Dynamic Group Provisioning

BACKGROUND:

Field:

[0001] Communication systems, such as an evolved packet system, may benefit from methods for providing dynamic provisioning of group relevant data. In particular, certain communication systems in which machine type communication and devices used for public safety communication are deployed may benefit from a feature for providing dynamic group provisioning.

Description of the Related Art:

[0002] The evolved packet system (EPS), the successor of general packet radio system (GPRS), provides radio interfaces and packet core network functions for broadband wireless data access. EPS core network functions include the mobility management entity (MME), the packet data network gateway (PDN- GW) and the Serving Gateway (S-GW). An example of an evolved packet core architecture is illustrated in Figure 1 and is described by third generation partnership project (3 GPP) technical specification (TS) 23.401, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirely. A common packet domain core network can be used for both radio access networks (RANs), the global system for mobile communication (GSM) enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) radio access network (GERAN) and the universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN).

[0003] For machine-type-communication (MTC) a functional entity called MTC interworking function (MTC-IWF) and several new interfaces, including S6m, Tsp, Tsms, T5a/b/c and T4, have been introduced to the 3GPP architecture. Figure 2 illustrates machine-type-communication additions to the 3GPP architecture, as well as the various interfaces identified. The MTC-IWF and the new interfaces in 3GPP Release 11 (Rel 11) can, for example, enable triggering of devices with or without a mobile subscriber integrated services digital network number (MSISDN) from an internal or external MTC server. The triggering of the devices may be, for example, in order to establish a packet data network (PDN) connection and/or packet data protocol (PDP) context. A 3GPP architecture for machine -type communication is discussed in 3GPP TS 23.682, which incorporated herein by reference in its entirely.

[0004] A default assumption in 3GPP is that there is an agreement between operator and service provider. Moreover, the operator maintains groups in the HSS or wherever needed. There is no conventional way to assign users to different groups dynamically.

SUMMARY:

[0005] According to a first embodiment, a method includes triggering dynamic grouping of a user equipment to a group by the user equipment, by a services capability server or by a application server. The triggering is configured to trigger a network element to perform the dynamic grouping of the user equipment.

[0006] According to a second embodiment, a method includes receiving a trigger to perform dynamic grouping of a user equipment. The method also includes dynamically grouping the user equipment to a group in response to the trigger.

[0007] An apparatus, according to a third embodiment, includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to trigger dynamic grouping of a user equipment to a group by the user equipment or by a services capability server or by an application server. The triggering is configured to trigger a network element to perform the dynamic grouping of the user equipment. [0008] An apparatus, according to a fourth embodiment, includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to receive a trigger to perform dynamic grouping of a user equipment. The at least one memory and the computer program code are also configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to dynamically group the user equipment to a group in response to the trigger.

[0009] According to a fifth embodiment, an apparatus includes triggering means for triggering dynamic grouping of a user equipment to a group by the user equipment or by a services capability server or by an application server. The triggering is configured to trigger a network element to perform the dynamic grouping of the user equipment.

[0010] According to a sixth embodiment, an apparatus includes receiving means for receiving a trigger to perform dynamic grouping of a user equipment. The apparatus also includes grouping means for dynamically grouping the user equipment to a group in response to the trigger.

[001 1] A non- transitory computer-readable according to seventh and eighth embodiments is encoded with instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform a process, the process comprising the method according to respectively the first and second embodiments, discussed above.

[0012] According to a ninth embodiment, a system includes an apparatus according to the third embodiment and an apparatus according to the fourth embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:

[0013] For proper understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0014] Figure 1 illustrates an evolved packet core architecture.

[0015] Figure 2 illustrates machine-type-communication additions to a third generation partnership project architecture.

[0016] Figure 3 illustrates dynamic grouping triggered by a user equipment, according to certain embodiments.

[0017] Figure 4 illustrates dynamic grouping triggered by a services capabilities server, according to certain embodiments.

