1. A communication system comprising: a core network managed by a communication carrier ; 5 a management apparatus configured to manage connection i nformat ion to b e use d at a tim e of con ne ct ion to th e co r e net work ; and a b ase sta t i on c onfigu red to be con ne ct ed t o th e c ore ne two rk and the management apparatus, wherein th e base s tati on tran smit s, u pon rece ivi ng a fi r st 10 conn ect ion req uest m es sage t hat do es n ot sp ecif y th e commu ni catio n ca rrier f ro m a com municati on te r mi nal , i nformat ion re gardin g a pl urali t y o f comm uni catio n ca r r i ers to th e comm uni catio n te rm in al a nd t r ansmits conn ect ion in for mat ion r ega rdi ng one o f th e pl uralit y o f commu nic ati on car ri ers sel ec te d by t h e commu nic ati on termi nal to t he 15 communication terminal .

2. The communication system according to Claim 1, wherein t he b as e s tati on t ransmit s , upo n receivin g th e first con ne ctio n requ es t m es sa ge, i nforma tio n o n a list of a plural it y of co mm uni ca tion carrie r s 20 t hat ar e av ailable to th e com m uni cat ion term ina l.

3. The communication system according to Claim 2, wherein t he b as e s tati on f urt her t r ans mits, up on rec eivi ng the fi rs t co nne ctio n r e qu est m ess age , i nformati on o n usage fe e s of th e pl ural it y of 25 av ai lab le c om muni cat i on carrie r s to th e com municati on termi nal .

4. The communication system according to any one of Claims 1 t o 3, wherein t he base s tat ion tra nsmit s t he con necti on info rm ati on t o t he co mmun i cat ion t erm inal a ft er p erfo rmi ng aut he nt i catio n re gardin g 30 t he co mmun i cat ion t erm inal .

5. The communication system according to any one of Claims 1 t o 4 , w he r ei n th e con nect ion i nformation i s S IM d at a. 28

6. The communication system according to any one of Claims 1 t o 5 , w he r ei n th e base s tat ion tra nsmit s, upo n receivi ng a s ec ond conn ect ion req uest m es sage sp eci f yin g th e comm uni ca t i on carri er from t he co mmun i cat ion t erm inal, the s econd conn ect ion r equest m es sage to 5 t he co r e n et work an d t r ans mits, when th e co nn ection o f th e commu nic ati on t ermin al is not p ermitt ed in t he core netwo rk , i nformat ion regard ing a pl urali t y o f commu nic ati on car ri ers t o the commu nic ati on t ermin al .

7. The communication system according to any one of Claims 1 t o 6 , w he r ei n th e base s tat ion tra nsmit s i nf orm ati on re gardin g a pl urali t y o f comm uni catio n ca r r i ers to th e comm uni catio n te rm in al , us in g an IP add r es s that the m anage men t appar atu s has allo cated to th e commu nic ati on t ermin al as a d estin at i on .

8. The communication system according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein a Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) device is used as the management apparatus. 20 9. A b as e st atio n c onfigu red to be con ne ct ed t o a co r e net work managed by a communication carrier and a man agement apparatus confi gure d to m an age conn ection in f orm atio n to be u s ed a t a t ime of conn ect ion t o the co r e n etw ork , wherein t he b as e s t atio n com pri s es det ermin atio n m eans f or 25 t r ansmitt ing, upon r ec eivin g a fi rst con ne ct ion r equ est messa ge t hat does not s peci f y th e commu nic atio n ca r ri er fro m a com muni ca t i on t ermin al, i nfo rmat ion regar di ng a p l urali t y o f commu nic ati on car r ie rs t o t he c omm unicatio n t ermin al a nd trans mi t tin g co nnectio n information r egard ing o ne of th e pl ural it y of co mmun icati on c arriers sel ected b y 30 t he co mmun i cat ion t erm inal to the co mmun ic ati on t erm in al .

10. A d et ermin ation m eth od in a b ase s tati on c on fi gu red to be connected to a core network managed by a communication carrier and a management apparatus configured to manage connection information to 29 be us ed at a tim e of conn ec tion to t he co r e ne twork , th e determin ation method comprising: t ransmitt ing, upo n re ceivi ng a first c onn ectio n req uest me s s age t hat do es not s peci f y th e commu ni catio n carri er f r om a com municati on 5 t ermin al, i nfo rma tio n regard in g a p l urali t y o f commu nic ati on car r ie rs t o t he c omm unicatio n t ermin al ; an d t ransmitt ing co nn ect i on in fo r matio n re gardin g on e of t he pl urali t y of com mun ic at ion c arri ers sel ected b y th e commu ni cati on t ermin al to th e co mmuni cati on t erm in al . 10

11. A communication terminal configured to communicate with a b ase sta t i on, th e base sta tio n b ein g co nfi gure d to be con ne ct ed t o a core network managed by a communication carrier and a management apparatu s con fi gure d to m an age conn ect ion in fo r mat i on to b e u s ed a t a 15 t i m e of c onn ecti on to the co r e netw ork , th e comm uni ca ti on ter min al comp ri si ng: a fi rst commun icatio n m ean s fo r transmitt in g a fi rst co nne cti on r equest m essage t hat do es not sp ecify th e comm uni ca t i on carri er; s el ect ion m eans fo r se le cti ng o ne of a pluralit y of 20 commu nic ati on car ri ers t ransmit t ed from t he bas e st ation ; an d a second communication means for transmitting a second conn ect ion req uest m es sage t o a core netwo r k m anaged b y t he se le ct ed commu nic ati on car ri er us ing c onn ecti on in form atio n o n th e sele cte d commu nic ati on car ri er t ran smi tted from t he m ana gement a ppa ratus . 25

12. A connection method in a communication terminal confi gure d to commu nic at e with a b a se sta tion , th e ba s e st atio n bein g configured to be connected to a core network man aged by a communication carrier and a management apparatus configured to 30 m anage c onn ecti on in fo rm atio n t o be use d at a tim e o f con ne ction t o t he co r e n et work , th e co nn ectio n m eth od com prisi ng: t ransmitt ing a fi rs t con ne ct ion r equ est m ess age t hat d oe s not sp eci fy t he co mmu nic ation ca r ri er ; s el ect in g o ne of a pl urali t y of com mun ic at ion c arri ers 30 transmitted from the base station; and t r a n s m i t t i n g a second connection request message to a core network managed by the selected communication carrier using connection information on the selected communication carrier transmitted from the management apparatus.

DESCRIPTION
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, BASE STATION, DETERMINATION
METHOD, COMMUNICATION TERMINAL, AND CONNECTION
5 METHOD
Technical Field
[0 00 1]
The prese nt i nv ent ion rel ate s to a commu nicatio n s ys tem, a b ase
10 st at ion , a d et ermi nat i on metho d , a co mm uni cati on te rm i nal , an d a
conn ect ion method , a nd rel ate s to , in p arti cular , a c ommu ni cation
system in which a communication terminal selects a communication
ca rrier t o be used , a ba s e st ati on , a d ete rmi nati on m et hod , a
commu nic ati on t ermin al , a nd a con nect ion m etho d.
15 Background Art
[0 00 2]
In rece nt years , m obile t el eph ones, s martph ones and th e lik e
have become widespread and communication carrier s have provided
va riou s k inds of s ervi ces f or t he smart phon es and t he lik e . No n-Pat ent
20 Li terat ure 1 dis clo s es th at , in Europ e, wh ere Glo bal S yst em for Mo bil e
commu nic ati ons (GS M ) (re gi st ere d trad emar k) is u s ed as a
commu nic ati on s yst em , a c ommun icatio n carri er is able t o prov id e
s erv ices fo r no tif ying a mo bil e t elepho ne or th e li k e o f a us er, who is
going t o mak e a pho ne call, of a ch argin g r ate . W h en the u s er has
25 agreed to t he cha r gin g rat e th at h e/she ha s b een noti f i ed o f , out going
call p r oc es sin g is conti nued . Fu rt her , a s di scl osed i n Non -P at ent
Li terat ure 2, a t echniq ue of int r oducing a Mo bi le Ed ge Com puti ng
(MEC) devi ce i n a lo c atio n close t o th e ba s e st atio n , th at i s, in a
l ocation clos e to t he ed ge o f t he mobil e c om muni ca ti on n etw ork , ha s
30 be en st udi ed .
Ci tation L ist
Non-Patent Literature
[0 00 3]
[Non-Patent Literature 1] 3GPP TS 22.086 V12.0.0 (2014 -10)
3
[ Non -P aten t Li te rature 2] Mo bi le- E dge Comp utin g- In trodu cto r y
Technical White Paper (September 2014)
Summary of Invention
Technical Problem
5 [0004]
In rece nt years , a large n umb er o f m obil e v irtu al net wo rk
operator s (M VNO s) ha ve p r ovided s ervi ces an d the chargi ng rat e
during c all s often va ri es amon g the carrie r s . Non -P ate nt Li te r atu re 1
does not d is close , ho wev er, a t echn iqu e in whi ch a u ser comp ares th e
10 ch arging ra t es of a plu r alit y o f carriers a nd selects th e carrie r t hat
he/she will use w he n m akin g a ca ll . Th ere fo re , th ere is a p r oblem t hat
t he user c an no t f le xibl y s el ec t t he carrier th at h e/ sh e will use when
m akin g a call .
