Abstract:
A method for performing a manual public land mobile network (PLMN) selection that includes: selecting an absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN) from an ARFCN set for one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on a mobile communication device; determining whether the selected ARFCN is included in at least one allocation table of a first cell of a first PLMN; in response to determining that the selected ARFCN is not included in the at least one allocation table of the first cell of the first PLMN, adding the selected ARFCN to a second ARFCN set; and determining a PLMN identity (PLMN-ID) for each ARFCN in the second ARFCN set.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    A user may cause a mobile communication device to perform a manual public land mobile network (PLMN) selection in order to identify one or more available PLMNs. For example, while the mobile communication device is camped on a cell associated with one PLMN, the mobile communication device may perform a manual PLMN selection to locate other PLMNs operating in one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on the mobile communication device. 
         [0002]    During a manual PLMN selection, a mobile communication device may perform a power scan by measuring one or more received signal strength indicators (RSSIs) across every absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN) in the one or more frequency bands that are supported by or enabled on the mobile communication device. However, during conventional PLMN selection, the mobile communication device may decode a frequency correction channel (FCCH), synchronization channel (SCH), and broadcast control channel (BCCH) for every ARFCN having a measured signal strength that exceeds certain thresholds. 
         [0003]    Specifically, the mobile communication device may be required to decode an FCCH, SCH, and BCCH for an ARFCN in order to acquire information to determine a PLMN identity (PLMN-ID) of a PLMN associated with a corresponding cell. As such, although the mobile communication device may have already determined a PLMN-ID of a PLMN associated with the camped-on cell, the mobile communication device may still decode other ARFCNs that are also allocated to the camped-on cell but are used for traffic and frequency hopping. 
         [0004]    Consequently, conventional PLMN selection may be time consuming. In a multi-subscriber identity module (SIM) multi-standby (MSMS) mobile communication device, one subscription may utilize a single shared radio frequency (RF) chain to perform a lengthy manual PLMN selection that degrades data throughput on one or more other subscriptions. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    Apparatuses and methods for optimizing PLMN selection to reduce data throughput degradation are provided. 
         [0006]    According to the various embodiments, there is provided a method for performing a PLMN selection. The method may include: selecting an ARFCN from an ARFCN set for one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on a mobile communication device; determining whether the selected ARFCN is included in at least one allocation table of a first cell of a first PLMN; in response to determining that the selected ARFCN is not included in the at least one allocation table of the first cell of the first PLMN, adding the selected ARFCN to a second ARFCN set; and determining a PLMN identity (PLMN-ID) for each ARFCN in the second ARFCN set. 
         [0007]    According to the various embodiments, there is provided a mobile communication device. In some embodiments, the mobile communication device may include a control unit and an RF chain. 
         [0008]    The control unit may be configured to: select an ARFCN from a first ARFCN set for one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on a mobile communication device; determine whether the selected ARFCN is included in at least one allocation table of a first cell of a first PLMN; in response to determining that the selected ARFCN is not included in the at least one allocation table of the first cell of the first PLMN, add the selected ARFCN to a second ARFCN set; and determine a PLMN identity (PLMN-ID) for each ARFCN in the second ARFCN set. 
         [0009]    Other features and advantages of the present inventive concept should be apparent from the following description which illustrates by way of example aspects of the present inventive concept. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    Aspects and features of the present inventive concept will be more apparent by describing example embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a system diagram illustrating a network environment according to various embodiments; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a mobile communication device according to various embodiments; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating a process for performing a manual PLMN selection according to various embodiments; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating a process for generating an ARFCN set according to various embodiments; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a process for performing a power scan according to various embodiments; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating a process for performing a manual PLMN selection according to various embodiments. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    While a number of embodiments are described herein, these embodiments are presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection. The apparatuses and methods described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the example apparatuses and methods described herein may be made without departing from the scope of protection. 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a system diagram illustrating a network environment  100  according to various embodiments. Referring to  FIG. 1 , in various embodiments, a first PLMN  120  may include a first cell  122  associated with a first base transceiver station (BTS)  124 . In various embodiments, the first PLMN  120  may be, for example, but not limited to, a wireless or mobile communication network. 
         [0019]    Although the first PLMN  120  is shown to include one cell (e.g., the first cell  122 ), a person having ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that the first PLMN  120  may include additional cells and corresponding BTSs without departing from the scope of the present inventive concept. 