[0018] Figure 5 illustrates provisioning a group identifier or external ID in a device using OMA-DM, according to certain embodiments.

[0019] Figure 6 illustrates method according to certain embodiments.

[0020] Figure 7 illustrates a system according to certain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION:

[0021] In third generation partnership project (3GPP) Release 12 (Rel-12), group features such as group policing, group charging, group messaging, group based usage monitoring may be included. Group based communication may be applied to address public safety use cases. Minimum size of a group may be around 100 or 1000 users and the size of the group can be left up to operator policies. For some use cases, static grouping in the home subscriber server (HSS) may be sufficient, such as for grouping smart phone users in a family plan.

[0022] However, for use cases that involve a service provider owning millions of devices, static grouping may be cumbersome and a labor intensive process; not to mention the associated cost and human errors that may be associated with it. Thus, certain embodiments may provide dynamic provisioning methods that can be automated in a system to create groups dynamically.

[0023] For public safety use cases, a requirement for dynamic grouping may be valuable as the controller may want to group different set of users as critical subscribers depending on the event that is ongoing. For example, in some cases and in some areas, such as catastrophe areas where there is rioting, police may be more important than fire fighter or rescuer. In other cases, the rescuers are more important than policemen, and there may be cases when a few selected members of each group are more important than others, such as those who have been at the scene the longest. In a particular embodiment, for example, a command center with a commander who oversees this mission can be permitted to ensure that his selected team members, for example a core group of elite members, will have the highest chance of accessing and utilizing this public safety network. Those selected members can be grouped together dynamically.

[0024] Thus, certain embodiments broadly relate to automated methods for provisioning groups dynamically. More particularly, certain embodiments provide ways to automatically group devices, as well as to generate and provision the group identifier in the HSS and in an application server (AS). Certain embodiments provide a way to provision group identifier in the device for devices that need to know the device's own group identifier. Furthermore, certain embodiments provide or rely on rules and principles for shared identifier allocation and conditions for shared identifier re-allocation due to dynamic grouping.

[0025] There can be more than one way to automatically group devices and to generate and provision group identifiers within the network. According to a first option, application level information needed for group formation can be sent to the network by the user equipment (UE) itself. To minimize impact to existing network elements, such application level information can be sent transparently to the network. According to a second embodiment, application level information needed for group formation is sent to the network by a services capability server (SCS) / application server (AS).

[0026] Figure 3 illustrates dynamic grouping triggered by a user equipment, according to certain embodiments. As shown in Figure 3, at 1 the user equipment can initiate an attach procedure with the network. During the process, the network may provide additional information such as MTC-IWF / SCS / application server address to the device. Also, if the UE needs to request an external ID for its applications, it can provide a list of appID along with the device ID to the network. If the device is configured with the group ID, it may provide this. Alternatively, UE may provide the relevant features supported, such as, for example, group based messaging, communication, or the like. AppID can be an application layer identifier to identify the specific application(s) on the specific device which will communicate with SCS/AS on application layer over the PS connection. They are transparent to the network, only known by the application running in the UE, and SCS/AS. These parameters (MTC-IWF address, list {appID}, device ID) may be conveyed in the PCO IE of the session setup procedure.

[0027] At 2, the mobility management entity (MME)/serving general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN) can provide an update location request / notify. The MME/SGSN can notify HSS of the list of appID, device ID, group ID, group features it received. With the presence of the list of appID, HSS can start the external ID generation and distribution process. If list {appID} is not present, HSS can wait, rather than immediately starting the process. This waiting may ensure that external ID will only be generated when explicitly requested by the UE.