[0 00 5]
15 The prese nt dis cl osure ai ms t o provi de a commu nic atio n s yst em
t hat allow s a u s er to fl exi bl y s elect a c arri er , a bas e s tat io n, a
determ in ati o n m etho d, a comm uni catio n te rm in al, a nd a co nn ecti on
method.
Solution to Problem
20 [0006]
A comm uni catio n s yst em acco r din g to a fi r st asp ec t of th e
pres ent i nv en tion i ncl ud es : a co re netwo rk m anaged b y a
communication carrier; a manage ment apparatus configured to manage
conn ect ion i nform atio n t o be u s ed at a tim e o f c onn ecti on t o th e core
25 network; a nd a b ase st at i on c on figu red to be co nne ct ed to t he c ore
network an d t he m an agem ent a pp aratus, in w hi ch the base sta tion
t r ansmits, upon r ec eiv i ng a first con ne ctio n requ es t m ess age that d oes
not s pecif y t he co mmun i cati on c arrier fro m a comm uni cati on te r mi nal ,
i nformat ion regard ing a plu r ali t y of c om muni ca ti on carrie r s to th e
30 commu nic ati on t ermin al an d tran smit s c onn ecti on in f ormatio n
r egard in g o ne o f t he plu r alit y of c ommu nicatio n carri ers s el ected b y
t he co mmun i cat ion t erm inal to the co mmun ic ati on t erm in a l .
[0 00 7]
A base sta tion a cc ord ing t o a seco nd aspect o f th e prese nt
4
i nven tion i s a b ase stati on co nfi gured to be conn ec t ed to a core
network managed by a communication carrier and a management
apparatu s configu r ed to mana ge c onnecti on in fo r m atio n to be u s ed a t a
t i m e of c onn ecti on to the co r e network, in w hi ch th e base sta tion
5 i nclu d es a det ermi nati on uni t confi gured to t r ansmit , u pon re ceivi ng a
fi rst conn ectio n re que st messa ge th at do es no t s pe ci fy t h e
commu nic ati on car ri er fro m a c om muni ca tion ter min al , in format i on
r egard ing a plu r ali t y o f commu nic ati on car ri ers to the commu nic ati on
t ermin al a nd t ransmit conn ect ion in format io n r ega r di n g on e of th e
10 pl urali t y of com mun ic at ion c arri ers sel ected b y th e commu ni cati on
t ermin al to th e co mmuni cati on t erm in al .
[0 00 8]
A det ermin ati on m eth od a cc ord ing t o a thi rd aspect of th e
pres ent i nv en tion i s a dete rm ina ti on me tho d in a bas e s tati on
15 configured to be connected to a core network managed by a
commu nic ati on car ri er and a ma nagemen t app aratu s configu r ed t o
m anage c onn ecti on in fo rm atio n to be use d at a tim e o f con ne ction to
t he co r e n et work , th e det ermin ation met hod in cl udin g: transmittin g,
upon r eceivin g a first con nect ion r equest m es s age th at does n ot s peci fy
20 t he co mmun i cat ion ca r rier from a commu ni catio n te rm i nal , in f orm ati on
r egard ing a plu r ali t y o f commu nic ati on car ri ers to the commu nic ati on
t ermin al; a nd t ransmitt ing co nne cti on info rm ation r ega rdin g one o f th e
pl urali t y of com mun ic at ion c arri ers sel ected b y th e commu ni cati on
t ermin al to th e co mmuni cati on t erm in al .
25 [0009]
A comm uni cat i on term ina l a cco rdi ng to a fo ur th a spect o f th e
pres ent i nv en tion i s a commu nic ation t erm inal con fi gu red to
commu nic at e with a b ase st ati on, t he b ase st ati on b ei ng con fi gu red t o
be connected to a core network managed by a communication carrier
30 and a management apparatus configured to manage connection
i nformat ion to b e use d at a tim e of con ne ct ion t o t he cor e n etw ork, th e
commu nic ati on t ermin al i ncl ud in g: a fi rs t co mmun i cat ion unit
confi gure d to t ran smi t a fi rst con ne ction r equ est m ess age th at d oes not
sp eci fy t he co mmu nic ation ca r ri er; a sel ecti on u nit con f i gured t o s elect
5
one o f a p l urali t y o f com muni ca ti on c arri ers tran sm it ted f r om t he b ase
st at ion ; and a s econd commu nic ati on un it co nfi gured to t ransmit a
second connection request message to a core network managed by the
s el ect ed commu nicatio n carri er usi ng con necti on in f ormati on on th e
5 s el ect ed commu nicati o n c arri er tra nsmit ted f rom t he m anagem ent
apparatu s .
[0 01 0]
A conn ec tio n m eth od a cco rd ing t o a fi f th aspect o f th e prese nt
i nven tion i s a con ne ct ion m eth od i n a co mmun ic at ion t erminal
10 confi gure d to commu nic at e with a b a se sta tion , th e ba s e st atio n be in g
configured to be connected to a core network managed by a
communication carrier and a management apparatus configured to
m anage c onn ecti on in fo rm atio n t o be use d at a tim e o f con ne ction t o
t he co r e n et work , the m eth od inc l udi ng: t r ansm itti ng a first c o nn ect ion
15 r equest m essage t hat do es not sp ecify th e comm uni ca t i on carri er;
s el ect in g o ne of a plurali t y of com mun ic at ion carri ers tra nsm i tted f r om
t he bas e s tatio n ; and tra nsmi ttin g a s econd conn ecti on requ est me ss age
t o a co r e net work ma na ged b y t he s elect ed c om muni ca tio n carri er usi ng
conn ect ion in fo rmat ion on t he select ed c om muni ca tio n carrie r
20 t r ansmitt ed from t he m an ageme nt ap par atus .
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0 01 1]
Accordin g t o the p r esent in ve nt i on, it is p os si bl e to p r ovid e a
commu nic ati on s ystem t hat allo ws a use r t o fl exi bl y select a carri er , a
25 bas e s tat ion , a d et ermin ati on met hod , a comm unicati on t ermin al , and a
connection method .
Brief Description of Drawings
[0 01 2]
F i g. 1 i s a con f igurat ion examp le o f a comm uni catio n s yst em
30 a c c o rdin g to a fi rs t emb odiment ;
F i g. 2 i s a con f igurat ion examp le o f a b ase sta t i on acc ording t o
a second embodiment;
F i g. 3 i s a con f igurat ion examp le o f an M EC de vi ce acco rd i ng
to the second embodiment ;
6
F i g. 4 i s a con f igurat ion examp le o f a comm uni catio n t ermin al
according to the second embodiment ;
F i g. 5 i s a dia gr a m sho win g a fl ow o f an A tta ch deter mina t i on
process in t he bas e s t atio n ac co rdi ng to t he se co nd embo dim ent ;
5 F i g. 6 i s a dia gr a m sho win g a fl ow o f a Limit ed Att ach proces s
according to the second embodiment ;
F i g. 7 i s a dia gr a m sho win g a fl ow o f a Limit ed Att ach proces s
ac cordin g t o a t hird e mbo dim en t ; an d
F i g. 8 i s a dia gr a m sho win g a fl ow o f the Lim ite d Atta ch
10 process a cc ord ing to t he thi rd embod ime nt .
Description of Embodiments
[0 01 3]
( F irst Em bodim ent )
In th e foll owin g de s cri ptio n , wi th refer en ce to th e dra wi ngs,
15 em bod ime nts o f t he p r es ent i nve nt ion w ill be d escri bed . First, wit h
r eferenc e t o Fig. 1, a con figu r at ion ex ampl e o f a co m m uni cat ion
s ys tem ac co rdi ng to a fi r st em bod ime nt o f t he pres ent inv ent ion will b e
described. A communication system shown in Fig. 1 includes a
commu nic ati on t ermin al 10, a ba s e st atio n 20, a ma na gement a ppa ratus
20 30, and core networks 40 and 41.
[0 01 4]
The core networks 40 and 41 are networks manage d by
commu nic ati on car ri er s. W he n t he co r e net wo rks 40 a nd 41 ar e, f or
ex am ple, t he net wo rk s d efi ned b y th e 3 rd Ge ne r at ion P art nersh ip
25 P r oj ect (3 GPP ), t hey i nc lud e n od e app arat us es su ch as a Mob ilit y
Management Entity (MME), a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) and
t he lik e . The commu nic ati on car ri er ma y b e, for ex ampl e, a mo bi le
network operator (MNO) that owns the network by itself or may be a
m obil e virtual net work op erat or (MV NO ). Furth er, whil e the cor e
30 networks 40 and 41 are owned by the mobile network operators, a
confi gurat ion in w hic h th e co r e net works 40 a nd 41 a r e con necte d t o
anoth er c ore net wo rk o wn ed b y a not her mobi l e virtu al netw ork
operator may be employed .
