PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10568059-B2
Application Number: US-201916363410-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: User plane for fifth generation cellular architecture

Abstract:
Apparatuses, systems, and methods to perform attachment of a wireless device to a next generation gateway via either a base station of a next generation radio access network (RAN) or a mobility management entity of a legacy RAN. An apparatus may be configured to receive an attachment request from a wireless device, determine authentication information via communication with a home subscriber server, determine, based at least in part on the authentication information, whether the wireless device is capable of communicating via the next generation RAT, and send, in response to determining the wireless device is capable, a connection request to a gateway of the next generation RAN. The authentication information may include subscription information associated with the wireless device.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A mobility management entity (MME) within fourth generation (4G) network, comprising:
 a memory; and 
 a processing element in communication with the memory, wherein the processing element is configured to:
 receive, from a base station of the 4G network operating according to a 4G legacy radio access technology (RAT) within the 4G network, an attachment request for a wireless device; 
 determine the wireless device is associated with a subscription for a fifth generation (5G) RAT within a 5G network; 
 select, based at least in part on determining that the wireless device is associated with the subscription for the 5G network, a first gateway that interfaces the 4G network and the 5G network, wherein the first gateway has a first user plane interface to a first base station of the 5G network and a second user plane interface with the base station of the 4G network through one or more 4G network gateways, wherein the first user plane interface from the first gateway to the first base station of the 5G network does not include any intervening 5G network gateway, and wherein the selection of the first gateway enables internet protocol (IP) address continuity with the first gateway in subsequent connections through a second base station of the 5G network operating according to the 5G RAT; 
 send, to the first gateway, a request to create a session to create a connection for the wireless device with the first gateway; 
 receive a create session response including session information for connecting to the 5G network; and 
 send, to the wireless device, a message indicating that attachment to the first gateway was successful. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The MME of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the processing element is further configured to:
 send an authentication request to a home subscriber server (HSS), wherein the authentication request includes first subscription information associated with the wireless device; and 
 receive authentication information for authenticating the wireless device from the HSS, wherein the authentication information comprises second subscription information associated with the wireless device. 
 
 
     
     
       3. The MME of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the processing element is further configured to:
 send a query to a domain name system (DNS) server, wherein the query includes a request for an internet protocol (IP) address for a gateway of the 4G network; and 
 receive a response from the DNS server, wherein the response includes a list of IP addresses for gateways of the 4G network. 
 
 
     
     
       4. The MME of  claim 3 ,
 wherein the query includes a request for an access point name (APN) for the 4G network. 
 
     
     
       5. The MME of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the processing element is further configured to:
 send a query to a domain name system (DNS) server, wherein the query includes a request for an IP address for a gateway of the 5G network; and 
 receive a response from the DNS server, wherein the response includes a list of IP address for gateways of the 5G network. 
 
 
     
     
       6. The MME of  claim 5 ,
 wherein the query includes a request for an access point name (APN) for the 5G network. 
 
     
     
       7. The MME of  claim 1 ,
 wherein a response to a query from a domain name system (DNS) server includes a mapping of the IP addresses for one or more gateways between the 5G network and the 4G network. 
 
     
     
       8. The MME of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the session information comprises the IP address. 
 
     
     
       9. The MME of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the attachment request includes a packet data network (PDN) connectivity request. 
 
     
     
       10. A non-transitory computer accessible memory medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by a mobility management entity (MME), cause the MME to:
 receive, from a base station of a 4G network operating according to a 4G legacy radio access technology (RAT) within the 4G network, an attachment request for a wireless device; 
 determine the wireless device is associated with a subscription for a fifth generation (5G) RAT within a 5G network; 
 select, based at least in part on determining that the wireless device is associated with the subscription for the 5G network, a first gateway that interfaces the 4G network and the 5G network, wherein the first gateway has a first user plane interface to a first base station of the 5G network and a second user plane interface with the base station of the 4G network through one or more 4G network gateways, wherein the first user plane interface from the first gateway to the first base station of the 5G network does not include any intervening 5G network gateway, and wherein the selection of the first gateway enables internet protocol (IP) address continuity with the first gateway in subsequent connections through a second base station of the 5G network operating according to the 5G RAT; 
 send, to the first gateway, a request to create a session to create a connection for the wireless device with the first gateway; 
 receive a create session response including session information for connecting to the 5G network; and 
 send, to the wireless device, a message indicating that attachment to the first gateway was successful. 
 
     
     
       11. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the program instructions are further executable to cause the MME to:
 send an authentication request to a home subscriber server (HSS), wherein the authentication request includes first subscription information associated with the wireless device; and 
 receive authentication information for authenticating the wireless device from the HSS, wherein the authentication information comprises second subscription information associated with the wireless device. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the program instructions are further executable to cause the MME to:
 send a query to a domain name system (DNS) server, wherein the query includes a request for an internet protocol (IP) address for a gateway of the 4G network; and 
 receive a response from the DNS server, wherein the response includes a list of IP addresses for gateways of the 4G network; and 
 
 wherein the query includes a request for an access point name (APN) for the 4G network. 
 
     
     
       13. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the program instructions are further executable to cause the MME to:
 send a query to a domain name system (DNS) server, wherein the query includes a request for an IP address for a gateway of the 5G network; and 
 receive a response from the DNS server, wherein the response includes a list of IP address for gateways of the 5G network; and 
 
 wherein the query includes a request for an access point name (APN) for the 5G network. 
 
     
     
       14. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of  claim 10 ,
 wherein a response to a query from a domain name system (DNS) server includes a mapping of the IP addresses for one or more gateways between the 5G network and the 4G network. 
 
     
     
       15. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the session information comprises the IP address. 
 
     
     
       16. The non-transitory computer accessible memory medium of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the attachment request includes a packet data network (PDN) connectivity request. 
 
     
     
       17. An apparatus, comprising:
 a memory; and 
 at least one processor in communication with the memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
 receive, from a base station of a 4G network operating according to a 4G legacy radio access technology (RAT) within the 4G network, an attachment request for a wireless device; 
 determine the wireless device is associated with a subscription for a fifth generation (5G) RAT within a 5G network; 
 select, based at least in part on determining that the wireless device is associated with the subscription for the 5G network, a first gateway that interfaces the 4G network and the 5G network, wherein the first gateway has a first user plane interface to a first base station of the 5G network and a second user plane interface with the base station of the 4G network through one or more 4G network gateways, wherein the first user plane interface from the first gateway to the first base station of the 5G network does not include any intervening 5G network gateway, and wherein the selection of the first gateway enables internet protocol (IP) address continuity with the first gateway in subsequent connections through a second base station of the 5G network operating according to the 5G RAT; 
 generate instructions to send, to the first gateway, a request to create a session to create a connection for the wireless device with the first gateway; 
 receive a create session response including session information for connecting to the 5G network; and 
 generate instructions to send, to the wireless device, a message indicating that attachment to the first gateway was successful. 
 