[0028] At 3, the HSS and an interworking function (IWF) may generate an external ID and map international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) to external ID. If group ID is present, the HSS can insert the group ID within the user's subscription to map the user to a group dynamically, with no manual provisioning needed. If group ID is not present, HSS can determine whether the user, or the user equipment, needs to belong to a group based on an operator's policy or requested by other means, for example, the service provider can instruct the mobile operator through a Web interface that certain UEs should belong to a group. HSS also determines which group it should belong to based on operator policies or based on external request. Criteria for forming groups at the IWF/HSS are discussed below. In general, various criteria can be used by the HSS/IWF to generate a group identifier and map users to a certain group. [0029] At 4, the HSS can notify the IWF with the generated group ID and can include the list of 2-tuple {appID, externallD} as well as IMSI.

[0030] At 5, the MTC-IWF can send an indication to the SCS, which can be pre-configured, with the list of 2-tuple (appID, external identifier), device ID, and group ID. The SCS can store the mapping for later use. The SCS can inform the application server (AS) about device ID, appID, generated external ID, and group ID. The AS can then store extID together with the appID, device ID and group ID that is specific for the device. In order to trigger a certain application on a device, device ID and appID can be mapped to external ID. In order to trigger a group to which the device belongs to, the AS can use the group ID received.

[0031] At 6, the HSS can notify the MME / SGSN when the user is being mapped to a certain group for the first time. When there is a change in the mapping of group ID for a certain device, for example when UE 1 has been moved from group 1 to group 2, the HSS can notify the MME/SGSN of this change. This step can be valuable because the MME and SGSN may perform shared identifier allocation or shared identifier re-allocation for devices within the group when it is being mapped to a certain group for the first time to ensure successful group communication. For example, shared globally unique temporary identifier (GUTI) allocation can be performed in case of LTE, or shared P-TMSI allocation can be performed in case of 2G/3G, as discussed below with respect to rules that can be adopted for allocating shared identifiers.

[0032] At 7, when there is a new mapping of a user to a certain group, the MME/SGSN can allocate a shared identifier for the device that is currently being registered. When there is change in the mapping of group ID for a certain device, the MME/SGSN can re-allocate the shared identifier for all the devices within the group. This can be done either as part of Attach Accept or TAU (Tracking area update accept) or independently, for example, using a GUTI reallocation command. When group communication is performed, UE 1 that moved from Group 1 to Group 2 should no longer receive group messages targeted for Group 1 and this may involve paging some devices that are in the idle mode. The group messages can include, for example, group paging or group messaging. Otherwise, if dynamic group change is not performed, the MME/SGSN may not re-allocate shared identifiers until at least one device that belongs to certain group is registered with that MME/SGSN.

[0033] Figure 4 illustrates dynamic grouping triggered by a services capabilities server, according to certain embodiments. As shown in Figure 4, at 1 a UE can initiate an attach procedure with the network. During the process, the network may provide additional information such as MTC- IWF/SCS/AS address to the device.

[0034] At 2, on an application layer, the MTC device can register to the SCS using, for example, a default bearer that allows only communication with this SCS. IMSI can be contained in the message to identify the requesting UE. Alternatively an IPv6 address can be used for this purpose, or any other network layer identifier (device ID) which can uniquely identify the UE. A list of appID(s) for which external ID(s) need to be allocated, and the device ID that uniquely identifies the device is contained in the message. Optionally, MTC-IWF address is contained so that SCS can know the destination of the message at 3.

[0035] At 3, the SCS can send a "generate identifiers" request to the MTC- IWF. The network layer identifier of the MTC device and the list of appID can be contained in the request. The network layer identifier may be, for example, IMSI, IPv6 address, or any other device ID.

[0036] At 4, the MTC-IWF can generate a new external identifier for each appID in the list.

[0037] Then, at 5, the MTC-IWF can notify the HSS of the list of newly generated external identifiers. The HSS can then map the list to the corresponding IMSI. If a group ID is present, the HSS can insert the group ID into the user's subscription data to map the user to a group dynamically, with no manual provisioning needed. If group ID is not present, the HSS can determine whether a user needs to belong to a group based on an operator's policy or based on an external request from an application service provider. The HSS can also determine which group it should belong to based on operator policies or external request. Criteria for forming groups at the IWF/HSS are discussed below. As discussed below, various criteria can be used by the HSS/IWF to generate group identifier and map users to a certain group.