[0 01 5]
7
The management apparatus 30 manages connection information
t o b e used wh e n th e comm un icatio n t ermin al 1 0 is conn ect ed t o t he
core network 40 and connection information to be used when the
commu nic ati on t ermin al 10 is conn ected t o th e c ore net work 4 1. The
5 management apparatus 30 may be a computer apparatus that is operated
b y ex e cu tin g, b y a C ent r al P roces si ng Uni t ( CP U) , a pro gr am st ored in
a memory. The connection information may be, for example,
i dent if ic at ion i nform ati on o r the l ik e for i den tif yi n g the
commu nic ati on car ri er . Alt ernati vel y, th e co nn ectio n in fo rm atio n may
10 b e id enti fi ca ti on in fo r matio n tha t t he core netwo r k 40 o r 41 us es t o
uniqu el y i den tif y t he com muni cati on te r m i nal 10 wh en th e
communication terminal 10 uses the core network 40 or 41.
[0 01 6]
The b ase st atio n 2 0 is conn ect ed t o t he c ore netwo r k 40, t he
15 core network 41, and the management apparatus 30. While Fig. 1
sh ows a st at e i n whi ch the b as e st ati on 20 is co nn ected t o th e core
network 40 and the core network 41, three or more core networks may
be co nne ct ed t o th e ma na gemen t ap parat us 30. T he st ate i n whi ch t he
bas e s tat ion 20 is con ne cte d t o the co r e n etw ork 40 a nd the core
20 network 41 i ncl ude s a s tat e in w hich t he ba s e station 20 is abl e t o
commu nic at e with th e nod e ap pa r at us consti tu tin g the core n et wo rk 40
and th e core n etwo r k 41 . Fu r t her , t he s tate i n which th e b ase sta ti on
20 is conn ec te d to t he m ana gement a pparatus 3 0 in cl udes a s tat e i n
which the base station 20 is able to communicate with the management
25 apparatu s 30. T he b ase st ati on 2 0 m a y be, fo r ex amp le, a n evol ve d
Node B (eNB) that can us e Long Term Evolution (LTE) as a wireless
communication standard in the 3GPP, a NodeB used in Wideband Code
Division Multiple Access (WCDMA ) (registered trademark), a base
st at ion t hat uses a nother wi r eless co mmuni cati on st an dar d o r th e lik e.
30 [0017]
Th e b ase st atio n 2 0 r ec eives a c onn ectio n req uest me ssa ge th at
does not sp ecif y t he c om muni ca ti on carrie r f ro m t he commu ni cation
t ermin al 10 . Upon r ec eivin g t he con nect ion re quest m ess age th at d oes
not s pecif y t he co mmun i cati on c arrier , th e b ase st atio n 2 0 tran sm it s
8
i nformat ion regard ing a plu r ali t y of c om muni ca ti on carrie r s to th e
commu nic ati on t ermin al 10. Th e plu r al it y of c ommun ic ati on car ri ers
are, f or ex am pl e, com mu nicati on carri ers th at m an age th e co r e
network s c onnect ed to th e ba s e st ation 20 . The base statio n 20
5 t r ansmits, for exa mpl e, i nformat ion indicati ng t he com muni cati on
ca rrier s t hat m an age th e co re net wo rk s co nn ected th ere to t o the
communication terminal 10.
[0 01 8]
The b ase st atio n 2 0 tran smit s c onn ectio n in form atio n r egard ing
10 t he co mmu nicatio n c arri er s el ected by t he commu nic ati on t ermi nal 10
t o t he comm uni cat i on term ina l 1 0. Wh en one of the plu r alit y o f
commu nic ati on car ri ers is s ele cted b y t he commu nic ation t ermin al 10 ,
f or ex am ple , th e ba s e station 20 sp ecifi es t he s el ect ed commun ic at ion
ca rrier . F urt her , t he ba s e station 20 r ec ei ves , f ro m t he ma na gement
15 apparatu s 3 0, c on necti on i nformat ion t o b e used f or t he co nn ectio n to
t he core n etw or k man age d b y t he s elect ed com municat ion c arrier . T he
bas e s tat ion 20 t rans mits t he rece ive d con ne cti on i nfo r matio n to th e
communication terminal 10.
[0 01 9]
20 As described above , by using the communication system shown
i n Fi g. 1 , the m an ageme nt app ara tus 3 0 i s a bl e to h old th e co nne ction
i nformat ion to b e use d f or t he conn ectio n to t he c ore net wo r k.
Therefore, even when the communication terminal 10 does not hold the
conn ect ion in fo rmat ion t o be used fo r th e co nne ction t o on e of t he core
25 networks in adv an ce , th e b as e st atio n 20 is able t o r ec ei ve , from t he
m anagem ent apparatu s 3 0, t he co nnectio n i nform at ion th at is necessa r y
f or th e c om m uni ca tion termin al 10 to con nect t o th e c ore ne two r k to
which the commu nic ati on termi na l 1 0 desi r es to con nect and t o
t r ansmit t he receiv ed c onn ecti on in f orm ati on to t he com municati on
30 t ermin al 10 . Accordi ngl y, th e com m uni cat ion term ina l 10 i s a ble to
conn ect t o a desi r ed c ore ne two r k u s ing th e receiv ed con ne ct ion
i nformat ion . In ot he r w ord s , th e co mm uni cati on term in al 10 i s a ble to
connect to the core network managed by the desired communication
ca rrier .
9
[0 02 0]
F urt her , when t he c arri er provid es t he commun ic ation t ermin al
f or th e use r , t he u s er is ab le t o st art u si ng se rv i ces wit hout th e
i nt erv ent ion of th e custom er c enter o f t he c arri er aft er pu rch as ing th e
5 commu nic ati on t ermin al in a ge ne ral sh op or the lik e .
[0 02 1]
(Second Embodiment)
Next , wi th re f ere nce t o F ig. 2, a configu r ati on ex ampl e of th e
bas e s tat ion 20 ac co rdin g to a s ec ond embo dim en t of th e p res en t
10 i nven tion will b e d es cribed . Th e ba s e station 20 i s a s sum ed to b e an
eN B, a Nod eB o r t he li ke c ap able o f tr an smitt ing o r recei vin g a
m es s age i nvo lve d in th e Att ach p r oc ess de f ined b y th e 3GPP .
[0 02 2]
The b ase st atio n 2 0 inc l udes a n A tta ch pro cess deter min at i on
15 unit 21, a terminal communication unit 22, an MEC communication unit
23, and a core network communication unit 24. The term
"c ommun ic atio n u nit " ma y a lso b e c all ed a tra ns mi ssio n/re cept ion u ni t .
Th e At t ach proc es s d ete r mi nat ion u nit 21 d ete r mi nes w het her to
pe rform a normal At ta ch proc ess or t o p erfo rm a Limi t ed A tta ch
20 process. The norma l Attach p r ocess is an Att ach process de f i ned b y
the 3GPP and is a process performed by the communication terminal to
connect to a core network managed by a communication carrier when
t he po we r o f th e comm unicati on t ermin al h as be en turn ed on .
[0 02 3]
25 The Li mited Att ach p ro ce s s i s , fo r ex ampl e, a process to al low
t he co mmun i cat ion t erm inal to t em pora ri l y p erfo r m commu ni cati on in
order to c au se th e c ommuni cation termina l to select to which co r e
network managed by which communication carrier it should be
conn ect ed . The s ervi ce s that the commu ni catio n te rm i nal whi ch i s abl e
30 t o t emp ora ril y p erfo rm co mmun ic at ion b y t h e Lim ite d At tach p rocess
ca n u s e are limi te d .
[0 02 4]
F or ex a mpl e, th e comm uni ca t i on te r minal w hic h i s able t o
t empo r aril y perform c om mun ic ation b y th e Lim it ed A tta ch pro cess is
10
not prov ide d with se rvi ces s uc h as a voi ce call and an Int ern et
conn ect ion . The comm uni cati on te r min al w hic h i s a ble to t empo r aril y
pe rform c ommuni cat ion b y t he Limit ed A tta ch pro cess is prov id ed
wi th, for exampl e, s ervices s uch as sel ec ti on o f th e co mmuni cati on
5 ca rrier , down loa d o f S ubsc r ibe r Identit y Mod ule (S IM ) da ta to conn ect
t o t he c ore netwo r k of t he s ele cted comm unicati on c arrier , and an
auth enti ca ti on p ro ce ss t o do wnlo ad th e SIM d ata.
[0 02 5]
The b ase s tat i on 20 r ec eives , fo r ex ampl e, an Att ach messa ge
10 t r ansmitt ed from t he com muni ca t i on ter min al 10 b y th e t ermin al
communication unit 22. When the communication carrier has not been
confi gure d in t he At ta ch m essage th at i t ha s receiv ed , th e ba s e st atio n
20 ma y d et ermin e to execut e the Limit ed At t ach proc es s .
