BACKGROUND

A Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (GEO) Satellite based 5G system may be deployed, for example, as part of a 5G system (5GS). In 5GS protocol, a user terminal (UT) can register with a Core Network (CN), and the registration process can include the CN providing the UT a registration area (RA). The RA is a collection of radio cells, each mutually adjacent to at least one other among the collection. As each cell is covered by a corresponding spot beam, the RA also defines a collection of spot beams. From the UT's perspective the RA defines an area in which the UT, when in its Connection Management (CM)-IDLE state, can move without having to notify the network. Since the notifications impose a signaling load, the allowing of the UT to move among multiple cells without notifying the network reduces signaling load on the system.

Communication functionality of a UT in CM-IDLE state, though, can be limited. For example, a CM-IDLE state UT cannot generally receive data packets. Therefore, when the 5G CN receives communication data for transmission to a CM-IDLE state UT, the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) must first send a page signal to the UT. The page signal, when received at the UT, causes the UT to switch to an active state to receive the data. When the UT is in CM-Idle state, though, the granularity of the AMF's knowledge of the UT's location is at the RA level. If the RA includes multiple cells, the AMF does not know which of the cells the UT is located in. Therefore, the page must be sent to all the RA's cells. Accordingly, for each of the multiple cells, the satellite radio access network (SRAN) that serves the cell sends the page signal, on an uplink to a satellite, for downlink transmission onto the spot beam that covers the cell. In satellite based 5G systems, this multi-cell, i.e., multi-beam, paging requirement can incur costs, in terms of satellite system bandwidth and system power.

Another cost in satellite based 5G systems relates to system overhead costs, and UT power and resource overhead costs of UT registration updates.

Accordingly, what is needed is a satellite based 5G system and method that can provide, among other features, reduced overhead/power paging of 5G UTs and, in some configurations, reduced overhead location reporting by 5G UTs.