[0038] At 6, the HSS can sends an indication via MTC-IWF to the SCS with the list of 2-tuple (appID, external identifier). The SCS can store the mapping for later use.

[0039] At 7, in response to the request at 2, the SCS can optionally notify the MTC device with the list of generated external ID(s) for each appID.

[0040] At 8, the HSS can notify the MME / SGSN when the user is being mapped to a certain group for the first time. When there is a change in the mapping of group ID for a certain device, for example when UE 1 has been moved from group 1 to group 2, the HSS can notify the MME/SGSN of this change. This step may be valuable, because the MME and SGSN may perform shared identifier allocation or shared identifier re-allocation for devices within the group when it is being mapped to a certain group for the first time to ensure successful group communication. For example, shared GUTI allocation can be performed in case of LTE, or shared P-TMSI allocation can be performed in case of 2G/3G, as discussed below with respect to rules that can be adopted for allocating shared identifiers.

[0041] At 9, when there is a new mapping of user to a certain group, the MME/SGSN can allocate shared identifier for the device that is currently being registered. When there is change in the mapping of group ID for a certain device, the MME/SGSN can re-allocate the shared identifier for all the devices within the group. This can be done either as part of Attach Accept or TAU (Tracking area update accept) or independently, for example, using a GUTI reallocation command. Thus, for example, when group communication is performed, UE 1 that moved from Group 1 to Group 2 may no longer be supposed to receive group messages, such as group paging or group messaging, targeted for Group 1, and this may involve paging some devices that are in the idle mode. Otherwise, if dynamic group change is not performed, the MME/SGSN may not re-allocate shared identifiers until at least one device that belongs to certain group is registered with that MME/SGSN.

[0042] The above options may both include that the SCS/AS can notify the device with the generated external ID and optionally the generated group ID. Moreover, in both of the above options, the presence of the MTC-IWF is optional and, thus, may not be required for deployment for public safety network. When MTC-IWF is not present, the HSS may have direct communication with the SCS/AS.

[0043] As mentioned above, various criteria can be used for forming groups at the HSS/IWF. For example, the UE / SCS or application server can provide group ID that the UE should belong to in the request, for example, if the UE / SCS/ AS already has that information. For instance, in case of public safety groups, SCS or application server could be the controller initiating the dynamic grouping via some web based interface. If group ID is provided, then IWF/HSS can use the group ID and perform the mapping dynamically.

[0044] Otherwise, IWF/HSS can use some pre-configured policies to identify whether new group ID should be generated or not, such as whether the UE should belong in a group or not or whether a group that the UE should belong to, already exists based on some pre-defined criteria.

[0045] The policies and the criteria can be based on application ID (application running in the UE), service provider ID, features that the user is subscribed to, features that the UE supports, the location of the UE, or any combination thereof. The features that the user is subscribed to can include group policing / messaging and the like. If the operator policy is to assign groups purely based on features supported, then the HSS can simply use the features the UE supports or the features the user is subscribed in order to form a feature specific group, such as a policy group, a messaging group, and a charging group.

[0046] Automatic provisioning of group identifier in the device can be accomplished various ways. For example, a group identifier can be generated either online, using the method described above, or offline using a traditional manual provision. This group identifier, however generated, can be provisioned in the device via OMA-DM or OTA, or by any application layer mechanism.

[0047] Figure 5 illustrates provisioning a group identifier or external ID in a device using OMA-DM, according to certain embodiments. As shown in Figure 5, at 1, a group ID that has been generated offline or online using the mechanism described above can be provisioned in the SCS, which is acting as a OMA DM push proxy gateway.

[0048] At 2, the OMA DM push proxy gateway can communicate with the IWF to trigger the device using external identifier. Then, at 3, the IWF can submit the device trigger request over 3gpp access.