Al tern ati vel y, t he b as e st atio n 20 ma y d et ermin e to ex ecute t he
15 Li mit ed Attach pro cess when a n i dentifi er in di cati ng th e
commu nic ati on t ermin al has n ot been co nfi gured in th e At tach me s s age
t r ansmitt ed f rom th e commu nic ati on termi nal 10 . Al te r nativ el y, th e
bas e s tat ion 20 m ay de te rmi ne to execut e th e Li mit ed Att ac h pro ces s
when an i dent ifie r dist ri but ed from th e commu nic atio n ca r ri er has not
20 be en con f igured i n th e Attach m es sage t r ansmitt ed from th e
c o m m unicati on t ermin al 10 . W he n th e base sta tion 20 det erm in es t hat
i t ex ecut es the Li mited Att ach p r oc ess, th e b ase st ati on 20 tra ns mi ts a
Limited Attach message to an MEC (Mobile Edge Computing) device
31 using the MEC communication unit 23 . The MEC device 31
25 corresponds to the management apparatus 30 shown in Fig. 1. The
MEC d evi ce 3 1 w i ll be d escrib ed l at er in d eta il . Fu rt her , th e b as e
st at ion 2 0 m ay all ow the co mmu nic ation t ermi nal 10 t hat h as
performed the Limited Attach process to perform only communication
wi th th e MEC d evi ce 31 . Tha t is , t he b ase st ati on 2 0 may pe r f orm
30 control not to allow the communication between the communication
t ermin al 10 th at h as perform ed t he Limi ted At ta ch p rocess and t he c ore
network 40 o r 41 . Furt her, wh en it i s det er min ed t hat th e n ormal
Attach process will be executed, the MEC communication unit 23
t r ansmits the Atta ch message to th e core n et wo rk us in g the co r e
11
network communication unit 24.
[0 02 6]
Next , wi th refer en ce to Fi g. 3, a configu r ati on ex ampl e of th e
MEC device 31 according to the second embodiment of the present
5 i nven tion will b e d es cribed . Th e M EC devi ce 31 i s a devi ce to b e used
i n o rder t o ex ecut e th e p r oc es s es and th e l ike tha t h av e be en ex ecute d
i n t he core n et work in a lo cat ion cl ose to t he bas e sta ti on 20 . S inc e
va riou s p r ocesses a r e execut ed in th e lo catio n cl os e t o th e base sta tion
20, the di st an ce betwe en t he ap pa r at uses th at t ransmi t and re cei ve
10 si gn als b ecom e s short er a nd the pr oc ess dela y i n a cc ordan ce wi th th e
si gn al d ela y i n the core n et work can be canc ele d . Fo r ex ampl e, on e
MEC device 31 may be connected to one base station 20.
[0 02 7]
The MEC device 31 includes a communication carrier
15 i nformat ion manageme nt unit 32 , a n a uth enticati on process ing uni t 33,
a S IM data management unit 34, and a base station communication unit
35. The communication carrier information management unit 32
m anages in f orm ati on re gardin g t he commu nication ca r r ier s t hat m anage
t he co r e n et work s c onn ected to the ba s e station 20.
20 [0028]
The i nfo rm ati on reg a r ding t he c om mun icatio n carri er s may be ,
f or ex am ple , id ent if i c at ion i nformati on of the co mmu ni cat ion carrier s,
s erv ice informatio n provid ed b y th e commu ni cation carrier s , char ging
condi tion s wh en t he c ommuni catio n carrie r s p r ovid e se r vi ces , Qualit y
25 Of S e rvi ce ( QoS ) i nformati on o f th e s ervi ces p r ovi ded b y t he
commu nic ati on car ri er s or t he li ke . Th e c ommu ni catio n carri er
information management unit 32 may be, for example, connected to a
s erv er de vice m anaged b y a co mm unicati on carrie r a nd coll ec t th e
i nform at ion r ega rd ing th e com muni ca t io n carrie r f ro m t he s erve r
30 devi ce. Alt ern ativ el y , the adm i nis tra tor w ho m an ages th e MEC d evi ce
31 ma y i nput t he in fo rm atio n r egard in g t he co mmun ic at ion c arrier into
t he commun ic atio n car ri er in fo rm atio n managem en t unit 3 2.
[0 02 9]
The communication carrier information management unit 32
12
t r ansmits the i nforma t i on re gardin g th e commu nic ati on car ri er s vi a the
bas e s tat ion 20 u si ng t he b ase s t ati on commun ic atio n u nit 3 5 i n orde r
t o cau s e th e comm uni catio n te rm i nal 1 0 th at h a s p erformed th e Limi ted
At tach p ro cess t o sel ect th e core n etwo r k t o which th e commu nic ati on
5 t ermin al 10 wi ll at tach .
[0 03 0]
The a ut hen tic ation p r oc es sin g unit 33 det ermin es wh et he r to
al low t he commun ic ati on t ermi nal 10 t o ex ecut e th e Attach p r ocess fo r
t he core n etw or k t hat t he c omm un icatio n carri er s el ected b y th e
10 commu nic ati on t ermin al 10 ma na ges . Th e aut he nti cation pro cessin g
unit 33 m a y req ue st t he user w ho operate s t he com mun icati on t erm i nal
10 to input the ID and the password. When the ID and the password
t r ansmitt ed from t he c ommuni catio n termin al 10 coi ncid e wit h t he ID
and th e pa ss wo rd th at hav e be en held in a dvan ce, t he aut hen ti cation
15 processing unit 33 may allow the communication terminal 10 to
ex ecut e the Att ach pro ces s .
[0 03 1]
Al ternati vel y, th e a uth en ticati on process ing uni t 33 may
pe rform th e aut he ntic atio n proc es s regard in g th e comm uni cat ion
20 t ermin al 10 i n co nju nct io n wit h an aut henti ca tion serv er a rran ged i n an
external n etwo rk . Th e au thent icatio n serv er ma y be ref erred to , fo r
ex am ple, a s a R adi us s erv er. Th e a uth en ticati on processin g un it 33
m a y trans mi t, fo r ex am ple, i nf orm at ion re gardi ng t he user who
operates th e comm uni catio n te rm in al 1 0 to th e aut hen ti cat ion se r ver
25 m anaged b y a cred it ca r d comp an y a nd use t he result of t h e
auth enti ca ti on in t he a uth enti cati on s erve r m an aged b y th e credi t ca r d
comp an y a s t he resu lt of t he d etermi nati on . T he auth enticati on
processin g unit 3 3 ma y req ues t, for ex am ple , t he us er wh o op erates t he
commu nic ati on t ermin al 10 to inpu t th e c r edi t c a r d numb er and th e
30 password.
[0 03 2]
Al tern ati vel y, th e a uth en ticati on process ing uni t 33 may u s e the
r esu lt of t h e auth enticati on in th e auth ent ic ati on se rv er m an age d by th e
commu nic ati on car ri er a s the res ult of th e det ermin atio n . T he
13
auth e n t i ca ti on serv er man aged b y th e co mmuni cat ion carrier m a y b e,
for example, a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), a Home Location
Re gi st er ( HLR ) o r th e lik e d efin ed i n t he 3 GP P . In t h i s cas e , t he
auth e n t i ca ti on p ro ce s s i ng u nit 33 m ay receiv e an a ut h e n t i c a t i on vecto r
5 t o b e used f or au th e n t i ca ti on o f t he comm u n i c a t i on t ermin al 1 0 from
t he HS S or t he H LR and ex ecut e the auth e n t i c a t i on p ro cess r ega r di ng
t he commun ic a t io n t ermin al 10. Th e a uth e n t i c a t i on process i ng uni t 33
output s t he result of th e auth e n t i c a t i on regardin g t he c ommu ni c a t i on
terminal 10 to the SIM data management unit 34.
10 [0033]
The S IM data management unit 34 manages the S IM data to be
used to connect to a core network managed by a communication carrier
f or each c ommun ic a t i on car ri er . Th e S IM data co r r esp on ds to t he
connection information managed by the management apparatus 30
15 shown in Fig. 1. The SIM data may include, for example, a telephone
number , an Int erna t i on al Mo b i l e Su b s c r i be r Id en t i t y ( IMS I ) , a Pu b l i c
Land Mobile Network (PLMN) ID and the l i k e . The SIM data
management unit 34 may be connected to, for example, a server device
managed by the communication carrier and collect the SIM data from
20 t he se rv er de vi ce . Alt ernat i ve l y, t he admi ni st r a to r wh o m an ages th e
MEC device 31 may input the SIM data into the communication carrier
information management unit 32.
[0 03 4]
Assume a case in which the SIM data management unit 34 has
25 r ecei ved, fro m th e auth ent ic at ion p r oc e s s in g unit 33 , th e r esu lt of the
auth e n t i ca ti on in d ic a t in g tha t th e co mmun ic at i on t e rmi nal 10 i s
al lowed t o execut e th e Atta ch p r ocess f or the core n e tw ork t hat t he
commu n ic a t i on car ri er sel ected b y t he co mmun ic at ion t erm i n a l 10
m anages . In this c a se , t he S IM dat a ma na gemen t uni t 34 trans mits , to
30 t he co mmun i cat ion t erm i n a l 10, the SIM i n f orma ti on t o b e us ed fo r th e
conn ect ion t o the co r e network th at the comm u n i c a t i o n t ermin al 1 0 h as
s el ect ed .
[0 03 5]
Next , wi th refer en ce to Fi g. 4, a configu r a t i on ex ampl e of th e
14
communication terminal 10 according to the second embodiment of the
pres e nt i nv enti on will be desc r i bed . T he comm unicati on t ermi nal 1 0
m a y be, fo r ex am ple , a mo bil e teleph one t ermin al or a s martp hone
t ermin al . Furth er , t he c ommun icatio n t ermin al 10 ma y be a t abl et -t ype
5 t ermin al, a pers on al c om put er or t he li ke h avin g a c om mu nicati on
f uncti on .
