Patent Description:
The present application is in the context of operation and management of a <NUM>rd generation partnership (3GPP) network. An area based MDT campaign designates an automatic collection of certain UE measurements and the transmission of the measurement results to the eNB, to enable easier monitoring of network performance and consequently to replace expensive drive tests performed manually by the operator. The UEs performing area based MDT measurements are selected by the eNodeB (eNB). If measurements are not activated in the UE, the eNB may activate them in the UE.

The eNB may select UEs for MDT data collection and transmission that fulfill the MDT selection criteria, which are determined mainly by radio access parameters such as the location of the UE. There is no criterion defined whether roaming users may be participating in the MDT data collection or not. If the terminal of a roaming user is MDT capable it may be automatically selected for an MDT session. Only local regulations may be considered but privacy aspects of the users are not taken into account.

However, for user privacy different regulations may apply to roaming users than for home users. for a US resident having US subscription roaming in other countries than USA, there may be a need to apply stricter regulations than for local subscribers. Thus, the local operator may unconsciously violate the roaming user's privacy.

However, in case of the present selection criteria for MDT selection such as the location area of the UE, where the UE selection is up to the eNB, the eNB does not know whether a given user is roaming or not.

One prior art solution proposed to indicate whether the user consent for MDT data collection and transmission has been given. However, it does not necessarily mean that the consent given at home network can be equally interpreted in visited network. Regulations on user privacy may differ in different countries and an indication of e.g. one bit received e.g. from a home subscription server (HSS) may be misused.

Furthermore, asking for user consent every time before sending MDT configuration message would require involving a chain of CN-RAN interfaces between home PLMN (HPLMN) and visited PLMN (VPLMN), thus it would not be a very desirable solution. In addition, area based MDT usability would be seriously endangered, i.e. so far area based MDT aims to collect statistical data on network performance provided from randomly selected anonymous users, whereas by asking about user consent for every user each time before selection, the operator would have to somehow contact the user to get its "user consent", introduce a lot of additional signalling and actually identify the user settings (violating his state of anonymity).

<CIT> and <CIT> both relate to a communication network architecture having multiple technology coverage areas that support different network technologies. A service provider monitors its customer's experience as the customer roams between technology coverage areas. An agent, such as software installed on-board the customer's mobile equipment, measures parameters that are related to the network technology, and communicates the measured parameters to the service provider, over the communication network.

<CIT> relates to a method for checking the functionality of communication services for mobile terminals during roaming operation between mobile networks.

<CIT> describes techniques for remotely interacting with a diagnostic interface on wireless computer devices.

<NPL>) discusses the necessity of MDT support for roaming and network sharing scenarios. <NPL>) discusses how the SA3 requirement about user consent can be enforced.

<NPL>) discusses the extension of the MDT activation mechanism to check whether the user has provided consent to MDT measurements.

<CIT> (not relevant to the inventive step question) relates to MDT in a wireless communications network.

<CIT> describes techniques for service control based on subscriber identity. <CIT> describes techniques for remotely accessing.

It is an object of the present disclosure to improve the prior art.

Features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of various examples which is to be taken in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein.

Herein below, certain examples are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the features of the examples can be freely combined with each other unless otherwise described.

However, it is to be expressly understood that the description of certain examples is given for by way of example only, and that it is by no way intended to be understood as limiting the invention to the disclosed details.

Hereinafter, the following designations are used to distinguish different networks:.

According to an example, the subscriber's roaming status known at the MME side is transferred to the eNB. If eNB is aware of the subscriber's roaming status it may determine whether or not a given user may be selected for MDT data collection.

The transfer of the roaming status from MME to eNB is performed via SI signalling connection. Therefore, an information element (IE) is added to the SI Initial Context Setup Request message. This IE contains the subscriber roaming status (is it a home subscriber or roaming subscriber). The roaming status may be a flag. In some examples, the IE may, in addition or instead of the roaming status, contain an identification of the HPLMN of the subscriber, either for all subscribers or for roaming subscribers only. By providing the identification of the HPLMN to the eNB, MDT data collection may be allowed for roaming subscribers of certain foreign networks, where corresponding agreements between the operators are in place such that privacy, regulatory, and/or security requirements of the users are fulfilled.