 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 17 ,
 wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
 generate instructions to send an authentication request to a home subscriber server (HSS), wherein the authentication request includes first subscription information associated with the wireless device; and 
 receive authentication information for authenticating the wireless device from the HSS, wherein the authentication information comprises second subscription information associated with the wireless device. 
 
 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of  claim 17 ,
 wherein the session information comprises the IP address. 
 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of  claim 17 ,
 wherein the attachment request includes a packet data network (PDN) connectivity request.

Description:
PRIORITY DATA 
     This application a continuation of, and claims benefit of priority to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/030,159, titled “User Plane for Fifth Generation Cellular Architecture”, filed Apr. 18, 2016, which is the U.S. National Stage Application of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2015/091174, titled “User Plane for Fifth Generation Cellular Architecture”, filed Sep. 30, 2015, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as though fully and completely set forth herein. 
     The claims in the instant application are different than those of the parent application and/or other related applications. The Applicant therefore rescinds any disclaimer of claim scope made in the parent application and/or any predecessor application in relation to the instant application. Any such previous disclaimer and the cited references that it was made to avoid, may need to be revisited. Further, any disclaimer made in the instant application should not be read into or against the parent application and/or other related applications. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present application relates to wireless devices, and more particularly to apparatus, systems, and methods for attaching a wireless device to a gateway of a next generation radio access technology. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
     Wireless communication systems are rapidly growing in usage. Further, wireless communication technology has evolved from voice-only communications to also include the transmission of data, such as Internet and multimedia content. Thus, improvements in the field are desired. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments relate to apparatuses, systems, and methods to perform attachment of a wireless device to a next generation gateway via either a base station of a next generation radio access network (RAN) or a mobility management entity of a legacy RAN. The apparatuses, systems, and methods presented herein may allow for internet protocol (IP) address continuity for a wireless device as the wireless devices moves between legacy RANs and the next generation RAN. 
     According to some embodiments, an apparatus may be configured to receive an attachment request from a wireless device, determine authentication information via communication with a home subscriber server, determine, based at least in part on the authentication information, whether the wireless device is capable of communicating via the next generation RAT, and send, in response to determining the wireless device is capable, a connection request to a gateway of the next generation RAN. The authentication information may include subscription information associated with the wireless device. 
     In some embodiments, a base station (e.g., a base station in the next generation RAN) may include a radio and a processing element operatively coupled to the radio. The base station may be configured to receive an attachment request from the wireless device and determine authentication information via communication with a home subscriber server (HSS). In addition, the base station may be configured to determine, based at least in part on the authentication information, whether the wireless device is capable of communication via a next generation radio access network (RAN) and send, in response to determining that the wireless device is capable of communication via the next generation RAN, a connection request to a gateway of the next generation RAN. 
     In some embodiments, a network node may include a processing element configured to receive, from a base station (e.g., a base station in a legacy RAN), an attachment request for a wireless device and send an authentication request to a HSS. The processing element may also be configured to receive authentication information from the HSS and determine, based at least in part on the authentication information, whether the wireless device is capable of communication via a next generation RAN. Additionally, in response to determining that the wireless device is capable of communication via the next generation RAN, the processing element may be configured to send a connection request to a gateway of the next generation RAN. 
     In some embodiments, a processing element of a network node may execute program instructions stored on a non-transitory computer accessible memory medium which may cause the network node to receive, from a base station (e.g., a base station in a legacy RAN), an attachment request for a wireless device and send an authentication request to a HSS. Further, program instructions, when executed, may cause the network node to receive authentication information from the HSS and determine, based at least in part on the authentication information, whether the wireless device is capable of communication via a next generation RAN. Additionally, when executed, the program instructions may cause the network node to send, in response to determining that the wireless device is capable of communication via the next generation RAN, a message to the wireless device, wherein the message indicates that the attachment request has been denied. The message may include a request for the wireless device to attach via a next generation base station. 
     The techniques described herein may be implemented in and/or used with a number of different types of devices, including but not limited to cellular phones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and any of various other computing devices. 
     This Summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A better understanding of the present subject matter can be obtained when the following detailed description of various embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an example wireless communication system according to some embodiments; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a base station (BS) in communication with a user equipment (UE) device according to some embodiments; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an example block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an example block diagram of a BS according to some embodiments; 
         FIGS. 5A-5C  illustrate possible implementations of a next generation RAT, according to the prior art; 
         FIG. 6A  illustrates a next generation network interface architecture according to some embodiments; 
         FIG. 6B  illustrates a next generation network interface architecture according to some embodiments; 
         FIGS. 7A and 7B  illustrate signaling diagrams for IP address continuity according to some embodiments; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a signaling diagram for IP address continuity according to some embodiments; 
         FIGS. 9A and 9B  illustrate signaling diagrams for DNS queries according to some embodiments; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a protocol stack for a next generation wireless communication system according to some embodiments; 
         FIG. 11A  illustrates an example of a method for a wireless device to attach to a next generation gateway, according to some embodiments; and 
         FIG. 11B  illustrates a processing element including modules for attaching a wireless device to a next generation gateway, according to some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     While the features described herein may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to be limiting to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Terms 
     The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure: 
     Memory Medium—Any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term “memory medium” is intended to include an installation medium, e.g., a CD-ROM, floppy disks, or tape device; a computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; a non-volatile memory such as a Flash, magnetic media, e.g., a hard drive, or optical storage; registers, or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may include other types of non-transitory memory as well or combinations thereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in a first computer system in which the programs are executed, or may be located in a second different computer system which connects to the first computer system over a network, such as the Internet. In the latter instance, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term “memory medium” may include two or more memory mediums which may reside in different locations, e.g., in different computer systems that are connected over a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as computer programs) that may be executed by one or more processors. 
     Carrier Medium—a memory medium as described above, as well as a physical transmission medium, such as a bus, network, and/or other physical transmission medium that conveys signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals. 
     Programmable Hardware Element—includes various hardware devices comprising multiple programmable function blocks connected via a programmable interconnect. Examples include FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). The programmable function blocks may range from fine grained (combinatorial logic or look up tables) to coarse grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). A programmable hardware element may also be referred to as “reconfigurable logic”. 
     Computer System—any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe computer system, workstation, network appliance, Internet appliance, personal digital assistant (PDA), television system, grid computing system, or other device or combinations of devices. In general, the term “computer system” can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium. 