         [0020]    In various embodiments, a second PLMN  130  may include a second cell  132  associated with a second BTS  134 . In various embodiments, the second PLMN  130  may be, for example, but not limited to, a wireless or mobile communication network. Although the second PLMN  130  is shown to include one cell (e.g., the second cell  132 ), a person having ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that the second PLMN  130  may include additional cells and corresponding BTSs without departing form the scope of the present inventive concept. 
         [0021]    One cell belonging to a PLMN may be allocated one or more ARFCNs. For example, the first BTS  124  of the first cell  122  will broadcast a PLMN-ID of the first PLMN  120  on one or more ARFCNs allocated to the first cell  122 . The second BTS  134  of the second cell  132  may broadcast a PLMN-ID of the second PLMN  130  on one or more ARFCNs allocated to the second cell  132 . 
         [0022]    A mobile communication device  110  may communicate with the first PLMN  120  on a first subscription  140 . For example, the mobile communication device  110  may communicate with the first PLMN  120  on the first subscription  140  via the first cell  122  (or a different cell). When the mobile communication device  110  camps on the first cell  122  of the first PLMN  120 , the mobile communication device  110  may decode information broadcast on a BCCH by the first BTS  124  of the first cell  122  and determine a PLMN-ID of the first PLMN  120 . 
         [0023]    While the mobile communication device  110  is camped on the first cell  122  of the first PLMN  120 , a user may cause the mobile communication device  110  to perform a manual PLMN selection on the first subscription  140  in order to identify one or more available PLMNs including, for example, but not limited to, the first PLMN  120  and the second PLMN  130 . During the manual PLMN selection, the mobile communication device  110  may decode information broadcast on a BCCH by the second BTS  134  of the second cell  132  in order to determine a PLMN-ID of the second PLMN  130 . The mobile communication device  110  may report available PLMNs to a user based on the PLMN-ID of the first PLMN  120  and the PLMN-ID of the second PLMN  130 . 
         [0024]    A person having ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that the mobile communication device  110  may communicate with a different PLMN on a different subscription without departing from a scope of the present inventive concept. Moreover, the mobile communication device  110  may perform a manual PLMN selection on a different subscription without departing from a scope of the present inventive concept. 
         [0025]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a mobile communication device  110  according to various embodiments. Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in various embodiments, the mobile communication device  110  may include a control unit  210 , a communication unit  220 , a first SIM  242 , a second SIM  244 , a user interface  250 , and storage unit  260 . 
         [0026]    In various embodiments, the mobile communication device  110  may be any device capable of wirelessly communicating with one or more PLMNs including, for example, but not limited to, the first PLMN  120 , the second PLMN  130 , and a third PLMN  150 . In various embodiments, the mobile communication device  110  may be, for example, but not limited to, a smartphone, a tablet PC, or a laptop computer. 
         [0027]    In various embodiments, the communication unit  220  may include an RF chain  230 . The RF chain  230  may include, for example, but not limited to, an RF module  232  and an antenna  234 . 
         [0028]    Although the mobile communication device  110  is shown to include a single communication unit (e.g., the communication unit  220 ), a person of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that the mobile communication device  110  may include additional communication units without departing from the scope of the present inventive concept. 
         [0029]    In various embodiments, the first SIM  242  may associate the communication unit  220  with a first subscription  140  on the first PLMN  120 , and the second SIM  244  may associate the communication unit  220  with a second subscription  142  on the third PLMN  150 . For clarity and convenience, throughout this disclosure, the first SIM  242  associates the communication unit  220  with the first subscription  140  and the second SIM  244  associates the communication unit  220  with the second subscription  142 . However, a person having ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that either SIM may associate the communication unit  220  with either subscription without departing from the scope of the present inventive concept. 
         [0030]    In various embodiments, the first PLMN  120 , the second PLMN  130 , and the third PLMN  150  may each be operated by the same mobile network operator (MNO) or by different MNOs. Additionally, in various embodiments, the first PLMN  120 , the second PLMN  130 , and the third PLMN  150  may each implement the same radio access technology (RAT) or different RATs, including, for example, but not limited to Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA). 
         [0031]    In various embodiments, the control unit  210  may be configured to control an overall operation of the mobile communication device  110  including controlling the functions of the communication unit  220 . In various embodiments, the control unit  210  may include a PLMN selection module  212  configured to perform one or more manual PLMN selections on the first subscription  140  and/or the second subscription  142 . In various embodiments, the control unit  210  may further include a power scan module  214  configured to perform a power scan across one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on the mobile communication device  110 . 
