CLIAMS:We claim:
1. A method for reducing network acquisition time by a User Equipment (UE), wherein said UE is connected to at least one Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) and said UICC associated with a network operator, said method comprising
generating a sync ID by said UE, on reading a File Synchronization Change Counter (FSCC) and an Integrated Circuit Card ID (ICCID) from said UICC, when said UE attempts to acquire a network, wherein said sync ID is a combination of said FSCC and said ICCID;
checking if said generated sync ID matches a sync ID present in said UE by said UE, if a sync ID corresponding to said UICC is present in said UE;
performing following steps, if said generated sync ID does not match said sync ID present in said UE
reading said UICC by said UE;
storing said generated sync ID in said UE by said UE; and
completing network acquisition procedure by said UE; and
performing following steps, if said generated sync ID matches said sync ID present in said UE
skipping reading said UICC by said UE; and
completing network acquisition procedure by said UE.
2. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said method comprises of
incrementing a File Synchronization Change Counter (FSCC) by said UICC, on said UICC applying an update; and
storing said FSCC by said UICC.
3. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises of
reading said UICC by said UE for said ICCID and said FSCC;
generating said sync ID by said UE;
storing said generated sync ID in said UE by said UE; and
completing network acquisition procedure by said UE;
if sync ID corresponding to said UICC is not present in said UE.
4. A Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) configured for incrementing a File Synchronization Change Counter (FSCC), on said UICC applying an update, wherein said UICC is connected to a User Equipment (UE) and said UICC is associated with said network operator.
5. A User Equipment (UE) configured for
generating a sync ID, on reading a File Synchronization Change Counter (FSCC) and an Integrated Circuit Card ID (ICCID) from a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC), when said UE attempts to acquire a network, wherein said sync ID is a combination of said FSCC and said ICCID and said FSCC is incremented by said UICC, on said UICC applying an update, wherein said UICC is connected to said UE and said UICC is associated with said network operator;
checking if said generated sync ID matches a sync ID present in said UE, if a sync ID corresponding to said UICC is present in said UE;
performing following steps, if said generated sync ID does not match said sync ID present in said UE
reading said UICC;
storing said generated sync ID in said UE; and
completing network acquisition procedure; and
performing following steps, if said generated sync ID matches said sync ID present in said UE
skipping reading said UICC; and
completing network acquisition procedure.
6. The UE, as claimed in claim 5, wherein said UE is further configured for
reading said UICC for said ICCID and said FSCC;
generating said sync ID;
storing said generate sync ID in said UE; and
completing network acquisition procedure;
if sync ID corresponding to said UICC is not present in said UE.

Date: 19 February 2015 Signature:
Kalyan Chakravarthy
,TagSPECI:FORM 2
The Patent Act 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
The Patent Rules, 2005

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(SEE SECTION 10 AND RULE 13)

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

“REDUCING THE NETWORK ACQUISITION TIME BY A USER EQUIPMENT (UE)”

APPLICANTS:

Name Nationality Address
SAMSUNG R&D Institute India - Bangalore Private Limited India # 2870, Orion Building, Bagmane Constellation Business Park, Outer Ring Road, Doddanekundi Circle, Marathahalli Post, Bangalore-560037, India

The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:-

FIELD OF INVENTION

[001] The present invention relates to the field of mobile communications and more particularly to a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) used in mobile communications.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[002] A UICC is a Universal Integrated Circuit Card, a smart card that is mainly used with a User Equipment (UE) and is configured to enable the UE to perform communications using the UICC. The UICC typically comprises a few hundred kilobytes of data, mainly comprising personal information related to the user/owner or the UE, information related to the operator/network and so on. The UICC is typically locked to a specific operator and the UE comprising the UICC may connect and communicate only using that operator (unless the operator has made requisite arrangements (such as roaming agreements and so on), such that other operators may also be used).
[003] Current systems require that every time, the UICC is inserted into the UE or every time the UE is powered on, the UE reads at least subscription information from the UICC, before attempting to acquire the network to which the UICC belong. Subscription information usually comprises the unique ID of the UICC, (Integrated Circuit Card Identifier (ICCID)), the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), security authentication and ciphering information, temporary Information related to the local network, a list of the services the user has access to and passwords such as a Personal Identification Number (PIN) for ordinary use, a Personal Unblocking Code (PUK) for PIN unlocking and so on.
[004] If the UE used is a new UE or the UICC is being inserted into the UE for the first time, then subscription information, which may comprise of at least one file, is updated with information pertaining to the new UE and the UE is required to read the subscription files upon powering on. Subscription information may be read (even if the information has not been updated since the last read operation by the UE), thus causing a delay in the booting up of the UE, leading to an increase in network acquisition time for the UE.
[005] Current solutions disclose the use of a cache memory, wherein the cache memory may be used to store information related to the updated subscription information. However, cache files typically do not persist over power cycles. Also, not all UEs may support a refresh of procedures to update the subscription information. Also, consider a first UE into which the UICC has been inserted and the UICC is moved into a second UE. When the UICC is present in the second UE, the subscription information gets updated. When the UICC is re-inserted into the first UE, the first UE does not have any means to track changes made to the subscription information, which were made when the UICC was present in the second UE.

