WO2011058214A1

WO2011058214A1 - Network selection

Info

Publication number: WO2011058214A1
Application number: PCT/FI2009/050909
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jukka REUNAMÄKI; Arto Palin
Original assignee: Nokia Corporation
Priority date: 2009-11-12
Filing date: 2009-11-12
Publication date: 2011-05-19

Abstract

In a non-limiting and exemplary embodiment, a method is provided for network selection. A set of networks among a plurality of sets of networks is selected at least partly based on priorities of the sets. Quality information on at least some of networks in the selected set of networks is determined. A network is selected on the basis of the quality information.

Description

Network selection Field

The present invention relates to network selection in wireless communications devices. Background

Networks can be prioritized for network selection purposes on the basis of a prioritized list of networks, such as a list of public land mobile networks in preference order.

A multimode wireless device should be capable of selecting an optimal network among networks of different systems when such different systems supported by the device are available at the operation area of the device. Methods are known for selecting a system in addition to selecting a network. After an applied system is decided, a network is selected based on a network prioritization list associated with the applied system. Brief description

Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products are now provided, which are characterized by what is stated in the independent claims. Some embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method, comprising: selecting a set of networks among a plurality of sets of networks at least partly based on priorities of the sets, and determining quality information on at least some of networks in the selected set of networks.

According to another embodiment, there is provided an apparatus, comprising means for selecting a set of networks among a plurality of sets of networks at least partly based on priorities of the sets, and means for determining quality information of at least some of networks in the selected set of networks.

According to further embodiment, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured, with at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to: select a set of networks among a plurality of sets of networks at least partly based on priorities of the sets and determine quality information of at least some of networks in the selected set of networks. According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a data storage medium comprising one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of the apparatus, cause the apparatus at least to select a set of networks among a plurality of sets of networks at least partly based on priorities of the sets and determine quality information of at least some of networks in the selected set of networks.

The invention and various embodiments of the invention provide several advantages, which will become apparent from the detailed description below.

List of drawings

Embodiments of the present invention are described below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Figure 1 illustrates a communications system;

Figure 2a and 2b illustrate apparatuses according to some embodiments;

Figure 3 illustrates grouping of networks according to an embodiment;

Figures 4 to 6 illustrate methods according to some embodiments; and

Figures 7a and 7b illustrate some network selection examples.

Description of embodiments

The following embodiments are exemplary. Although the specification may refer to "an", "one", or "some" embodiment(s) in several locations, this does not necessarily mean that each such reference is to the same embodiment(s), or that the feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.

An embodiment of the invention will be illustrated in the following with reference to the communications system in Figure 1 . As illustrated in the simplified Figure 1 , a plurality of networks 1 10, 120, 130, 140 may be available in a given geographical area for a multimode capable wireless communications device 100, hereafter referred to as a mobile station (MS) 100.

The networks 1 10-140 serve as access points to further services and/or networks 150, 160, 170, such as the Internet. For instance, the network 120 may be a wireless local area network WLAN, such as IEEE 802.1 1 based network comprising a wireless access point 122 connected to a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem, which is further connected to an operator's Internet access point. Another example is a private access network, such as a wireless company LAN connected to a company intranet. Another network 130 may be a cellular network comprising a radio access network (RAN) 132 and a core network (CN) 134. The cellular network may be a network standardized by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) or the Third Generation Partnership Project Two (3GPP2), for instance. A 3GPP network may comprise a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) access network and a core network supporting General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and/or an Evolved UMTS Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) and Long Term Evolution (LTE) core network, for providing a cellular mobile data access service.

Instead of network architecture comprising a plurality of network elements, a network, available as an access point for the MS 100, may be even a single access point or node connected to further communications devices. In one embodiment a mobile communications device, such as a mobile node or a wireless access point, capable of providing ad-hoc connections, may be visible for the MS 100 as an available access network. For instance, a self-configuring mobile ad-hoc network may be available for the MS 100 as an access network 140.

In an embodiment the MS 100 is configured to support cognitive radio features for automatically changing between access networks. For instance, the MS 100 may be support cognitive radio features according to Evolved LTE standards by the 3GPP.

However, the application of the present network selection related features is not limited to any particular network configuration or network protocol, and the MS 100 may be configured to support wireless communications according to any suitable standard/non-standard wireless communication systems.

