# US 10,873,901 B2 · Device of handling selection of public land mobile network for device-to-device communication

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- Number: US 10,873,901 B2
- Document ID: US10873901B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/841,728
- Filed: 2015-09-01
- Published: 2016-03-10
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2014-09-04
- Assignees: HTC Corporation
- Applicants: HTC Corporation
- Inventors: Ching-Yu Liao; Chih-Hsiang Wu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10873901B2

## CPC

- H04W 48/18: Selecting a network or a communication service
- H04W 72/56: based on priority criteria
- H04W 76/14: Direct-mode setup
- H04W 84/042: {Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems}
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

A communication device for handling a selection of a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) for a device-to-device (D2D) communication comprises a storage unit for storing instructions and a processing means coupled to the storage unit. The processing means is configured to execute the instructions stored in the storage unit. The instructions comprise detecting a first PLMN and a second PLMN when performing at least one PLMN search, wherein the first PLMN does not provide a proximity service (ProSe) and the second PLMN provides the ProSe; and selecting the second PLMN to camp on the second PLMN.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A proximity service (ProSe)-enabled communication device for handling a selection of a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) for a device-to-device (D2D) communication during at least one PLMN search procedure, comprising:
a storage unit for storing instructions of:
receiving an Equivalent PLMN (EPLMN) list with priority information for PLMN selection by the Prose-enabled communication device, via an Attach or a Tracking Area Update (TAU) procedure, wherein an identity of a second PLMN and an identity of a first PLMN are in the EPLMN list with the first PLMN having higher priority than the second PLMN according to the priority information;
receiving a ProSe-Allowed PLMN list via a service authorization procedure with an home PLMN (HPLMN), after receiving the EPLMN list via the Attach or the TAU procedure, wherein the identity of the second PLMN is in the ProSe-Allowed PLMN list and the identity of the first PLMN is not in the ProSe-Allowed PLMN list, and all PLMNs of the ProSe-Allowed PLMN list support ProSe services;
detecting the first PLMN and the second PLMN when performing the at least one PLMN search based on the EPLMN list;
selecting the second PLMN to camp on the second PLMN based on the ProSe-Mowed PLMN list, wherein the first PLMN does not provide the ProSe and the second PLMN provides the ProSe; and
performing the at least one PLMN search, when the communication device camps on a third PLMN and receives a rejection of a service authorization request from the HPLMN of the communication device;
wherein the rejection comprises a cause value indicating that the third PLMN is not allowed; and
a processing means, coupled to the storage unit, configured to execute the instructions stored in the storage unit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The communication device of claim 1, wherein the storage unit further stores the instruction of: transmitting at least one of a registration message and a discovery request to the second PLMN, after selecting the second PLMN.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one PLMN search is triggered by a mobility of the communication device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The communication device of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to select the PLMN which provides the ProSe with higher priority and to select the PLMN which does not provide the ProSe with lower priority according to a configuration received from a HPLMN.

### Claim 5

A method of handling a selection of a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) for a device-to-device (D2D) communication during at least one PLMN search procedure, the method being utilized in a proximity service (ProSe)-enabled communication device and comprising:
receiving an Equivalent PLMN (EPLMN) list with priority information for PLMN selection by the ProSe-enabled communication device, via an Attach or a Tracking Area Update (TAU) procedure, wherein an identity of a second PLMN and an identity of a first PLMN are in the EPLMN list with the first PLMN having higher priority than the second
receiving a ProSe-Allowed PLMN list via a service authorization procedure with an home PLMN (HPLMN), after receiving the EPLMN list via the Attach or the TAU procedure, wherein the identity of the second PLMN is in the ProSe-Allowed PLMN list and the identity of the first PLMN is not in the ProSe-Allowed PLMN list, and all PLMNs of the ProSe-Allowed PLMN list support ProSe services;
detecting the first PLMN and the second PLMN when performing the at least one PLMN search based on the EPLMN list;
selecting the second PLMN to camp on the second PLMN based on the ProSe-Allowed PLMN list, wherein the first PLMN does not provide the ProSe and the second PLMN provides the ProSe; and
performing the at least one PLMN search, when the communication device camps on a third PLMN and receives a rejection of a service authorization request from the HPLMN of the communication device;
wherein the rejection comprises a cause value indicating that the third PLMN is not allowed.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, further comprising: transmitting at least one of a registration message and a discovery request to the second PLMN, after selecting the second PLMN.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one PLMN search is triggered by a mobility of the communication device.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the communication device is configured to select the PLMN which provides the ProSe with higher priority and to select the PLMN which does not provide the ProSe with lower priority according to a configuration received from a HPLMN.