OBJECT OF INVENTION
[006] The principal object of the embodiments herein is to reduce network acquisition time by a User Equipment (UE), wherein the delay in network acquisition may be attributed to redundant reading of information present in a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC).

SUMMARY
[007] Accordingly the invention provides a method for reducing network acquisition time by a User Equipment (UE), wherein the UE is connected to at least one Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) and the UICC associated with a network operator, the method comprising generating a sync ID by the UE, on reading a File Synchronization Change Counter (FSCC) and an Integrated Circuit Card ID (ICCID) from the UICC, when the UE attempts to acquire a network, wherein the sync ID is a combination of the FSCC and the ICCID; checking if the generated sync ID matches a sync ID present in the UE by the UE, if a sync ID corresponding to the UICC is present in the UE; performing following steps, if the generated sync ID does not match the sync ID present in the UE: reading the UICC by the UE; storing the generated sync ID in the UE by the UE; and completing network acquisition procedure by the UE; and performing following steps, if the generated sync ID matches the sync ID present in the UE: skipping reading the UICC by the UE; and completing network acquisition procedure by the UE.
[008] Provided herein is a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) configured for incrementing a File Synchronization Change Counter (FSCC), on the UICC applying an update, wherein the UICC is connected to a User Equipment (UE) and the UICC is associated with the network operator.
[009] Provided herein is a User Equipment (UE) configured for generating a sync ID, on reading a File Synchronization Change Counter (FSCC) and an Integrated Circuit Card ID (ICCID) from a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC), when the UE attempts to acquire a network, wherein the sync ID is a combination of the FSCC and the ICCID and the FSCC is incremented by the UICC, on the UICC applying an update, wherein the UICC is connected to the UE and the UICC is associated with the network operator; checking if the generated sync ID matches a sync ID present in the UE, if a sync ID corresponding to the UICC is present in the UE; performing following steps, if the generated sync ID does not match the sync ID present in the UE: reading the UICC; storing the generated sync ID in the UE; and completing network acquisition procedure; and performing following steps, if the generated sync ID matches the sync ID present in the UE: skipping reading the UICC; and completing network acquisition procedure.
[0010] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0011] This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0012] Fig. 1 shows the UE configured to connect to at least one network operator using at least one UICC inserted into the UE, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0013] Fig. 2 depicts preferred hardware elements within the UICC 103, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0014] Fig. 3 illustrates an example of a EF_OTA_SYNC file, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0015] Fig. 4 depicts the UE, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0016] Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of the UICC receiving an update, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; and
[0017] Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of the UE attempting to read from a UICC, according to embodiments as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0018] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0019] The embodiments herein achieve a method of reducing network acquisition time by a User Equipment (UE) upon the UE having to read a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC). Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 5, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown preferred embodiments.
[0020] Embodiments disclosed herein use the terms ‘UICC’ and ‘SIM Card’ interchangeably throughout this document and it may be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the terms ‘UICC’ and “SIM Card” denote the UICC and does not restrict the embodiments as disclosed herein to a specific wireless communication network technology. Further, the term UICC may be used interchangeably with Subscriber Identity Module, SIM card, Smart card, Network ID card, Micro SIM card, Mini SIM card or any other equivalent means which enables communication over a wireless communication network.
