WO2021088788A1

WO2021088788A1 - Apparatuses and methods for providing network indication of ip multimedia subsystem (ims) data service support to user equipment (ue)

Info

Publication number: WO2021088788A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/126093
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rohit Naik
Original assignee: Mediatek Inc.
Priority date: 2019-11-04
Filing date: 2020-11-03
Publication date: 2021-05-14

Abstract

A method, executed by a User Equipment (UE) communicatively connected to a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network, is provided. The UE supports IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) data services. The method includes the following steps: receiving, by the UE, information concerning whether the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services from the 3GPP network; and determining, by the UE, whether to establish a Packet Data Network (PDN) connection or a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session with the 3GPP network for the IMS data services according to the information concerning whether the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services.

Description

APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING NETWORK INDICATION OF IP MULTIMEDIA SUBSYSTEM (IMS) DATA SERVICE SUPPORT TO USER EQUIPMENT (UE)

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/930,091, filed on November 04, 2019, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE APPLICATION

The application generally relates to mobile communications and, more particularly, to apparatuses and methods for providing network indication of IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) data service support to User Equipment (UE) .

BACKGROUND

In a typical mobile communication environment, User Equipment (UE) (also called a Mobile Station (MS) ) , such as a mobile telephone (also known as a cellular or cell phone) , or a tablet Personal Computer (PC) with wireless communications capability, may communicate voice and/or data signals with one or more service networks. The wireless communications between the UE and the service networks may be performed using various Radio Access Technologies (RATs) , which include the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) technology, the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology, the Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) technology, the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) technology, the Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA-2000) technology, the Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) technology, the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) technology, the Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, the LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) technology, the Time Division LTE (TD-LTE) technology, the fifth-generation (5G) New Radio (NR) technology, and others.

According to the current 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specifications, a UE may be classified as a voice-centric device or a data-centric device. The data-centric device may use 3GPP networks for data communication, while the voice-centric device may use 3GPP networks for both voice and data communications. Similarly, the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services may include voice centric services (or called IMS voice services) , such as Voice over LTE (VoLTE) , and Voice over NR (VoNR) , etc., and non-voice centric services (or called IMS data services) , such as Short Message Service (SMS) over IMS, and Mission Critical Push To Talk (MCPTT) , etc. However, 3GPP networks provide indication of only the IMS Voice-over-Packet-Switched (VoPS) service support to UEs for indicating network support of IMS voice services. As a result, when receiving an indication that the network does not support the IMS voice services, UEs which support IMS data services only cannot decide whether to trigger Packet Data Network (PDN) connection or Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session establishment for IMS registration on bootup or location update.

A solution is sought.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE APPLICATION

In a first aspect of the application, a method, executed by a User Equipment (UE) communicatively connected to a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network, is provided. The UE supports IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) data services. The method comprises the following steps: receiving, by the UE, information concerning whether the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services from the 3GPP network; and determining, by the UE, whether to establish a Packet Data Network (PDN) connection or a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session with the 3GPP network for the IMS data services according to the information concerning whether the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services.

In a first implementation form of the first aspect, the method further comprises the step of: establishing, by the UE, the PDN connection or the PDU session with the 3GPP network for the IMS data services in response to the information indicating that the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services.

In a second implementation form of the first aspect, the IMS data services do not involve a voice component.

In a third implementation form of the first aspect, the UE is configured as a data-centric device or a voice-centric device.

In a fourth implementation form of the first aspect, the information is received via a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or an Over-The-Air (OTA) message comprising a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) message, or a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message.

In a fifth implementation form of the first aspect in combination with the fourth implementation form of the first aspect, the NAS message is a Registration Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being a 5G System (5GS) , or an Attach Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being an Evolved Packet System (EPS) , and the RRC message is a Tracking Area Update (TAU) Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being an EPS or a 5GS.

In a sixth implementation form of the first aspect in combination with the fifth implementation form of the first aspect, the information is comprised in a data field in the 5GS network feature support Information Element (IE) of the Registration Accept message, or is comprised in an IE of the Attach Accept message or the TAU Accept message.