Figure 2a illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 200 according to an embodiment. The apparatus 200 comprises a network selection controller 210 to select a network 1 10-140 for the apparatus and data storage 220 to store data 222, 224, 226, such as parameters applied for the presently disclosed network selection procedures. Such parameters may be considered as data structures controlling the operations of the network selector controller 210. The network selection controller 210 is connected by an interface 230 to one or more further units or modules. For instance, the controller 210 may receive information regarding radio measurements via the interface 230. The apparatus 200 is arranged to implement at least some network selection related functions illustrated in further detail later with reference to the mobile station 100.

Although the apparatus 200 and the controller 210 are depicted as a single entity, different modules and memory may be implemented in one or more physical or logical entities. For instance, the network selection controller 210 could comprise a specific functional module for carrying one or more of the steps in Figure 4, 5 or 6. It should be appreciated that the apparatus 200 may comprise other units, not discussed in more detail here.

The apparatus 200 may be implemented as an electronic digital computer, which may comprise memory, a processing unit with one or more processors, and a system clock. The processing unit may be adapted to implement the controller 210. The processing unit may be controlled by a sequence of program instructions transferred to the processing unit from the memory.

An embodiment provides a computer program embodied on a computer-readable storage medium. Such computer program comprising one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least some of the network selection related functions illustrated below in connection with Figures 3 to 7b.

In an embodiment such computer program code is stored in at least one memory of the apparatus 200, for instance the storage 220. The memory and the computer program code are configured, with at least one processor of the apparatus 200, to provide means for and cause the apparatus 200 to perform at least some of the features illustrated below in connection with Figure 3 to 7b. The computer program may be in source code form, object code form, or in some intermediate form. The network selection features may be implemented as part of communications management software implementing bearer selection. In one further embodiment at least some of the present network selection features are implemented by operating system software. The apparatus 200 could be in a form of a chip unit or some other kind of hardware module for controlling a mobile communications device. Such hardware module comprises an interface to connect the hardware module with the mobile communication device mechanically and/or functionally. The hardware module may form part of the device and could be removable. Some examples of such hardware module include a sub-assembly or an accessory device. Such apparatus providing the controller 210 could be a chipset or an integrated circuit suitable for use in a mobile station or a portable computer, for instance.

At least some of the features of the apparatus 200 illustrated further below could be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, such as application-specific integrated circuits ASIC. Other hardware embodiments are also feasible, such as a circuit built of separate logic components. A hybrid of these different implementations is also feasible.

Figure 2b illustrates in a simplified manner a mobile communications device 250. The mobile communications device 250 comprises the apparatus 200 or represents another embodiment of the apparatus 200. The mobile communications device 250 comprises memory 254 and a processing unit 252 with one or more processors, which may be arranged to implement the apparatus 200 illustrated above. In an embodiment the mobile communications device 250 encompasses the functions of the mobile station 100 and may comprise one or more radio units 256, 258 and at least one antenna 260 for wireless communications with at least some of the networks 1 10-140 of Figure 1 . The mobile communications device 250 also comprises user interface elements 262, such as a display and a keypad.

In general, the various embodiments of the apparatus 250 can include, but are not limited to, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, imaging devices, gaming devices, music storage and playback appliances, Internet appliances permitting Internet access and browsing, as well as other portable units or terminals that incorporate mobile communications functions.

Let us now further study some embodiments related to network selection steps and features of the apparatus 200, 250, with reference to features of the mobile station 100. Networks 1 10-140, which are available transport options for an application or service, such as Internet access, are identified in the MS 100. For instance, an access point, a service access point, a service network access point, an Internet access point, a transport, or a destination, for instance, may be specified in the mobile station 100 to represent a particular network 1 10-140. Such representations of networks may also be displayed for the user. It may be that a single network infrastructure is capable of providing two or more logical access points or networks, which are available for the MS 100 as alternative networks. Therefore, the present features related to grouping and selecting networks, further illustrated below, are to be broadly understood to encompass grouping and selecting of various access network resources. Such access resources may be represented in the MS 100 in various ways, for instance by representing them as logical access points.

