Patent Description:
A multi-SIM terminal is a terminal where multiple Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards can be installed, and the subscriber can choose to use any one of the SIM cards for communication.

Before a subscriber can use a SIM card for communication, the SIM card needs to be registered in the operator's network. In order to ensure that the multi-SIM terminal can be successfully registered in the network, it is usually necessary to apply an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) for each SIM card. For example, when the multi-SIM terminal is a dual-SIM terminal, two IMEIs need to be applied.

Due to the need to apply multiple IMEIs for the multi-SIM terminal, the remaining available IMEIs become less and less. In addition, it is necessary to pay for IMEI application, which leads to higher costs of the multi-SIM terminal. Related technologies are known from a patent publication document <CIT> and a non-patent disclosure titled "3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Study on the security aspects of the next generation system (Release <NUM>)" than can be retrieved from the URL: https://www. org/ftp/Specs/archive/<NUM> _series/<NUM>/<NUM>-<NUM>.

The present invention provides a network registration method, apparatus, system, and storage medium to solve the technical problem of applying multiple IMEIs for a multi-SIM terminal, having the features of the independent claims.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a network registration method is provided, which includes: obtaining, by a multi-SIM terminal upon registering a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card of the multi-SIM terminal to a network, an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and multiple International Mobile Subscriber Identities (IMSIs) of multiple SIM cards in the multi-SIM terminal; sending, by the multi-SIM terminal, the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to a network device in the network; receiving, by the multi-SIM terminal, a first authentication result fed back from the network device, where the first authentication result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network.

In some embodiments, the network device includes a management device, and the management device is a Mobility Management Entity (MME), and where sending, by the multi-SIM terminal, the multiple IMSIs to the network device in the network includes: generating, by the multi-SIM terminal, an attach request, where the attach request carries the multiple IMSIs; and sending, by the multi-SIM terminal, the attach request to the management device.

In some embodiments, the attach request includes a first field and a second field, the first field indicates an IMSI of currently-registered SIM card, and the second field indicates the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card.

In some embodiments, the network device includes a management device, and the management device is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), and where sending, by the multi-SIM terminal, the multiple IMSIs to the network device in the network includes: generating, by the multi-SIM terminal, a registration request, where the registration request carries the multiple IMSIs; and sending, by the multi-SIM terminal, the registration request to the management device.

In some embodiments, the registration request includes a third field and a fourth field, the third field indicates an IMSI of currently-registered SIM card, and the fourth field indicates the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: obtaining, by the multi-SIM terminal upon first registering the SIM card of the multi-SIM terminal to the network, the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs; sending, by the multi-SIM terminal, the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the network device; and receiving, by the multi-SIM terminal, a second authentication result fed back from the network device, where the second authentication result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a method for network registration is provided, which includes: receiving, by a network device, an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and multiple International Mobile Subscriber Identities (IMSIs) of multiple Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards from a multi-SIM terminal, where the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are sent by the multi-SIM terminal upon registering one SIM card to a network; verifying, by the network device, whether the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with a mapping relation stored in the network device, and generating a first verification result, where the mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs, and the first verification result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network; determining, by the network device, whether to allow the SIM card to reside in the network based on the first verification result; and sending, by the network device, the first verification result to the multi-SIM terminal.

In some embodiments, the network device includes a management device and an equipment identify register, where receiving, by the network device, the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs of the multiple SIM cards from the multi-SIM terminal includes: receiving, by the management device, the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs of the multiple SIM cards from the multi-SIM terminal; where verifying, by the network device, whether the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with the mapping relation stored in the network device and generating the first verification result includes: sending, by the management device, the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the equipment identify register; and verifying, by the equipment identify register, whether the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with the mapping relation stored in the network device, and generating the first verification result; where determining, by the network device, whether to allow the SIM card to reside in the network based on the first verification result includes: sending, by the equipment identify register, the first verification result to the management device; and determining, by the management device, whether to allow the SIM card to reside in the network based on the first verification result; and where sending, by the network device, the first verification result to the multi-SIM terminal includes: sending, by the management device, the first verification result to the multi-SIM terminal.

In some embodiments, the management device is a Mobility Management Entity (MME), and where receiving, by the management device, the multiple IMSIs of the multiple SIM cards from the multi-SIM terminal includes: receiving, by the management device, an attach request from the multi-SIM terminal; and obtaining, by the management device, the multiple IMSIs from the attach request.

In some embodiments, obtaining, by the management device, the multiple IMSIs from the attach request includes: reading, by the management device, a first field and a second field from the attach request; obtaining, by the management device, an IMSI of currently-registered SIM card based on the first field, and obtaining the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card based on the second field.

In some embodiments, the management device is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), where receiving, by the management device, the multiple IMSIs of the multiple SIM cards from the multi-SIM terminal includes: receiving, by the management device, a registration request from the multi-SIM terminal; and obtaining, by the management device, the multiple IMSIs from the registration request.

In some embodiments, obtaining, by the management device, the multiple IMSIs from the registration request includes: reading, by the management device, a third field and a fourth field from the registration request; and obtaining, by the management device, an IMSI of currently-registered SIM card based on the third field, and obtaining the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card based on the fourth field.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving, by the network device, the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs from the multi-SIM terminal, where the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are sent by the multi-SIM terminal upon first registering the SIM card to the network; verifying, by the network device, the IMEI and generating a second verification result, where the second verification result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network; determine, by the network device, whether to allow the SIM card to reside in the network based on the second verification result; and sending, by the network device, the second verification result to the multi-SIM terminal.

In some embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus for network registration is provided, which includes: an obtaining module, configured to obtain, upon registering a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card of the multi-SIM terminal to a network, an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and multiple International Mobile Subscriber Identities (IMSIs) of multiple SIM cards in the multi-SIM terminal; a first sending module, configured to send the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to a network device in the network; a first receiving module, configured to receive a first authentication result fed back from the network device, where the first authentication result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network.