In a seventh implementation form of the first aspect in combination with the fourth implementation form of the first aspect, the information is comprised in an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) configuration, a UE setting parameter, or a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) parameter of the OTA message.

In a second aspect of the application, a UE supporting IMS data services is provided. The UE comprises a wireless transceiver and a controller. The wireless transceiver is configured to perform wireless transmission and reception to and from a 3GPP network. The controller is coupled to the wireless transceiver, and configured to receive information concerning whether the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services from the 3GPP network via the wireless transceiver, and determine whether to establish a Packet Data Network (PDN) connection or a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session with the 3GPP network for the IMS data services according to the information concerning whether the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services.

In a first implementation form of the second aspect, the controller is further configured to establish the PDN connection or the PDU session with the 3GPP network for the IMS data services in response to the information indicating that the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services.

In a second implementation form of the second aspect, the IMS data services do not involve a voice component.

In a third implementation form of the second aspect, the UE is configured as a data-centric device or a voice-centric device.

In a fourth implementation form of the second aspect, the information is received via a NAS message, an RRC message, or an OTA message comprising an SMS message, a WAP message, or an MMS message.

In a fifth implementation form of the second aspect in combination with the fourth implementation form of the second aspect, the NAS message is a Registration Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being a 5GS, or an Attach Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being an EPS, and the RRC message is a TAU Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being an EPS or a 5GS.

In a sixth implementation form of the second aspect in combination with the fifth implementation form of the second aspect, the information is comprised in a data field in the 5GS network feature support IE of the Registration Accept message, or is comprised in an IE of the Attach Accept message or the TAU Accept message.

In a seventh implementation form of the second aspect in combination with the fourth implementation form of the second aspect, the information is comprised in an OMA DM configuration, a UE setting parameter, or a UICC parameter of the OTA message.

In a third aspect of the application, a method is provided. The method comprises the following steps: communicatively connecting to a UE by a 3GPP network; and sending, by the 3GPP network, information concerning whether the 3GPP network supports IMS data services to the UE.

In a first implementation form of the third aspect, the information is sent via a NAS message, an RRC message, or an OTA message comprising an SMS message, a WAP message, or an MMS message.

In a second implementation form of the third aspect in combination with the first implementation form of the third aspect, the NAS message is a Registration Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being a 5GS, or an Attach Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being an EPS, and the RRC message is a TAU Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being an EPS or a 5GS; wherein the information is comprised in a data field in the 5GS network feature support IE of the Registration Accept message, or is comprised in an IE of the Attach Accept message or the TAU Accept message.

In a first implementation form of the third aspect in combination with the first implementation form of the third aspect, the information is comprised in an OMA DM configuration, a UE setting parameter, or a UICC parameter of the OTA message.

Other aspects and features of the present application will become apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following descriptions of specific embodiments of the apparatuses and methods for providing network indication of IMS data service support to a UE.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The application can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless communication environment according to an embodiment of the application;

Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the UE 110 according to an embodiment of the application;

Fig. 3 is a message sequence chart illustrating the provision of network indication of IMS data service support to a UE according to an embodiment of the application;

Fig. 4 is a message sequence chart illustrating the provision of network indication of IMS data service support to a UE according to another embodiment of the application;

Fig. 5 is a message sequence chart illustrating the provision of network indication of IMS data service support to a UE according to another embodiment of the application;

Fig. 6 is a message sequence chart illustrating the provision of network indication of IMS data service support to a UE according to another embodiment of the application;

Fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the method for providing network indication of IMS data service support to a UE according to an embodiment of the application; and

Fig. 8 is a flow chart illustrating the method for providing network indication of IMS data service support to a UE according to another embodiment of the application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE APPLICATION

The following description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the application and should not be taken in a limiting sense. It should be understood that the embodiments may be realized in software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. The terms “comprises, ” “comprising, ” “includes” and/or “including, ” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless communication environment according to an embodiment of the application.

As shown in Fig. 1, the wireless communication environment 100 includes a User Equipment (UE) 110, a 3GPP network 120, and an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network 130.