     User Equipment (UE) (or “UE Device”)—any of various types of computer systems devices which are mobile or portable and which performs wireless communications. Examples of UE devices include mobile telephones or smart phones (e.g., iPhone™, Android™-based phones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS™, PlayStation Portable™, Gameboy Advance™, iPhone™), laptops, wearable devices (e.g. smart watch, smart glasses), PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, or other handheld devices, etc. In general, the term “UE” or “UE device” can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic, computing, and/or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) which is easily transported by a user and capable of wireless communication. 
     Base Station—The term “Base Station” has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning, and at least includes a wireless communication station installed at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system. 
     Processing Element—refers to various elements or combinations of elements that are capable of performing a function in a device, such as a user equipment or a cellular network device. Processing elements may include, for example: processors and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, processor arrays, circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), programmable hardware elements such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), as well any of various combinations of the above. 
     Channel—a medium used to convey information from a sender (transmitter) to a receiver. It should be noted that since characteristics of the term “channel” may differ according to different wireless protocols, the term “channel” as used herein may be considered as being used in a manner that is consistent with the standard of the type of device with reference to which the term is used. In some standards, channel widths may be variable (e.g., depending on device capability, band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE may support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, WLAN channels may be 22 MHz wide while Bluetooth channels may be 1 Mhz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. Furthermore, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, e.g., different channels for uplink or downlink and/or different channels for different uses such as data, control information, etc. 
     Band—The term “band” has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning, and at least includes a section of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or set aside for the same purpose. 
     Automatically—refers to an action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.), without user input directly specifying or performing the action or operation. Thus the term “automatically” is in contrast to an operation being manually performed or specified by the user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic procedure may be initiated by input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that are performed “automatically” are not specified by the user, i.e., are not performed “manually”, where the user specifies each action to perform. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting check boxes, radio selections, etc.) is filling out the form manually, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user actions. The form may be automatically filled out by the computer system where the computer system (e.g., software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills in the form without any user input specifying the answers to the fields. As indicated above, the user may invoke the automatic filling of the form, but is not involved in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user is not manually specifying answers to fields but rather they are being automatically completed). The present specification provides various examples of operations being automatically performed in response to actions the user has taken. 
     Approximately—refers to a value that is almost correct or exact. For example, approximately may refer to a value that is within 1 to 10 percent of the exact (or desired) value. It should be noted, however, that the actual threshold value (or tolerance) may be application dependent. For example, in some embodiments, “approximately” may mean within 0.1% of some specified or desired value, while in various other embodiments, the threshold may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, and so forth, as desired or as required by the particular application. 
     Various components may be described as “configured to” perform a task or tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is a broad recitation generally meaning “having structure that” performs the task or tasks during operation. As such, the component can be configured to perform the task even when the component is not currently performing that task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors may be configured to electrically connect a module to another module, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, “configured to” may be a broad recitation of structure generally meaning “having circuitry that” performs the task or tasks during operation. As such, the component can be configured to perform the task even when the component is not currently on. In general, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to “configured to” may include hardware circuits. 
     Various components may be described as performing a task or tasks, for convenience in the description. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to.” Reciting a component that is configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) interpretation for that component. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2 —Communication System 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a simplified example wireless communication system, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the system of  FIG. 1  is merely one example of a possible system, and that features of this disclosure may be implemented in any of various systems, as desired. 
     As shown, the example wireless communication system includes a base station  102 A which communicates over a transmission medium with one or more user devices  106 A,  106 B, etc., through  106 N. Each of the user devices may be referred to herein as a “user equipment” (UE). Thus, the user devices  106  are referred to as UEs or UE devices. 
     The base station (BS)  102 A may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or cell site (a “cellular base station”), and may include hardware that enables wireless communication with the UEs  106 A through  106 N. 
     The communication area (or coverage area) of the base station may be referred to as a “cell.” The base station  102 A and the UEs  106  may be configured to communicate over the transmission medium using any of various radio access technologies (RATs), also referred to as wireless communication technologies, or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1×RTT, 1×EV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. Note that if the base station  102 A is implemented in the context of LTE, it may alternately be referred to as an ‘eNodeB’. 
     As shown, the base station  102 A may also be equipped to communicate with a network  100  (e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunication network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and/or the Internet, among various possibilities). Thus, the base station  102 A may facilitate communication between the user devices and/or between the user devices and the network  100 . In particular, the cellular base station  102 A may provide UEs  106  with various telecommunication capabilities, such as voice, SMS and/or data services. 
     Base station  102 A and other similar base stations (such as base stations  102 B . . .  102 N) operating according to the same or a different cellular communication standard may thus be provided as a network of cells, which may provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UEs  106 A-N and similar devices over a wide geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards. 
     Thus, while base station  102 A may act as a “serving cell” for UEs  106 A-N as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , each UE  106  may also be capable of receiving signals from (and possibly within communication range of) one or more other cells (which might be provided by base stations  102 B-N and/or any other base stations), which may be referred to as “neighboring cells”. Such cells may also be capable of facilitating communication between user devices and/or between user devices and the network  100 . Such cells may include “macro” cells, “micro” cells, “pico” cells, and/or cells which provide any of various other granularities of service area size. For example, base stations  102 A-B illustrated in  FIG. 1  might be macro cells, while base station  102 N might be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible. 
     Note that a UE  106  may be capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, the UE  106  may be configured to communicate using a wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and/or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.) in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1×RTT, 1×EV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.). The UE  106  may also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more global navigational satellite systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M/H or DVB-H), and/or any other wireless communication protocol, if desired. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates user equipment  106  (e.g., one of the devices  106 A through  106 N) in communication with a base station  102 , according to some embodiments. The UE  106  may be a device with cellular communication capability such as a mobile phone, a hand-held device, a computer or a tablet, or virtually any type of wireless device. 
     The UE  106  may include a processor that is configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. The UE  106  may perform any of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively, or in addition, the UE  106  may include a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) that is configured to perform any of the method embodiments described herein, or any portion of any of the method embodiments described herein. 