[0 03 6]
An MEC communication unit 12 transmits and receives data to
and from the MEC device 31 via the base station 20. When the power
10 of the communication terminal 10 is turned on, the MEC
commu nic ati on unit 1 2 t ransmit s the Lim it e d Att ach m ess age fo r
r equest ing th e Lim ited Att ach p ro ce s s to t he b ase st ati on 20 . Th e ME C
communication unit 12 acquires an IP address allocated from the MEC
devi ce 3 1 as a respo ns e messa ge wit h resp ec t t o the Li mit ed A tta ch
15 message. The MEC communicati on unit 12 configures the IP address
allocated from the MEC device 31 to communicate with the MEC
devi ce 3 1 .
[0 03 7]
A comm uni cat i on ca r rier se le ct ion u nit 11 r ec ei ves, a f ter t he
20 Li mit ed Attach pro cess is compl et ed , a l is t of i nform at ion it ems
r egard in g t he c ommu ni cation carrier s t r an sm itte d fro m th e M EC d evi ce
31. T he c om muni cat i on c arri er s el ect io n uni t 1 1 sel ec ts on e of t he
pl urali t y of com mun ic at ion c arri ers in ac cordanc e with t he in f orm ati on
i nput from t he use r w ho op erat es th e co mm uni cat ion term i nal 10. T he
25 commu nic ati on carrier s el ect ion u ni t 11 t r ansmits th e i nfo rm atio n
r egard ing t he s ele cte d comm uni catio n ca r r i er to th e MEC d evi ce 31 via
the MEC communication unit 12 and the base station 20.
[0 03 8]
The c om muni ca ti on c arrier sel ec t i on uni t 1 1 m a y outp ut th e l is t
30 of in forma t i on i tems re gardin g the commu nic ation ca r r iers t o a di sp la y
unit (n ot sh own ) o r t he lik e o f t he co mmun i cati on t erm in al 10 . Th e
us er who o pe rat es the co mmun ic at ion t ermin al 10 co mpa res, for
ex am ple, i nf orm at ion such as s e rv ic es and us age fee s provi de d b y t he
commu nic ati on car ri er s to select th e com muni ca t i on carrie r th at h e/ sh e
15
wi ll use .
[0 03 9]
An a ut hentic ation proc essin g uni t 13 prom pt s in fo r m ation t hat
i s necessa r y t o ex ec ut e th e a uth enti cat ion pro ce ss in t he M EC d evi ce
5 31 to be i npu t . T he auth enti cat ion pro cessin g un it 13 may o ut put, f or
ex am ple, an inp ut fo rmat of the in f or matio n whi ch is r equ ired b y t he
MEC d evi ce 3 1 t o be in put, to a disp lay uni t o r t he lik e . The
auth enti ca ti on p ro ce ssing u nit 13 m ay out put, f or ex am ple, an i nput
f orm at o f th e ID and th e pa ssw ord to be t r ans mitt ed to th e M EC d evi ce
10 31 to th e displ a y u ni t or t he li ke o r ma y o utp ut an i nput fo r mat of th e
credit c ard num be r an d t he p as s word to t he di s pl a y un it o r t he lik e .
[0 04 0]
F urt her , t he aut henti ca tio n p ro ce s si ng unit 1 3 m a y ex ecute t he
auth enti ca ti on p ro ce ss with t he co re n etw ork exe cu t ed in t he n ormal
15 At tach p ro cess .
[0 04 1]
A S IM d ata storage u nit 1 6 st ores t he S IM dat a tra nsm itte d f r om
the MEC device 31. The SIM data storage unit 16 may be an internal
memory provided in the communication terminal 10 or may be an
20 external m emor y d evi ce or th e l ike d is pos ed in t he co mmu ni cation
terminal 10. The external memory device may be, for example, a
Univ ers al Integrat ed C i rcuit Ca rd (U IC C ) ca r d, a ha r d disc, a
Univ ers al S eri al Bus ( US B ) m emo r y or the lik e .
[0 04 2]
25 A S IM d ata contro lle r 1 5 pe r f orms p r oc essin g f or sto ri ng t he
SIM data transmitted from the MEC device 31 via the MEC
communication unit 12 in the SIM data storage unit 16. The SIM data
cont ro lle r 15 m ay repl ac e, when it has r ec eiv ed S IM dat a diffe r ent
f r om t he S IM da t a al r ea d y st ored i n th e S IM data sto r age u nit 16 fro m
30 the MEC device 31, the SIM data stored in the SIM data storage unit
16 with t he n ew l y receiv ed S IM dat a. Alt ern ati vel y, th e S IM dat a
cont ro lle r 15 m ay ove r wri te and sto re t he n ewl y rece iv ed SIM d at a
over t he S IM dat a st ored i n t he S IM dat a s tora ge uni t 16 . In o ne m ore
al tern ati ve , t he S IM dat a c ontroll er 15 m a y store t he n ew S IM dat a i n
16
an area di fferen t f rom t h e a r ea of t he S IM dat a sto r age unit 1 6 that
st ores t he S IM data an d thu s sto r e t he plu r alit y o f pi eces of S IM data
i n t he S IM data st orage un it 16 .
[0 04 3]
5 F urt her , t he S IM dat a c ont roll er 15 o utpu ts th e S IM d ata t o be
configured in the Attach message to a core network communication
unit 14 whe n it ex ec ut es the normal Att ach p ro ce ss f or t he co r e
network.
[0 04 4]
10 The core network communication unit 14 transmits the Attach
m es s age i n which th e S IM d ata h as b een co nfi gured t o the s el ect ed
co re n etw ork vi a th e b ase st ati on 20.
[0 04 5]
Next , wi th re f ere nce t o F ig. 5, a fl ow of an At ta ch
15 determ in ati o n p ro c ess i n t he b as e st atio n 20 acco rdin g t o t he se cond
em bod ime nt of the p r esent i nve nt ion will be desc r ibe d . First, th e
At tach p ro cess det erminatio n un it 21 r ec ei ves th e Attach m es s age
t r ansmitt ed from t he com muni ca t i on ter min al 10 (S 11).
[0 04 6]
20 Next , t he Att ach p r oc es s det ermi nati on un it 21 dete rmi nes
whet her th e Att ac h mess age tha t it h as r ec eived is t he Li mit ed Att ac h
m es s age (S 12). The Att ach p ro ces s d ete rm i nati on u ni t 2 1 m a y
determ in e t hat th e re ceiv ed me s sage is th e Limi ted At tach m es sage
when , fo r examp le, th e m essage is c onfigu red to be the Lim ite d Attach
25 m es s age. Al tern at ivel y, th e At ta ch pro cess d eter min at ion unit 21 m a y
determ in e t hat th e re ceiv ed me s sage is th e Limi ted At tach m es sage
when t he i nforma tio n regard in g th e c ommu ni cation carrier h as n ot been
confi gure d in t he Att ach me s s age th at it h as rece ived .
[0 04 7]
30 When t he Att ach p r oc es s det ermi nati on un it 21 has d ete rmin ed
t hat th e At tach me ssage tha t i t has re ceiv ed is th e Lim ited e Att ac h
m es s age, i t ex ecu te s the Lim i t ed A tta ch pro cess (S 13 ). Speci fi call y,
t he At t ach pro cess d et ermination uni t 21 t r an smits th e Lim ite d Attach
message to the MEC device 31. When the Attach process determination
17
unit 21 has dete rm i ned th at t he Att ac h m es s age that it h as receive d is
not the Li mited At t ach m ess age, it e xecu tes th e n orma l Atta ch p ro cess
(S 14 ). S pecific all y, th e Att ach p r oc ess determ ina ti on un it 21 trans mit s
t he At t ach me ssag e to the MME o r t he lik e in the core netwo r k.
5 Al tern ati vel y, t he At ta ch proc ess d eterm ina ti on un it 21 may d et ermin e
whet her th e Att ac h mess age tha t it h as r ec eived i s th e no r mal Att ach
m es s age. W hen the Att ach p r oc es s det ermi natio n uni t 21 has
determ in ed t hat t he Att a ch message t hat it h as recei ve d i s n ot t he
normal Atta ch mes s age , it m ay ex ec ute th e Limit ed Att ac h proces s . On
10 t he oth er h and, wh en the Att ach pro cess det ermin ati on unit 2 1 has
determ in ed t hat t he r ecei ved m es s age i s the no r mal Att ac h m es s age , i t
m a y ex e cute the normal Att ach p ro ce ss.
[0 04 8]
Next , wi th re f ere nce t o F ig. 6, a fl ow of th e Limi ted Att ach
15 process a cc ord ing to t he s ec ond em bod im ent o f t he pres ent inv enti on
wi ll be desc rib ed . First , th e user who o perat es the commu nic ation
terminal 10 presses down the power button, whereby the power suppl y
of th e c omm u ni catio n t ermin al 1 0 is tu r ned on ( S21 ) .