The UE 110 may be a feature phone, a smartphone, a panel Personal Computer (PC) , a laptop computer, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, or any mobile communication device supporting the RATs utilized by the 3GPP network 120. The UE 110 may be configured as a data-centric device which connects to the 3GPP network 120 for obtaining data services, or it may be configured as a voice-centric device which connects to the 3GPP network 120 for obtaining both voice and data services.

The 3GPP network 120 may include an access network 121 and a core network 122. The access network 121 is responsible for processing radio signals, terminating radio protocols, and connecting the UE 110 with the core network 122, while the core network 122 is responsible for performing mobility management, network-side authentication, and interfaces with public/external networks (e.g., the Internet) .

In one embodiment, if the 3GPP network 120 is a 4G network (e.g., an LTE/LTE-A/TD-LTE network) , the access network 121 may be an Evolved-Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) and the core network 122 may be an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) . The E-UTRAN may include at least an evolved NodeB (eNB) (e.g., a macro eNB, femto eNB, or pico eNB) . The EPC may include a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) , Mobility Management Entity (MME) , Serving Gateway (S-GW) , and Packet Data Network Gateway (PDN-GW or P-GW) .

In one embodiment, if the 3GPP network 120 is a 5G network (e.g., an NR network) , the access network 121 may be a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) and the core network 122 may be a Next Generation Core Network (NG-CN) . The NG-RAN may include one or more gNBs. Each gNB may further include one or more Transmission Reception Points (TRPs) , and each gNB or TRP may be referred to as a 5G cellular station. Some gNB functions may be distributed across different TRPs, while others may be centralized, leaving the flexibility and scope of specific deployments to fulfill the requirements for specific cases. The NG-CN may support various network functions, including an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) , a Session Management Function (SMF) , a User Plane Function (UPF) , a Policy Control Function (PCF) , an Application Function (AF) , an Authentication Server Function (AUSF) , and a Non-3GPP Inter-Working Function (N3IWF) , wherein each network function may be implemented as a network element on dedicated hardware, or as a software instance running on dedicated hardware, or as a virtualized function instantiated on an appropriate platform, e.g., a cloud infrastructure.

The IMS network 130 is a system consisting of various network functions for providing IP multimedia services to the UE 110 over the 3GPP network 120. The IP multimedia services may include voice centric IMS services and/or data centric IMS services. Specifically, the voice centric IMS services (also called IMS voice services) may refer to IMS services that involve voice component, such as Voice over LTE (VoLTE) , Video over LTE (ViLTE) , Voice over NR (VoNR) , and Video over NR (ViNR) , etc., while the data centric IMS services (also called IMS data services) may refer to IMS services that do not involve voice component, such as Short Message Service (SMS) over IMS, Mission Critical Push To Talk (MCPTT) , Mission Critical Video (MCVideo) , Mission Critical Data (MCData) , Rich Communication Services (RCS) , XML Configuration Access Protocol (XCAP) , and others.

In one embodiment, the UE 110 may support only the IMS data services of the IMS network 130, while the 3GPP network 120 may support one or both of the IMS voice services and the IMS data services of the IMS network 130, depending on the service deployment scenarios of the operator.

In accordance with one novel aspect, the 3GPP network 120 provides not only the indication of whether it supports IMS voice services, but also the indication of whether it supports IMS data services, to the UE 110. The network indication may be provided via a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message (e.g., an ATTACH ACCEPT message or a REGISTRATION ACCEPT message) , a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message (e.g., a TRACKING AREA UPDATE ACCEPT message) , or an Over-The-Air (OTA) message (e.g., a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) message, or a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message) . With this additional indication (i.e., the indication of whether the 3GPP network 120 supports IMS data services) , the UE 110 may be able to decide whether to trigger Packet Data Network (PDN) connection or Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session establishment for IMS registration on bootup or location update.

It should be understood that the wireless communication environment 100 depicted in Fig. 1 is for illustrative purposes only and it is not intended to limit the scope of the application. For example, the 3GPP network 120 may belong to the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) or Visited PLMN (VPLMN) of the requesting UE 110.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the UE 110 according to an embodiment of the application.

As shown in Fig. 2, the UE 110 may include a wireless transceiver 10, a controller 20, a storage device 30, a display device 40, and an Input/Output (I/O) device 50.