     The UE  106  may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, the UE  106  may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1×RTT/1×EV-DO/HRPD/eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio and/or GSM or LTE using the single shared radio. The shared radio may couple to a single antenna, or may couple to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communications. In general, a radio may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation as well as other digital processing). Similarly, the radio may implement one or more receive and transmit chains using the aforementioned hardware. For example, the UE  106  may share one or more parts of a receive and/or transmit chain between multiple wireless communication technologies, such as those discussed above. 
     In some embodiments, the UE  106  may include separate transmit and/or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. As a further possibility, the UE  106  may include one or more radios which are shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radios which are used exclusively by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UE  106  might include a shared radio for communicating using either of LTE or 1×RTT (or LTE or GSM), and separate radios for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible. 
       FIG. 3 —Block Diagram of a UE 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an example block diagram of a UE  106 , according to some embodiments. As shown, the UE  106  may include a system on chip (SOC)  300 , which may include portions for various purposes. For example, as shown, the SOC  300  may include processor(s)  302  which may execute program instructions for the UE  106  and display circuitry  304  which may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to the display  360 . The processor(s)  302  may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU)  340 , which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s)  302  and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory  306 , read only memory (ROM)  350 , NAND flash memory  310 ) and/or to other circuits or devices, such as the display circuitry  304 , wireless communication circuitry  330 , connector I/F  320 , and/or display  360 . The MMU  340  may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or set up. In some embodiments, the MMU  340  may be included as a portion of the processor(s)  302 . 
     As shown, the SOC  300  may be coupled to various other circuits of the UE  106 . For example, the UE  106  may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash  310 ), a connector interface  320  (e.g., for coupling to a computer system, dock, charging station, etc.), the display  360 , and wireless communication circuitry  330  (e.g., for LTE, LTE-A, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, etc.). 
     As shown, the UE device  106  may include at least one antenna (and possibly multiple antennas, e.g., for MIMO and/or for implementing different wireless communication technologies, among various possibilities) for performing wireless communication with base stations, access points, and/or other devices. For example, the UE device  106  may use antenna  335  to perform the wireless communication. 
     The UE  106  may also include and/or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include any of various elements, such as display  360  (which may be a touchscreen display), a keyboard (which may be a discrete keyboard or may be implemented as part of a touchscreen display), a mouse, a microphone and/or speakers, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and/or any of various other elements capable of providing information to a user and/or receiving or interpreting user input. 
     The processor  302  of the UE device  106  may be configured to implement part or all of the methods described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). In other embodiments, processor  302  may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition) the processor  302  of the UE  106 , in conjunction with one or more of the other components  300 ,  304 ,  306 ,  310 ,  320 ,  330 ,  340 ,  350 ,  360  may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein. 
     In addition, as described herein, processor  302  may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor  302 . Thus, processor  302  may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processor  302 . In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor  302 . 
     Further, as described herein, radio  330  may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in radio  330 . Thus, radio  330  may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of radio  330 . In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio  330 . 
       FIG. 4 —Block Diagram of a Base Station 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an example block diagram of a base station  102 , according to some embodiments. It is noted that the base station of  FIG. 4  is merely one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station  102  may include processor(s)  404  which may execute program instructions for the base station  102 . The processor(s)  404  may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU)  440 , which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s)  404  and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory  460  and read only memory (ROM)  450 ) or to other circuits or devices. 
     The base station  102  may include at least one network port  470 . The network port  470  may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide a plurality of devices, such as UE devices  106 , access to the telephone network as described above in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     The network port  470  (or an additional network port) may also or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility related services and/or other services to a plurality of devices, such as UE devices  106 . In some cases, the network port  470  may couple to a telephone network via the core network, and/or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., among other UE devices serviced by the cellular service provider). 
     The base station  102  may include at least one antenna  434 , and possibly multiple antennas. The at least one antenna  434  may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE devices  106  via radio  430 . The antenna  434  communicates with the radio  430  via communication chain  432 . Communication chain  432  may be a receive chain, a transmit chain or both. The radio  430  may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including, but not limited to, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc. 
     The base station  102  may be configured to communicate wirelessly using multiple wireless communication standards. In some instances, the base station  102  may include multiple radios, which may enable the base station  102  to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, the base station  102  may include an LTE radio for performing communication according to LTE as well as a Wi-Fi radio for performing communication according to Wi-Fi. In such a case, the base station  102  may be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a Wi-Fi access point. As another possibility, the base station  102  may include a multi-mode radio which is capable of performing communications according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.). 
     As described further subsequently herein, the BS  102  may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting implementation of features described herein. The processor  404  of the base station  102  may be configured to implement or support implementation of part or all of the methods described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor  404  may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition) the processor  404  of the BS  102 , in conjunction with one or more of the other components  430 ,  432 ,  434 ,  440 ,  450 ,  460 ,  470  may be configured to implement or support implementation of part or all of the features described herein. 
     In addition, as described herein, processor(s)  404  may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor(s)  404 . Thus, processor(s)  404  may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processor(s)  404 . In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor(s)  404 . 
     Further, as described herein, radio  430  may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in radio  430 . Thus, radio  430  may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of radio  430 . In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio  430 . 
     User Plane for Next Generation Cellular Network 
       FIGS. 5A-5C  illustrate possible implementations of a next generation cellular network, according to the prior art. In general, each implementation is based on architecture design principles for radio, network, and operations and management of the next generation cellular network (i.e., next generation RAN). For example, according to the architecture design principles, radios may leverage the radio frequency (RF) spectrum by exploiting higher frequencies and/or the unlicensed RF spectrum, split user and control planes, split uplink and downlink, and/or allow for multiple connectivity. As another example, radios may enable cost-effective dense deployments via integration of third-party and/or user deployments, automation of configuration, optimization, and healing, enhancement of multi-RAT coordination, and/or support of multi-operator and/or shared use infrastructures. Further, radios may coordinate and cancel interference by supporting expanded MIMO and coordinated multipoint (CoMP) and exploiting controlled non-orthogonal interference. In addition, radios may support dynamic radio topologies such as moving cells, relays, hubs, cloud radio access network (C-RAN) and distributed RAN (D-RAN) and support device to device communications (D2D) (e.g., for latency and/or disaster relief). 
