Apparatus, system and method of securing communications of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless local area network
AssigneeIntel IP Corporation
InventorsAlexander Sirotkin, Alexandre S. Stojanovski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems of securing communications of a User Equipment (UE) in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). For example, a cellular node may transmit to a UE a cellular message including a UE security key, and a WLAN access device may communicate with the cellular node security information including the UE security key. The WLAN access device may communicate with the UE based on the UE security key, e.g., to authenticate the UE and/or encrypt communications with the UE.
Claims20
An apparatus for use in a User Equipment (UE) to communicate in a wireless communication network, the apparatus comprising:
- a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) transceiver;
- a cellular transceiver to receive a cellular message from a cellular node via a cellular link, the cellular message comprising a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message to request to establish a Point to Point (P2P) link with said cellular node via a WLAN Access Point (AP), the RRC message comprising a UE security key;
- and
- a controller to cause the UE to establish a connection with said WLAN AP based on the UE security key, and to establish the P2P link with said cellular node via said WLAN AP.
An apparatus for use in an evolved Node B (eNB) to communicate in a communication network, the apparatus comprising:
- an access device interface to communicate security information corresponding to a User Equipment (UE) with a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access device, the security information including a WLAN identifier of the UE and a UE security key assigned to the UE;
- and
- a controller to cause the eNB to establish a Point-to-Point (P2P) link with said UE via the WLAN access device, the controller to cause a cellular transceiver of the eNB to transmit to the UE a cellular message via a cellular link to request to establish the P2P link, the cellular message including the UE security key, a transport address of the eNB, and WLAN identification information to identify said WLAN access device.
A method to be performed at a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access device, the method comprising:
- communicating security information corresponding to at least a first User Equipment (UE) and a second UE with a cellular manager, the security information comprising a first UE security key assigned to the first UE, and a second UE security key assigned to the second UE, the second UE security key is different from the first UE security key, the security information comprising at least a WLAN identifier of the first UE;
- and
- establishing at least a WLAN link with the first UE, based the first UE security key.
A product including one or more tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage media comprising computer-executable instructions operable to, when executed by at least one computer processor, enable the at least one computer processor to implement operations at an integrated evolved Node B (eNB) Access Point (AP) (eNB/AP), the operations comprising:
- transmitting to a User Equipment (UE) a cellular message comprising a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, the RRC message comprising a UE security key;
- authenticating the UE at the AP based on the UE security key;
- and
- establishing a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) link with the UE.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.