The wireless transceiver 10 is configured to perform wireless transmission and reception to and from the 3GPP network 120. Specifically, the wireless transceiver 10 may include a baseband processing device 11, a Radio Frequency (RF) device 12, and antenna 13, wherein the antenna 13 may include an antenna array for beamforming.

The baseband processing device 11 is configured to perform baseband signal processing and control the communications between subscriber identity card (s) (not shown) and the RF device 12. The baseband processing device 11 may contain multiple hardware components to perform the baseband signal processing, including Analog-to-Digital Conversion (ADC) /Digital-to-Analog Conversion (DAC) , gain adjusting, modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, and so on.

The RF device 12 may receive RF wireless signals via the antenna 13, convert the received RF wireless signals to baseband signals, which are processed by the baseband processing device 11, or receive baseband signals from the baseband processing device 11 and convert the received baseband signals to RF wireless signals, which are later transmitted via the antenna 13. The RF device 12 may also contain multiple hardware devices to perform radio frequency conversion. For example, the RF device 12 may include a mixer to multiply the baseband signals with a carrier oscillated in the radio frequency of the supported cellular technologies, wherein the radio frequency may be 900MHz, 2100MHz, or 2.6GHz utilized in 4G (e.g., LTE/LTE-A/TD-LTE) systems, or may be any radio frequency (e.g., 30GHz～300GHz for mmWave, or 3.3GHz～4.9GHz for sub-6) utilized in 5G (e.g., NR) systems, or another radio frequency, depending on the RAT in use.

The controller 20 may be a general-purpose processor, a Micro Control Unit (MCU) , an application processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) , a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) , a Holographic Processing Unit (HPU) , a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) , or the like, which includes various circuits for providing the functions of data processing and computing, controlling the wireless transceiver 10 for wireless transceiving with the 3GPP network 120, enabling the storage device 30 for storing and retrieving data, sending a series of frame data (e.g. representing text messages, graphics, images, etc. ) to the display device 40, and receiving/outputting signals from/to the I/O device 50.

In particular, the controller 20 coordinates the aforementioned operations of the wireless transceiver 10, the storage device 30, the display device 40, and the I/O device 50 for performing the method for providing network indication of IMS data service support.

In another embodiment, the controller 20 may be incorporated into the baseband processing device 11, to serve as a baseband processor.

As will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art, the circuits of the controller 20 will typically include transistors that are configured in such a way as to control the operation of the circuits in accordance with the functions and operations described herein. As will be further appreciated, the specific structure or interconnections of the transistors will typically be determined by a compiler, such as a Register Transfer Language (RTL) compiler. RTL compilers may be operated by a processor upon scripts that closely resemble assembly language code, to compile the script into a form that is used for the layout or fabrication of the ultimate circuitry. Indeed, RTL is well known for its role and use in the facilitation of the design process of electronic and digital systems.

The storage device 30 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, including a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) (e.g., a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) or Universal SIM (USIM) card) , a memory (e.g., a FLASH memory or a Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM) ) , a magnetic storage device (e.g., a hard disk or a magnetic tape) , or an optical disc, or any combination thereof for storing data, instructions, and/or program code of applications, communication protocols, and/or the method of the present application.

The display device 40 may be a Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD) , a Light-Emitting Diode (LED) display, or an Electronic Paper Display (EPD) , etc., for providing a display function. Alternatively, the display device 40 may further include one or more touch sensors disposed thereon or thereunder for sensing touches, contacts, or approximations of objects, such as fingers or styluses.

The I/O device 50 may include one or more buttons, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch pad, a video camera, a microphone, and/or a speaker, etc., to serve as the Man-Machine Interface (MMI) for interaction with users, such as receiving user inputs, and outputting prompts to users.

It should be understood that the components described in the embodiment of Fig. 2 are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the application. For example, the UE 110 may include more components, such as a power supply, or a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, wherein the power supply may be a mobile/replaceable battery providing power to all the other components of the UE 110, and the GPS device may provide the location information of the UE 110 for use of some location-based services or applications. Alternatively, the UE 110 may include fewer components. For example, the UE 110 may not include the display device 40 and/or the I/O device 50.