In some embodiments, the network device includes a management device, and the management device is a Mobility Management Entity (MME), and the first sending module is further configured to: generate an attach request, where the attach request carries the multiple IMSIs; and send the attach request to the management device.

In some embodiments, the network device includes a management device, and the management device is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), and the first sending module is further configured to: generate a registration request, where the registration request carries the multiple IMSIs; and send the registration request to the management device.

In some embodiments, the obtaining module is further configured to obtain, upon first registering the SIM card of the multi-SIM terminal to the network, the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs; the first sending module is further configured to send the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the network device; and the first receiving module is further configured to receive a second authentication result fed back from the network device, where the second authentication result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network.

In some embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus for network registration is provided, which includes: a second receiving module, configured to receive an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and multiple International Mobile Subscriber Identities (IMSIs) of multiple Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards from a multi-SIM terminal, where the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are sent by the multi-SIM terminal upon registering one SIM card to a network; a second sending module, configured to send the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to an equipment identify register; where the second receiving module is further configured to receive a first verification result from the equipment identify register, the first verification result is generated by the equipment identify register after verifying whether the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are consistent with a stored mapping relation, and the mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs; a determination module, configured to determine whether to allow the SIM card to reside in the network based on the first verification result; and where the second sending module is further configured to send the first verification result to the multi-SIM terminal.

In some embodiments, the management device is a Mobility Management Entity (MME), and the second receiving module is further configured to: receive an attach request from the multi-SIM terminal; and obtain the multiple IMSIs from the attach request.

In some embodiments, the second receiving module is further configured to: read a first field and a second field from the attach request; obtain an IMSI of currently-registered SIM card based on the first field, and obtain the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card based on the second field.

In some embodiments, the management device is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), and the second receiving module is further configured to: receive a registration request from the multi-SIM terminal; and obtain the multiple IMSIs from the registration request.

In some embodiments, the second receiving module is further configured to: read a third field and a fourth field from the registration request; and obtain an IMSI of currently-registered SIM card based on the third field, and obtain the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card based on the fourth field.

In some embodiments, the second receiving module is further configured to receive the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs from the multi-SIM terminal, where the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are sent by the multi-SIM terminal upon first registering the SIM card to the network; the second sending module is further configured to send the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the equipment identify register; the second receiving module is further configured to receive a second verification result from the equipment identify register, the second verification result is generated by the equipment identify register after verifying the IMEI, and the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are used for the equipment identify register to generate the mapping relation; the determination module is further configured to determine whether to allow the SIM card to reside in the network based on the second verification result; and the second sending module is further configured to send the second verification result to the multi-SIM terminal.

In some embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus for network registration is provided, which includes: a third receiving module, configured to receive an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and multiple International Mobile Subscriber Identities (IMSIs) of multiple Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards from a management device, where the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are sent by a multi-SIM terminal to the management device upon registering one SIM card to a network; a generation module, configured to verify whether the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with a stored mapping relation and generate a first verification result, where the mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs; and a third sending module, configured to send the first verification result to the management device, where the first verification result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network.

In some embodiments, the third receiving module is further configured to receive the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs from the management device, where the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are sent by the multi-SIM terminal to the management device upon first registering the SIM card to the network; the generation module is further configured to verify the IMEI and generate a second verification result; the generation module is further configured to generate the mapping relation; and the third sending module is further configured to send the second verification result to the management device, where the second verification result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network.

In some embodiments, the management device is a Mobility Management Entity (MME), or the management device is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

In some embodiments of the present invention, a multi-SIM terminal is provided, which includes: one or more processors; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the one or more processors; where the one or more processor are configured to: obtain, upon registering a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card of the multi-SIM terminal to a network, an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and multiple International Mobile Subscriber Identities (IMSIs) of multiple SIM cards in the multi-SIM terminal; send the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to a network device in the network; and receive a first authentication result fed back from the network device, where the first authentication result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a management device is provided, which includes: one or more processors; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the one or more processors; where the one or more processor are configured to: receive an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and multiple International Mobile Subscriber Identities (IMSIs) of multiple Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards from a multi-SIM terminal, where the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are sent by the multi-SIM terminal upon registering one SIM card to a network; send the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to an equipment identify register; receive a first verification result from the equipment identify register, where the first verification result is generated by the equipment identify register after verifying whether the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are consistent with a stored mapping relation, and the mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs; determine whether to allow the SIM card to reside in the network based on the first verification result; and send the first verification result to the multi-SIM terminal.

In some embodiments of the present invention, an equipment identify register is provided, which includes: one or more processors; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the one or more processor; where the one or more processors are configured to: receive an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and multiple International Mobile Subscriber Identities (IMSIs) of multiple Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards from a management device, where the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are sent by a multi-SIM terminal to the management device upon registering one SIM card to a network; verify whether the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with a stored mapping relation and generate a first verification result, where the mapping is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs; and send the first verification result to the management device, where the first verification result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a system for network registration is provided, which includes: the apparatus for network registration as described in any portion of the third aspect, the apparatus for network registration as described in any portion of the fourth aspect, and the apparatus for network registration as described in any portion of the fifth aspect; or the multi-SIM terminal as described in any portion of the sixth aspect, the management device as described in any portion of the seventh aspect, and the equipment identify register as described in any portion of the eighth aspect.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores: at least one instruction, at least one segment of a program, a code set or an instruction set, where the at least one instruction, the at least one segment of the program, the code set or the instruction set is loaded and executed by one or more processors to implement the method for network registration as described in the first aspect; or the at least one instruction, the at least one segment of the program, the code set or the instruction set is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the method for network registration as described in the second aspect.

The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present invention may include the following beneficial effect.

Since there is a mapping relation stored in the network device and the mapping relation is used for indicating the correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs, the multi-SIM terminal can obtain the IMSIs of the multiple SIM cards in response to registering any one SIM card to the network, and send one IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the network device. In this case, the network device can instruct to allow the SIM card to reside in the network when it determines that the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with the stored mapping relation, so that when applying one IMEI for the multi-SIM terminal, it can also be guaranteed that the network registration can be successfully performed by the multi-SIM terminal, thereby both preserving the remaining available IMEIs and reducing the costs of the multi-SIM terminal.