[0021] The User Equipment (UE) as referred to herein may be at least one of a mobile device, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet, a wearable smart device, a phone, a cellular device, a cellphone, a mobile phone, a mobile terminal, an electronic tablet, or any other device configured to perform communications using a UICC.
[0022] The term ‘update’ as used herein may refer to an update for the UICC received through an Over The Air (OTA) means, wherein the OTA can be using a wireless communication network (operated by the network operator or any other entity corresponding to a network operator), an ad-hoc communication network (such as a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, ZigBee and so on). The term ‘update’ as used herein may also refer to an update for the UICC received through a physical connection means, either directly, through the UE or any other suitable device. The update can be received from a network operator or any other entity authorized to update the UICC.
[0023] Fig. 1 shows the UE configured to connect to at least one network operator using at least one UICC inserted into the UE, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The figure depicts a UE 101 connected to at least one network operator 103. The UE 101 may comprise of at least one slot within which a UICC 102 may be inserted, thereby allowing electronic contact between the UE 101 and the UICC 102. The UE 101 may also comprise of one or more slots within which the UICC 102 may be inserted.
[0024] The network operator 103 may enable the UE 101 to communicate using wireless communication means such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), CDMA2000 and so on. The term network operator may be used interchangeably with network, operator, wireless carrier, telecommunication network, Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network, wireless network and so on. The network operator 103 enables the UE 101 to perform communications using the UICC 102, associated with the UE 101.
[0025] The network operator 103 may be configured to update the UICC 102. The update may comprise of new information, software or data. Examples of files that may be updated from the network operator 103 are: EF under MF, EF-DIR, EF-ARR, EF under USIM, EF-IMSI, EF-HPPLMN, EF-UST, EF-GID1, EF-GID2, EF-SPN, EFACC, EF-AD, EF-CBMID, EF-ECC, EF-SDN, EF-EXT3, EF-CNL, EF-THRSHOLD, EF-OPLMwACT, EF-HPLMNwACT, EF-ARR, EF-PNN, EF-OPL, EF-EHPLMN, EF under ISIM, EF-IMPI, EF-DOMAIN, EF-IMPU, EF-AD, EF_ARR, EF under CSIM, EF-IMSI_M, EF-IMSI_T, EF-ACCOLC, EF-PRL, EF-CST, EF-OTA, EF_SPN, EF_USGIND, EF-AD, EF_MAXPRL, EF-ECC, EF-SIPCAP, EF-MIPCAP, EF-SIPUPP, EF-MIPUPP, EF_PUZL, EF-HRPDCAP, EF-HRPDUPP, EF-EPRL and so on. The updates may be sent from the network operator or any other authorized entity, as required. The network operator 103, on receiving an indication from the user, may send the updates to the UICC 102. On receiving an update from the network operator 103, the UICC 102 may update a counter to indicate that the update has been received and applied.
[0026] On the UICC 102 being inserted into the UE 101 or the UE 101 moving into a network mode (such as the UE 101 powering ON, the UE coming out of flight mode and so on), the UE 101 attempts to read the UICC 102, before booting up. The UE 101 is configured to check if the UICC 102 has been updated by checking the counter, since the last time the UE 101 read the UICC 102. If the UE 101 has been updated since the last time the UE 101 read the UICC 102, the UE 101 will read the UICC 102 and based on the data as read by the UE 101, the UE 101 continues boot-up process. If the UE 101 has not been updated since the last time the UE 101 read the UICC 102, the UE 101 continues boot-up process, based on the data as previously read from the UICC 102.
[0027] Fig. 2 depicts preferred hardware elements within the UICC 102, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. As depicted in FIG. 2, the UICC 102 comprises of a UICC controller 201, a Non-volatile memory (NVM) 202 and a communication interface 203. The UICC 102 further comprises an ID unique to each user/subscriber to the network operator 103, referred to as an ICCID (Integrated Circuit Card ID). The UICC controller 201 may be a hardware processor that may control the flow of data. The non-volatile memory 202 is a memory present internal to the UICC 102. The non-volatile memory 202 comprises data such as the ICCID, counters, updates from the network operator to which the UICC belongs, user data and so on. The communication interface 203 in the UICC 102 may be used for communication with the UE 101 and the network operator 103. The communication interface 203 may also enable the network operator 103 to provide updates to the UICC 102. The communication interface 203 may comprise of a plurality of interfaces, such as a physical electrical contact based interface, an air interface and so on.