Fig. 3 is a message sequence chart illustrating the provision of network indication of IMS data service support to a UE according to an embodiment of the application.

In this embodiment, the 3GPP network 120 is a 4G network (e.g., an LTE/LTE-A/TD-LTE network) supporting IMS data services only.

In step S310, the UE 110 sends an ATTACH REQUEST message to register with the 3GPP network 120.

In step S320, the UE 110 receives an ATTACH ACCEPT message from the 3GPP network 120. Specifically, the ATTACH ACCEPT message includes an indication of IMS Voice-over-Packet-Switched (VoPS) service (e.g., VoLTE service) support and an indication of IMS data service support.

The indication of IMS VoPS service support may be the IMS VoPS bit in the EPS network feature support Information Element (IE) of the ATTACH ACCEPT message. In particular, the IMS VoPS bit is set to 0 to indicate that the 3GPP network 120 does not support IMS VoPS service (i.e., not support IMS voice service) .

The indication of IMS data service support may be at least one bit (e.g., an IMS Data over PS (DoPS) bit) in an existing IE or a newly defined IE of the ATTACH ACCEPT message. In particular, the IMS DoPS bit is set to 1 to indicate that the 3GPP network 120 supports IMS data services. It should be understood that “IMS DoPS” is only an exemplary naming and another name serving the same purpose may be used instead to describe this network indication.

In step S330, the UE 110 determines whether to establish a PDN connection to the 3GPP network 120 for IMS data services according to the indication of IMS data service support.

In step S340, the UE 110 sends a PDN CONNECTIVITY REQUEST message to the 3GPP network 120 to establish a PDN connection for IMS data services, in response to the indication of IMS data service support indicating that the 3GPP network 120 supports IMS data services. Specifically, the PDN CONNECTIVITY REQUEST message includes an Access Point Name (APN) which is specific for IMS.

In step S350, the UE 110 receives an ACTIVATE DEFAULT EPS BEARER CONTEXT REQUEST message including configurations of a default EPS bearer related to the requested PDN connection.

Although not shown, the UE 110 may proceed to establish the PDN connection according to the ACTIVATE DEFAULT EPS BEARER CONTEXT REQUEST message, and then perform IMS registration for IMS data services.

Fig. 4 is a message sequence chart illustrating the provision of network indication of IMS data service support to a UE according to another embodiment of the application.

In this embodiment, the 3GPP network 120 is a 5G network (e.g., an NR network) supporting IMS data services only.

In step S410, the UE 110 sends a REGISTRATION REQUEST message to register with the 3GPP network 120.

In step S420, the UE 110 receives a REGISTRATION ACCEPT message from the 3GPP network 120. Specifically, the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message includes indications of IMS VoPS service (e.g., VoNR service) support and indications of IMS data service support.

The indications of IMS VoPS service support may include an indication of IMS VoPS service support over 3GPP access and an indication of IMS VoPS service support over non-3GPP access. The indication of IMS VoPS service support over 3GPP access may be the IMS-VoPS-3GPP bit and the indication of IMS VoPS service support over non-3GPP access may be the IMS-VoPS-N3GPP bit in the 5GS network feature support IE of the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message. In particular, both the IMS-VoPS-3GPP bit and the IMS-VoPS-N3GPP bit are set to 0 to indicate that the 3GPP network 120 does not support IMS VoPS service over any access type.

The indications of IMS data service support may include an indication of IMS data service support over 3GPP access and an indication of IMS data service support over non-3GPP access. For example, the indications of IMS data service support may include two bits (e.g., an IMS-DoPS-3GPP bit and an IMS-DoPS-N3GPP bit) in an existing IE or a newly defined IE of the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message. In particular, one or both the IMS-DoPS-3GPP bit and the IMS-DoPS-N3GPP bit is/are set to 1 to indicate that the 3GPP network 120 supports IMS data services over either or both access types. It should be understood that “IMS-DoPS-3GPP/IMS-DoPS-N3GPP” is only an exemplary naming and another name serving the same purpose may be used instead to describe this network indication.

