Determining authorization to access neighbouring CSG cells or private cells, using PCI or PCI and CSG ID.

摘要

A user equipment UE stores a first list of private cells to which the UE is authorized to access 202 (e.g. a closed subscriber group CSG whitelist). While under control of a serving first cell, the UE determines from a transmission received from a neighbour second cell a physical cell identity PCI of the neighbour cell, then compares the determined PCI to a stored second list to determine whether the UE is authorized to access the neighbour cell. In one embodiment the second list maps PCIs to CSG IDs 204; if the determined PCI matches one in the second list the CSG ID is selected and it that matches one in the first list the UE is authorized access. In another embodiment (figure 3) the second list is only the PCI of those CSG cells on the UE's first list that are within the area served by the serving cell (304), so if the determined PCI matches one in the second list the UE is authorized access.