The MS 100 may be arranged to prioritize available networks on the basis of predefined prioritization information. Such prioritization information may be maintained in a memory of 220 or connected to the MS 100, for instance. Such prioritization information may be system-specific. For instance, one or more PLMN lists are stored on a (UMTS) subscriber identity module (U)SIM for assisting the MS 100 in PLMN selection.

However, in addition or instead of system-specific network selection information, the MS 100 is provided with general or upper-level prioritization function and parameters, which are common to multiple systems. In one embodiment Symbian operating system is applied and all access network resources may be grouped as destinations, which may be prioritized. In a simple example, the network selector of the MS 100 may be arranged to use a WLAN 120 whenever available and revert back to cellular data service 130 if a WLAN is not available. Some further embodiments related to prioritizing available networks are illustrated below. However, network selection merely on the basis of predetermined prioritization parameters does not take into account how usable the prioritized network actually is. For instance, there may be several access points available and the most congested access point is selected on the basis of the prioritization parameters.

According to some embodiments, networks are grouped into at least two sets of networks. According to one embodiment, networks are grouped into three sets of networks. As illustrated in the example of Figure 3, a first set 320 of prioritized networks or destinations 310 may include networks operating on non-licensed frequencies, such as WLANs. A second set 330 may include cellular networks, such as GPRS and LTE. According to one embodiment, at least one of the first set and the second set may comprise both wireless local area networks and cellular networks.

Each of the sets of networks 320, 330 may be associated with priority information. Such network set specific priority information may be stored as network set prioritization parameters 222 in storage 220. The network set prioritization parameters may be stored within information on the networks in the set, for instance.

The grouping of the networks may be displayed for the user in the user interface 262 of the MS 100. The user interface 262 of the MS 100 may be configured to provide the user with access to modify the grouping and/or at least some of the parameters 222-226.

In an embodiment the MS 100 stores a list of supported connectivity access methods represented by the networks 1 10-140. These access methods may be grouped into sets such that a set includes networks having the same priority. The grouping of the networks into sets can be based on predefined rules, which may be stored 226 in the storage 220. Some examples of the rules for the grouping include grouping of networks 1 10-140 on the basis of connection costs associated with each of the networks, grouping of networks on the basis of maximum bit rate(s) associated with each of the networks (for instance so that a number of networks providing highest bit rates form one set), grouping of networks on the basis of power consumption associated with each of the networks, grouping of networks on the basis of latency associated with each of the networks, etc. However, it will be appreciated that the present network selection features may be applied regardless of the manner of grouping the networks into sets of networks.

Figure 4 illustrates method steps according to an embodiment. In step 410 a set of networks among a plurality of sets of networks 320, 330 is selected at least partly based on priorities 222 of the sets. In step 420 quality information on at least some of the networks in the selected set of networks is determined.

Hence, in addition or instead of predefined network prioritization, it becomes possible to take into account also the quality of service of the networks for final network selection. This enables to further improve and diversify network selection, and facilitates network selection procedure aiming to select the most optimal network for the MS 100. The quality information on a network is to be broadly understood to encompass any type of information indicating the usability of the network as a transport for the mobile station. Thus, quality information on networks does not refer to predefined network lists indicating priority of networks.

In one embodiment the quality information is determined based on quality measurements, referring generally to any type of measurement providing quality information on a network. This enables to perform network selection on the basis of the current status of the available networks. For instance, the measurements of network qualities may refer not only to signal quality measurements but also measurements of traffic volumes or number of users. Hence, the currently available quality of service of the networks in the prioritized set can be considered in the final network selection. However, instead of or in addition to applying measurements, the quality information may be determined on the basis of other information. For instance, the MS 100 may have or receive some predetermined network quality information, for instance maximum data rate available from a given network.

In an embodiment the qualities of networks are defined 420, 540 based on measurements on at least one of the following: signal strength, latency, throughput, jitter and packet error rate. It is to be noted that these measurement options are only some examples of available radio measurements, and various combinations of these quality measurements may be applied.

Standardized radio measurements may be applied in the MS 100 in step 420. For instance, at least some of the measurements identified in 3GPP specification TS25.304 "User Equipment (UE) procedures in idle mode and procedures for cell reselection in connected mode", such as the Release 8 version 8.7.0, September 2009, may be applied.