In step S430, the UE 110 determines whether to establish a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session with the 3GPP network 120 for IMS data services according to the indication of IMS data service support.

In step S440, the UE 110 sends a PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT REQUEST message to the 3GPP network 120 to establish a PDU session for IMS data services, in response to the indication of IMS data service support indicating that the 3GPP network 120 supports IMS data services. Specifically, the PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT REQUEST message includes a Data Network Name (DNN) which is specific for IMS.

In step S450, the UE 110 receives a PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT ACCEPT message including configurations of a PDU session for IMS.

Although not shown, the UE 110 may proceed to establish the PDU session according to the PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT ACCEPT message, and then perform IMS registration for IMS data services.

Fig. 5 is a message sequence chart illustrating the provision of network indication of IMS data service support to a UE according to another embodiment of the application.

In this embodiment, the 3GPP network 120 may be a 4G network (e.g., an LTE/LTE-A/TD-LTE network) or a 5G network (e.g., an NR network) , which supports IMS data services only.

In step S510, the UE 110 sends a TRACKING AREA UPDATE REQUEST message to the 3GPP network 120. The TRACKING AREA UPDATE REQUEST message may be sent in response to that the tracking area where the UE 110 is in has changed, or may be sent in response to a periodic TAU update behavior of the UE 110 even if the tracking area where the UE 110 is in has not changed.

In step S520, the UE 110 receives a TRACKING AREA UPDATE ACCEPT message from the 3GPP network 120. Specifically, the TRACKING AREA UPDATE ACCEPT message may include an indication of IMS VoPS service (e.g., VoLTE or VoNR service) support and an indication of IMS data service support.

The indication of IMS VoPS service support may include one bit (e.g., an IMS VoPS bit) or two bits (e.g., an IMS-VoPS-3GPP bit and an IMS-VoPS-N3GPP bit) to indicate whether the 3GPP network 120 support IMS voice services. In this embodiment, the IMS VoPS bit is set to 0 (or both the IMS-VoPS-3GPP bit and the IMS-VoPS-N3GPP bit are set to 0) to indicate that the 3GPP network 120 does not support IMS VoPS service.

The indication of IMS data service support may include one bit (e.g., an IMS DoPS bit) or two bits (e.g., an IMS-DoPS-3GPP bit and an IMS-DoPS-N3GPP bit) in an existing IE or a newly defined IE of the TRACKING AREA UPDATE ACCEPT message. In particular, the IMS DoPS bit is set to 1 (or both the IMS-DoPS-3GPP bit and the IMS-DoPS-N3GPP bit are set to 0) to indicate that the 3GPP network 120 supports IMS data services.

In step S530, the UE 110 determines whether to establish a PDN connection or PDU session with the 3GPP network 120 for IMS data services according to the indication of IMS data service support.

In step S540, the UE 110 sends a PDN CONNECTIVITY REQUEST message or a PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT REQUEST message to the 3GPP network 120 to establish a PDN connection or PDU session for IMS data services, in response to the indication of IMS data service support indicating that the 3GPP network 120 supports IMS data services. Specifically, the PDN CONNECTIVITY REQUEST message includes an APN which is specific for IMS, or the PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT REQUEST message includes a DNN which is specific for IMS.

In step S550, the UE 110 receives an ACTIVATE DEFAULT EPS BEARER CONTEXT REQUEST message including configurations of a default EPS bearer related to the requested PDN connection, or a PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT ACCEPT message including configurations of a PDU session for IMS.

Although not shown, the UE 110 may proceed to establish the PDN connection according to the ACTIVATE DEFAULT EPS BEARER CONTEXT REQUEST message, or establish the PDU session according to the PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT ACCEPT message, and then perform IMS registration for IMS data services.

In view of the forgoing embodiments of Figs. 3～5, it will be appreciated that the present application proposes to provide network indication of IMS data service support to the UE at the time of the initial attach/registration procedure or at the time of each TAU procedure. Advantageously, the UE will know whether it should trigger PDN connection/PDU session establishment for IMS or not beforehand (this is especially helpful for the case where the UE is a data centric UE and the current 3GPP network supports IMS data services only) , and the 3GPP network is not required to initiate the provision of this network indication separately for each UE.

