC  304  (steps  332 ,  334 ). The SGSN  306  may include the message to report the network capabilities in the attach accept message.  
         [0020]     In accordance with the present invention, a radio access capability IE and a network capability IE of existing GPRS/UMTS capability messages are amended to include new values to report the E-UTRAN capability information to a CN.  
         [0021]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  show the network capability IEs before and after being amended in accordance with the present invention. The network capability IEs report WTRU characteristics to the CN. As shown in  FIG. 4B , the network capability IE includes a new value  400  to indicate the E-UTRAN capabilities, such as an I-WLAN interworking capability, of the WTRU in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0022]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  show the radio access capability IEs before and after being amended in accordance with the present invention. The radio access capability IEs report information concerning radio aspects of the WTRU to the CN. As shown in  FIG. 5B , the radio access capability IE includes a new value  500  to report the multimode capabilities of the WTRU, (e.g., support of E-UTRAN and/or other technologies) to the CN. The new value  500  in the radio access capability IE carries all aspects of the E-UTRAN capabilities of the WTRU including supported technology, (e.g., orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), or the like), supported bandwidth, (e.g., 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, etc.), scalability, supported bit rates, quality of service (QoS) support, terminal type, (e.g., PDA, laptop, phone), memory size, screen size, processing power, or the like.  
         [0023]     As described hereinbefore, after updating the WTRU capability, the CN may send a second message to the WTRU  302  to report the availability of new network capabilities, (such as I-WLAN capabilities and evolved CN capabilities), or services that can be provided over the E-UTRAN. The second message may by included in the attach accept message or any other message. The availability of new network capabilities may be indicated by using the same network capability IE shown in  FIG. 4B .  
         [0024]     Although the features and elements of the present invention are described in the preferred embodiments in particular combinations, each feature or element can be used alone without the other features and elements of the preferred embodiments or in various combinations with or without other features and elements of the present invention.