In one embodiment a prioritization function or the network selection controller 210 of the MS 100 carries out the steps of Figure 4. After the set of networks is selected, the network selector 210 may prioritize networks 1 10-140 of the selected network group on the basis of the quality information and predetermined quality determination parameters affecting the quality determination. The quality determination parameters may be stored 224 in the storage 220.

The network selector 210 may then select a network on the basis of the quality information. The quality information may be obtained over the interface 230, such over interfaces with the radio units 256, 258. A network associated with adequate or the best quality may be selected for serving a connection of the MS 100, and a respective radio unit 256, 258 may be controlled to establish a connection. Also the selection of the network may be controlled on the basis of the network quality determination parameters 224.

According to the quality determination parameters 224, the network selection controller 210 may select the network on the basis of one or more quality values defined in step 420. The selection may be based on comparing the quality value(s) associated with a network to quality value(s) of another network and/or to threshold value(s). If at least two networks have the same quality, further quality information associated with these network may be used to select the network 550.

For instance, in a simplified example quality determination parameters may be provided as a predefined rule in the operation of the network selector 210, controlling the network selector to determine values reflecting signal strengths of signals received from the networks of the selected set and select a network with the highest signal strength value.

In another example a signal strength value and a throughput value are considered to select a network, and a network having the highest (or most optimal) total value is selected. The quality values may be weighted differently and may be system-specific. It will be appreciated that the sets of networks may be prioritized and the qualities of network may be determined in numerous ways, and the present examples illustrate some of available options.

Let us now further study some embodiments on arranging the overall network selection procedure that can be combined with above- illustrated features. Figure 5 illustrates further steps of a method according to an embodiment. At least some of the steps of Figure 5 may be applied in the network selector 210 of the MS 100.

In step 510 available networks are determined. Conventional procedures, such as WLAN scanning, may be applied to find out the networks available at the current geographical area of the MS 100.

In step 520 currently available sets of networks may be determined. Thus, a set of networks, which has at least one available network at the current operation area of the MS 100, may be determined as an available set of networks. However, there may be further criteria applied for determining available sets. A network set is first selected 530 among the available sets of networks on the basis of the priorities of the sets. Then, qualities of networks in the selected set of networks are determined 540, for instance on the basis of quality measurements as already illustrated above.

The procedure checks 550 if there are networks in the selected set associated with a quality value exceeding a threshold value. For instance, a threshold value may be applied for signal strength, throughput, latency, or other quality information. Instead of a single requirement, the check in step 550 may require that two, three or more threshold values are exceeded in order for a network to be selected in step 570. Furthermore, the check 550 may be system-specific, for instance in case of UTRA a measured received signal code power (RSCP) value needs to exceed a predefined threshold value. If there are no networks exceeding the threshold value, the network set selected in step 530 is excluded 560 and another network set of networks is selected 520, 530.

Thus, on the basis of step 550 a sub-set of networks, among networks in the selected set with quality exceeding threshold value, may be selected. Step 570 checks if there is more than one network satisfying the quality requirement(s). If not, a connection is established 590 to the network satisfying the quality requirement.

If there is more than one network in the selected set of networks exceeding the quality threshold value, one or more further network selection rules are applied 580 for the networks satisfying the quality requirement(s). One of the networks in this sub-set is selected 580 on the basis of the further network selection rule(s) and connection is established to the network. The further network selection rule(s) may be based on comparing some further quality values associated with the networks in the sub-set and/or other network or network group specific property information.

Figure 6 illustrates further steps of a method according to another embodiment. At least some of the steps of Figure 6 may be applied in the network selector 210 of the MS 100. Steps 610 to 640 may be carried out similarly as steps 510 to 540. In this embodiment qualities of networks in the selected set of networks are determined 640 on the basis of quality measurements. A network with the best quality among networks in the selected set is selected 650. As already indicated, the selection of the network with best quality may be arranged in various ways and by using one or more quality value types.

At least one quality value representing the current quality associated with the selected network is compared 660 to at least one threshold value. In response to the quality value(s) exceeding the threshold value(s), a connection is established 670 to the selected network.

Alternatively, in response to the quality of the network not exceeding the threshold value, another set of networks among the plurality of sets of network is selected. In the embodiment of Figure 6, the selected set of networks is excluded 680 from the available sets of networks and the procedure returns to step 610, 620, or 630 to consider remaining sets of networks.