[0049] At 4, the UE can receive the trigger and forward the trigger to the appropriate application. Moreover, at 5, the triggered application can process the trigger and trigger the establishment of a PDN connection. Likewise, at 6, the UE can initiate communication with the push proxy gateway to obtain content.

[0050] At 7, the push proxy gateway can provision the device with an external identifier along with other parameters. Later, at 8, additional application communication may happen depending on the content received.

[0051] Ensuring generation of globally unique group identifier can be achieved in various ways. Group identifier generation explained above can be performed using a combination of app ID, which can be application specific, and domain ID, which can be operator specific. If the app ID contains operator's domain name or service provider's domain name encoded in some format (e.g. URI, NAI), the resulting group identifier will be globally unique.

[0052] Shared identifier allocation can be performed in more than one alternative. According to a first alternative a shared identifier can be allocated for 2G/3G.

[0053] In case of 2G / 3G, the shared identifier can be allocated to devices within the group. Either the packet temporary mobile subscriber identity (P- TMSI) can be modified or a new shared identifier can be used specifically for this purpose. There may be at least three options to allocate shared identifiers in the first alternative. The allocation can follow the corresponding rules described below.

[0054] According to a first option, modified rules can used for TMSI definition. The size of the TMSI can be 4 octets: TMSI = <bit 31 - bit 30>+<bit 29 - bit 24> + <NRI> + <bit 13 - bit 0>. Bits 30 - 31 can include 2 MSBs with values 00, 01 , 10 used by the VLR; 11 used by the SGSN. Bits 9 - 0 can be assigned the same value for all groups, in order to derive the same paging occasion (PO) for all UE(s) that belong to any group. Bits 29 - 24 and bits 13 - 10 can be assigned the same value for all UE(s) that belong to a certain group. If 2 of these bits are assigned for a recovery counter, then it can be bits 30 - 29 or bits 10, 1 1 as an example.

[0055] Using existing definition of TMSI with modified semantics for the bits within the TMSI may permit only 6 + 2 = 8 bits that can be allocated for the "Group TMSI" = 256 groups in the SGSN area. This imposes a limitation on the number of groups allowed in an SGSN area.

[0056] According to a second option, rules for enhanced TMSI definition can include that the size of the TMSI is increased to 5 octets: TMSI = <bit 31 - bit 30>+<bit 37- bit 32> + <NRI> + <bit 21 - bit 0>. In this case, bits 30 - 31 can be 2 MSBs with values 00, 01, 10 used by the VLR and 11 used by the SGSN. Bits 9 - 0 can be assigned the same value for all groups - in order to derive the same paging occasion (PO)for all UE(s) that belong to any group. Moreover, Bits 29 - 24 and bits 13 - 10 can be assigned the same value for all UE(s) that belong to a certain group. If 2 of these bits are assigned for recovery counter, then the assigned bits may be bits 30 - 29 or bits 10, 1 1 as an example.

[0057] Modified TMSI could remove the restriction imposed by current TMSI and allow 6 + 2 + 8 = 16 bits that can be allocated for the "Group TMSI" = 65536 groups in the SGSN area.

[0058] According to a third option, rules for a new identifier definition can include that a new shared identifier is defined for 2G / 3G that follows the following rules. Two bits are allocated for identifying SGSN (MSB = 1 1), VLR (00, 01, 10), ten bits are allocated for NRI, four octets are available for group allocation, two bits are allocated for recovery counter, ten bits are assigned the same value for all groups to ensure same paging occasion (PO) for all UE(s) in the group, and twenty bits are available as shared space available for individual group identifiers (~1M groups). This is just one example and any of the above rules could be omitted or altered to be a different number of bits.

[0059] Bit positions are not, in this option, constrained by existing TMSI definition. Thus, this option may provide additional flexibility in the number of contiguous bits / octets remaining for allocating groups. As mentioned above, 20 bits may be available as shared space (~1M groups).

