| CPC H04W 36/08 (2013.01) [H04W 8/20 (2013.01); H04W 36/0055 (2013.01); H04W 36/1446 (2023.05)] | 11 Claims |
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1. A source network node comprising a wireless terminal device and including at least one processor, and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the source network node to:
store at least two subscriber identifiers;
trigger a handover procedure for a first subscriber identifier of the at least two subscriber identifiers; and
transmit, during the handover procedure, a handover message to a target network node, the target network node comprising a base station, an access point, an access node, or a relay station and managing a target cell for the handover procedure, wherein the handover message comprises at least a second subscriber identifier of the at least two subscriber identifiers,
wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the source network node to:
transmit, to the target network node, a request for indicating the second network node accepts information on multiple subscriber identifiers;
receive, from the target network node as a response to the request, a message indicating the target network node accepts the information on multiple subscriber identifiers; and
wherein the handover message comprising at least the second subscriber identifier is responsive to the target network node indicating that the target network node accepts the information on multiple subscriber identifiers,
wherein the request comprises at least one information element indicating the source network node accepts information on multiple subscriber identifiers,
wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the source network node to:
upon receiving an instruction from the network to hand a radio resource control connection over to the target network node, when executing the handover, transmit to the target network node a message comprising the second subscriber identifier and further subscriber identifiers of the wireless terminal device;
wherein
multiple subscriber identifiers are stored in a subscriber identifier database stored in a memory of the source network node or in a repository accessible to the source network node,
the database stores a record for the wireless terminal device and a similar record for other wireless terminal devices served by the source network node,
the record stores, in connection with the wireless terminal device, one or more equipment identifiers of the wireless terminal device and the multiple subscriber identifiers of the wireless terminal device,
when the wireless terminal device has multiple equipment identifiers, the record also stores mappings between the subscriber identifiers and the equipment identifiers, the mappings indicating, for one or more or all shared subscriber identifiers an equipment identifier currently used by the respective subscriber identifier for a RRC connection,
the database also stores an identifier of a network node currently serving at least some of the subscriber identifiers,
wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the source network node to:
provide one of the other wireless terminal devices access to a radio access network of a cellular communication system via a device-to-device link (D2D), wherein the D2D link is handed over to an access node of the radio access network and the wireless terminal device operates as the network node that is the source of the handover.
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