It is to be noted that the procedures of Figures 5 and 6 above represent only some implementation examples and various modifications may be made to the procedures. As an example, at least some of the steps may be carried out in a different order. For instance, instead of the procedure of Figure 5, the MS 100 may first consider in step 680 further networks (with best quality among the remaining networks) in the selected set before proceeding to select another set of networks. According to another example, the features of step 540, 640 may be carried out before the features of step 530, 630. According to a still another modification example, the network set may be selected (530, 630) before determining 510, 610) available networks of the set. In a still another example the steps related to evaluating and selecting the network 640 to 680 may involve a plurality of sub-steps.

In an embodiment, in addition to or instead of the quality information based on measurements, further network or network set specific information is applied in the selection procedure, such as the selection of the network 580, 650 within the selected set. Some examples of such further information include network preference or priority information, further properties of networks, such as information on relative power consumption when communicating with a network, costs associated with using a network, and service continuation associated with a network. Service continuation may be information indicating extent of coverage, for instance a WLAN 120 is associated with a value indicating limited service continuation as compared to that of a cellular network 130. Thus, network selection may even further be diversified by utilizing such additional information further reflecting quality or other information associated with a network.

Such further information may be stored in the storage 220 or received from an external entity. The network selection controller 210 may be configured to apply one or more such further information elements, for instance, when two or more networks are determined to have equal quality in step 420 or 640. In one embodiment such further information is applied in the selection of the set of networks 410, 530.

In another embodiment, such further information is applied to compare the networks according to the further network selection rules in step 580. In a further embodiment, at least some of the networks within the selected set of networks have different priorities. Thus, the network may be selected in step 580 on the basis of the priorities of the networks (having adequate quality among the networks in the selected set). For instance, predefined system- specific network priority information may be applied by the network selector 210 to select the network. In another embodiment networks within one set have equal priority. Thus, some other selection criterion, such as service continuation or costs, may be applied in step 670.

The network set selection 410 and/or network quality selection procedure 420, 530-580, 630-660, and at least some of the stored quality determination parameters 224, may be controlled on the basis of requirements of at least one of a user of the MS 100, an application executed in the MS 100, or an external entity. For instance, the application may require a connection with certain minimum quality of service, and the network selection controller 210 is arranged to enable selection 550, 580, 670 only of a network, which on the basis of the quality of service measurements satisfies this minimum requirement.

In one embodiment the status of the MS 100 affects the network and/or network set selection 410, 530, 580, 630, 650. For instance, battery status of the MS 100 may affect the selection procedure such that networks associated with low power consumption are prioritized over networks associated with higher power consumption.

The MS 100 may be configured to learn on properties of networks and control the network selection on the basis of such learned properties. For instance, the network selection controller 210 may store data indicative of the selected network associated with location. This data may be used later for prioritizing the network when the MS 100 is in the same location.

At least some of the above-illustrated features, such as the steps of Figure 5 or 6, may be applied in connection with initial network selection in response to a need to establish a connection for an application or as part of a handover procedure. Such handover procedure may be triggered in response to detecting a need to handover an existing connection to a new bearer network, for instance when the signal quality of the current network drops below a minimum value. Such handover procedure may also be triggered in response to detecting a new access network, which may be prioritized over the currently connected network and belong to another set of networks.

In an embodiment at least one of the plurality of sets of networks is arranged to comprise networks of a single (type of) mobile communications system. Thus, the step of selecting 410, 530, 630 of the at least one of the plurality of sets of networks selects an access technology for a connection from the MS 100. By this embodiment it becomes possible to prioritize a specific system over other available systems. For instance, WLANs may be preferred over cellular networks, whereby the first set 310 in Figure 3 is prioritized over the second set 330.

The network quality evaluation procedure 420, 540, 640 and the quality parameters 224 affecting the quality determination may be system- specific. The selection of the set of networks may define the system-specific procedure and parameters 224. For instance, the MS 100 is configured to use pre-determined WLAN-specific radio measurements for the first set 320.

Instead of a single unit 210 as illustrated in Figure 2, there may be a specific network set selector carrying out network set selection 410, 530, 630 and one or more network selectors carrying out system-specific network selection related features 420, 540-590, 640-670.