[0060] In a second alternative, a shared identifier may be allocated for LTE. In case of LTE, shared GUTI can be allocated to devices in the group as follows: <Group-GUTI> = <MCC> + <MNO+<MMEGI> + <MMEC> + <unique identifier within the MME>. The <unique identifier within the MME> can be of 32 bits in length. The 32 bits can be a shared space for M- TMSI and <unique identifier within the MME>. If two bits are allocated for recovery counter, then 2 ^A 30 identifiers are left that can be shared. Thus, the number of identifiers available that can be shared is quite large, for example, 5 Billion identifiers.

[0061] In case of LTE, shared S-TMSI can be allocated to devices in the group as follows: <Group-S-TMSI>= <MMEC> + <unique identifier within the MME>. The last 10 bits may be allocated the same value for all groups to ensure same paging occasion (PO) for all UE(s) in the group. The same principle could be applied for the last 10 bits of Group GUTI.

[0062] Figure 6 illustrates methods according to certain embodiments. The methods shown in Figure 6 can be performed by a variety of devices, such as the machine type communication device (MTC), devices used for public safety communication, which can be considered a user equipment, of Figures 3 and 4, the HSS of Figures 3 and 4, the MTC-IWF of Figures 3 and 4, and the SCS of Figure 3 and 4.

[0063] A method can include, at 610, triggering dynamic grouping of a user equipment to a group by the user equipment or by a services capability server. The triggering can be configured to trigger a network element to perform the dynamic grouping of the user equipment. The can be or include an explicit triggering by sending a group identifier from the user equipment or the services capability server or the application server. Alternatively, the triggering can be an implicit triggering by sending a list of supported features or supported applications.

[0064] The method can also include, at 620, notifying the user equipment of an external identifier corresponding to the group by a services capabilities server or application server.

[0065] Another method, which can be interrelated with the previous method, can include, at 630, receiving a trigger to perform dynamic grouping of a user equipment. The method can additionally, include, at 640, dynamically grouping the user equipment to a group in response to the trigger. The dynamically grouping is performed by an interworking function or a home subscriber server, although it can also be performed by other network elements.

[0066] The dynamic grouping can be based on at least one of a provided group identifier, a determination of whether a group suitable for the user equipment is already in existence, an application identifier of an application running in the user equipment, a service provider identifier, at least one feature to which a user of the user equipment is subscribed, a location of the user equipment, or at least one feature that the user equipment supports.

[0067] The method can additionally include, at 650, mapping the group, the user equipment, or both to an external identifier. The method can additionally include, at 660, notifying at least one of an interworking function or a services capabilities server or application server regarding the mapping. The services capabilities server or application server can be notified directly or indirectly by the network element that performed the mapping. In another embodiment, the services capabilities server or application server itself can perform the mapping.

[0068] The method can also include, at 670, generating a group identifier for the user equipment of the group, wherein the group identifier comprises at least one of a unique group identifier and a shared identifier. The unique group identifier can include a combination of an application identifier and a domain identifier. The methods can also include, at 680, receiving at the user equipment a notification of a dynamically allocated group identifier. The shared identifier can include at least one of a temporary mobile subscriber identity having modified semantics (such as the first option for 2G/3G shared identifier, discussed above), an enhanced temporary mobile subscriber identity (such as the second option for 2G/3G shared identifier, discussed above), a new shared identifier (such as the third option for 2G/3G shared identifier, discussed above), or a shared globally unique temporary identifier (such as the LTE shared identifier, discussed above).