In some examples, a new interface may be implemented between MME and eNB to transfer the roaming status information and/or the identification of the HPLMN from MME to eNB.

<FIG> shows an apparatus <NUM> according to an example. The apparatus <NUM> is a base station such as an eNodeB. <FIG> shows a method according to an example. The apparatus according to <FIG> may perform the method of <FIG> but is not limited to this method. The method of <FIG> may be performed by the apparatus of <FIG> but is not limited to being performed by this apparatus.

The apparatus <NUM> comprises a base station means <NUM> and a selecting means <NUM>. The base station means <NUM> is adapted to provide a base station functionality of the mobile network (S110). For example, it may be responsible for the radio connection to UEs in its coverage area. The selecting means <NUM> is adapted to select a user equipment for an MDT campaign. Here, an MDT campaign means collecting and transmitting of MDT measurements, and it may also comprise activation of MDT measurements in the UE. The selecting means <NUM> may apply different criteria such as area based criteria and the capability of the UE for MDT measurements. In addition, it checks whether the user is a home user (i.e. subscribed to the network of the base station) or a roaming user subscribed to a network, for which MDT measurements are allowed (S120). If one of these conditions is fulfilled, the UE is a potential candidate for a MDT measurement campaign (S130). The UE will participate in the MDT campaign, if the other criteria such as area criteria are fulfilled, too. Otherwise, if the user is roaming and subscribed to a foreign network different from the visited network, for which MDT measurement are not allowed, the user is excluded from the MDT measurement campaign (S140). The selecting means <NUM> may check the different criteria (e.g. area based criteria, MDT capability, roaming status) in an arbitrary sequence and will select an UE, if all criteria are fulfilled. <FIG> shows an apparatus <NUM> according to an example. The apparatus <NUM> may be a mobility management entity such as an MME. <FIG> shows a method according to an example. The apparatus according to <FIG> may perform the method of <FIG> but is not limited to this method. The method of <FIG> may be performed by the apparatus of <FIG> but is not limited to being performed by this apparatus.

The apparatus <NUM> comprises a mobility managing means <NUM> and a roaming information providing means <NUM>. The mobility managing means <NUM> is adapted to provide a mobility management entity functionality of the mobile network (S210). For example, it may be responsible for controlling mobility related aspects of an UE connected to the apparatus <NUM> (via a base station). Furthermore, it may be responsible for handling the control plane connection of the UE. The roaming information providing means <NUM> is adapted to provide a roaming status of a UE to a connected eNodeB (S220).

<FIG> shows a system according to an example. The system comprises a base station apparatus <NUM> such as the one of <FIG> and a mobility management apparatus such as the one of <FIG>. The mobility management apparatus <NUM> controls mobility related aspects of UEs connected to the base station apparatus <NUM>. Furthermore, the mobility management apparatus <NUM> provides a roaming information of the UE to the base station apparatus <NUM>, which the latter may use to select the UE for a MDT campaign or to exclude it therefrom.

According to some examples, the roaming information provided by the mobility management apparatus <NUM> consists of a flag only, which indicates whether or not the UE is allowed to be selected for an MDT campaign. In this case, the mobility management apparatus checks whether the user of the UE is in his home network (subscribed to the visited network, i.e. the network the mobility management apparatus belongs to). If the user is a roaming user and MDT measurements are allowed for users of some predefined networks different from the visited network, too, the mobility management apparatus <NUM> additionally checks, whether a (roaming) user belongs to one of these predefined networks. For this, it may be checked if an identification of the home network of the user matches to one of the identifications of the predefined networks. In these examples, the base station apparatus only needs to evaluate the flag received from the mobility management apparatus.

According to some examples, the roaming information of the MME may comprise an identification of the home network of the user. In this case, the eNB may check, whether the user is roaming or belongs to one of the predefined networks for users of which MDT measurements are allowed.

According to some examples, the roaming information may comprise a flag indicating whether the subscriber is roaming and in addition an identification of the home network of the user. In some examples, the latter may only be provided if the user is a roaming user.

If the check, whether MDT measurements are allowed according to the roaming criterion (i.e. home user or roaming user of a predefined network) is performed in the mobility management apparatus, this check has to be performed frequently (at least with every handover), even if the UE is not considered as a candidate for a MDT campaign at all (e.g. the UE is not in the area of the MDT campaign or not MDT capable). On the other side, managing of the list of predefined networks for which MDT measurements are allowed is simplified.