The accompanying drawings herein are incorporated into and form part of the specification of the present invention, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present invention, and are used in conjunction with the specification to explain the principles of the present invention.

Embodiments will be described herein in detail, examples of which are reflected in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, where the accompanying drawings are involved, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in the different accompanying drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following embodiments do not represent all embodiments that are consistent with the present invention. Instead, they are only examples of devices and methods that are consistent with some aspects of the present invention, as detailed in the appended claims.

<FIG> illustrates a schematic diagram of architecture of a mobile communication system provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The mobile communication system may be a <NUM> system, or a <NUM> system. The <NUM> system is also known as a New Radio (NR) system. The mobile communication system includes: a multi-SIM terminal <NUM>, an access network device <NUM>, and a network device <NUM> which includes a management device <NUM> and equipment identify register <NUM>.

The multi-SIM terminal <NUM> may refer to a device that provides voice and/or data connectivity to a user. The multi-SIM terminal <NUM> may communicate with one or more core networks via a Radio Access Network (RAN). The multi-SIM terminal <NUM> may be a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone), and a computer providing with a mobile terminal. For example, it may be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-built-in, or vehicle-mounted mobile device. For example, it may be a Subscriber Unit, Subscriber Station, Mobile Station, Mobile, Remote Station, Access Point, Remote Terminal, Access Terminal, User Terminal, User Agent, User Device, or User Equipment.

A plurality of SIM cards are installed in the multi-SIM terminal <NUM> and each SIM card is stored with an International Mobile Subscriber Identification Number (IMSI) for distinguishing mobile subscribers. The SIM card referred to here is a card used for registering important data and information of the subscriber, and may be referred to as either a SIM card or a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), without limitation in these embodiments. The multiple SIM cards belong to a same operator, thus, these SIM cards need to be registered in a same core network.

In the embodiments of the present invention, one IMEI can be applied for one multi-SIM terminal <NUM>.

The access network device <NUM> may be a base station, and the base station is a device deployed in an access network for providing wireless communication functions for the multi-SIM terminal <NUM>. The embodiments of the present invention do not limit the specific implementation of the access network device <NUM>. Optionally, the access network device <NUM> may also include a Home eNB (HeNB), a relay base station, a Pico base station, etc. In systems using different wireless access technologies, the name of the device with base station functionality may vary. For example, in LTE system, it is called eNodeB or eNB; in <NUM> NR system, it is called gNodeB or gNB. As communication technologies evolve, the name "base station" may change. For the convenience of describing embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned devices that provide wireless communication functions for terminals are collectively referred to as access network devices.

A wireless connection is established between the multi-SIM terminal <NUM> and the access network device <NUM> via a radio air interface. Optionally, the radio air interface is based on a fifth generation mobile communication network technology (<NUM>) standard, or the radio air interface may also be based on <NUM>-based next generation mobile communication network technology standard.

The management device <NUM> is named differently in systems with different radio access technologies. In LTE system, the management device <NUM> is called Mobility Management Entity (MME). In <NUM> NR systems, the management device <NUM> is called Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF). The equipment identify register <NUM> may be called EIR.

It should be noted that in the mobile communication system shown in <FIG>, a network device <NUM>, a plurality of multi-SIM terminals <NUM> and/or a plurality of access network devices <NUM> may be included, illustrated in <FIG> by showing one network device <NUM>, one multi-SIM terminal <NUM> and two access network devices <NUM>, and the multi-SIM terminal <NUM> providing with a USIM card <NUM> and a USIM card <NUM>, which is not limited in the embodiments.

<FIG> illustrates a flowchart of a network registration method according to an embodiment, the network registration method applied in the implementation environment shown in <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, the network registration method includes the following steps.

In step <NUM>, a multi-SIM card terminal obtains an IMEI and multiple IMSIs of multiple SIM cards in the multi-SIM card terminal in response to registering any one of the multiple SIM cards of the multi-SIM terminal to a network.

In step <NUM>, the multi-SIM terminal sends the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to a network device in the network.

In step <NUM>, the network device receives the IMEI and the IMSIs of the multiple SIM cards from the multi-SIM terminal.

In step <NUM>, the network device verifies whether the received IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are consistent with a mapping relation stored in the network device, and generates a first verification result. The mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs.

In step <NUM>, the network device determines whether to allow the SIM card to reside in the network based on the first verification result.

In step <NUM>, the network device sends the first verification result to the multi-SIM terminal.

In step <NUM>, the multi-SIM terminal receives the first verification result from the network device.

Here, steps <NUM> to <NUM> and <NUM> may be separately implemented as implementations on the multi-SIM terminal side, and steps <NUM> to <NUM> may be separately implemented as implementations on the network device side.

In summary, in the network registration method provided by the present invention, since there is a mapping relation stored in the network device and the mapping relation is used for indicate a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs, the multi-SIM terminal can obtain the IMSIs of the multiple SIM cards in response to registering any one SIM card to the network, and send one IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the network device. In this case, the network device can instruct to allow the SIM card to reside in the network when it determines that the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with the stored mapping relation, so that when applying one IMEI for the multi-SIM terminal, it can also be guaranteed that the network registration can be successfully performed by the multi-SIM terminal, thereby both preserving the remaining available IMEIs and reducing the costs of the multi-SIM terminal.

In the embodiments, the network device includes a management device and an equipment identify register. The interaction flow between the multi-SIM terminal, the management device, and the equipment identify is described below.

<FIG> illustrates a flowchart of a network registration method according to another embodiment, which is applied to the implementation environment shown in <FIG>. In this embodiment, the management device is an MME and the equipment identify register is an EIR. As shown in <FIG>, the network registration method includes the following steps.

In step <NUM>, a multi-SIM terminal obtains IMSIs of multiple SIM cards in the multi-SIM terminal in response to registering any one SIM card in the multi-SIM terminal to a network.