         [0032]    In various embodiments, the control unit  210  may be, for example, but not limited to, a microprocessor (e.g., general-purpose processor, baseband modem processor, etc.) or a microcontroller. While the control unit  210  is shown to include the PLMN selection module  212  and the power scan module  214 , a person having ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that at least some operations performed by the PLMN selection module  212  and the power scan module  214  may be implemented by the control unit  210  or by one or more different components of the mobile communication device  110  without departing from a scope of the present inventive concept. 
         [0033]    In various embodiments, the user interface  250  may include an input unit  252 . In some embodiments, the input unit  252  may be, for example, but not limited to, a keyboard or a touch panel. A person having ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that other types or forms of input units may be used without departing from the scope of the present inventive concept. 
         [0034]    In various embodiments, the user interface  250  may include an output unit  254 . In various embodiments, the output unit  254  may be configured to display a result of a manual PLMN selection performed by the control unit  210  (e.g., the PLMN selection module  212 ) including, for example, but not limited to, an indication of one or more available PLMNs. In some embodiments, the output unit  254  may be, for example, but not limited to, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a light emitting diode (LED) display. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other types or forms of output units may be used without departing from the scope of the present inventive concept. 
         [0035]    In various embodiments, the storage unit  260  may be configured to store application programs, application data, and user data. In various embodiments, at least some of the application programs stored at the storage unit  260  may be executed by the control unit  210  for the operation of the mobile communication device  110 . 
         [0036]    In various embodiments, while the mobile communication device  110  is camped on the first cell  122  on the first subscription  140  (or the second subscription  142 ), the control unit  210  may be configured to utilize the RF chain  230  to perform one or more manual PLMN selections on the first subscription  140  (or the second subscription  142 ). For example, the control unit  210  may tune away from an activity (e.g., a data call) on the second subscription  142  in order to utilize the RF chain  230  to perform a manual PLMN selection on the first subscription  140 . 
         [0037]    During a manual PLMN selection, the control unit  210  may be configured to generate an ARFCN set that excludes one or more ARFCNs allocated to the first cell  122  and included in at least one allocation table of the first cell  122 . For example, the ARFCN set may exclude ARFCNs included in a cell allocation (CA) table and/or mobile allocation (MA) table of the first cell  122 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating a process  300  for performing a manual PLMN selection according to various embodiments. Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , the process  300  may be performed by the control unit  210 , for example, by the PLMN selection module  212 . 
         [0039]    The mobile communication device  110  camped on the first cell  122  may receive information broadcast over a BCCH by a first cell (e.g., the first cell  122 ) ( 302 ). The control unit  210  may decode information broadcast by the first cell  122  over an SCH and an FCCH. The control unit  210  may decode information (e.g., one or more system information (SI) messages) broadcast by the first cell  122  over a BCCH based on at least a portion of the information received from the first cell  122  over the SCH and the FCCH. The first BTS  124  of the first cell  122  may broadcast over the BCCH in one or more SI messages the PLMN-ID of the first PLMN  120 . Accordingly, the control unit  210  may decode information broadcast over the BCCH by the first cell  122  to determine the PLMN-ID of the first PLMN  120  ( 304 ). 
         [0040]    The control unit  210  may add the determined PLMN-ID of the first PLMN  120  to an available PLMN set ( 306 ). For example, the control unit  210  may add the PLMN-ID of the first PLMN  120  to an available PLMN set by storing the PLMN-ID of the first PLMN  120  in the storage unit  260 . 
         [0041]    The control unit  210  may receive at least one allocation table from the first cell  122  ( 308 ). The first BTS  124  of the first cell  122  may broadcast over the BCCH one or more SI messages that include a cell allocation (CA) table and/or a mobile allocation (MA) table for the first cell  122 . The CA table and/or the MA table may include one or more ARFCNs that may all be allocated to the first cell  122  for traffic and/or frequency hopping. 
         [0042]    The control unit  210  may generate a first ARFCN set for one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on the mobile communication device  110  ( 310 ). For example, the control unit  210  may perform a power scan across ARFCNs in one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on the mobile communication device  110 . The control unit  210  may generate the first ARFCN set based on a result of the power scan. 