Fig. 6 is a message sequence chart illustrating the provision of network indication of IMS data service support to a UE according to another embodiment of the application.

In this embodiment, the 3GPP network 120 may be a 4G network (e.g., an LTE/LTE-A/TD-LTE network) or a 5G network (e.g., an NR network) , which supports only IMS data services.

In step S610, the UE 110 sends a PDN CONNECTIVITY REQUEST message or a PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT REQUEST message to the 3GPP network 120 to establish a PDN connection or PDU session with the 3GPP network 120. Specifically, the PDN CONNECTIVITY REQUEST message includes an APN which is specific for IMS or internet services, or the PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT REQUEST message includes a DNN which is specific for IMS or internet services.

In step S620, the UE 110 receives an ACTIVATE DEFAULT EPS BEARER CONTEXT REQUEST message including configurations of a default EPS bearer related to the requested PDN connection, or a PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT ACCEPT message including configurations of a PDU session.

In step S630, the UE 110 establishes a PDN connection or a PDU session with the 3GPP network 120.

In step S640, the UE 110 receives an OTA message including an indication of IMS data service support over the PDN connection or the PDU session from the 3GPP network 120.

For example, the OTA message may be an SMS, a WAP message, or an MMS message sent over a PDN connection or a PDU session for IMS or internet services. The indication of IMS data service support may include one bit (e.g., an IMS DoPS bit) or two bits (e.g., an IMS-DoPS-3GPP bit and an IMS-DoPS-N3GPP bit) in an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) configuration, a UE setting parameter, or a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) parameter of the OTA message.

In particular, the IMS DoPS bit or the IMS-DoPS-3GPP/IMS-DoPS-N3GPP bit is set to 1 to indicate that the 3GPP network 120 supports IMS data services.

In step S650, the UE 110 determines whether to establish a PDN connection or PDU session with the 3GPP network 120 for IMS data services according to the indication of IMS data service support.

For example, if there is no existing PDN connection or PDU session for IMS services, the UE 110 may initiate a PDN connection or PDU session establishment procedure to establish a PDN connection or PDU session with the 3GPP network 120 for IMS data services.

In view of the forgoing embodiment of Figs. 6, it will be appreciated that the present application proposes to provide network indication of IMS data service support to the UE via an OTA message. Note that the OTA message is delivered to the UE using the SMS or HTTP interface which would require the UE to establish a PDN connection or a PDU session first, but delivering this network indication via an OTA message will not result in major changes on either the UE side or the 3GPP network side.

Fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the method for providing network indication of IMS data service support to a UE according to an embodiment of the application.

In this embodiment, the method for providing network indication of IMS data service support to a UE may be applied to and executed by a UE (e.g., the UE 110) communicatively connected to a 3GPP network (e.g., the 3GPP network 120) .

To begin with, the UE receives information concerning whether the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services from the 3GPP network (step S710) .

Specifically, the information may refer to the network indication of IMS data service support.

In one embodiment, the information may be received via a NAS message, such as an ATTACH ACCEPT message or a REGISTRATION ACCEPT message during an initial attach/registration procedure.

In another embodiment, the information may be received via an RRC message, such as a TRACKING AREA UPDATE ACCEPT message, during a tracking area update procedure.

In another embodiment, the information may be received via an OTA message, such as an SMS message, a WAP message, or a MMS message.

Next, the UE determines whether to establish a PDN connection or a PDU session with the 3GPP network for the IMS data services according to the information concerning whether the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services (step S720) .

In this embodiment, the method for providing network indication of IMS data service support to a UE may be applied to and executed by a 3GPP network (e.g., the 3GPP network 120) .

To begin with, the 3GPP network communicatively connects with a UE (e.g., the UE 110) (step S810) .

Next, the 3GPP network sends information concerning whether the 3GPP network supports IMS data services to the UE (step S820) .

In one embodiment, the information may be sent via a NAS message, such as an ATTACH ACCEPT message or a REGISTRATION ACCEPT message during an initial attach/registration procedure.