[0069] Figure 7 illustrates a system according to certain embodiments of the invention. In one embodiment, a system may include multiple devices, such as, for example, user equipment 710, network element 720, and interworking function 730. The network element can be any of the network elements illustrated or discussed herein, such as an MME, SGSN, HSS or SCS. Each of these devices may include at least one processor, respectively indicated as 714, 724, and 734. At least one memory is provided in each device, and indicated as 715, 725, and 735, respectively. The memory may include computer program instructions or computer code contained therein. Transceivers 716, 726, and 736 are provided, and each device may also include an antenna, respectively illustrated as 717, 727, and 737. Other configurations of these devices, for example, may be provided. For example, user equipment 710, network element 720, and interworking function 730 may be configured for wired communication, rather than wireless communication, and in such a case antennas 717, 727, and 737 would illustrate any form of communication hardware, without requiring a conventional antenna.

[0070] Transceivers 716, 726, and 736 can each, independently, be a transmitter, a receiver, or both a transmitter and a receiver, or a unit or device that is configured both for transmission and reception.

[0071] Processors 714, 724, and 734 can be embodied by any computational or data processing device, such as a central processing unit (CPU), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or comparable device. The processors can be implemented as a single controller, or a plurality of controllers or processors.

[0072] Memories 715, 725, and 735 can independently be any suitable storage device, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A hard disk drive (HDD), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, or other suitable memory can be used. The memories can be combined on a single integrated circuit as the processor, or may be separate therefrom. Furthermore, the computer program instructions stored in the memory and which may be processed by the processors can be any suitable form of computer program code, for example, a compiled or interpreted computer program written in any suitable programming language.

[0073] The memory and the computer program instructions can be configured, with the processor for the particular device, to cause a hardware apparatus such as user equipment 710, network element 720, and interworking function 730, to perform any of the processes described above (see, for example, Figures 3-6). Therefore, in certain embodiments, a non- transitory computer- readable medium can be encoded with computer instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform a process such as one of the processes described herein. Alternatively, certain embodiments of the invention can be performed entirely in hardware.

[0074] Furthermore, although Figure 7 illustrates a system including a user equipment, network element, and interworking function, embodiments of the invention may be applicable to other configurations, and configurations involving additional elements, as illustrated herein. As well, as mentioned above, it is not strictly necessary that an interworking function be included.

[0075] Certain embodiments may have various benefits. For example, certain embodiments may replace traditional manual provisioning of groups with automatic provisioning, which may save significant amount of labor cost (in general saves OPEX). Certain embodiments may be particularly beneficial and required for public safety user groups. Certain embodiments may enable automated grouping based on service provider or application running in the device dynamically. Moreover, certain embodiments can be applied to any 3 GPP (LTE, GERAN, UTRAN) or 3GPP2 access technologies. Furthermore, certain approaches described herein can be extended to any packet switched (PS) only device, such as dongles, smart meters, smart phones, and/or devices with AC 11 - 15.

[0076] One having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the invention as discussed above may be practiced with steps in a different order, and/or with hardware elements in configurations which are different than those which are disclosed. Therefore, although the invention has been described based upon these preferred embodiments, it would be apparent to those of skill in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions would be apparent, while remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention. In order to determine the metes and bounds of the invention, therefore, reference should be made to the appended claims.

[0077] Glossary

[0078] IMSI - International Mobile Subscriber Identity

[0079] M2M, MTC - Machine Type Communication

[0080] OA&M - Operation, Administration and Maintenance

[0081] SIMTC - System Improvements for Machine Type Communication

(3 GPP Rel-1 1 work item)

[0082] SCS - Services Capability Server

[0083] IWF - Interworking Function

[0084] V-IWF - Visited network interworking function

[0085] H-IWF - Home network interworking function

[0086] Ext ID - External Identifier (could be NAI, URI or FQDN)

[0087] UE - User Equipment

[0088] PLMN - Public Land Mobile Network

[0089] FQDN - Fully Qualified Domain Name

[0090] DNS - Domain Name System

[0091] MNC - Mobile Network Code

[0092] MCC - Mobile Country Code

[0093] AS - Application Server

[0094] MSB - Most Significant Bit

[0095] LSB - Least Significant Bit