         [0043]    The control unit  210  may select an ARFCN from the first ARFCN set ( 312 ). Then, the control unit  210  may determine whether the selected ARFCN is included in the at least one allocation table of the first cell  122  of the first PLMN  120  ( 313 ). For example, the selected ARFCN may be allocated to the first cell  122  belonging to the first PLMN  120 . 
         [0044]    If the control unit  210  determines that the selected ARFCN is included in the at least one allocation table of the first cell  122  of the first PLMN  120  ( 313 -Y), the control unit  210  may exclude the selected ARFCN from a second ARFCN set ( 314 ) and may determine whether there are one or more additional ARFCNs in the first ARFCN set ( 315 ). 
         [0045]    For example, during the manual PLMN selection, the control unit  210  may not add an ARFCN from the first ARFCN set to the second ARFCN set if the ARFCN is allocated to the first cell  122 . The control unit  210  may continue examining the remaining ARFCNs included in the first ARFCN set. If the control unit  210  determines there is not one or more additional ARFCNs in the first ARFCN set ( 315 -N), the control unit  210  may determine a PLMN-ID for each ARFCN included in the second ARFCN set ( 320 ). The control unit  210  may determine a PLMN-ID for one or more ARFCNs included in the second ARFCN set but the control unit  210  may not determine a PLMN-ID for one or more ARFCNs excluded from the second ARFCN set. As such, the control unit  210  may not determine a PLMN-ID for the first cell  122  associated with the first PLMN  120  since the control unit  210  may have already decoded the PLMN-ID of the first PLMN  120  from the first cell  122  at the operation  304 . If the control unit  210  determines there are one or more additional ARFCNs in the first ARFCN set ( 315 -Y), the control unit  210  may select one of the one or more additional ARFCNs from the first ARFCN set ( 316 ), and the process may continue at the operation  313 . 
         [0046]    Alternately, the control unit  210  may determine that the selected ARFCN is not included in the at least one allocation table of the first cell  122  of the first PLMN  120  ( 313 -N). For example, the mobile communication device  110  may be camped on the first cell  122  of the first PLMN  120 . The selected ARFCN may be allocated to the second cell  132  associated with the second PLMN  130 . As such, the control unit  210  may add the selected ARFCN to the second ARFCN set ( 318 ). 
         [0047]    The control unit  210  may determine whether there are one or more additional ARFCNs in the first ARFCN set ( 315 ). If the control unit  210  determines there are one or more additional ARFCNs in the first ARFCN set ( 315 -Y), the control unit  210  may select one of the one or more additional ARFCNs from the first ARFCN set ( 316 ), and the process may continue at the operation  313 . Alternately, if the control unit  210  determines there is not one or more additional ARFCNs in the first ARFCN set ( 315 -N), the control unit  210  may determine a PLMN-ID for each ARFCN in the second ARFCN set ( 320 ). 
         [0048]    A person having ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that the control unit  210  may perform the process  300  on the first subscription  140  and/or the second subscription  142  without departing from a scope of the present inventive concept. Moreover, at least some of the operations in the process  300  may be performed in a different order without departing from a scope of the present inventive concept. 
         [0049]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating a process  400  of generating an ARFCN set according to various embodiments. Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , in various embodiments, the process  400  may be performed by the control unit  210 , for example, by the PLMN selection module  212 . The process  400  may implement the operation  310  of the process  300 . 
         [0050]    The control unit  210  may perform a power scan across a plurality of ARFCNs included in one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on the mobile communication device  110  ( 402 ). For example, the control unit  210  may perform a power scan across every ARFCN in one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on the mobile communication device  110 . The mobile communication device  110  may support or enable a plurality of ARFCNs, for example, but not limited to, 971 ARFCNs 
         [0051]    The control unit  210  may sort a plurality of ARFCNs included in a result of the power scan based at least in part on a strength of a signal or other suitable metric measured at each ARFCN ( 404 ). For example, a result of the power scan may include a portion of the ARFCNs (e.g., 220 or another number ARFCNs) included in the one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on the mobile communication device  110 . The control unit  210  may sort the ARFCNs included in the result of the power scan based on one or more RSSIs. 