[0 04 9]
20 Next , t he comm unicati on t ermi nal 1 0 tra ns mit s t he Li mit ed
At tach me s s age to the bas e s tati on 20 (S2 2). Nex t, wh en the b as e
st at ion 2 0 d et erm in es t hat th e me ssage tran sm it ted f ro m th e
commu nic ati on t ermin al 10 is t he Li mi t ed A tta ch messa ge, th e ba s e
st at ion 2 0 t ransmit s the Lim ite d Attach m essage to th e ME C d evi ce 3 1
25 (S 23 ) .
[0 05 0]
Next , t he MEC devi ce 3 1 t r ans mits , to th e ba s e station 2 0 , a
Li mit ed Attach acc ept message i n which the IP addre ss to b e allo cat ed
t o t he c omm unicatio n t ermin al 1 0 h as be en c onfi gu red (S 24). Nex t,
30 t he b as e s tati on 20 con figu res a R adi o Be are r wit h th e commu ni cation
t ermin al 10 (S 25). N ext , t he b as e st atio n 20 tra ns mi ts the Li mit ed
Attach accept message to the communication terminal 10 (S26). When
t he commun ic atio n t ermin al 10 r ec eiv es t he Li mit ed At tac h accep t
m es s age, t he commu ni cation t ermin al 10 uses th e IP add r ess al locat ed
18
by the MEC device 31 for the subsequent communications.
[0 05 1]
Next , t he MEC devi ce 3 1 t r ans mits in fo rm atio n on th e list o f
ca rrier s t o th e commu nicatio n termi nal 1 0 v ia th e base s tati on 2 0
5 (S27). The MEC device 31 may transmit, for example, the information
on the li st o f car r ie r s as ap pl i catio n informat ion and t he
commu nic ati on t ermin al 10 ma y c he c k th e in f orm atio n on t he li st of
carriers on a Web page. The MEC device 31 may also transmit, besides
t he i nfo rmat ion on t he list o f carrier s , i nformat ion o n serv ic es
10 provid ed b y th e co mmun i cati on c arrier s, ch argin g co nditio ns whe n t he
commu nic ati on car ri er s prov id e t he se r vi ces , or QoS i nformat ion or th e
l i ke o f th e s ervi ce s p ro vi ded b y th e com muni cati on c arri er s as w e l l.
[0 05 2]
The servi ce in f ormati on m a y be, for ex ampl e, i nformat io n
15 r egard ing w heth er vo ic e comm uni cation i s avail abl e . Th e ch argi ng
condi tion s m a y be re f erred to , for ex amp le, as t ari f f info rm at ion , and
i nformat ion ind icatin g t hat t he we ek end us age fee will be disco unted,
t he u s age fe e d uri ng ni ght tim e will b e disc ou nte d o r t he li ke may b e
t r ansmitt ed as th e tariff info rm ation . Fu r ther , in f orm at ion re gardi ng
20 t he t ype of the cre dit car d tha t can b e used ma y b e s ent as th e ch argi ng
condi tion s , and in f ormatio n re gardin g wh eth er A ppl e (registe r ed
t r adem ark ) ID, a Go ogle Pl a y ( r egi stered t r adem ark ) c ard or the lik e is
av ai lab le m a y b e se nt .
[0 05 3]
25 The QoS information may be, for example, information
regarding the communication speed, the communication band or the
l i ke th at is guar an teed . Furt her, the MEC devi ce 3 1 m a y tra nsm it sale
i nformat ion or th e li ke o f e ac h commu nic ation ca r ri er to th e
communication terminal 10.
30 [0054]
Next , t he comm unicati on t ermi nal 1 0 tra ns mit s in fo r ma t io n
i ndicati ng t he com muni cati on c arri er s el ected f r om t he info rm at ion o n
t he list o f carri ers to the MEC de vi ce 3 1 vi a th e base s tati on 20 (S2 8) .
F urt her , t he commun ic ation t ermin al 10 ma y t ransmit in fo r matio n to be
19
used for the authentication process in the MEC device 31 to the MEC
devi ce 3 1 toget he r w i t h th e info rmatio n i ndicati ng the s ele cte d
commu nic ati on car ri er .
[0 05 5]
5 Next , t he MEC devi ce 3 1 p erforms th e proces s o f au thentic atin g
t he co mmun i cat ion t erm inal 10 b etween a n ex te rnal aut hen ti cation
server 50 and the communication terminal 10 (S29). When the
commu nic ati on t ermin al 1 0 i s auth enti cated b y t he aut he nt i catio n
s erv er, the MEC devic e 3 1 tra nsmit s t he S IM d at a r ega rdin g t he
10 commu nic ati on car ri er sel ected b y t he co mmun ic at ion t erm inal 10 to
t he commun ic atio n t ermin al 10 ( S 30 ). Fu rt her, th e exp irati on dat e or
t he lik e ma y b e co nfigu r ed in th e S IM d ata to b e tra ns mit ted t o t he
communication terminal 10 from the MEC device 3 1.
[0 05 6]
15 The MEC device 31 may periodically acquire the latest SIM data
f r om t he serv er device or t he li ke o f each com muni cati on c arri er . Th e
SIM data may include, for example, a telephone number, an IMSI, a
PLMN ID and the like. The SIM data may further include Access Point
Name (APN), Proxy-Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF)
20 i nformat ion or th e li ke .
[0 05 7]
Further, while the example in whi ch the MEC device 31
t r ansmits the S IM dat a t o t he com m unicati on t ermi nal 10 in St ep S29 i s
shown in Fig. 6, the MEC device 31 may transmit address information
25 on the ser ve r that st ores t he S IM dat a to th e c ommu ni cat ion t ermin al
10. In th is ca s e, th e com m uni cati on te r m i nal 10 a cc es ses th e s erver
and downloads the SIM data.
[0 05 8]
Further, the MEC device 31 may acquire the SIM data from the
30 s erv er th at sto res th e S IM da ta aft er the au thenti catio n p ro ce ss i n St ep
S 2 9 is comp let ed (S3 0). In t hi s case , the MEC devi ce 31 t ransmi t s ,
aft er it a cq ui res the S IM dat a fro m th e s erv er, t he S IM d at a that it has
ac qu ired t o t he commu nicatio n termi nal 1 0 .
[0 05 9]
20
Aft er th e commun ic ati on t ermi nal 10 co nfi gures t he S IM dat a, it
ex ecut es t he normal Att ach p ro ce ss. Furt her, in th is di agra m, t he
process in which t he M EC devic e 31 tra nsm i ts t he i nformati on on the
l i st of carri ers to t he c om muni ca tio n termin al 10 in Ste p S 2 7 is
5 des crib ed . Alt ern ativ el y, th e M EC dev ice 3 1 ma y t rans mit th e
i nformat ion on t he list of car r ie rs t o the commun ic ation t ermin al 10
aft er re cei vi ng a message r ega r di ng a r eq ues t for ac quirin g th e
i nformat ion on t he list of carri ers t r ans mitt ed from th e commu nic ation
t ermin al 10 .
10 [0060]
As described above , by using the MEC device 31 according to
t he se cond emb odiment o f the prese nt i nv enti on, th e co mmuni cati on
t ermin al 10 i s abl e to acqui r e th e S IM d ata th at is necess ar y t o use t he
co re n etw ork m an age d b y t he comm unicati on carri er a f ter ch eck i ng th e
15 s erv ices and th e lik e provid ed b y th e res pect ive comm unicati on
ca rrier s. Acco rdin gl y, t he c ommun icati on t ermi nal 1 0 is abl e t o
fl ex ibl y s elect th e comm uni cat i on carrie r in accord ance wit h t he
s erv ices o r th e lik e t hat are p rov ide d .
[0 06 1]
20 F urt her , t he b ase s tati on 20 m a y t ran smi t t he in f orma ti o n
regarding the MVNO to the communication terminal 10 as the
i nformat ion regard ing the com municatio n c arri er . It is ass ume d, fo r
example, that the MVNO is using a line in the network managed by the
MNO. In this case, the MNO that manages the base station 20 may
25 t r ansmit , to t he commun ic atio n t ermi nal 10 , in f orm ati on re gardi ng a
pl urali t y of M VN Os t o whi ch lin es are l ea s ed, as lis ti ng i nform atio n .
[0 06 2]
(Third Embodiment)
Next , wi th re f ere nce t o F ig. 7, a fl ow of a Limit ed At ta ch
30 process a cc ord ing to a th ird emb odi ment o f th e present in venti on wi ll
be des cr ib ed . W it h r efe r ence to Fi g. 7 , a f lo w of t he p ro cess wh en the
commu nic ati on t ermin al 10 ha s ex ecute d t he At ta ch pro cess usi ng th e
S IM dat a th at has ex pi red wi ll b e d esc ri bed .
[0 06 3]
21
F i rst , t h e user w ho operate s t he com muni cati on te r mi nal 10
presses down the power button, whereby the power supply of the
commu nic ati on t ermin al 10 is tu rn ed on ( S3 1).
[0 06 4]
5 Next , t he comm unicati on t ermi nal 1 0 tra ns mit s th e Att ach
m es s age t o t he b as e s t atio n 2 0 usi ng the S IM dat a s t ored in t he S IM
data sto r age u nit 1 6 (S 32 ). Nex t, th e ba s e statio n 20 trans mit s , w hen
i t is d ete r m i ned t hat t he message t r ans mitt ed from th e commu nic ati on
t ermin al 10 i s t he norm al Atta ch mes s age , t he Att ach me ssage to th e
10 MME, the SGSN or the like of the core network specified in the Attach
message (S33). The Attach message (S33) may include a parameter
t hat reports t hat t he b ase st ati on 2 0 i s a bl e to exe cute t he Limi ted
At tach p ro cess .