     Additionally, according to the architecture design principles, next generation networks may create a common composable core by minimizing entities and functionalities within the next generation network, splitting control and user planes, supporting a lean protocol stack, not requiring any mandatory user plane functions, minimizing legacy interworking, having a RAT-agnostic core, and supporting a convergence of fixed (e.g., wired) and mobile (e.g., wireless) systems. Further, according to the architecture design principles, operations and management may be simplified via automation and self-healing, probeless monitoring, collaborative management, integrated OAM functionality, and carrier-grade network cloud orchestration. 
     In addition to the principles directed to radios, networks, and OAM, next generation architecture design principles also include embracing flexible functions and capabilities such as network slicing, function variance, flexible function/service/application allocation, leveraging of network functions virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN), state-disintegrated functions, and graceful degradation. Further, new value creation such as exploitation of big data and context awareness, exposing of radio and network APIs, and facilitation of anything as a service (XaaS) should be supported. Additionally, security and privacy should be built in via extending control plane security (e.g., via HetNets) and ensuring location privacy and identity protection from (unlawful) disclosure. 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 5A-5C , illustrated are possible implementations of a next generation wireless communication architecture based on the principles described above, according to the prior art. As shown,  FIG. 5A  illustrates an implementation in which there are defined interfaces between evolved packet core (EPC)  510  and existing 4G RAT  530  and next generation (NG) RAT  540 . Additionally, there is a defined interface between fixed network (NW)  520  and fixed networks/Wi-Fi networks  550 . Further, there is a potential interface between EPC  510  and fixed NW  520 . Main features of this architectural proposal include: (1) no changes to the fourth generation (4G) RAN; and (2) such an architecture would not require revolutionary next generation network function design. However, such an architecture would depend on the current legacy paradigm for all use cases, which may result in increased expense relative to other approaches. 
       FIG. 5B  illustrates another implementation based on the principles described above. As shown, such an implementation would introduce next generation (NG) NW  515  which would include next generation network functions. Thus, there would be defined interfaces between EPC  510  and 4G RAT  530 , NG NW  515  and NG RAT  540 , fixed NW  520  and fixed networks/Wi-Fi networks  550 , and EPC  510  and NG NW  515 . Additionally, there would be a potential interface between NG NW  515  and fixed NW  520 . Main features of this architectural proposal include: (1) no changes to the 4G RAN; and (2) such an architecture would include a new RAT design (e.g., NG NW  515 ) which could be optimized to fully benefit from new technologies such as virtualization. However, such an architecture could only be utilized where there is new RAT coverage, and there may be potential signaling burdens due to mobility if the new RAT does not provide seamless coverage. 
       FIG. 5C  illustrates yet another implementation based on the principles described above. As shown, such an implementation would introduce NG NW  515  which would include next generation network functions. Thus, there would be defined interfaces between EPC  510  and 4G RAT  530 , NG NW  515  and next generation RAT  540 , fixed NW  520  and fixed networks/Wi-Fi networks  550 . Additionally, there would be defined interfaces between NG NW  515  and 4G RAT  530  and NG NW  515  and fixed networks/Wi-Fi networks  550 . Further, there would be a potential interface between NG NW  515  and EPC  510  as well as NG NW  515  and fixed NW  520 . Main features of this architectural proposal include a new RAT design (e.g., NG NW  515 ) which could be optimized to fully benefit from new technologies such as virtualization, a sound migration path from older RAT technologies, and seamless coverage during mobility. However, such an architecture may stress legacy RANs, such as due to concurrent operation of legacy functions and new next generation functions. 
     Other issues with the above implementations include service continuity between various RATs as the next generation architecture will likely support more RATs than current architectures. Additionally, the coexistence of current networks with the next generation network may create mobility issues for both legacy and next generation users. Further, next generation architectures will support control and user plane splitting, a minimization of network nodes and a simplification of network functions which may also impact continuity between different RATs. Therefore, improvements in continuity between legacy RATs (e.g., 4G and 3G RATs) and next generation RATs are desirable. 
     Next Generation Network Interface Architecture for IP Connection Continuity 
       FIGS. 6A and 6B  illustrate next generation network interface architectures according to some embodiments.  FIG. 6A  illustrates a next generation gateway, such as GW  606 , that may interface with entities within a legacy network, such as 4G NW  602  and entities within a next generation network, such as NG NW  604 . Thus, a first interface may be defined between GW  606  and mobility management entity (MME)  632 , which may be included in 4G NW  602 . In addition, a second interface may be defined between GW  606  and server gateway and packet gateway (SGW/PGW)  622 , which may also be included in 4G NW  602 . Further, a third interface may be defined between GW  606  and next generation base station (eNB)  614 , which may be included in NG NW  604 . Note that within 4G NW  602 , a legacy base station such as eNB  612  may interface with both MME  632  and SGW/PGW  622 . Further, there may be an interface between MME  632  and SGW/PGW  622 . In addition, UE  106  may communicate wirelessly with both eNB  612  and eNB  614 . 
       FIG. 6B  illustrates another next generation architecture according to embodiments. As shown, GW  606  may interface with entities within legacy network 4G NW  602  and entities within next generation network NG NW  604 . Thus, a first interface may be defined between GW  606  and mobility management entity (MME)  632 , which may be included in 4G NW  602 . In addition, a second interface may be defined between GW  606  and SGW 1 /PGW 1   622 A and SGW 2 /PGW 2   622 B, which may both be included in 4G NW  602 . Further, a third interface may be defined between GW  606  and eNB  614 , which may be included in NG NW  604 . Note that within 4G NW  602 , a legacy base station such as eNB  612  may interface with both MME  632  and SGW 1 /PGW 1   622 A and SGW 2 /PGW 2   622 B. Further, there may be interfaces between MME  632  and SGW 1 /PGW 1   622 A and SGW 2 /PGW 2   622 B. In addition, UE  106  may communicate wirelessly with both eNB  612  and eNB  614 . 
     MME  632  may be or include any switch, server, or other node within 4G NW  602 . Thus, MME  632  may include a portion of, or all of, the elements described above in reference to base station  102 . Hence, MME  632  may include one or more processing elements (or processors) which may execute program instructions and the processing elements may be coupled to a memory management unit, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processing elements and translate those addresses to locations in a memory or to other circuits or devices. In addition, MME  632  may include at least one network port and one or more antennas coupled to at least one radio. MME  632  may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE devices, such as UE  106  using various wireless communication standards. 
     In addition, eNB  612  may be a legacy base station and may be configured as described above with reference to  FIG. 4  and base station  102 . Thus, eNB  612  may be configured to communicate using various legacy wireless communication standards such as LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc. 
     Further, eNB  614  may be a next generation base station and may include components similar to the components described above with reference to base station  102 . Thus, eNB  614  may include one or more processing elements (or processors) which may execute program instructions. The processing elements may be coupled to a memory management unit, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processing elements and translate those addresses to locations in a memory or to other circuits or devices. In addition, eNB  614  may include at least one network port and one or more antennas coupled to at least one radio. Further, eNB  614  may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE devices, such as UE  106  using a next generation wireless communication standards, such as a NG RAT. 
     In some embodiments, if UE  106  first attaches from NG NW  604  and also selects GW  606  as further described below, SGW 1 /PGW 1   622 A may also be assigned to UE  106 . Thus, when UE  106  moves back to 4G NW  602 , MME  632  may select SGW 1 /PGW 1  since it has already been assigned. In addition, in some embodiments, if UE  106  first attaches from 4G NW  602 , MME  632  may select a default SGW/PGW such as SGW 2 /PGW 2   622 B based on a DNS query. As further described below, SGW 2 /PGW 2   622 B may be mapped to GW  606 . Thus, when UE  106  moves to NG NW  604 , GW  606  may be selected by eNB  614  based on the mapping. In addition, when UE  106  returns to 4G NW  602 , MME  632  will again select SGW 2 /PGW 2   622 B instead of performing the DNS query. Thus, whether UE  106  first attaches from 4G NW  602  or NG NW  604 , IP connection continuity (e.g., original IP address and first SGW/PGW and GW) will be maintained as UE  106  moves between networks. 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 7A-7B and 8 , communications between the various entities illustrated in  FIG. 6  will be described. The communications may allow IP connection continuity while switching between 4G NW  602  and NG NW  604 . 
       FIG. 7A  illustrates a signaling diagram for maintaining IP continuity between legacy and next generation RATs, according to some embodiments. The signaling shown in  FIG. 7A  may be used in conjunction with any of the systems or devices shown in the above Figures, among other devices. In various embodiments, some of the signals shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional signaling may also be performed as desired. 