In this embodiment, the multi-SIM terminal may register SIM cards to the network one by one, and the network is the core network shown in <FIG>.

Since one IMSI is stored in each SIM card, the multi-SIM terminal can read one IMSI from each SIM card and obtain multiple IMSIs.

In step <NUM>, the multi-SIM terminal generates an attach request and sends the attach request to the MME. The attach request carries the multiple IMSIs.

In this embodiment, the multiple SIM cards belong to the same operator and the MME is in one core network corresponding to the operator.

The attach request in this embodiment may be referred to as an Attach Request.

Since multiple IMSIs are carried in the attach request, in order to easily distinguish the IMSI of the SIM card that currently needs to be registered from the IMSIs of other SIM cards, the multi-SIM terminal can distinguish these IMSIs when generating the attach request.

In one possible implementation, the attach request includes a first field and a second field. The first field indicates the IMSI of the currently-registered SIM card and the second field indicates the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card.

For example, a multi-SIM terminal includes USIM card <NUM> and USIM card <NUM>, and USIM card <NUM> corresponds to IMSI <NUM> and USIM card <NUM> corresponds to IMSI <NUM>. Assuming that USIMI card <NUM> is currently required to be registered, it is possible to carry IMSI <NUM> in the first field and IMSI <NUM> in the second field.

After generating the attach request, the multi-SIM terminal can first send the attach request to the access network device, which forwards the attach request to the MME.

In step <NUM>, the MME receives the attach request from the multi-SIM terminal and obtains the multiple IMSIs from the attach request.

When the attach request is forwarded by the access network device to the MME, the MME receives the attach request from the multi-SIM terminal which can be implemented as: the MME receives the attach request forwarded by the access network device.

Here, the MME obtains the multiple IMSIs from the attach request, which may include: the MME reads the first field and the second field from the attach request, and the MME obtains the IMSI of the currently-registered SIM card based on the first field, and obtains the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card based on the second field.

Still using the above example for illustration, the MME can obtain the IMSI <NUM> of the USIM card <NUM> from the first field and the IMSI <NUM> of the USIM card <NUM> from the second field.

In step <NUM>, the multi-SIM terminal obtains an IMEI.

In this embodiment, one IMEI can be applied for one multi-SIM terminal.

In this embodiment, the multi-SIM terminal may obtain the IMEI upon receipt of signaling.

In one embodiment, the signaling may be an identity query request (Identity Request), then this identity query request may be sent by the MME to the multi-SIM terminal, and the multi-SIM terminal obtains the IMEI upon receipt of this identity query request.

In step <NUM>, the multi-SIM terminal sends the IMEI to the MME in the network.

When obtaining the IMEI based on the identity query request, the multi-SIM terminal can generate a response for the identity query (Identity Response) and send the response for the identity query to the MME. The response for the identity query carries the IMEI.

In step <NUM>, the MME receives the IMEI from the multi-SIM terminal.

When the MME receives the response for the identity query, it reads that IMEI from the response for the identity query.

In step <NUM>, the MME sends the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the EIR.

In this embodiment, the MME may send the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the EIR by carrying them in the signaling.

In one embodiment, the signaling may be a mobile equipment identity check (ME Identity Check), and then the MME may generate the mobile equipment identity check and send it to the EIR. The mobile equipment identity check carries the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs in it.

In step <NUM>, the EIR receives the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs of the multiple SIM cards from the MME.

In one embodiment, the EIR may receive the mobile equipment identity check and read the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs from the mobile equipment identity check.

In step <NUM>, the EIR verifies whether the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with the mapping relation store in the network device, and generates a first verification result. The mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs.

In this embodiment, mapping relations are pre-stored in the EIR, each mapping relation being used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs. For example, a mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between IMSI <NUM> and IMSI <NUM>, a mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between IMEI <NUM> and IMSI <NUM> and IMSI <NUM>, etc..

In one embodiment, the EIR may search one mapping relation containing the received IMEI from the respective mapping relations, then read a plurality of IMSIs from the mapping relation, and compare whether the received IMSIs are consistent with the read IMSIs. In case that the received IMSIs are consistent with the read IMSIs, the validation is determined to be successful and the first verification result is generated. In case that the received IMSIs are inconsistent with the read IMSIs, the verification is determined to be failed and the first verification result is generated for indicating that the SIM card is prohibited from residing in the network. Alternatively, the EIR may search a mapping relation containing any of the received IMSIs from the respective mapping relations, and then read an IMEI and the remaining IMSIs from the mapping relation, comparing respectively whether the received IMEI is consistent with the read IMEI, and whether the remaining IMSIs of the received IMSIs are consistent with the remaining IMSIs of the read IMSIs. In case that the received IMEI is consistent with the read IMEI, the remaining IMSIs of the received IMSIs are consistent with the remaining IMSIs of the read IMSIs, the verification is determined to be successful and the first verification result is generated for indicating that the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network; otherwise, the verification is determined to be failed and the first verification result is generated for indicating that the SIM card is prohibited from residing in the network.

Optionally, the EIR may also verify whether the received IMEI is legitimate. In embodiment, a blacklist (or whitelist) is stored in the EIR, and when the received IMEI is not in the blacklist (or in the whitelist), it is determined that the IMEI is legitimate and continues to verify whether the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with the stored mapping relation; when the received IMEI is in the blacklist (or not in the whitelist), it is determined that the IMEI is not legitimate and generates the first verification result for indicating that the SIM card is prohibited from residing in the network.

In step <NUM>, the EIR sends the first verification result to the MME.

In this embodiment, the EIR may send the first verification result to the MME by carrying it in the signaling.

In one embodiment, the signaling may be a response for the mobile equipment identity check (ME Identity Check Ack), and then the EIR may generate the response for the mobile equipment identity check, and send it to the MME. The a response for the mobile equipment identity check carries the first verification result in it.

In step <NUM>, the MME receives the first verification result from the EIR.