In another embodiment, the information may be sent via an RRC message, such as a TRACKING AREA UPDATE ACCEPT message, during a tracking area update procedure.

In another embodiment, the information may be sent via an OTA message, such as an SMS message, a WAP message, or a MMS message. For example, the information may be included in an OMA DM configuration, a UE setting parameter, or a UICC parameter of the OTA message.

While the application has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiment, it should be understood that the application is not limited thereto. Those who are skilled in this technology can still make various alterations and modifications without departing from the scope and spirit of this application. Therefore, the scope of the present application shall be defined and protected by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

A method, executed by a User Equipment (UE) communicatively connected to a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network, wherein the UE supports IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) data services, the method comprising:

receiving, by the UE, information concerning whether the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services from the 3GPP network; and

determining, by the UE, whether to establish a Packet Data Network (PDN) connection or a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session with the 3GPP network for the IMS data services according to the information concerning whether the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing, by the UE, the PDN connection or the PDU session with the 3GPP network for the IMS data services in response to the information indicating that the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services.
The method of claim 1, wherein the IMS data services do not involve a voice component.
The method of claim 1, wherein the UE is configured as a data-centric device or a voice-centric device.
The method of claim 1, wherein the information is received via a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or an Over-The-Air (OTA) message comprising a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) message, or a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message.
The method of claim 5, wherein the NAS message is a Registration Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being a 5G System (5GS) , or an Attach Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being an Evolved Packet System (EPS) , and the RRC message is a Tracking Area Update (TAU) Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being an EPS or a 5GS.
The method of claim 6, wherein the information is comprised in a data field in the 5GS network feature support Information Element (IE) of the Registration Accept message, or is comprised in an IE of the Attach Accept message or the TAU Accept message.
The method of claim 5, wherein the information is comprised in an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) configuration, a UE setting parameter, or a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) parameter of the OTA message.
A User Equipment (UE) , supporting IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) data services, comprising:

a wireless transceiver, configured to perform wireless transmission and reception to and from a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network; and

a controller, coupled to the wireless transceiver, and configured to receive information concerning whether the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services from the 3GPP network via the wireless transceiver, and determine whether to establish a Packet Data Network (PDN) connection or a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session with the 3GPP network for the IMS data services according to the information concerning whether the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services.
The UE of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to establish the PDN connection or the PDU session with the 3GPP network for the IMS data services in response to the information indicating that the 3GPP network supports the IMS data services.
The UE of claim 9, wherein the IMS data services do not involve a voice component.
The UE of claim 9, wherein the UE is configured as a data-centric device or a voice-centric device.
The UE of claim 9, wherein the information is received via a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or an Over-The-Air (OTA) message comprising a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) message, or a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message.
The UE of claim 13, wherein the NAS message is a Registration Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being a 5G System (5GS) , or an Attach Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being an Evolved Packet System (EPS) , and the RRC message is a Tracking Area Update (TAU) Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being an EPS or a 5GS.
The UE of claim 14, wherein the information is comprised in a data field in the 5GS network feature support Information Element (IE) of the Registration Accept message, or is comprised in an IE of the Attach Accept message or the TAU Accept message.
The UE of claim 13, wherein the information is comprised in an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) configuration, a UE setting parameter, or a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) parameter of the OTA message.
A method, comprising:

communicatively connecting with a User Equipment (UE) by a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network; and

sending, by the 3GPP network, information concerning whether the 3GPP network supports IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) data services to the UE.
The method of claim 17, wherein the information is sent via a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or an Over-The-Air (OTA) message comprising a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) message, or a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message.
The method of claim 18, wherein the NAS message is a Registration Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being a 5G System (5GS) , or an Attach Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being an Evolved Packet System (EPS) , and the RRC message is a Tracking Area Update (TAU) Accept message in response to the 3GPP network being an EPS or a 5GS; wherein the information is comprised in a data field in the 5GS network feature support Information Element (IE) of the Registration Accept message, or is comprised in an IE of the Attach Accept message or the TAU Accept message.
The method of claim 18, wherein the information is comprised in an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) configuration, a UE setting parameter, or a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) parameter of the OTA message.