[0028] The UICC controller 201, on receiving an update from the network 103 through the communication interface 203, applies the update, as required. The update may be for a single file, present on the UICC 102 or to be added to the UICC 102. The update may be for a plurality of files, as present on the UICC 102 or to be added to the UICC 102. The UICC controller 201 may store the update in the non-volatile memory 202. The UICC controller 201 may increment a File Synchronization Change Counter (FSCC) after the update of any file is received and applied. In an embodiment herein, the UICC controller 201 may increment the counter by one after an update of any file is received and applied. In an embodiment herein, the FSCC may be encoded using a hexadecimal system. In an embodiment herein, the FSCC may be initialized to “00 00” (empty). In an embodiment herein, the FSCC may be of 2 bytes long. The UICC controller 201 may further store the FSCC in the memory 202.
[0029] Fig. 4 depicts the UE, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The UE 101, as depicted, comprises of a UE controller 401, a non-volatile device memory 402 and at least one communication interface 403. The UE controller 401 may be a hardware processor that may control the functions of the UE 101 and enables operations to be performed by the UE 101. The non-volatile device memory 402 may be a memory present internal to the UE 101. The non-volatile memory 402 may comprise data such as the user data, network data, the Sync ID (as last read by the UE 101) and so on. The communication interface 403 may be used for communication with the UICC 102 and the network operator 103. The communication interface 403 may comprise of a plurality of interfaces, such as a physical electrical contact based interface, at least one air interface and so on.
[0030] The UE controller 401 may be configured to read at least one content from the UICC 102, on at least one scenario occurring. The scenario may be the UE 101 powering up, the UE 101 reading a new UICC 102 for the first time, the UE 101 exiting flight mode, the UE 101 having to attempt to detect signals from the network operator 103 (which may be due to dropped signals, either due to a network issue/hole or an issue with the UE 101) or any other scenario which requires the UE 101 to read data from the UICC 102.
[0031] Consider a scenario where the UICC 102 has been first inserted into the UE 101. The UE controller 401 may read the FSCC and the ICCID from the UICC 102. The UE controller 401 may then generate a sync ID using the FSCC and the ICCID. In an embodiment, the sync ID may be 12 bytes, with 10 bytes of the ICCID and 2 bytes of a file synchronization change counter (FSCC) from EF_OTA_SYNC file (as depicted in FIG. 3). The UE controller 401 may check if the sync ID is present in the memory 402, wherein the sync ID may be associated with the UICC 102. If the sync ID is not present in the memory 402, the UE controller 401 may store the sync ID in the memory 402 and read the UICC 102.
[0032] On having to read from a UICC 102, the UE controller 401 may initially read the ICCID and FSCC from the UICC 102. The UE controller 401 may then generate the sync ID. The UE controller 401 may check if the sync ID (as generated) matches a sync ID (as present in the memory 402) corresponding to the UICC 102.
[0033] If the sync ID (as generated) matches the sync ID in the memory 402, the UE controller 401 may consider that the UICC 102 has not been updated, since the last time this UE 101 read the UICC 102. Then, the UE controller 401 skips reading the UICC 102 and proceeds with the further initialization process (as required in the standard process). In an embodiment herein, the UE controller 401 may not be required to read all read-only pre-defined files from the UICC 102 as a part of the standard initialization process, as specified in the Global Certification Forum (GCF) test, however the UE controller 401 may send a new cause in a status command to inform the UICC 102 that the UE controller 401 has completed UICC initialization procedure without reading mandatory GCF files
[0034] The following table depicts status commands achieved after the UE 101 and the UICC 102 have completed initialization procedure.
Code Value
CLA As specified in clause 10.1.1 ETSI 102.221
INS F2
P1 Indication of application status (as in table 11.8 ETSI 102.221)
P2 See table 11.9 ETSI 102.221
Le Empty, ‘00’, or maximum length of data expected in response