In one embodiment, the MME may receive the response for the mobile equipment identity check, and read the first verification result from the response for the mobile equipment identity check.

In step <NUM>, the MME determines whether to allow the SIM card to reside in the network based on the first verification result.

When the first verification result is used for indicating that the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network, the MME allows the SIM card to reside in the network, i.e., the registration is successful. When the first verification result is used for indicating that the SIM card is prohibited from residing in the network, the MME prohibits the SIM card from residing in the network, i.e., the registration fails.

In step <NUM>, the MME sends the first verification result to the multi-SIM terminal.

In step <NUM>, the multi-SIM terminal receives the first verification result from the MME.

When the first verification result is used for indicating that the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network, the multi-SIM terminal determines that the SIM card can reside in the network, i.e., the registration is successful. When the first verification result is used for indicating that the SIM card is prohibited from residing in the network, the multi-SIM terminal determines that the SIM card cannot reside in the network, i.e., the registration fails.

Here, steps <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM> may be separately implemented as implementations on the multi-SIM terminal side; steps <NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM>-<NUM> may be separately implemented as implementations on the MME side; and steps <NUM>-<NUM> may be separately implemented as implementations on the EIR side.

The above embodiments describe the process for non-first-time registration of the SIM card to the network by the multi-SIM terminal, and the process for first-time registration of the SIM card to the network by the multi-SIM terminal is described below.

The process for implementing steps <NUM>-<NUM> is the same as the process for implementing steps <NUM>-<NUM>, and will not be repeated herein.

In summary, in the network registration method provided by the present invention, since there is a mapping relation stored in the EIR and the mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs, the multi-SIM terminal can obtain the IMSIs of the multiple SIM cards in response to registering any one SIM card to the network, and send one IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the EIR via the MME. In this case, the EIR can instruct the MME to allow the SIM card to reside in the network when it determines that the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with the stored mapping relation, so that when applying for one IMEI for the multi-SIM terminal, it can also be guaranteed that the network registration can be successfully performed by the multi-SIM terminal, thereby both preserving the remaining available IMEIs and reducing the costs of the multi-SIM terminal.

The IMSI of the currently-registered SIM card is indicated by the first field of the attach request, and the IMSIs of the remaining SIM cards are indicated by the second field of the attach request, which allows the currently-registered SIM card to be easily distinguished.

<FIG> illustrates a flowchart of a network registration method according to yet another embodiment, which is applied to the implementation environment shown in <FIG>. In this embodiment, the management device is an AMF and the equipment identify register is an EIR. As shown in <FIG>, the network registration method includes the following steps.

In step <NUM>, a multi-SIM card terminal obtains multiple IMSIs of multiple SIM cards in the multi-SIM card terminal in response to registering any one SIM card in the multi-SIM terminal to a network.

In step <NUM>, the multi-SIM terminal generates a registration request and sends the registration request to the AMF. The registration request carries the multiple IMSIs.

In this embodiment, the multiple SIM cards belong to the same operator and the AMF is in one core network corresponding to the operator.

The registration request in this embodiment may be referred to as a Registration Request.

Since multiple IMSIs are carried in the registration request, in order to easily distinguish the IMSI of the SIM card that currently needs to be registered from the IMSIs of other SIM cards, the multi-SIM terminal can distinguish these IMSIs when generating the registration request.

In one possible implementation, the registration request includes a third field and a fourth field. The third field indicates the IMSI of the currently-registered SIM card and the fourth field indicates the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card.

For example, a multi-SIM terminal includes USIM card <NUM> and USIM card <NUM>, and USIM card <NUM> corresponds to IMSI <NUM> and USIM card <NUM> corresponds to IMSI <NUM>. Assuming that USIMI card <NUM> is currently required to be registered, it is possible to carry IMSI <NUM> in the third field and IMSI <NUM> in the fourth field.

After generating the registration request, the multi-SIM terminal can first send the registration request to the access network device, which forwards the registration request to the AMF.

In step <NUM>, the AMF receives the registration request from the multi-SIM terminal and obtains the multiple IMSIs from the registration request.

When the registration request is forwarded by the access network device to the AMF, the AMF receives the registration request from the multi-SIM terminal which can be implemented as: the AMF receives the registration request forwarded by the access network device.

Here, the AMF obtains the multiple IMSIs from the registration request, which may include: the AMF reads the third field and the fourth field from the registration request, and the AMF obtains the IMSI of the currently-registered SIM card based on the third field, and obtains the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card based on the fourth field.

Still using the above example for illustration, the AMF can obtain the IMSI <NUM> of the USIM card <NUM> from the third field and the IMSI <NUM> of the USIM card <NUM> from the fourth field.

In one embodiment, the signaling may be an identity query request (Identity Request), then this identity query request may be sent by the AMF to the multi-SIM terminal, and the multi-SIM terminal obtains the IMEI upon receipt of this identity query request.

In step <NUM>, the multi-SIM terminal sends the IMEI to the AMF in the network.

When obtaining the IMEI based on the identity query request, the multi-SIM terminal can generate a response for the identity query (Identity Response) and send the response for the identity query to the AMF. The response for the identity query carries the IMEI.

In step <NUM>, the AMF receives the IMEI from the multi-SIM terminal.

When the AMF receives the response for the identity query, it reads that IMEI from the response for the identity query.

In step <NUM>, the AMF sends the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the EIR.

In this embodiment, the AMF may send the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the EIR by carrying them in the signaling.

In one embodiment, the signaling may be a mobile equipment identity check (ME Identity Check), and then the AMF may generate the Mobile Equipment Identity Check and send it to the EIR. The mobile equipment identity check carries the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs in it.

In step <NUM>, the EIR receives the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs of the multiple SIM cards from the AMF.

The process for implementing step <NUM> is the same as the process for implementing step <NUM>, and will not be repeated herein.

In step <NUM>, the EIR sends the first verification result to the AMF.

In this embodiment, the EIR may send the first verification result to the AMF by carrying it in the signaling.

