Using positioning techniques to detect false base stations

An apparatus for detecting outlier cells based on positioning of a user equipment (UE), comprising:

• a memory;
• a communication unit;
• and
• at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the communication unit, the at least one processor configured to:
• determine a set of a plurality of cells detectable by the UE;
• calculate a plurality of location estimates for the UE based on positioning measurements of a corresponding plurality of subsets of the plurality of cells;
• identify a subset of cells of the plurality of subsets that provides a best location estimate for the UE of the plurality of location estimates, wherein the best location estimate maximizes a set of inlier cells of the plurality of cells, and wherein the set of inlier cells comprises one or more cells of the plurality of cells, other than the subset of cells, for which actual positioning measurements of the one or more cells are within a threshold of expected positioning measurements of the one or more cells;
• calculate a final location estimate for the UE based on positioning measurements of the subset of cells and the set of inlier cells;
• identify any remaining cells of the plurality of cells other than the subset of cells and the set of inlier cells as at least one outlier cell;
• and
• perform a mitigation operation based on identifying the at least one outlier cell.

An apparatus for detecting outlier cells based on positioning of a user equipment (UE), comprising:

• means for determining a set of a plurality of cells detectable by the UE;
• means for calculating a plurality of location estimates for the UE based on positioning measurements of a corresponding plurality of subsets of the plurality of cells;
• means for identifying a subset of cells of the plurality of subsets that provides a best location estimate for the UE of the plurality of location estimates, wherein the best location estimate maximizes a set of inlier cells of the plurality of cells, and wherein the set of inlier cells comprises one or more cells of the plurality of cells, other than the subset of cells, for which actual positioning measurements of the one or more cells are within a threshold of expected positioning measurements of the one or more cells;
• means for calculating a final location estimate for the UE based on positioning measurements of the subset of cells and the set of inlier cells;
• means for identifying any remaining cells of the plurality of cells other than the subset of cells and the set of inlier cells as at least one outlier cell;
• and
• means for performing a mitigation operation based on identifying the at least one outlier cell.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for positioning a user equipment (UE), the computer-executable instructions comprising:

• at least one instruction for determining a set of a plurality of cells detectable by the UE;
• at least one instruction for calculating a plurality of location estimates for the UE based on positioning measurements of a corresponding plurality of subsets of the plurality of cells;
• at least one instruction for identifying a subset of cells of the plurality of subsets that provides a best location estimate for the UE of the plurality of location estimates, wherein the best location estimate maximizes a set of inlier cells of the plurality of cells, and wherein the set of inlier cells comprises one or more cells of the plurality of cells, other than the subset of cells, for which actual positioning measurements of the one or more cells are within a threshold of expected positioning measurements of the one or more cells;
• at least one instruction for calculating a final location estimate for the UE based on positioning measurements of the subset of cells and the set of inlier cells;
• at least one instruction for identifying any remaining cells of the plurality of cells other than the subset of cells and the set of inlier cells as at least one outlier cell;
• and
• at least one instruction for performing a mitigation operation based on identifying the at least one outlier cell.