If the check, whether MDT measurements are allowed according to the roaming criterion is performed in the base station apparatus, it may be performed only when the other criteria (such as area based criteria) for a selection of the UE for an MDT campaign are fulfilled, thus reducing the total processing load on the network. Furthermore, if MDT campaigns are active in several eNB connected to a mobility management apparatus, the processing load is distributed. On the other side, managing of the list of predefined networks for which MDT measurements are allowed is more complex.

Examples are described with respect to a 3GPP Rel-<NUM> network. However, examples may be employed in eNB, MMEs, and systems of other 3GPP releases and corresponding entities of other mobile networks such as universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), global packet radio system (GPRS) ; or long term evolution - advanced (LTE-a) , if a functionality similar to MDT is implemented. Correspondingly, instead of an eNodeB a corresponding base station of the respective network such as a BTS may be employed in certain examples. Instead of a user equipment, another type of terminal such as a smart phone, a mobile phone, a laptop etc. may be employed in some examples.

A flag indicating the roaming status may be understood as any information that provides logically binary information whether or not the subscriber is a roaming subscriber. , the flag may comprise one bit or more than one bit.

Matching of the identifications of mobile networks may mean that the identifications are the same. However, in some examples, matching may mean that the identification of the subscribed network of the user may be associated unambiguously to an identification of the identifications of the predefined home mobile networks, for which a transmission of MDT data is allowed. , the identifications of the predefined home mobile networks may comprise number ranges or a part of the full identifications of the respective networks only. Also, in some examples, instead of a "white list" check whether the identification of the subscribed mobile network of the user matches to the predefined identifications, a "black list" check may be performed, in which it is checked whether the identification of the subscribed mobile network of the user matches to an identification of a predefined home mobile network for which transmission is excluded. In these examples, a UE is only selected, if the identification of the subscribed mobile network does not match any of the predefined identifications.

In some examples, MDT measurements may be replaced by other measurements available at the UE where the transmission of the measurement results and, in certain examples, the activation of the corresponding measurement should depend on the roaming status of the subscriber. An example of such a measurement may be a location measurement of the UE based on the global positioning system (GPS), which may be forwarded to the eNB only for non-roaming subscribers and for roaming subscribers of specific foreign networks, where the privacy policies, regulatory rules, and/or security aspects allow a transmission of the GPS data to the visited operator.

If not otherwise stated or otherwise made clear from the context, the statement that two entities are different means that they are differently addressed in the mobile network. It does not necessarily mean that they are based on different hardware. That is, each of the entities described in the present description may be based on a different hardware, or some or all of the entities may be based on the same hardware.

According to the above description, it should thus be apparent that examples provide, for example a base station, or a component thereof, an apparatus embodying the same, a method for controlling and/or operating the same, and computer program (s) controlling and/or operating the same as well as mediums carrying such computer program (s) and forming computer program product (s). Further examples provide, for example a mobility management entity, or a component thereof, an apparatus embodying the same, a method for controlling and/or operating the same, and computer program (s) controlling and/or operating the same as well as mediums carrying such computer program (s) and forming computer program product (s) controlling and/or operating the same as well as mediums carrying such computer program (s) and forming computer program product (s).

Implementations of any of the above described blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques or methods include, as non limiting examples, implementations as hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

Claim 1:
Base station apparatus (<NUM>), comprising
base station means (<NUM>) adapted to provide a base station functionality of a visited mobile network;
selecting means (<NUM>) adapted to select or exclude a user equipment, which is operably connected to the base station means, to report a result of a predefined measurement to the base station apparatus,
wherein the selecting means (<NUM>) is adapted to select the user equipment only if roaming information of the user equipment received in an initial context setup request message from a mobility management entity by which mobility of the user equipment is controlled indicates that a user of the user equipment is subscribed to the visited mobile network, and
wherein the selecting means (<NUM>) is adapted to exclude the user equipment if the roaming information indicates that the user of the user equipment is subscribed to a home mobile network different from the visited mobile network for which the predefined measurement is not allowed.