     At  702 , UE  106  may send a message to a legacy base station, such as eNB  612 . The message may include a request to attach to eNB  612 . In some embodiments, the message may be a radio resource control (RRC) connection request. In some embodiments, the message may include an attach request and a packet data network (PDN) connectivity request. 
     At  704 , eNB  612  may send a message to MME  632 . The message may include the request from UE  106  to attach to eNB  612 . In some embodiments, the message may include the attach request and/or the PDN connectivity request. In some embodiments, the message may be an S1 message. 
     At  706 , UE  106  may send an additional message to MME  632 . In some embodiments, the message may be an attach message (e.g., a non-access stratum (NAS) message). 
     At  708 , MME  632  may send a message to home subscriber server (HSS)  616  to authenticate UE  106 . In some embodiments, the message may include various parameters such as visited public land mobile network identification (PLMN ID) as well as subscription information. In some embodiments, the message may be or include an authentication information request. 
     At  710 , HSS  616  may send a message to MME  632 . In some embodiments, the message may include authentication information for authenticating UE  106 . In addition, the message may include subscription information. MME  632  may determine, based at least in part on the message received from HSS  616  whether UE  106  supports a next generation RAT. For example, MME  632  may determine whether UE  106  subscribes to (or whether UE  106  is associated with a subscription for) the next generation RAT. 
     At  712 , MME  632 , in response to determining that UE  106  supports (and/or subscribes to) a next generation RAT, may send a message to gateway  606  via the first interface (between the gateway  606  and the MME  632 ) described above in reference to  FIG. 6 . In some embodiments, the message may include a request to create a session. In other words, the message may be a create session request message. In such embodiments, MME  632  may select GW  606  based at least in part on a domain name system (DNS) server retrieval. In addition, a default SGW/PGW may be arranged to correspond to GW  606 . 
     At  714 , GW  606  may send a message to MME  632  via the first interface (between the gateway  606  and the MME  632 ) described above in reference to  FIG. 6 . In some embodiments, the message may include session information such as an IP address. IN some embodiments, the message by be a create session response. 
     At  716 , MME  632  may send a message to UE  106  indicating that attachment to GW  606  was successful. In some embodiments, the message may include the IP address from GW  606 . In some embodiments, MME  632  may send the message to eNB  612  and eNB  612  may forward the message to UE  106 . 
       FIG. 7B  illustrates a signaling diagram for maintaining IP continuity between legacy and next generation RATs, according to some embodiments. The signaling shown in  FIG. 7B  may be used in conjunction with any of the systems or devices shown in the above Figures, among other devices. In various embodiments, some of the signals shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional signaling may also be performed as desired. 
     At  722 , UE  106  may send a message to a next generation base station, such as eNB  614 . The message may include a request to attach to eNB  614 . In some embodiments, the message may be a radio resource control (RRC) connection request. In some embodiments, the message may include an attach request and a packet data network (PDN) connectivity request. 
     At  724 , eNB  614  may send a message to home subscriber server (HSS)  616  to authenticate UE  106 . In some embodiments, the message may include various parameters such as visited public land mobile network identification (PLMN ID) as well as subscription information. In some embodiments, the message may be or include an authentication information request. 
     At  726 , HSS  616  may send a message to eNB  614 . In some embodiments, the message may include authentication information for authenticating UE  106 . In addition, the message may include subscription information. eNB  614  may determine, based at least in part on the message received from HSS  616  whether UE  106  supports a next generation RAT. For example, eNB  614  may determine whether UE  106  subscribes to (or whether UE  106  is associated with a subscription for) the next generation RAT. 
     At  728 , eNB  614 , in response to determining that UE  106  supports (and/or subscribes to) a next generation RAT, may send a message to gateway  606  via the third interface (between the gateway  606  and the eNB  614 ) described above with reference to  FIG. 6 . In some embodiments, the message may include a request to create a session. In other words, the message may be a create session request message. In such embodiments, eNB  614  may select GW  606  based at least in part on a domain name system (DNS) server retrieval. In addition, a default SGW/PGW may be arranged to correspond to GW  606 . 
     Note that in some embodiments, if eNB  614  determines that UE  106  does not support the next generation RAT, eNB  614  may reject UE  106 &#39;s attachment request and request UE  106  re-attach from a legacy RAT as described above with reference to  FIG. 7A . 
     At  730 , GW  606  may send a message to eNB  614  via the third interface (between the gateway  606  and the eNB  614 ) described above with reference to  FIG. 6 . In some embodiments, the message may include session information such as an IP address. In some embodiments, the message by be a create session response. 
     At  732 , eNB  614  may send a message to UE  106  indicating that attachment to GW  606  was successful. In some embodiments, the message may include the IP address from GW  606 . 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a signaling diagram for maintaining IP continuity between legacy and next generation RATs, according to some embodiments. The signaling shown in  FIG. 8  may be used in conjunction with any of the systems or devices shown in the above Figures, among other devices. In various embodiments, some of the signals shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional signaling may also be performed as desired. 
     At  802 , UE  106  may send a message to a legacy base station, such as eNB  612 . The message may include a request to attach to eNB  612 . In some embodiments, the message may be a radio resource control (RRC) connection request. In some embodiments, the message may include an attach request and a packet data network (PDN) connectivity request. 
     At  804 , eNB  612  may send a message to MME  632 . The message may include the request from UE  106  to attach to eNB  612 . In some embodiments, the message may include the attach request and/or the PDN connectivity request. In some embodiments, the message may be an S1 message. 
     At  806 , UE  106  may send an additional message to MME  632 . In some embodiments, the message may be an attach message (e.g., a non-access stratum (NAS) message). 
     At  808 , MME  632  may send a message to home subscriber server (HSS)  616  to authenticate UE  106 . In some embodiments, the message may include various parameters such as visited public land mobile network identification (PLMN ID) as well as subscription information. In some embodiments, the message may be or include an authentication information request. 
     At  810 , HSS  616  may send a message to MME  632 . In some embodiments, the message may include authentication information for authenticating UE  106 . In addition, the message may include subscription information. MME  632  may determine, based at least in part on the message received from HSS  616  whether UE  106  supports a next generation RAT. For example, MME  632  may determine whether UE  106  subscribes to (or whether UE  106  is associated with a subscription for) the next generation RAT. 
     At  812 , MME  632 , in response to determining that UE  106  supports (and/or subscribes to) a next generation RAT, may send a message to UE  106  indicating that attachment has been rejected. In some embodiments, the message may trigger UE  106  to attempt attachment to GW  606  via eNB  614 . 
     At  814 , UE  106  may send a message to a next generation base station, such as eNB  614  in response to receiving the message from MME  632  indicating attachment had been rejected. The message may include a request to attach to eNB  614 . In some embodiments, the message may be a radio resource control (RRC) connection request. In some embodiments, the message may include an attach request and a packet data network (PDN) connectivity request. 
     At  816 , eNB  614  may send a message to home subscriber server (HSS)  616  to authenticate UE  106 . In some embodiments, the message may include various parameters such as visited public land mobile network identification (PLMN ID) as well as subscription information. In some embodiments, the message may be or include an authentication information request. 
     At  818 , HSS  616  may send a message to eNB  614 . In some embodiments, the message may include authentication information for authenticating UE  106 . In addition, the message may include subscription information. eNB  614  may determine, based at least in part on the message received from HSS  616  whether UE  106  supports a next generation RAT. For example, eNB  614  may determine whether UE  106  subscribes to (or whether UE  106  is associated with a subscription for) the next generation RAT. 
     At  820 , eNB  614 , in response to determining that UE  106  supports (and/or subscribes to) a next generation RAT, may send a message to gateway  606  via the third interface (between the gateway  606  and the eNB  614 ) described above with reference to  FIG. 6 . In some embodiments, the message may include a request to create a session. In other words, the message may be a create session request message. In such embodiments, eNB  614  may select GW  606  based at least in part on a domain name system (DNS) server retrieval. In addition, a default SGW/PGW may be arranged to correspond to GW  606 . 