Standardized network selection procedures may be applied in the MS 100 in the network selection procedure. For instance, at least some of the PLMN selection procedures in the 3GPP specification TS25.304 "User Equipment (UE) procedures in idle mode and procedures for cell reselection in connected mode", such as the Release 8 version 8.7.0, September 2009, may be applied. Such procedures, for instance based on use of pre-stored network prioritization lists, may be applied after or as part of the quality-based network evaluation procedure. However, it is not necessary to group networks of a given system or technology into one set of networks. In one embodiment the network selector 210 may determine qualities for networks 420, 540, 640 at least partly of different systems. Thus, if the selected set of networks has different types of networks, e.g. WLAN and WCDMA networks, or WLAN and LTE networks, a transformation feature may be applied to transfer quality value(s) of at least one network into a form in which it is possible to compare the quality value(s) to quality value(s) of other networks within the same set. The prioritization method applied in a set may thus be the same.

In an embodiment, the MS 100 is arranged to receive at least some parameters 224 affecting quality determination 420, 540, 640 and/or selection of a network 550, 580, 650 in the selected set. Thus, the quality requirements applied for prioritizing 420, 540 and selecting the network 550, 580, 650 may be affected by external entities.

In an embodiment the grouping of the networks into the plurality of sets of networks is configured based on received network grouping management information. Such management information could be in a form of network set grouping rules, for instance. The management information for network set forming may be transmitted from network infrastructure to which the MS 100 is connected and may stored 226 in the storage 220. However, as already indicated, the grouping (rules) may be pre-configured in the MS 100.

The priority information affecting the selection 410, 530, 630 of the network set may be configured on the basis of network set selection management information from a network 1 10-140. Such network set selection management information may include network set selection priority parameters 222, for instance.

For instance, a network element, such as WLAN element, or a peer device may be configured to send such network grouping, network set, and/or network selection management information. This kind of management could be part of cognitive radio operation. In another embodiment a device management protocol, such as Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) device management protocol, is applied to deliver the management information to the MS 100.

Figures 7a and 7b illustrate some simplified network examples. Among the networks 710, 720, 730, a first WLAN 710 has smallest coverage, but it provides the highest bit rate. The second WLAN 720 has larger coverage but smaller bit rate, and the LTE network 730 has the largest coverage, but likely the smallest bit rate and also cost issues. However, it is to be noted that the number of users may significantly affect the performance of the networks. For instance, the bit rate of the first WLAN 710 may be smaller than that the bit rate of the second WLAN 720 even if the signal strength of the second WLAN 710 is good.

With reference to the destinations 310 of Figure 3, the MS 100 may select a network as illustrated in Figure 7a by the destinations 310a, 310b, 310c, each indicating the selected network applied at respective location of the MS 100. For instance, when outside of WLAN coverage, the MS 100 uses 310c the networks in the second set 330. However, when in the coverage area of the first WLAN 710, the first set 320 including WLANs 710, 720 is prioritized 310a, 310b. The first WLAN 310 is selected 310a, since it provides the highest bit rate, for instance.

However, on the basis of the further quality measurements the MS 100 may detect that the present quality of network(s) in the prioritized set of networks is not adequate and prevent selection of such network(s) (step 560, 680). In Figure 7b the applied set of networks is changed in the coverage area of the second WLAN 720 based on quality information of the available networks. For instance, the second WLAN 720 may suffer from high density of users, and the MS 100 selects 31 Od the LTE network 730 of the second set 330.

A network inside a set may also be changed based on the quality measures. A handover from currently serving network to another network may also be triggered in response to a network in the currently selected set of networks having at least one parameter better than in currently serving network. In another example a handover is triggered in response to the need for transport capabilities changing, for instance due to changed application requirements, and currently used network is no more the most preferred network for the current situation. At least some of the above-illustrated network selection features may be applied also in these situations. If there is no need to change the applied set of networks, the network selector 210 may directly enter steps 420, 540 or 550 and select a new network having the best quality among the networks available in the currently selected set.

For instance, the MS 100, located at the coverage area of the first WLAN 710, may activate the second WLAN 720 in response to detecting that an ongoing connection via the first WLAN 710 starts to suffer from high density of users or weak signal strength.

