Back to results
US 8,797,940 B2Granted
Setup and configuration of relay nodes
AssigneeTelefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (publ)
InventorsAndrás Rácz, Göran Selander, Mats Näslund, Luis Barriga, Magnus Lindström, Gunnar Mildh, Niklas Johansson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods for the configuration of network nodes without a secured connection in a telecommunications system are described herein. These network nodes can be wireless network nodes which are part of the network infrastructure, such as, wireless relays, wireless repeaters and self-back-hauled eNodeBs.
Claims21
A method in a wireless relay node for connecting said wireless relay node to a telecommunications network, the method comprising:
- obtaining first configuration data by inserting into said wireless relay node a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) including said first configuration data, or by activating an embedded Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) located within said wireless relay node, said activation including provisioning USIM credentials with said first configuration data;
- connecting with said telecommunications network via a wireless interface based on first configuration data, wherein said wireless interface is also used by user equipment to transmit and receive data;
- authenticating, by said wireless relay node, with said telecommunications network based on said first configuration data;
- receiving, at said wireless relay node, second configuration data from said telecommunications network;
- entering, by said wireless relay node, an operational mode using said second configuration data;
- and
- relaying, by said wireless relay node, data received from said user equipment via said wireless interface toward said telecommunications network over said wireless interface,
- wherein said steps of connecting and authenticating use a connection mechanism and an authentication mechanism, respectively, which are present in said telecommunications network and which mechanisms are also used for connecting and authenticating said user equipment;
- and
- wherein said connection mechanism is a UE Attach procedure and said authentication mechanism is a Universal Service Identity Module (USIM) procedure.
7 more elements
A wireless relay node comprising:
- an embedded Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) located within said wireless relay node for obtaining first configuration data by activating said USIM, and wherein said activation includes provisioning USIM credentials with said first configuration data;
- a processor configured to use first configuration data to allow said wireless relay node to use a UE Attach procedure to connect wirelessly to a telecommunications network via a wireless interface which is also used by user equipment to transmit and receive data, wherein said wireless relay node uses a USIM procedure to authenticate with said telecommunications network using said first configuration data;
- and
- a communications interface which is configured to receive second configuration data from said telecommunications network,
- wherein said processor uses said second configuration data to configure said wireless relay node for normal operations, further wherein said wireless relay node then enters an operational mode where said wireless relay node relays data received from a user equipment over said wireless interface toward said telecommunications network via said same wireless interface.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.