     At  822 , GW  606  may send a message to eNB  614  via the third interface (between the gateway  606  and the eNB  614 ) described above with reference to  FIG. 6 . In some embodiments, the message may include session information such as an IP address. In some embodiments, the message by be a create session response. 
     At  824 , eNB  614  may send a message to UE  106  indicating that attachment to GW  606  was successful. In some embodiments, the message may include the IP address from GW  606 . 
       FIGS. 9A-9B  DNS Retrieval Procedure 
       FIGS. 9A and 9B  illustrate signaling diagrams for a DNS query according to some embodiments. In particular,  FIG. 9A  illustrates a signaling diagram between a mobility management entity (e.g., MME  632 ) of a legacy RAT and a domain name system (DNS) server, and  FIG. 9B  illustrates a signaling diagram between a base station (e.g., eNB  614 ) in a next generation RAT and the DNS server. Note that the signaling shown in  FIGS. 9A and 9B  may be used in conjunction with any of the systems or devices shown in the above Figures, among other devices. In various embodiments, some of the signals shown may occur concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional signaling may also be performed as desired. 
     Turning to  FIG. 9A , at  902 , MME  632  may send a first query to DNS  922 . The first query may include a request for a PGW for a legacy mobile network. In other words, the first query may include a request for an access point name (APN) for the legacy mobile network (e.g., 3G or 4G). 
     At  904 , DNS  922  may send a first response to MME  632 . The first response may include a PGW address list. The address list may include available PGWs for the legacy mobile network. 
     At  906 , MME  632  may send a second query to DNS  922 . The second query may include a request for a PGW for a next generation mobile network. In other words, the second query may include a request for an APN for the next generation mobile network. 
     Note that in some embodiments, MME  632  may only send one query to DNS  922  and may receive an access point name for the PGW for the next generation mobile network. In addition, in some embodiments, if MME  632  receives the access point name for the PGW for the next generation mobile network, MME  632  may send a query to DNS  922  and may receive a list of SGW/PGW and PGW addresses for the next generation mobile network and, based on the list, MME  632  may select an SGW/PGW and GW for UE  106 . 
     In some embodiments, DNS  922  may have a mapping relationship between PGWs for legacy mobile networks (legacy PGWs) and PGWs for the next generation mobile network (NG PGWs). Such a mapping between legacy PGWs and NG PGWs may allow for (or enable) IP address continuity as a UE moves from legacy RATs and the next generation RAT and back. 
     In some embodiments, for the mapping relation between legacy PGWs (and/or SGWs) and GW for next generation SGW/PGW (legacy) and NG PGWs may be associated with a particular UE, such as UE  106 . In such embodiments, DNS  922  may record a mapping table of SGW/PGW addresses and GWs addresses. In some embodiments, the mapping table may have a plurality of legacy SGW/PGWs and a plurality of NG GWs associated with the particular UE. In some embodiments, DNS  922  may ensure that for the particular UE in a certain period, the same legacy SGW/PGW and NG GW will be assigned to the particular UE. In other words, for a given period of time and/or location of the particular UE, the same legacy SGW/PGW and NG GW will be selected to ensure IP address continuity as the UE moves between legacy and next generation networks. 
     At  908 , DNS  922  may send a second response to MME  632 . The second response may include a NG PGW address list. In some embodiments, the second response may also include the mapping between legacy PGWs and NG PGWs. 
     Turning to  FIG. 9B , at  910 , eNB  614  may send a first query to DNS  922 . The first query may include a request for a PGW for a next generation mobile network. In other words, the second query may include a request for an APN for the next generation mobile network. 
     In some embodiments, DNS  922  may have a mapping relationship between PGWs for legacy mobile networks (legacy PGWs) and PGWs for the next generation mobile network (NG PGWs). Such a mapping between legacy PGWs and NG PGWs may allow for (or enable) IP address continuity as a UE moves from legacy RATs and the next generation RAT and back. 
     At  912 , DNS  922  may send a first response to eNB  614 . The first response may include a NG PGW address list. In some embodiments, the second response may also include the mapping between legacy PGWs and NG PGWs. 
     Next Generation Protocol Stack 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a protocol stack for a next generation wireless communication system according to some embodiments. Note that the protocol stack illustrated is only one of many possible protocol stacks that may be implemented in a next generation wireless communication system. Note further, additional features, elements, and/or layers may be added to protocol stack shown. 
     As shown, the protocol stack may include existing interfaces such as LTE-Uu between UE  106  and eNB  612 , an S1-U (e.g., reference point between E-UTRAN and SGW for per bearer user plane tunneling and inter eNB path switching during handover) interface between eNB  612  and SGW  622 A, an S5/S8 (e.g., S5 may be for providing user plane tunneling and tunnel management between SGW and PGW, may be used for SGW relocation due to UE mobility and for SGW connecting to a non-collocated PGW for PDN connectivity and S8 may be an inter-PLMN variant of S5 interface) interface between SGW  622 A and PDN GW  622 B, and an SGi (e.g., reference point between PGW and the PDN) interface. At UE  106 , the protocol stack may include layers L1, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and IP as well as new layer IP′ for addressing within the next generation RAN. Thus, UE  106  may maintain IP addresses associated with legacy RANs and the next generation RAN. Further, this may allow for IP address continuity as UE  106  moves between RANs. Protocol stacks for eNB  612  may include layers L1, L2, UDP/IP, and PDCP to communicate with UE  106  and layers L1, L2, UDP/IP, and GTP-U to communicate with SGW  622 A. Protocol stacks for SGW  622 A may include layers L1, L2, UDP/IP, and GTP-U to communicate with eNB  612  and layers L1, L2, UDP/IP, and GTP-U to communicate with PDN GW  622 B. A protocol stack for PDN GW  622 B may include layers L1, L2, UDP/IP, and GTP-U for communication with SGW  622 A and an IP layer for communication with UE  106 . In addition, a protocol stack for GW  606  may include layers L1, L2, UDP/IP, and GTP-U, and IP as well as an IP′ layer for communication with UE  106 . Note that in some embodiments, the protocol stack may not include the IP′ layer and GW  606  may communicate with UE  106  via the IP layer. 
     Attachment Method 
       FIG. 11A  illustrates an example of a method for a wireless device, such as UE  106 , to attach to a next generation gateway, such as GW  606 , according to some embodiments. The method shown in  FIG. 11A  may be used in conjunction with any of the systems or devices shown in the above Figures, among other devices. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as desired. As shown, this method may operate as follows. 
     At  1102 , an attachment request for a wireless device may be received. In some embodiments, the attachment request may be received from the wireless device. In other embodiments, the attachment request may be received from a base station of a legacy radio access network (RAN). In other words, the base station may be configured to communicate via one or more legacy RATs such as LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc. In some embodiments, the request may include a packet data network (PDN) connectivity request. 
     At  1104 , authentication of the wireless device may be determined via communication with a home subscriber server (HSS). In some embodiments, determining authentication via communication with the HSS may include sending an authentication request to the HSS and receiving the authentication information from the HSS. 
     At  1106 , capabilities of the wireless device may be determined. In some embodiments, determining capabilities of the wireless device may include determining, based at least in part on the authentication information, whether the wireless device is capable of communication via the next generation RAN. In some embodiments, the authentication information may include subscription information associated with the wireless device. In other words, determining the capabilities of the wireless device may include determining whether there is a subscription to the next generation RAN associated with the wireless device. 
     At  1108 , a connection request may be sent to a gateway of the next generation RAN. In some embodiments, the connection request may be sent in response to determining the capabilities of the wireless device. Alternatively, in some embodiments, where the attachment request is received from a base station (e.g., received by an MME of a legacy RAN), a message may be sent to the wireless device in response to determining that the wireless device is capable of communication via the next generation RAN. The message may indicate that the connection request has been denied and may further include a request for the wireless device to attach via the next generation RAN (e.g., the wireless device may attach via a base station of the next generation RAN). 
     In some embodiments, a session response may be received from the gateway and may indicate that the session request has been accepted. Additionally, a message indicating that the attachment request has been accepted may be sent to the wireless device. In some embodiments, the session response may include an IP address of the gateway. Additionally, in some embodiments, the message may include the IP address. 
     In some embodiments, where the attachment request is received from the wireless device (e.g., received by a base station of the next generation RAN), a message may be sent to the wireless device in response to determining that the wireless device is not capable of communication via the next generation RAN. The message may indicate that the connection request has been denied and may further include a request for the wireless device to attach via a legacy RAN. In some embodiments, determining that the wireless device is not capable of communication via the next generation RAN may include determining that the wireless device is not associated with a subscription to the next generation RAN. 
