Home network name displaying methods and apparatus for multiple home networks

A mobile wireless terminal, comprising:

• a wireless transceiver;
• one or more processors coupled to the wireless transceiver;
• a visual display coupled to the one or more processors;
• a subscriber identity module interface adapted to receive a subscriber identity module;
• the one or more processors being adapted to:
• cause a scanning operation to be performed with use of the wireless transceiver to receive a plurality of Mobile Country Code (MCC) and Mobile Network Code (MNC) pairs corresponding to a plurality of wireless communication networks available within a coverage area of the mobile wireless terminal;
• select and register with one of the available wireless communication networks associated with one of the received MCC and MNC pairs based on a Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) list and a Preferred PLMN (PPLMN) list read via the subscriber identity module interface, giving a preference to a plurality of home networks identified in the HPLMN list over a plurality of non-home roaming networks identified in the PPLMN list;
• compare the MCC and MNC pair of the selected available wireless communication network with a plurality of home network MCC and MNC pairs corresponding to the plurality of home networks of the HPLMN list as necessary until a match is found, if at all;
• cause a home network display name which is the same or substantially similar for all of the home network MCC and MNC pairs in the HPLMN list to be visually displayed in the visual display based on identifying a match between the MCC and MNC pair of the selected available wireless communication network and one of the home network MCC and MNC pairs;
• and
• otherwise cause an alternate display name corresponding to the non-home roaming network to be visually displayed in the visual display based on identifying no match between the MCC and MNC pair of the selected available wireless communication network and the home network MCC and MNC pairs.

A communication system, comprising:

• a plurality of wireless communication networks;
• one or more mobile wireless terminals which are operative for communications with the plurality of wireless communication networks;
• each mobile wireless terminal including:
• a wireless transceiver;
• one or more processors coupled to the wireless transceiver;
• a visual display coupled to the one or more processors;
• a subscriber identity module interface adapted to receive a subscriber identity module;
• the one or more processors being adapted to:
• cause a scanning operation to be performed with use of the wireless transceiver to receive a plurality of Mobile Country Code (MCC) and Mobile Network Code (MNC) pairs corresponding to a plurality of wireless communication networks available within a coverage area of the mobile wireless terminal;
• select and register with one of the available wireless communication networks associated with one of the received MCC and MNC pairs based on a Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) list and a Preferred PLMN (PPLMN) list read via the subscriber identity module interface, giving a preference to a plurality of home networks identified in the HPLMN list over a plurality of non-home roaming networks identified in the PPLMN list;
• compare the MCC and MNC pair of the selected available wireless communication network with a plurality of home network MCC and MNC pairs corresponding to the plurality of home networks of the HPLMN list as necessary until a match is found, if at all;
• cause a home network display name which is the same or substantially similar for all of the home network MCC and MNC pairs in the HPLMN list to be visually displayed in the visual display based on identifying a match between the MCC and MNC pair of the selected available wireless communication network and one of the home network MCC and MNC pairs;
• and
• otherwise cause an alternate display name corresponding to the non-home roaming network to be visually displayed in the visual display based on identifying no match between the MCC and MNC pair of the selected available wireless communication network and the home network MCC and MNC pairs.