In an embodiment the MS 100 may have more than one transport connection active, via separate networks 1 10-140. For instance, the MS 100 may support multipath Transport Control Protocol (TCP) enabling a transport connection to operate across multiple paths simultaneously. More information on multipath TCP is available in IETF draft " TCP Extensions for Multipath Operation with Multiple Addresses", October 26, 2009, available at http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-ford-mptcp-muitiaddressed-02.

The MS 100 may set up a first connection via one set of networks

320 and another connection via another set of networks 330. For instance, after selecting a first network for establishing a first path, the MS 100 may be arranged to check if the other peer device supports multipath TCP. If yes, the MS 100 may select a second network to establish a second path by applying at least some of the network selection related features illustrated above. The second network may be selected from the same set as the first network or from another set. A network of a different technology and system than the first network may be selected as the second network. For instance, a WLAN is selected from the set 320 for the first path, and an LTE network from the second set 330 is selected as the second network. Thus, it becomes possible to enhance service continuity and reliability, in particular when local area networks are prioritized.

The network selection controller 210 may be arranged to use different quality requirements and quality determination parameters 224 for the second network. For instance, in the first selection procedure selecting the first network service continuation is used as a network set prioritization parameter 222 or network set selection parameter 224, and a cellular network 130 is selected as the first network. In the second selection procedure selecting the second network, costs and throughput are applied as network set prioritization parameters 222 or network set selection parameters 224, and a WLAN 120 is selected as the second network.

It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above but may vary within the scope of the claims. The features of the embodiments described herein may be combined in all possible combinations of methods, apparatuses, and computer program products. The combinations of claim elements as stated in the claims can be changed in a number of different ways and still be within the scope of various embodiments of the invention.

Claims

1 . A method, comprising:

selecting a set of networks among a plurality of sets of networks at least partly based on priorities of the sets, and

determining quality information on at least some of networks in the selected set of networks.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising

checking for networks among the networks in the selected set of networks associated with quality exceeding a quality threshold value, and

in response to quality associated with a network in the selected set of networks exceeding the quality threshold value, establishing a connection to the network, or

in response to no network in the selected set of networks being associated with quality exceeding the quality threshold value, selecting another set of networks among the plurality of sets of network.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising

in response to more than one network in the selected set of networks being associated with quality exceeding the quality threshold value, applying one or more further network selection rules to select the network to which the connection is established.

4. The method of any preceding claim 3, wherein at least some of the networks within the selected set of networks have different priorities, and the network is selected on the basis of the priorities of the networks exceeding the quality threshold value.

5. The method of any preceding claim 1 to 3, wherein networks within one set have equal priority.

6. The method of any preceding claim, wherein quality measurements are performed for each of the networks in the selected group, and at least one quality value is associated with each of the networks in the selected group on the basis of the quality measurements.

7. The method of claim 6, the quality information being defined based on measurements on at least one of the following: signal strength, latency, throughput, jitter, and packet error rate.

8. The method of any preceding claim, wherein available networks are determined in response to detecting a need to establish a new connection or to handover an existing connection, and

sets of networks having at least one available network are included in the plurality of sets of networks when selecting the set of networks.

9. The method of any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the plurality of sets of networks is arranged to comprise networks of a single mobile communications system, and

the selection of the at least one of the plurality of sets of networks selects a system for a connection from a mobile station.

10. The method of any preceding claim, wherein at least one of grouping of the networks into the plurality of sets of networks, the selection of the set of networks and network selection based on the quality information is configured based on received management information.

1 1 . The method of any preceding claim, wherein the plurality of sets of networks comprise Internet access points specified in a mobile station or alternative transports of cognitive radio systems.

12. The method of any preceding claim, wherein network selection based on the quality information is further arranged on the basis of at least one of terminal resource consumption associated with using a network, costs associated with using a network, service continuation, application requirements, or user requirements.

13. An apparatus comprising:

means for selecting a set of networks among a plurality of sets of networks at least partly based on priorities of the sets, and

means for determining quality information of at least some of networks in the selected set of networks.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising means for checking for networks among the networks in the selected set of networks exceeding a quality threshold value,

means for establishing a connection to a network in response to the network in the selected set of networks exceeding the quality threshold value, and

means for selecting another set of networks among the plurality of sets of network in response to no network in the selected set of networks exceeding the quality threshold value.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising

means for applying one or more further network selection rules, in response to more than one network in the selected set of networks exceeding the quality threshold value, to select the network to which the connection is established.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least some of the networks within the selected set of networks have different priorities, and

the apparatus is configured to select the network is selected on the basis of the priorities of the networks exceeding the quality threshold value.