[0 06 5]
15 Next, when the MME or the SGSN determines that the SIM data
configured in the Attach process has expired , the MME or the SGSN
t r ansmits an A tt ach r ej ect messa ge to th e base s tat ion 20 (S 34). Whi le
the case in which the MME or the SGSN has transmitted the Attach
r ej ect message in a cc ord a nc e with t he expiration date o f t he SIM d at a
20 has been described, the MME or the SGSN may transmit the Attach
r ej ect message du e to ot he r reas ons . Wh en , for ex amp l e, a ro amin g
cont ract i s not exc hanged w ith the co mmun i cati on c arrier t hat manages
the MME or the SGSN or when a fee has not yet been paid, the MME or
t he SGS N m ay t r a ns mi t the Atta ch r eje ct messa ge . Th e Att ac h rej ec t
25 m es s age m a y i ncl ud e a dedi cat ed p aramete r t hat p r omp t s t he b as e
st at ion 2 0 t o per f orm t he Lim it e d A tta ch p ro cess o r a Caus e v alu e.
[0 06 6]
Next , t he base s tat ion 2 0 t r ansm its th e Limi ted At tach me s s age
t o t he MEC device 31 in o rd er t o pro vid e info rmation r egard ing o the r
30 commu nic ati on car ri ers f or t he comm unicatio n te rmin al 1 0 (S3 5).
Next, the MEC device 31 transmits the Limited Attach accept message
t o t he b ase st ati on 20 (S3 6). Nex t , t he b ase st ati on 20 confi gures a
Ra di o Bea r er with the comm un icatio n t ermin al 1 0 ( S37 ) . Next, th e
bas e s tat ion 20 t rans mits t he A tta ch accept me ss age to th e
22
commu nic ati on t ermin al 10 as a resp onse t o the At ta ch m ess age in St ep
S 3 2 (S 38 ) .
[0 06 7]
S in ce S tep s S3 9 t o S42 are si mil ar to St ep s S 2 7 to S 30 in Fig.
5 6, detai led des crip tion s thereo f w il l be om i t ted .
[0 06 8]
Next , wi th refer en ce to Fi g. 8, a fl ow of th e Limi ted Att ach
process a cc ord in g to th e th ird e mbodim ent o f th e pre s ent inv ent ion
di fferent fro m tha t of Fig. 7 will be desc r i bed . Wi th refer en ce to Fi g.
10 8, a flow of a case in which the connection between the communication
t ermin al 10 and t he ma na gemen t ap parat us 30 is s ec ured b y th e
ca pabil it y su ch as a Local IP Acces s ( LIP A ) o r S ele cted IP T r affi c
Offl oad (S IPTO) alre ad y def in ed in th e 3GPP st and ards wil l be
des crib ed .
15 [0069]
F i rst , t he use r w ho o per ate s th e com municati on t ermi nal 10
presses down the power button, whereby the po wer supply of the
commu nic ati on t ermin al 10 is tu rn ed on ( S5 1).
[0 07 0]
20 Next , t he comm unicati on t ermi nal 1 0 tra ns mit s t he Att ac h
m es s age t o th e b ase st atio n 2 0 us in g th e S IM data sto r ed in th e S IM
data sto r age u nit 1 6 (S 52 ). Nex t, wh en th e b as e st atio n 2 0 dete rmi nes
t hat t he messa ge trans mitt ed fr om th e comm uni catio n te rm in al 1 0 is t he
normal Atta ch mes s age , t he base st ation 2 0 tran smit s t he Att ach
25 message to the MME, the SGSN or the like of the core network
specified by the Attach message (S53). The Attach message may
i nclu de a pa ram et er not i fyi ng t hat th e ba s e statio n 20 is abl e t o
ex ecut e the Li mit ed A tt ach proc ess.
[0 07 1]
30 Next, when the MME or the SGSN determines that the SIM data
configured in the Attach process has expired , the MME or the SGSN
t r ansmits a C reate S es sio n r eq uest messa ge to a GW instal led to get he r
wi th th e b as e s tati on 20 usin g a LIP A o r a S IP TO fun ction (S54 ) .
While the case in which the MME or the SGSN has transmitted the
23
Create S es sion r equ es t mess age in a cco rd an ce wit h th e exp irat i on dat e
of the SIM data is described in this example, the MME or the SGSN
m a y trans mi t the Att ach rej ec t m es s age du e t o ot he r reaso ns . Wh en,
f or ex am ple , a roaming c ontract is not exc ha nged w ith th e
5 communication carrier that manages the MME or t he SGSN or when a
fee has not yet been paid , the MME or the SGSN may transmit the
Create S es sion r equ es t mess age . Th e C r eat e S ess ion re que st messa ge
m a y in clud e a d ed ic ate d p aramet er t hat p ro mpts th e b ase st at i on 2 0 to
pe rform th e Lim ite d Attach p r oc ess or a C aus e v alu e.
10 [0072]
Next , t he base s tat ion 2 0 t r ansm its t he Li mit ed At t ach messa ge
t o t he MEC device 31 in o rd er t o pro vid e info rmation r egard ing o the r
commu nic ati on car ri ers f or t he comm unicatio n te rmin al 1 0 (S5 5).
Next, the MEC device 31 transmits the Limited Attach accept message
15 t o t he b ase st ati on 20 (S5 6). Nex t , t he b ase st ati on 20 transmits a
Create Session response message to the MME or the SGSN as a
r esp onse t o th e C r eat e S ess ion r eq uest m essage i n S t ep S54 (S 57).
[0 07 3]
Next, the MME or the SGSN transmits the Attach accept
20 m es s age t o th e b ase st atio n 2 0 (S 58 ). Nex t, th e base stat ion 2 0
confi gures a R adi o Bearer w ith t he comm unicati on t ermin al 1 0 (S59 ).
Next , t he bas e s tat ion 20 t r ansm its t he A tt ach ac ce pt messa ge t o th e
commu nic a t i on te r minal 1 0 as a respon s e t o the Att ach me ssa ge in St ep
S 5 2 (S 60 ) .
25 [0074]
S in ce S tep s S6 1 t o S64 are si mil ar to St ep s S2 7 to S3 0 in Fig.
6, d etai le d d es crip ti ons the r eo f wil l be omit ted .
[0 07 5]
As d es crib ed ab ove , b y e xecuti ng the Lim it ed A tt ac h proces s
30 ac cordin g t o the t hird emb odim ent o f t he present in ventio n , ev en w hen
t he commun ic atio n t ermin al 10 is usi ng th e S IM d at a t hat has exp ired ,
t he b as e s tati on 20 i s a bl e to t r ans mit th e Lim ited Att ach m es s age
regarding the communication terminal 10 to the MEC device 31. The
commu nic ati on t ermin al 10 is t heref ore a bl e to acq ui re n ew S IM dat a .
24
[0 07 6]
F urt her , when th e c ommuni c a t i on termina l 10 h as r e c e iv ed th e
Attach reject message from the MME, the SGSN or the like due to a fee
not ye t p ai d e t c. , th e commu n ic a t io n termi nal 1 0 ma y s el e c t , in S t ep
5 S40 or Step S62, the communication carrier and perform payment
processin g usi ng a cred it card o r the like . In this cas e , t he MEC
device 31 may allow the communication terminal 10 to perform
communication using the SIM data that the communication terminal 10
cu r r en tl y hol ds wi thou t transmit t in g new S IM da t a to th e
10 communication terminal 10 .
[0 07 7]
Whil e the pres ent inv en t i on has been de s cri bed as a hardwa r e
confi gurat ion in th e aforemen ti oned em b od ime nt s , the pres ent
i nven t i on i s not l i m i t ed th eret o . T he pres ent i nvent ion is abl e to
15 ac hi ev e the pro ces si ng i n th e c ommuni c a t i on termin al 10, t he b as e
s t a t i on 20, the management apparatus 30, or the MEC device 31 by
ca usin g a C ent r a l Pro ces si ng U ni t ( CPU ) t o ex ecut e a compu te r
program.
[0 07 8]
20 In th e a f or ementio ned ex am p le s , t he program can be st ored and
provid ed to a com put er usi ng an y t yp e of non - t r an s i to ry c om puter
r ead abl e medi a. Non - t r an s i to r y c om put er r ea dabl e me dia in clud e a ny
t yp e o f t an gi b l e st ora ge m edi a. Ex ampl es of non -t r a n s i t o r y c omp ut er
r ead abl e medi a in clu de magne t ic s t o r a g e m edia (su ch as fl exi bl e disk s,
25 m agneti c tapes , h ard disk d ri v e s , etc. ), opti cal m agneti c s t o r a g e me dia
( e . g . , magneto-optical disks), Compact Disc Read Only Mem ory (CDROM),
CD-R, CD-R/W, and semiconductor memories (such as mask
ROM, Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), flash
ROM, Random Access Memory (RAM), e t c . ) . The program may be
30 provid ed to a com put er usi ng an y t yp e of t r a n s i t or y comp u te r r eadabl e
m edi a. Ex am p l e s o f t ran si tor y com put er re ad abl e me d ia i ncl ude
el e c t r i c si gn a l s , optical si g n a l s , and el e c t r om agn et ic w av es .