[0035] The table below depicts the Modified table 11.8 ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) 102.221.
b8 b7 b6 b5 b4 b3 b2 b1 Meaning
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 No indication
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Current application is initialized in the terminal
0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 The terminal will initiate the termination of the current application
0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 Current application is initialized in the terminal without reading read-only files.

[0036] If the sync ID (as generated) does not match the sync ID in the memory 402, the UE controller 401 may consider that the UICC 102 has been updated, since the last time this UE 101 read the UICC 102. Then, the UE controller 401 may read the UICC 102, before proceeding with the further initialization process (as required in the standard process). The UE controller 401 may further store the sync ID (as generated) in the memory 403. In an embodiment herein, the UE controller 401 may overwrite the sync ID in the memory 402 with the sync ID (as generated).
[0037] Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of the UICC receiving an update, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The UICC 102, on receiving (501) an update from the network 103, applies (502) the update, as required. The update may be for a single file, present on the UICC 102 or to be added to the UICC 102. The update may be for a plurality of files, as present on the UICC 102 or to be added to the UICC 102. The UICC 102 increments (503) the FSCC after the update of any file has been received and applied and stores (504) the FSCC in the memory 202. The various actions in method 500 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 5 may be omitted.
[0038] Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of the UE attempting to read from a UICC, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The UE 101 reads (601) the ICCID and FSCC from the UICC 102. The UE 101 generates (602) the sync ID using the ICCID and the FSCC. The UE 101 checks (603) if the UE 101 has previously read the UICC 102 by checking if a sync ID for that UICC 102 is present in the UE 101. If the UE 101 has not previously read the UICC 102, the UE 101 reads (604) the UICC 102, before proceeding (605) with the further initialization process (as required in the standard process). The UE 101 further stores (606) the sync ID (as generated) in the UE 101. If the UE 101 has previously read the UICC 102, the UE 101 checks (607) if the sync ID (as read) matches the sync ID corresponding to the UICC 102. If the sync ID (as generated) matches the sync ID in the memory 402, the UE 101 skips (608) reading the UICC 102 and proceeds (609) with the further initialization process (as required in the standard process). In an embodiment herein, the UE 101 reads only pre-defined files from the UICC 102 as a part of the standard initialization process, as specified in the Global Certification Forum (GCF) test. If the sync ID (as generated) does not match the sync ID in the memory 402, the UE 101 reads (604) the UICC 102, before proceeding (605) with the further initialization process (as required in the standard process). The UE 101 further stores (606) the sync ID (as generated) in the memory 403. In an embodiment herein, the UE 101 overwrites the sync ID with the sync ID (as generated). The various actions in method 600 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 6 may be omitted.
[0039] Embodiments as disclosed herein enable a reduction in boot time of a UE 101, as the UE 101 has to only read data from the UICC 102 only on the UICC 102 receiving an update. This enables the eliminating the read time, in most cases (except where an update has been received).
[0040] The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented through at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the elements. The elements shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 can be at least one of a hardware device, or a combination of hardware device and software module.
[0041] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

STATEMENT OF CLAIMS
We claim:
1. A method for reducing network acquisition time by a User Equipment (UE), wherein said UE is connected to at least one Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) and said UICC associated with a network operator, said method comprising
generating a sync ID by said UE, on reading a File Synchronization Change Counter (FSCC) and an Integrated Circuit Card ID (ICCID) from said UICC, when said UE attempts to acquire a network, wherein said sync ID is a combination of said FSCC and said ICCID;
checking if said generated sync ID matches a sync ID present in said UE by said UE, if a sync ID corresponding to said UICC is present in said UE;
performing following steps, if said generated sync ID does not match said sync ID present in said UE
reading said UICC by said UE;
storing said generated sync ID in said UE by said UE; and
completing network acquisition procedure by said UE; and
performing following steps, if said generated sync ID matches said sync ID present in said UE
skipping reading said UICC by said UE; and
completing network acquisition procedure by said UE.
2. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said method comprises of
incrementing a File Synchronization Change Counter (FSCC) by said UICC, on said UICC applying an update; and
storing said FSCC by said UICC.
3. The method, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises of
reading said UICC by said UE for said ICCID and said FSCC;
generating said sync ID by said UE;
storing said generated sync ID in said UE by said UE; and
completing network acquisition procedure by said UE;
if sync ID corresponding to said UICC is not present in said UE.
4. A Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) configured for incrementing a File Synchronization Change Counter (FSCC), on said UICC applying an update, wherein said UICC is connected to a User Equipment (UE) and said UICC is associated with said network operator.
5. A User Equipment (UE) configured for
generating a sync ID, on reading a File Synchronization Change Counter (FSCC) and an Integrated Circuit Card ID (ICCID) from a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC), when said UE attempts to acquire a network, wherein said sync ID is a combination of said FSCC and said ICCID and said FSCC is incremented by said UICC, on said UICC applying an update, wherein said UICC is connected to said UE and said UICC is associated with said network operator;
checking if said generated sync ID matches a sync ID present in said UE, if a sync ID corresponding to said UICC is present in said UE;
performing following steps, if said generated sync ID does not match said sync ID present in said UE
reading said UICC;
storing said generated sync ID in said UE; and
completing network acquisition procedure; and
performing following steps, if said generated sync ID matches said sync ID present in said UE
skipping reading said UICC; and
completing network acquisition procedure.
6. The UE, as claimed in claim 5, wherein said UE is further configured for
reading said UICC for said ICCID and said FSCC;
generating said sync ID;
storing said generate sync ID in said UE; and
completing network acquisition procedure;
if sync ID corresponding to said UICC is not present in said UE.

Date: 19 February 2015 Signature:
Kalyan Chakravarthy

ABSTRACT
Reducing the network acquisition time by a User Equipment (UE). The present invention relates to the field of mobile communications and more particularly to a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) used in mobile communications. The principal object of the embodiments herein is to reduce network acquisition time by a User Equipment (UE), wherein the delay in network acquisition may be attributed to redundant reading of information present in a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC).
FIG. 3