         [0052]    The control unit  210  may generate the first ARFCN set from the sorted plurality of ARFCNs ( 406 ). The first ARFCN set may include at least a portion of the sorted ARFCNs. For example, the control unit  210  may generate the first ARFCN set by selecting a subset of ARFCNs from the sorted ARFCNs (e.g., 140 or another number of the 220 ARFCNs) having a highest measured signal strength. For instance, the subset may be selected to include a predetermined number of ARFCNs with the highest measured signal strengths (e.g., selecting the top n ARFCNs in terms of highest measured signal strength). Alternately or additionally, the control unit  210  may generate the first ARFCN set by selecting a subset of ARFCNs from the sorted ARFCNs having a measured signal strength that exceeds one or more thresholds. 
         [0053]    A person having ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that the control unit  210  may perform the process  400  on the first subscription  140  and/or the second subscription  142  without departing from a scope of the present inventive concept. 
         [0054]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a process  500  for performing a power scan according to various embodiments. Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , in various embodiments, the process  500  may be performed by the control unit  210 , for example, by the power scan module  214 . The process  500  may implement the operation  402  of the process  400 . 
         [0055]    The control unit  210  may select an ARFCN from one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on the mobile communication device  110  on which to measure power ( 502 ). The control unit  210  may measure a strength of a signal at the selected ARFCN ( 504 ). For example, during a power scan, the control unit  210  may measure one or more RSSIs for a signal at a selected ARFCN including, for example, but not limited to, an RxLev and an RxQual. 
         [0056]    The control unit  210  may determine whether there are one or more additional ARFCNs in the one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on the mobile communication device  110  ( 505 ). If the control unit  210  determines that there are one or more additional ARFCNs in the one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on the mobile communication device  110  ( 505 -Y), the control unit  210  may select one of the one or more additional ARFCNs from the one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on the mobile communication device  110  ( 506 ) and the process  500  may continue at the operation  504 . 
         [0057]    Alternately, the control unit  210  may determine that there is not one or more additional ARFCNs in the one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on the mobile communication device  110  ( 505 -N). For example, the control unit  210  may determine that the signal strengths of all of the ARFCNs in the one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on the mobile communication device  110  have been measured. 
         [0058]    The control unit  210  may return a result of a power scan ( 508 ). For example, during the power scan, the control unit  210  may detect and measure a signal for at least a subset of the ARFCNs (e.g., 220 of 971 ARFCNs) included in the one or more frequency bands supported by or enabled on the mobile communication device  110 . The result of the power scan may include the subset of detected ARFCNs for which power was measured. 
         [0059]    A person having ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that the control unit  210  may perform the process  500  on the first subscription  140  and/or the second subscription  142  without departing from a scope of the present inventive concept. 
         [0060]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating a process  600  for performing a manual PLMN selection according to various embodiments. Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 and 6 , in various embodiments, the process  500  may be performed by the control unit  210 , for example, by the PLMN selection module  212 . The process  600  may implement the operation  320  of the process  300 . 
         [0061]    The control unit  210  may select an ARFCN from the second ARFCN set ( 602 ). The control unit  210  may decode information broadcast on a BCCH by a second cell (e.g., the second cell  132 ) to which the selected ARFCN is allocated ( 604 ). For example, the second ARFCN set may include an ARFCN allocated to the second cell  132  belonging to the second PLMN  130 . The control unit  210  may decode information broadcast on an SCH and an FCCH by the second BTS  134  of the second cell  132  associated with the second PLMN  130 . The control unit  210  may decode information (e.g., one or more SI messages) broadcast on the BCCH by the second cell  132  based on at least a portion of the information received on the SCH and the FCCH. 
         [0062]    The control unit  210  may determine whether information broadcast on the BCCH is successfully decoded ( 605 ). If the control unit  210  determines that information broadcast on the BCCH is not successfully decoded ( 605 -N), the control unit  210  may determine whether there are one or more additional ARFCNs in the second ARFCN set ( 607 ). For example, if the control unit  210  is unable to decode information (e.g., one or more SI messages) broadcast on the BCCH by the second BTS  134  of second cell  132  associated with the second PLMN  130 , the control unit  210  may continue examining the remaining ARFCNs included the second ARFCN set. If the control unit  210  determines there are one or more additional ARFCNs in the second ARFCN set ( 607 -Y), the control unit  210  may select one of the one or more additional ARFCNs from the second ARFCN set ( 608 ) and the process may continue at the operation  604 . 