In one embodiment, the signaling may be a response for the mobile equipment identity check (ME Identity Check Ack), and then the EIR may generate the response for the mobile equipment identity check, and send it to the AMF. The response for the mobile equipment identity check carries the first verification result in it.

In step <NUM>, the AMF receives the first verification result from the EIR.

In one embodiment, the AMF may receive the response for the mobile equipment identity check, and read the first verification result from the response for the mobile equipment identity check.

In step <NUM>, the AMF determines whether to allow the SIM card to reside in the network based on the first verification result.

When the first verification result is used for indicating that the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network, the AMF allows the SIM card to reside in the network, i.e., the registration is successful. When the first verification result is used for indicating that the SIM card is prohibited from residing in the network, the AMF prohibits the SIM card from residing in the network, i.e., the registration fails.

In step <NUM>, the AMF sends the first verification result to the multi-SIM terminal.

In step <NUM>, the multi-SIM terminal receives the first verification result from the AMF.

Here, steps <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM> may be separately implemented as implementations on the multi-SIM terminal side; steps <NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM>-<NUM> may be separately implemented as implementations on the AMF side; and steps <NUM>-<NUM> may be separately implemented as implementations on the EIR side.

In particular, the process for registering any one SIM card in the multi-SIM terminal for the first time is as follows.

In summary, in the network registration method provided by the present invention, since there is a mapping relation stored in the EIR and the mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs, the multi-SIM terminal can obtain the IMSIs of the multiple SIM cards in response to registering any one SIM card to the network, and send one IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the EIR via the AMF. In this case, the EIR can instruct the AMF to allow the SIM card to reside in the network when it determines that the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with the stored mapping relation, so that when applying for one IMEI for the multi-SIM terminal, it can also be guaranteed that the network registration can be successfully performed by the multi-SIM terminal, thereby both preserving the remaining available IMEIs and reducing the costs of the multi-SIM terminal.

The IMSI of the currently-registered SIM card is indicated by the third field of the registration request, and the IMSIs of the remaining SIM cards are indicated by the fourth field of the registration request, which allows the currently-registered SIM card to be easily distinguished.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram of a network registration apparatus according to an embodiment, the network registration apparatus being applied in the multi-SIM terminal <NUM> shown in <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, the network registration apparatus includes: an obtaining module <NUM>, a first sending module <NUM>, and a first receiving module <NUM>.

The obtaining module <NUM> is configured to obtain, upon registering one SIM card of the multi-SIM terminal to a network, an IMEI and multiple IMSIs of multiple SIM cards in the multi-SIM terminal.

The first sending module <NUM> is configured to send the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to a network device in the network.

The first receiving module <NUM> is configured to receive a first authentication result fed back from the network device, where the first authentication result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network.

In one possible implementation, the network device includes a management device, and the management device is a MME, and the first sending module <NUM> is further configured to: generate an attach request, where the attach request carries the multiple IMSIs; and send the attach request to the management device.

In one possible implementation, the attach request includes a first field and a second field, the first field indicates the IMSI of currently-registered SIM card, and the second field indicates the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card.

In one possible implementation, the network device includes a management device, and the management device is an AMF, and the first sending module <NUM> is further configured to: generate a registration request, where the registration request carries the multiple IMSIs; and send the registration request to the management device.

In one possible implementation, the registration request includes a third field and a fourth field, the third field indicates the IMSI of currently-registered SIM card, and the fourth field indicates the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card.

In one possible implementation, the obtaining module <NUM> is further configured to obtain, upon first registering the SIM card of the multi-SIM terminal to the network, the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs; the first sending module <NUM> is further configured to send the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the network device; and the first receiving module <NUM> is further configured to receive a second authentication result fed back from the network device, where the second authentication result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network.

In summary, in the network registration apparatus provided by the present invention, since there is a mapping relation stored in the network device and the mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs, the multi-SIM terminal can obtain the IMSIs of the multiple SIM cards in response to registering any one SIM card to the network, and send one IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the network device. In this case, the network device can instruct to allow the SIM card to reside in the network when it determines that the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with the stored mapping relation, so that when applying for one IMEI for the multi-SIM terminal, it can also be guaranteed that the network registration can be successfully performed by the multi-SIM terminal, thereby both preserving the remaining available IMEIs and reducing the costs of the multi-SIM terminal.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram of a network registration apparatus according to an embodiment, the network registration apparatus being applied in the management device <NUM> shown in <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, the network registration apparatus includes: a second receiving module <NUM>, a second sending module <NUM>, and a determination module <NUM>.

The second receiving module <NUM> is configured to receive an IMEI and multiple IMSIs of multiple SIM cards from a multi-SIM terminal, where the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are sent by the multi-SIM terminal upon registering one SIM card to a network.

The second sending module <NUM> is configured to send the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to an equipment identify register.

The second receiving module <NUM> is further configured to receive a first verification result from the equipment identify register, the first verification result is generated by the equipment identify register after verifying whether the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are consistent with a stored mapping relation, and the mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs.

The determination module <NUM> is configured to determine whether to allow the SIM card to reside in the network based on the first verification result.

The second sending module <NUM> is further configured to send the first verification result to the multi-SIM terminal.

In one possible implementation, the management device is a MME, and the second receiving module <NUM> is further configured to: receive an attach request from the multi-SIM terminal; and obtain the multiple IMSIs from the attach request.

In one possible implementation, the second receiving module <NUM> is further configured to: read a first field and a second field from the attach request; obtain the IMSI of currently-registered SIM card based on the first field, and obtain the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card based on the second field.

In one possible implementation, the management device is an AMF, and the second receiving module <NUM> is further configured to: receive a registration request from the multi-SIM terminal; and obtain the multiple IMSIs from the registration request.

In one possible implementation, the second receiving module <NUM> is further configured to: read a third field and a fourth field from the registration request; and obtain the IMSI of currently-registered SIM card based on the third field, and obtain the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card based on the fourth field.

