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EP-4648501-B1 - METHOD FOR USING A USER EQUIPMENT WITH A MOBILE COMMUNICATION NETWORK, USER EQUIPMENT, SYSTEM OR MOBILE COMMUNICATION NETWORK, PROGRAM AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM

EP4648501B1EP 4648501 B1EP4648501 B1EP 4648501B1EP-4648501-B1

Inventors

  • LAUSTER, Reinhard

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240507

Claims (10)

  1. Method for using a user equipment (20) with a mobile communication network (100) in view of an increased validity and/or verifiability of positional information related to the user equipment (20), the mobile communication network (100) comprising a core network (120) and a radio access network (110), wherein the radio access network (110) is or at least comprises a part corresponding to a non-terrestrial network, wherein the user equipment (20) is served by a base station entity being part of that non-terrestrial network or that non-terrestrial network part, wherein the base station entity has or is provided with - in view of serving or providing radio coverage to the user equipment (20) - at least an antenna entity or functionality (111) being either a satellite-based antenna entity or functionality, or an antenna entity or functionality based on a high-altitude platform, the antenna entity or functionality (111) providing radio coverage to a radio cell (11), wherein the positional information related to the user equipment (20) is generated using a global navigation satellite system, wherein the user equipment (20) comprises a global navigation satellite system receiver entity or functionality in order to be able to generate positional information related to the user equipment (20), wherein, in order to increase the validity and/or verifiability of the positional information related to the user equipment (20), the method comprises the following steps: -- in a first step, the user equipment (20) receives, from the base station entity (111) or from the core network (120), a specific position request information, triggering the user equipment (20) to provide an enhanced set of positional information, -- in a second step, the user equipment (20) transmits - to the base station entity (111) or to the core network (120) and in response to the specific position request information - an enhanced set of positional information comprising its calculated positional information and comprising raw data received from a plurality of satellites of the global navigation satellite system, -- in a third step, a network-based validation of positional information related to the user equipment (20) is performed, wherein a satellite position location verification system applies a stepwise approach comprising a basic check whether the calculation is correct, a check whether satellite data of 3GPP access system is correlated to the global navigation satellite system used, a check whether available terrestrial network-based information should be correlated to validate the positional information obtained from using the global navigation satellite system, a check using global navigation satellite system simulation whether the enhanced set of positional information is plausible, and a check based on artificial intelligence or statistics verification
  2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the specific position request information indicates the enhanced set of positional information, wherein especially the specific position request information indicates different kinds of the enhanced set of positional information, wherein different kinds of the enhanced set of positional information especially relate or refer to: -- different types or systems of global navigation satellite systems, -- different content sizes.
  3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the enhanced set of positional information comprises at least one of the following items: -- the calculated positional information, calculated by the user equipment (20), -- the related satellite data, especially depending on the used type or system of global navigation satellite system, -- information related to the number and/or the identifiers of satellites used, especially satellite parameters, orbital parameters, time measurements and/or time stamps, -- data and measurements for specific satellites of a global navigation satellite systems, especially satellite identifiers and especially based on preceding positional information stored for the user equipment (20).
  4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the core network (120) comprises a satellite position location verification system, wherein the enhanced set of positional information is transmitted to the satellite position location verification system, wherein especially the satellite position location verification system retrieves the enhanced set of positional information delivered by the user equipment (20), wherein especially the satellite position location verification system stores the enhanced set of positional information, received from the user equipment (20) in a satellite position location verification system-specific data base.
  5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein, in a third step, a network-based validation of positional information related to the user equipment (20) is performed, especially by the satellite position location verification system of the core network (120).
  6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the specific position request information is received, by the user equipment (20), via, or using, 3GPP signaling, especially non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, and/or using a user plane protocol, wherein especially the enhanced set of positional information is transmitted, by the user equipment (20), via or using, 3GPP signaling, especially non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, and/or using a user plane protocol.
  7. User equipment (20) for being used with a mobile communication network (100) in view of an increased validity and/or verifiability of positional information related to the user equipment (20), wherein the user equipment (20) is served via an antenna entity or functionality (111) providing radio coverage to the user equipment (20) and comprising or being related to a base station entity being part of a non-terrestrial network or a non-terrestrial network part of the mobile communication network (100), wherein the positional information related to the user equipment (20) is generated using a global navigation satellite system, wherein the user equipment (20) comprises a global navigation satellite system receiver entity or functionality in order to be able to generate positional information related to the user equipment (20), wherein, in order to increase the validity and/or verifiability of the positional information related to the user equipment (20), the user equipment (20) is configured such that: -- the user equipment (20) receives, from the base station entity (111) or from the core network (120), a specific position request information, triggering the user equipment (20) to provide an enhanced set of positional information, -- the user equipment (20) transmits - to the base station entity (111) or to the core network (120) and in response to the specific position request information - an enhanced set of positional information comprising its calculated positional information and comprising raw data received from a plurality of satellites of the global navigation satellite system, -- a network-based validation of positional information related to the user equipment (20) is performed, wherein a satellite position location verification system is configured to apply a stepwise approach comprising a basic check whether the calculation is correct, a check whether satellite data of 3GPP access system is correlated to the global navigation satellite system used, a check whether available terrestrial network-based information should be correlated to validate the positional information obtained from using the global navigation satellite system, a check using global navigation satellite system simulation whether the enhanced set of positional information is plausible, and a check based on artificial intelligence or statistics verification
  8. Mobile communication network (100) comprising a user equipment (20) with the mobile communication network (100) in view of an increased validity and/or verifiability of positional information related to the user equipment (20), the mobile communication network (100) comprising a core network (120) and a radio access network (110), wherein the radio access network (110) is or at least comprises a part corresponding to a non-terrestrial network, wherein the user equipment (20) is served by a base station entity being part of that non-terrestrial network or that non-terrestrial network part, wherein the base station entity has or is provided with - in view of serving or providing radio coverage to the user equipment (20) - at least an antenna entity or functionality (111) being either a satellite-based antenna entity or functionality, or an antenna entity or functionality based on a high-altitude platform, the antenna entity or functionality (111) providing radio coverage to a radio cell (11), wherein the user equipment (20) is configured to generate the positional information using a global navigation satellite system, wherein the user equipment (20) is configured to comprise a global navigation satellite system receiver entity or functionality in order to be able to generate positional information related to the user equipment (20), wherein, in order to increase the validity and/or verifiability of the positional information related to the user equipment (20), the system or mobile communication network (100) is configured such that: -- the user equipment (20) is configured to receive, from the base station entity (111) or from the core network (120), a specific position request information, triggering the user equipment (20) to provide an enhanced set of positional information, -- the user equipment (20) is configured to transmit - to the base station entity (111) or to the core network (120) and in response to the specific position request information - an enhanced set of positional information comprising its calculated positional information and comprising raw data received from a plurality of satellites of the global navigation satellite system -- a network-based validation of positional information related to the user equipment (20) is performed, wherein a satellite position location verification system applies a stepwise approach comprising a basic check whether the calculation is correct, a check whether satellite data of 3GPP access system is correlated to the global navigation satellite system used, a check whether available terrestrial network-based information should be correlated to validate the positional information obtained from using the global navigation satellite system, a check using global navigation satellite system simulation whether the enhanced set of positional information is plausible, and a check based on artificial intelligence or statistics verification
  9. Program comprising a computer readable program code, which, when executed in part on a user equipment (20) and in part on network node of a mobile communication network (100), causes the user equipment (20) and the network node of the mobile communication network (100) to perform a method according one of claims 1 to 6.
  10. Computer-readable medium comprising instructions which when executed in part on a user equipment (20) and in part on network node of a mobile communication network (100), causes the user equipment (20)and the network node of the mobile communication network (100) to perform a method according one of claims 1 to 6