17. The apparatus of any preceding claim 13 to 15, wherein networks within one set have equal priority.

18. The apparatus of any preceding claim 13 to 17, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform quality measurements for each of the networks in the selected group, and

the apparatus is configured to associate at least one quality value with each of the networks in the selected group on the basis of the quality measurements.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, the quality information being defined based on measurements on at least one of the following: signal strength, latency, throughput, jitter, and packet error rate.

20. The apparatus of claim any preceding claim 13 to 19, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine available networks in response to detecting a need to establish a new connection or to handover an existing connection, and

the apparatus is configured to include sets of networks having at least one available network in the plurality of sets of networks when selecting the set of networks.

21 . The apparatus of any preceding claim 13 to 20, wherein at least one of the plurality of sets of networks is arranged to comprise networks of a single mobile communications system, and

the means for selecting the at least one of the plurality of sets of networks is configured to select a system for a connection from a mobile station.

22. The apparatus of any preceding claim 13 to 21 , wherein the apparatus is configured to adapt at least one of grouping of the networks into the plurality of sets of networks, the selection of the set of networks and network selection based on the quality information based on received management information.

23. The apparatus of any preceding claim 13 to 22, wherein the plurality of sets of networks comprise Internet access points specified in a mobile station or alternative transports of cognitive radio systems.

24. The apparatus of any preceding claim 13 to 23, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform network selection based on the quality information further on the basis of at least one of terminal resource consumption associated with using a network, costs associated with using a network, service continuation, application requirements, or user requirements.

25. The apparatus of any preceding claim 13 to 24, wherein the apparatus is a mobile communications terminal device.

26. The apparatus of any preceding claim 13 to 24, wherein the apparatus is a chipset for a mobile communications device.

27. A computer program product comprising computer program code for performing steps in any one of the claims 1 to 12.

28. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured, with at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to:

select a set of networks among a plurality of sets of networks at least partly based on priorities of the sets, and

determine quality information of at least some of networks in the selected set of networks.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the apparatus is further configured to check for networks among the networks in the selected set of networks exceeding a quality threshold value, and

establish a connection to a network in response to the network in the selected set of networks exceeding the quality threshold value, or

select another set of networks among the plurality of sets of network in response to no network in the selected set of networks exceeding the quality threshold value.

30. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the apparatus is further configured to apply one or more further network selection rules, in response to more than one network in the selected set of networks exceeding the quality threshold value, to select the network to which the connection is established.

31 . The apparatus of claim 30, wherein at least some of the networks within the selected set of networks have different priorities, and

32. The apparatus of any preceding claim 28 to 30, wherein networks within one set have equal priority.

33. The apparatus of any preceding claim 28 to 32, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform quality measurements for each of the networks in the selected group, and

34. The apparatus of claim 33, the quality information being defined based on measurements on at least one of the following: signal strength, latency, throughput, jitter, and packet error rate.

35. The apparatus of claim any preceding claim 28 to 34, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine available networks in response to detecting a need to establish a new connection or to handover an existing connection, and

36. The apparatus of any preceding claim 28 to 35, wherein at least one of the plurality of sets of networks is arranged to comprise networks of a single mobile communications system, and

the apparatus is configured to select a system for a connection from a mobile station.

37. The apparatus of any preceding claim 28 to 36, wherein the apparatus is configured to adapt at least one of grouping of the networks into the plurality of sets of networks, the selection of the set of networks and network selection based on the quality information based on received management information.

38. The apparatus of any preceding claim 28 to 37, wherein the plurality of sets of networks comprise Internet access points specified in a mobile station or alternative transports of cognitive radio systems.

39. The apparatus of any preceding claim 28 to 38, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform network selection based on the quality information further on the basis of at least one of terminal resource consumption associated with using a network, costs associated with using a network, service continuation, application requirements, or user requirements.

40. The apparatus of any preceding claim 28 to 39, wherein the apparatus is a mobile communications terminal device.

41 . The apparatus of any preceding claim 28 to 39, wherein the apparatus is a chipset for a mobile communications device.