In one possible implementation, the second receiving module <NUM> is further configured to receive the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs from the multi-SIM terminal, where the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are sent by the multi-SIM terminal upon first registering the SIM card to the network; the second sending module <NUM> is further configured to send the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the equipment identify register; the second receiving module <NUM> is further configured to receive a second verification result from the equipment identify register, the second verification result is generated by the equipment identify register after verifying the IMEI, and the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are used for the equipment identify register to generate the mapping relation; the determination module <NUM> is further configured to determine whether to allow the SIM card to reside in the network based on the second verification result; and the second sending module <NUM> is further configured to send the second verification result to the multi-SIM terminal.

In summary, in the network registration apparatus provided by the present invention, since there is a mapping relation stored in the EIR and the mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs, the management device can receive one IMEI and multiple IMSIs of the multiple SIM cards sent by the multi-SIM terminal when the multi-SIM terminal registers any one SIM card to the network, and send the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to the EIR. In this case, the MME can determine to allow the SIM card to reside in the network based on the instruction of the EIR in determining that the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with the stored mapping relation, so that when applying for one IMEI for the multi-SIM terminal, it can also be guaranteed that the network registration can be successfully performed by the multi-SIM terminal, thereby both preserving the remaining available IMEIs and reducing the costs of the multi-SIM terminal.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram of a network registration apparatus according to an embodiment, the network registration apparatus being applied in the equipment identify register <NUM> shown in <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, the network registration apparatus includes: a third receiving module <NUM>, a generation module <NUM>, and a third sending module <NUM>.

The third receiving module <NUM> is configured to receive an IMEI and multiple IMSIs of multiple SIM cards from a management device, where the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are sent by a multi-SIM terminal to the management device upon registering one SIM card to a network.

The generation module <NUM> is configured to verify whether the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with a stored mapping relation and generate a first verification result, where the mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs.

The third sending module <NUM> is configured to send the first verification result to the management device, where the first verification result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network.

In one possible implementation, the third receiving module <NUM> is further configured to receive the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs from the management device, where the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are sent by the multi-SIM terminal to the management device upon first registering the SIM card to the network; the generation module <NUM> is further configured to verify the IMEI and generate a second verification result; the generation module <NUM> is further configured to generate the mapping relation; and the third sending module <NUM> is further configured to send the second verification result to the management device, where the second verification result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network.

In summary, in the network registration apparatus provided by the present invention, since there is a mapping relation stored in the EIR and the mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs, the EIR can receive one IMEI and multiple IMSIs sent by the MME when the multi-SIM terminal registers any one SIM card to the network, and instruct the MME to allow the SIM card to reside in the network when it determines the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with the stored mapping relation, so that when applying for one IMEI for the multi-SIM terminal, it can also be guaranteed that the network registration can be successfully performed by the multi-SIM terminal, thereby both preserving the remaining available IMEIs and reducing the costs of the multi-SIM terminal.

A multi-SIM terminal is provided by one embodiment of the present invention, which can implement the network registration method provided by this invention. The multi-SIM terminal includes a processor and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor.

Here, the processor is configured to: obtain, upon registering one SIM card of the multi-SIM terminal to a network, an IMEI and multiple IMSIs of multiple SIM cards in the multi-SIM terminal; send the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to a network device in the network; and receive a first authentication result fed back from the network device, where the first authentication result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network.

A management device is provided by one embodiment of the present invention, which can implement the network registration method provided by this invention. The management device includes a processor and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor.

Here, the processor is configured to: receive an IMEI and multiple IMSIs of multiple SIM cards from a multi-SIM terminal, where the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are sent by the multi-SIM terminal upon registering one SIM card to a network; send the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to an equipment identify register; receive a first verification result from the equipment identify register, where the first verification result is generated by the equipment identify register after verifying whether the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are consistent with a stored mapping relation, and the mapping relation is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs; determine whether to allow the SIM card to reside in the network based on the first verification result; and send the first verification result to the multi-SIM terminal.

An equipment identify register is provided by one embodiment of the present invention, which can implement the network registration method provided by this invention. The equipment identify register includes a processor and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor.

Here, the processor is configured to: receive an IMEI and multiple IMSIs of multiple SIM cards from a management device, where the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs are sent by a multi-SIM terminal to the management device upon registering one SIM card to a network; verify whether the received IMEI and multiple IMSIs are consistent with a stored mapping relation and generate a first verification result, where the mapping is used for indicating a correspondence between an IMEI and multiple IMSIs; and send the first verification result to the management device, where the first verification result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram of a device <NUM> for network registration according to an embodiment. For example, the device <NUM> may be a multi-SIM terminal.

Referring to <FIG>, the device <NUM> may include one or more of the following components: processing component <NUM>, memory <NUM>, power component <NUM>, multimedia component <NUM>, audio component <NUM>, interface <NUM> for input/output (I/O), sensor component <NUM>, and communication component <NUM>.

The processing component <NUM> is typically configured to control the overall operation of device <NUM>, such as operations associated with display, telephone call, data communication camera operation, and recording operations. The processing component <NUM> may include one or more processors <NUM> to execute instructions to complete all or some of the steps of the method described above. In addition, the processing component <NUM> may include one or more modules that facilitate interaction between processing component <NUM> and other components. For example, processing component <NUM> may include a multimedia module to facilitate interaction between multimedia component <NUM> and processing component <NUM>.

The memory <NUM> is configured to store various types of data to support operation at the device <NUM>. Examples of such data include instructions for any application or method operating on the device <NUM>, contact data, phonebook data, messages, images, videos, etc. The memory <NUM> may be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, Disk or CD-ROM.

The power component <NUM> may include a power management system, one or more power sources, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power for the device <NUM>.

The multimedia component <NUM> includes a screen that provides an output interface between the device <NUM> and a user. If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen may be implemented as a touch screen to receive input signals from a user. The touch sensors may not only sense the boundaries of the touch or swipe action, but also detect the duration and pressure associated with the touch or swipe action. In some embodiments, the multimedia component <NUM> includes a front-facing camera and/or a rear-facing camera. The front camera and/or rear camera may receive external multimedia data when the device <NUM> is in an operating mode, such as a shooting mode or a video mode. Each front camera and rear camera may be a fixed optical lens system or provided with a focal length and optical zoom capability.