T r an si tor y co mput er re ad abl e me di a can p r ovide t he p ro gram to a
compu ter vi a a wi r ed c om muni ca ti on lin e ( e . g . , el e c t r i c wi r es , a n d
25
optical fib e r s ) o r a wi r e l e ss c om mun ica ti o n li n e .
[0 07 9]
The prese nt i nv ent ion is not li mit ed to t he af orem e n t i on ed
embodiments and may be changed as appropriate without departing
5 f r om t he spi rit o f the pres ent inv ent ion .
[0 08 0]
Whil e the pres en t inven t i on has been de s cri bed abo ve wi th
r eferenc e t o t he emb odiments , th e presen t inventio n is not l imit ed to
t hem . V a r i o u s c ha nges th at m a y be und erst ood b y o ne ordin ary sk i l l ed
10 i n t he a r t m a y be mad e o n th e co nfi gura t i on and th e details of t he
pres ent a pp l i c a t i on wit hin th e s cop e of t he p r esent in ve nti on .
[0 08 1]
This appli c a t i on is based upo n and clai ms th e be ne fit o f p r i o r i t y
f r om Japan e se Pat ent Ap p l i cat ion No. 20 15-0 4 2 1 5 2 , f i l ed o n M a rc h 4 ,
15 2015, th e dis c lo su r e of whi ch is i nco r pora t ed h er ei n i n its entire t y by
r eferenc e.
Reference Signs List
[0 08 2]
10 COMMUNICATION TERMINAL
20 11 COMMUNICATION CARRIER SELECTION UNIT
12 MEC COMMUNICATION UNIT
13 AUTHENTICATION PROCESSING UNIT
14 CORE NETWORK COMMUNICATION UNIT
15 SIM DATA CONTROLLER
25 16 SIM DATA STORAGE UNIT
20 BASE STATION
21 Attach PROCESS DETERMINATION UNIT
22 TERMINAL COMMUNICATION UNIT
23 MEC COMMUNICATION UNIT
30 24 CORE NETWORK COMMUNICATION UNIT
30 MANAGEMENT APPARATUS
31 MEC DEVICE
32 COMMUNICATION CARRIER INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
UNIT
26
33 AUTHENTICATION PROCESSING UNIT
34 SIM DATA MANAGEMENT UNIT
35 BASE STATION COMMUNICATION UNIT
40 CORE NETWORK
5 41 CORE NETWORK

WE CLAIM:
1. A communication system comprising:
a core network managed by a communication carrier ;
5 a management apparatus configured to manage connection
i nformat ion to b e use d at a tim e of con ne ct ion to th e co r e net work ; and
a b ase sta t i on c onfigu red to be con ne ct ed t o th e c ore ne two rk
and the management apparatus,
wherein th e base s tati on tran smit s, u pon rece ivi ng a fi r st
10 conn ect ion req uest m es sage t hat do es n ot sp ecif y th e commu ni catio n
ca rrier f ro m a com municati on te r mi nal , i nformat ion re gardin g a
pl urali t y o f comm uni catio n ca r r i ers to th e comm uni catio n te rm in al a nd
t r ansmits conn ect ion in for mat ion r ega rdi ng one o f th e pl uralit y o f
commu nic ati on car ri ers sel ec te d by t h e commu nic ati on termi nal to t he
15 communication terminal .
2. The communication system according to Claim 1, wherein
t he b as e s tati on t ransmit s , upo n receivin g th e first con ne ctio n requ es t
m es sa ge, i nforma tio n o n a list of a plural it y of co mm uni ca tion carrie r s
20 t hat ar e av ailable to th e com m uni cat ion term ina l.
3. The communication system according to Claim 2, wherein
t he b as e s tati on f urt her t r ans mits, up on rec eivi ng the fi rs t co nne ctio n
r e qu est m ess age , i nformati on o n usage fe e s of th e pl ural it y of
25 av ai lab le c om muni cat i on carrie r s to th e com municati on termi nal .
4. The communication system according to any one of Claims 1
t o 3, wherein t he base s tat ion tra nsmit s t he con necti on info rm ati on t o
t he co mmun i cat ion t erm inal a ft er p erfo rmi ng aut he nt i catio n re gardin g
30 t he co mmun i cat ion t erm inal .
5. The communication system according to any one of Claims 1
t o 4 , w he r ei n th e con nect ion i nformation i s S IM d at a.
28
6. The communication system according to any one of Claims 1
t o 5 , w he r ei n th e base s tat ion tra nsmit s, upo n receivi ng a s ec ond
conn ect ion req uest m es sage sp eci f yin g th e comm uni ca t i on carri er from
t he co mmun i cat ion t erm inal, the s econd conn ect ion r equest m es sage to
5 t he co r e n et work an d t r ans mits, when th e co nn ection o f th e
commu nic ati on t ermin al is not p ermitt ed in t he core netwo rk ,
i nformat ion regard ing a pl urali t y o f commu nic ati on car ri ers t o the
commu nic ati on t ermin al .
7. The communication system according to any one of Claims 1
t o 6 , w he r ei n th e base s tat ion tra nsmit s i nf orm ati on re gardin g a
pl urali t y o f comm uni catio n ca r r i ers to th e comm uni catio n te rm in al ,
us in g an IP add r es s that the m anage men t appar atu s has allo cated to th e
commu nic ati on t ermin al as a d estin at i on .
8. The communication system according to any one of Claims 1
to 7, wherein a Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) device is used as the
management apparatus.
20 9. A b as e st atio n c onfigu red to be con ne ct ed t o a co r e net work
managed by a communication carrier and a man agement apparatus
confi gure d to m an age conn ection in f orm atio n to be u s ed a t a t ime of
conn ect ion t o the co r e n etw ork ,
wherein t he b as e s t atio n com pri s es det ermin atio n m eans f or
25 t r ansmitt ing, upon r ec eivin g a fi rst con ne ct ion r equ est messa ge t hat
does not s peci f y th e commu nic atio n ca r ri er fro m a com muni ca t i on
t ermin al, i nfo rmat ion regar di ng a p l urali t y o f commu nic ati on car r ie rs
t o t he c omm unicatio n t ermin al a nd trans mi t tin g co nnectio n information
r egard ing o ne of th e pl ural it y of co mmun icati on c arriers sel ected b y
30 t he co mmun i cat ion t erm inal to the co mmun ic ati on t erm in al .
10. A d et ermin ation m eth od in a b ase s tati on c on fi gu red to be
connected to a core network managed by a communication carrier and a
management apparatus configured to manage connection information to
29
be us ed at a tim e of conn ec tion to t he co r e ne twork , th e determin ation
method comprising:
t ransmitt ing, upo n re ceivi ng a first c onn ectio n req uest me s s age
t hat do es not s peci f y th e commu ni catio n carri er f r om a com municati on
5 t ermin al, i nfo rma tio n regard in g a p l urali t y o f commu nic ati on car r ie rs
t o t he c omm unicatio n t ermin al ; an d
t ransmitt ing co nn ect i on in fo r matio n re gardin g on e of t he
pl urali t y of com mun ic at ion c arri ers sel ected b y th e commu ni cati on
t ermin al to th e co mmuni cati on t erm in al .
10
11. A communication terminal configured to communicate with
a b ase sta t i on, th e base sta tio n b ein g co nfi gure d to be con ne ct ed t o a
core network managed by a communication carrier and a management
apparatu s con fi gure d to m an age conn ect ion in fo r mat i on to b e u s ed a t a
15 t i m e of c onn ecti on to the co r e netw ork , th e comm uni ca ti on ter min al
comp ri si ng:
a fi rst commun icatio n m ean s fo r transmitt in g a fi rst co nne cti on
r equest m essage t hat do es not sp ecify th e comm uni ca t i on carri er;
s el ect ion m eans fo r se le cti ng o ne of a pluralit y of
20 commu nic ati on car ri ers t ransmit t ed from t he bas e st ation ; an d
a second communication means for transmitting a second
conn ect ion req uest m es sage t o a core netwo r k m anaged b y t he se le ct ed
commu nic ati on car ri er us ing c onn ecti on in form atio n o n th e sele cte d
commu nic ati on car ri er t ran smi tted from t he m ana gement a ppa ratus .
25
12. A connection method in a communication terminal
confi gure d to commu nic at e with a b a se sta tion , th e ba s e st atio n bein g
configured to be connected to a core network man aged by a
communication carrier and a management apparatus configured to
30 m anage c onn ecti on in fo rm atio n t o be use d at a tim e o f con ne ction t o
t he co r e n et work , th e co nn ectio n m eth od com prisi ng:
t ransmitt ing a fi rs t con ne ct ion r equ est m ess age t hat d oe s not
sp eci fy t he co mmu nic ation ca r ri er ;
s el ect in g o ne of a pl urali t y of com mun ic at ion c arri ers
30
transmitted from the base station; and
t r a n s m i t t i n g a second connection request message to a core
network managed by the selected communication carrier using
connection information on the selected communication carrier
transmitted from the management apparatus.