     In some embodiments, where the attachment request is received from the wireless device (e.g., received by a base station of the next generation RAN), a query may be sent to a domain name system (DNS) server and the query may include a request for an internet protocol (IP) address for a gateway of the next generation RAN. In addition, a response may be received from the DNS server and may include a list of IP addresses for gateways of the next generation RAN. In some embodiments, the response may also include a mapping between the IP addresses for gateways of the next generation RAN and IP addresses for gateways of legacy RANs. 
     In some embodiments, where the attachment request is received from a base station (e.g., received by an MME of a legacy RAN), a first query may be sent to a domain name system (DNS) server and the first query may include a request for an internet protocol (IP) address for a gateway of the legacy RAN. In addition, a first response may be received from the DNS server and may include a list of IP addresses for gateways of the legacy RAN. Further, a second query a query may be sent to the DNS server and the second query may include a request for an internet protocol (IP) address for a gateway of the next generation RAN. Additionally, a second response may be received from the DNS server and may include a list of IP addresses for gateways of the next generation RAN. In some embodiments, the second response may also include a mapping between the IP addresses for gateways of the next generation RAN and IP addresses for gateways of legacy RANs. 
       FIG. 11B  illustrates a processing element including modules for attaching a wireless device, such as UE  106 , to a next generation gateway, such as GW  606 , according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, antenna  1135  may be coupled to processing element  1164 . The processing element may be configured to perform the method described above in reference to  FIG. 11A . In some embodiments, processing element  764  may include one or more modules, such as modules (or circuitry)  1122 - 1128 , and the modules (or circuitry) may be configured to perform various steps of the method described above in reference to  FIG. 11A . In some embodiments, the processing element may be included in a mobility management entity, such as MME  632 . In other embodiments, the processing element may be included in a base station, such as eNB  614 . As shown, the modules may be configured as follows. 
     In some embodiments, processing element  1164  may include a receive module  1122  configured to receive an attachment request for a wireless device. In some embodiments, the attachment request may be received from the wireless device. In other embodiments, the attachment request may be received from a base station of a legacy radio access network (RAN). In other words, the base station may be configured to communicate via one or more legacy RATs such as LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc. In some embodiments, the request may include a packet data network (PDN) connectivity request. 
     In some embodiments, processing element  1164  may include a first determine module  1124  configured to determine authentication of the wireless device via communication with a home subscriber server (HSS). In some embodiments, determining authentication via communication with the HSS may include sending an authentication request to the HSS and receiving the authentication information from the HSS. 
     In some embodiments, processing element  1164  may include a second determine module  1126  configured to determine capabilities of the wireless device. In some embodiments, determining capabilities of the wireless device may include determining, based at least in part on the authentication information, whether the wireless device is capable of communication via the next generation RAN. In some embodiments, the authentication information may include subscription information associated with the wireless device. In other words, determining the capabilities of the wireless device may include determining whether there is a subscription to the next generation RAN associated with the wireless device. 
     In some embodiments, processing element  1164  may include a send module  1128  configured to send a connection request to a gateway of the next generation RAN. In some embodiments, the connection request may be sent in response to determining the capabilities of the wireless device. Alternatively, in some embodiments, where the attachment request is received from a base station (e.g., received by an MME of a legacy RAN), the send module may be configured to send a message to the wireless device in response to determining that the wireless device is capable of communication via the next generation RAN. The message may indicate that the connection request has been denied and may further include a request for the wireless device to attach via the next generation RAN (e.g., the wireless device may attach via a base station of the next generation RAN). 
     It is apparent for those skilled in the art that, for the particular processes of the modules (or circuitry) described above (such as modules  1122 ,  1124 ,  1126 , and  1128 ), reference may be made to the corresponding steps (such as steps  1102 ,  1104 ,  1106 , and  1108 , respectively) in the related process embodiment sharing the same concept and the reference is regarded as the disclosure of the related modules (or circuitry) as well. Furthermore, processing element  1164  may be implemented in software, hardware or combination thereof. More specifically, processing element  1164  may be implemented as circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, individual processors, programmable hardware devices such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and/or larger portions of systems that include multiple processors. Additionally, processing element  1164  may be implemented as a general-purpose processor such as a CPU, and therefore each module can be implemented with the CPU executing instructions stored in a memory which perform a respective step. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure may be realized in any of various forms. For example some embodiments may be realized as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable memory medium, or a computer system. Other embodiments may be realized using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Still other embodiments may be realized using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs. 
     In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium may be configured so that it stores program instructions and/or data, where the program instructions, if executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method, e.g., any of a method embodiments described herein, or, any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or, any combination of such subsets. 
     In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE  106 ) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, where the memory medium stores program instructions, where the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, where the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or, any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or, any combination of such subsets). The device may be realized in any of various forms. 
     Although the embodiments above have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20190325
Publication Date: 20200218
Grant Date: 20200218
Priority Date: 20150930
Inventors: ZHANG, DAWEI
HU, HAIJING
LIANG, HUARUI
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04W8/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W8/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W60/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W8/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W12/06", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W48/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W88/08", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W60/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W88/08", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W88/005", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M7/006", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W88/16", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W60/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W8/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W12/06", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W88/16", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W12/06", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W88/16", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L61/1511", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W48/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W8/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W60/005", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W88/08", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M7/006", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W88/005", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L61/1588", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W60/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W8/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W60/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W60/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L61/4588", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W88/16", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W88/08", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L61/4511", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W8/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L61/4588", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L61/5084", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L61/4588", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L61/4511", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L61/4511", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W60/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W12/062", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W12/062", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W60/005", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 58422540