Description

BACKGROUND The present invention relates a method for using a user equipment with a mobile communication network in view of an increased validity and/or verifiability of positional information related to the user equipment, the mobile communication network comprising a core network and a radio access network, wherein the radio access network is or at least comprises a part corresponding to a non-terrestrial network, wherein the user equipment is served by a base station entity being part of that non-terrestrial network or that non-terrestrial network part, wherein the base station entity has or is provided with - in view of serving or providing radio coverage to the user equipment - at least an antenna entity or functionality being either a satellite-based antenna entity or functionality, or an antenna entity or functionality based on a high-altitude platform, the antenna entity or functionality providing radio coverage to a radio cell. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a user equipment for being used with a mobile communication network in view of an increased validity and/or verifiability of positional information related to the user equipment, wherein the user equipment is served via an antenna entity or functionality providing radio coverage to the user equipment and comprising or being related to a base station entity being part of a non-terrestrial network or a non-terrestrial network part of the mobile communication network. Additionally, the present invention relates to a system or to a mobile communication network for using a user equipment with the mobile communication network in view of an increased validity and/or verifiability of positional information related to the user equipment, the mobile communication network comprising a core network and a radio access network, wherein the radio access network is or at least comprises a part corresponding to a non-terrestrial network, wherein the user equipment is served by a base station entity being part of that non-terrestrial network or that non-terrestrial network part, wherein the base station entity has or is provided with - in view of serving or providing radio coverage to the user equipment - at least an antenna entity or functionality being either a satellite-based antenna entity or functionality, or an antenna entity or functionality based on a high-altitude platform, the antenna entity or functionality providing radio coverage to a radio cell. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a program and to a computer-readable medium for using a user equipment with a mobile communication network, according to the inventive method, in view of an increased validity and/or verifiability of positional information related to the user equipment, the mobile communication network comprising a core network and a radio access network, wherein the radio access network is or at least comprises a part corresponding to or being a non-terrestrial network. Mobile communication networks such as public land mobile networks are typically realized as cellular mobile communication networks, i.e. comprising (or using or being associated or assigned to a radio access network comprising) radio cells. Such cellular systems are known conforming to different mobile communication standards or radio access technologies, like 2G/3G/4G/5G radio access technologies (referring to the different generations of radio access technologies). Such mobile communication networks might be purely or predominantly based on terrestrial infrastructure of the radio access network. Modern mobile communication networks, such as 5G systems - especially using 5G NR (new radio) radio (access) technology - are evolving using air-based and/or space-based infrastructure, hence relying, at least partly, on non-terrestrial infrastructure, especially in the form of satellites and/or high altitude platform stations, HAPS, thereby realizing non-terrestrial networks, NTN (or satellite communication networks). Examples of such air-based and/or space-based network infrastructure include, e.g., mobile satellite connectivity with low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites and/or geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites and also so-called high-altitude platforms or high-altitude platform stations (HAPS). Such non-terrestrial networks are able to provide global cellular connectivity to handheld devices or user equipments, typically using satellite or HAPS coverage. Satellite communication and non-terrestrial networks is/are known to provide, e.g., direct-communication between satellites and smartphones, as well as internet-of-things (IoT) type communications including NB-loT. This will address the challenges of reachability and service continuity in unserved/underserved areas, enhance reliability through connectivity between various access technologies, and improve network resilience. However, satellites (or high-altitude platforms) typically have comparatively large cove