The audio component <NUM> is configured to output and/or input an audio signal. For example, the audio component <NUM> includes a microphone (MIC) configured to receive external audio signals when the device <NUM> is in an operating mode, such as call mode, recording mode, and voice recognition mode. The received audio signal may be further stored in memory <NUM> or sent via communication component <NUM>. In some embodiments, the audio component <NUM> further includes a speaker for outputting the audio signal.

The I/O interface <NUM> provides an interface between the processing component <NUM> and a peripheral interface module; the peripheral interface module may be a keypad, click wheel, button, etc. These buttons may include, but are not limited to: a home button, a volume button, a start button, and a lock button.

The sensor component <NUM> includes one or more sensors for providing a status assessment of various aspects of the device <NUM>. For example, the sensor component <NUM> may detect an open/closed state of the device <NUM>, the relative positioning of components, such as said components being the display and keypad of the device <NUM>, and the sensor component <NUM> may also detect a change in position of the device <NUM> or a component of the device <NUM>, the presence or absence of user contact with the device <NUM>, orientation or acceleration/deceleration of the device <NUM> and a change in temperature of the device <NUM>. The sensor component <NUM> may include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of a nearby object in the absence of any physical contact. The sensor component <NUM> may also include a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use in an imaging application. In some embodiments, the sensor component <NUM> may also include an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a magnetic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

The communication component <NUM> is configured to facilitate communication between the device <NUM> and other devices by wired or wireless means. The device <NUM> may access a wireless network based on a communication standard, such as WiFi, <NUM> or <NUM>, or a combination thereof. In an embodiment, the communication component <NUM> receives a broadcast signal or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In an embodiment, the communication component <NUM> further includes a near-field communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communication.

In embodiments, the device <NUM> may be implemented by one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other electronic components for performing the methods described above.

In embodiments, there is also provided a non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions, such as a memory <NUM> including instructions, said instructions being executable by processor <NUM> of device <NUM> to accomplish the method described above. For example, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium may be ROM, random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage devices, among others.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium that enables the mobile terminal to perform the above-described network registration method when the instructions in the storage medium are executed by the processor of the mobile terminal.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram of a network registration device <NUM> according to an embodiment. For example, the network registration device <NUM> may be a management device or an equipment identify register. As shown in <FIG>, the network registration device <NUM> may include: a processor <NUM>, a receiver <NUM>, a transmitter <NUM>, and a memory <NUM>. The receiver <NUM>, the transmitter <NUM>, and the memory <NUM> are each connected to the processor <NUM> via a bus.

Here, the processor <NUM> includes one or more processing cores, and the processor <NUM> executes the network registration method provided by embodiments of the present invention by running the software program as well as the module. The memory <NUM> may be configured to store the software program as well as the module. Specifically, memory <NUM> may store operating system <NUM>, application program module <NUM> required for at least one function. The receiver <NUM> is configured to receive communication data sent by other devices, and the transmitter <NUM> is configured to send communication data to other devices.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram of a network registration system according to an embodiment. As shown in <FIG>, the network registration system includes a multi-SIM terminal <NUM>, a management device <NUM>, and an equipment identify register <NUM>.

The multi-SIM terminal <NUM> is configured to perform the network registration method performed by the multi-SIM terminal in the embodiment shown in <FIG>.

The management device <NUM> is configured to perform the network registration method performed by the network device in the embodiment shown in <FIG>, or it is configured to perform the network registration method performed by the management device in the embodiment shown in <FIG>.

The equipment identify register <NUM> is configured to perform the network registration method performed by the network device in the embodiment shown in <FIG>, or it is configured to perform the network registration method performed by the equipment identify register in the embodiment shown in <FIG>.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a computer readable storage medium. At least one instruction, at least one program, code set or instruction set is stored in the storage medium, and the at least one instruction, the at least one program, the code set or instruction set is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the network registration method as described above.

Other embodiments of the present invention will easily come to the mind of one skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention herein. The present application is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the present invention that follow the general principles of the present invention and include commonly known or customary technical means in the art that are not disclosed herein. The specification and embodiments are considered exemplary only, and the true scope of the present invention is indicated by the following claims.

Claim 1:
A method for network registration, comprising:
obtaining (<NUM>), by a multi-SIM terminal upon registering a Subscriber Identification Module, SIM, card of the multi-SIM terminal to a network, an International Mobile Equipment Identity, IMEI, and multiple International Mobile Subscriber Identities, IMSIs, of multiple SIM cards in the multi-SIM terminal;
sending (<NUM>), by the multi-SIM terminal, the IMEI and the multiple IMSIs to a network device in the network; and
receiving (<NUM>), by the multi-SIM terminal, a first authentication result fed back from the network device, wherein the first authentication result is used for indicating whether the SIM card is allowed to reside in the network; wherein
the network device comprises a management device, and the management device is a Mobility Management Entity, MME, and wherein sending, by the multi-SIM terminal, the multiple IMSIs to the network device in the network comprises: generating, by the multi-SIM terminal, an attach request, wherein the attach request carries the multiple IMSIs, and the attach request comprises a first field and a second field, the first field indicating an IMSI of currently-registered SIM card, and the second field indicating the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card; and sending, by the multi-SIM terminal, the attach request to the management device;
or, the network device comprises a management device, and the management device is an Access and Mobility Management Function, AMF, and wherein sending, by the multi-SIM terminal, the multiple IMSIs to the network device in the network comprises: generating, by the multi-SIM terminal, a registration request, wherein the registration request carries the multiple IMSIs, and the registration request comprises a third field and a fourth field, the third field indicating an IMSI of currently-registered SIM card, and the fourth field indicating the IMSI of a SIM card other than the currently-registered SIM card; and sending, by the multi-SIM terminal, the registration request to the management device.