Mobile device which deletes duplicate preferred roaming list system records for improved performance

A user equipment (UE) device, the UE device comprising:

• an antenna for performing wireless communications with a base station;
• a memory configured to store a preferred roaming list, wherein the preferred roaming list comprises information regarding an ordering of radio access technologies to be examined for roaming in one or more geographic locations;
• a processor configured to examine the preferred roaming list to determine if any duplicate information exists in the preferred roaming list, and delete at least one duplicate piece of information from the preferred roaming list;
• wherein a less preferred duplicate piece of information is deleted from the preferred roaming list.

A non-transitory computer readable memory medium in a User Equipment (UE), wherein the UE is a mobile wireless device capable of roaming on various networks, wherein the memory medium comprises program instructions which are executable to:

• store a preferred roaming list in a memory of the UE, wherein the preferred roaming list comprises a plurality of system records which specify radio access technologies that can be used by the UE;
• examine the preferred roaming list to determine if any duplicate system records exist in the preferred roaming list;
• delete at least one duplicate system record from the preferred roaming list in response to determining that the at least one duplicate system record exists in the preferred roaming list;
• wherein the preferred roaming list comprises a first system record that corresponds to a first radio access technology and a second system record that also corresponds to the first radio access technology, wherein the first and second system records have different system identifications;
• wherein said examining determines that the first system record and the second system record are not duplicates of each other.

A handheld wireless telephone device, the telephone device comprising:

• a housing;
• an antenna attached to the housing for performing wireless communications with a base station;
• a memory contained within the housing and configured to store a preferred roaming list, wherein the preferred roaming list comprises information regarding an ordering of radio access technologies to be examined for roaming in one or more geographic locations;
• a processor contained within the housing and configured to examine the preferred roaming list to determine if any duplicate information exists in the preferred roaming list, and delete at least one duplicate piece of information from the preferred roaming list;
• wherein the preferred roaming list comprises a first system record that corresponds to a first radio access technology and a second system record that also corresponds to the first radio access technology, wherein the first and second system records have different system identifications;
• wherein said examining determines that the first system record and the second system record are not duplicates of each other.