         [0063]    Alternately, if the control unit  210  determines that the information broadcast on the BCCH is successfully decoded ( 605 -Y), the control unit  210  may determine a PLMN-ID of the second PLMN  130  associated with the second cell  132  to which the selected ARFCN is allocated ( 610 ). For example, the second cell  132  to which the selected ARFCN is allocated may belong to the second PLMN  130 . The control unit  210  may determine a PLMN-ID of the second PLMN  130  based on information (e.g., one or more SI messages) broadcast on the BCCH from the second cell  132  for the selected ARFCN. 
         [0064]    The control unit  210  may determine whether the PLMN-ID of the second PLMN  130  for the selected ARFCN is included in the available PLMN set ( 611 ). If the control unit  210  determines that the PLMN-ID of the second PLMN  130  is already included in the available PLMN set ( 611 -Y), the control unit  210  may not add the PLMN-ID of the second PLMN  130  for the selected ARFCN to the available PLMN set ( 614 ). For example, the available PLMN set may include one or more unique PLMN-IDs. As such, the control unit  210  may not add the PLMN-ID of the second PLMN  130  to the available PLMN set if the PLMN-ID of the second PLMN  130  is already included in the available PLMN set. 
         [0065]    Alternately, if the control unit  210  determines that the PLMN-ID of the second PLMN  130  is not included in the available PLMN set ( 611 -N), the control unit  210  may add the PLMN-ID of the second PLMN  130  to the available PLMN set ( 612 ). 
         [0066]    Then after the operations  612  or  614 , the control unit  210  may determine whether there are one or more additional ARFCNs in the second ARFCN set ( 607 ). If the control unit  210  determines there are one or more additional ARFCNs in the second ARFCN set ( 607 -Y), the control unit  210  may select one of the one or more additional ARFCNs from the second ARFCN set ( 608 ), and the process  600  may continue at the operation  604 . 
         [0067]    Alternately, if the control unit determines that there is not one or more additional ARFCNs in the second ARFCN set ( 607 -N), the control unit  210  may provide, on the mobile communication device  110 , an indication of one or more available PLMNs based on the available PLMN set ( 616 ). For example, the control unit  210  may display, on the mobile communication device  110 , one or more available PLMNs corresponding to the PLMN-IDs included in the available PLMN set to a user (e.g., via the output unit  254 ). For example, the mobile communication device  110  may be camped on the first cell  122  of the first PLMN  120 . As such, the available PLMN set may include the PLMN-IDs of the first PLMN  120  and the second PLMN  130 . The control unit  210  may receive a selection of a PLMN of the one or more available PLMNs. The control unit  210  may perform a PLMN selection based on the selected PLMN to register the mobile communication device  110  on the selected PLMN. 
         [0068]    A person having ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that the control unit  210  may perform the process  600  on the first subscription  140  and/or the second subscription  142  without departing from a scope of the present inventive concept. 
         [0069]    The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the protection. For instance, the example apparatuses, methods, and systems disclosed herein may be applied to multi-SIM wireless devices subscribing to multiple communication networks and/or communication technologies. The various components illustrated in the figures may be implemented as, for example, but not limited to, software and/or firmware on a processor, ASIC/FPGA/DSP, or dedicated hardware. Also, the features and attributes of the specific example embodiments disclosed above may be combined in different ways to form additional embodiments, all of which fall within the scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0070]    The foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams are provided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that the operations of the various embodiments must be performed in the order presented. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art the order of operations in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in any order. Words such as “thereafter,” “then,” “next,” etc. are not intended to limit the order of the operations; these words are simply used to guide the reader through the description of the methods. Further, any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” or “the” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular. 
         [0071]    The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm operations described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and operations have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present inventive concept. 
         [0072]    The hardware used to implement the various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the various embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but, in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of receiver devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Alternatively, some operations or methods may be performed by circuitry that is specific to a given function. 
         [0073]    In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or non-transitory processor-readable storage medium. The operations of a method or algorithm disclosed herein may be embodied in processor-executable instructions that may reside on a non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium. Non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage media may be any storage media that may be accessed by a computer or a processor. By way of example but not limitation, such non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage media may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), FLASH memory, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of non-transitory computer-readable and processor-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium and/or computer-readable storage medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product. 
         [0074]    Although the present disclosure provides certain example embodiments and applications, other embodiments that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, including embodiments which do not provide all of the features and advantages set forth herein, are also within the scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to be defined only by reference to the appended claims.