Methods and apparatus for wtru member selection using network slice availability analysis

Description

1 / 34 “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR WTRU MEMBER SELECTION USING NETWORK SLICE AVAILABILITY ANALYSIS” Reference to related deposit requests

[001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 457,657, filed April 6, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. FUNDAMENTALS

[002] A Network Data Analysis Function (NWDAF) can provide the analysis of the Observed Service Experience to a Service Consumer, as a Network Function (NF) or an Application Function (AF). An Observed Service Experience can be an average of the Average Degree of Opinion (MoS) of observed Service and / or the variance of the observed Service MoS, indicating the distribution of Service MoS for Services such as audiovisual streaming, as well as Services that are not audiovisual streaming, such as V2X Services and Web Browsing.The Observed Service Experience can be provided for a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) or a group of WTRUs on a specific network slice (e.g., Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI)), a WTRU or a group of WTRUs running a specific application (e.g., Application ID), a WTRU or a group of WTRUs applying a Rule Selection Component (e.g., S-NSSAI, Data Network Name (DNN), Protocol Data Unit Session Type (PDU), Secondary Component Carrier Mode (SSC), and / or Access Type), a WTRU or a group of WTRUs on a specific Radio Access Technology (RAT) or Frequency Type, and / or a WTRU or a group of WTRUs on a specific UP path carrying traffic for an EDGE application. As part of the conclusions reached at the end of the 5G System Support Study for AI / ML-Based Services, 3GPP TR 23.700-80, it was agreed. Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, p. 9 / 61 2 / 34 that the possibility of using Service Experience analysis can be discussed during the normative phase. SUMMARY

[003] Methods and devices for selecting WTRU members using network slice availability analysis are described. One method implemented on a network node includes receiving, from an application function, a request for wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) selection assistance for federated learning operations. The request includes an indication of a first list of candidate WTRUs, an indication of at least one filtering criterion, and an indication of a contribution weight for each WTRU indicated in the candidate list. The contribution weight indication indicates a minimum relative importance of a service experience for each of the WTRUs indicated in the list based on at least one of a service experience type, a time, or a location. The method also includes sending a notification to the application function, which includes an indication of a second list of a subset of the candidate WTRUs.The WTRUs listed in the second list each have a service experience metric, weighted based on contribution weight, that meets at least one filtering criterion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[004] A more detailed understanding can be obtained from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the attached drawings, where similar reference numbers in the figures indicate similar elements, and where:

[005] Figure 1A is a system diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system, in which one or more disclosed modalities can be implemented; Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 10 / 61 3 / 34

[006] Figure 1B is a system diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that can be used in the communication system illustrated in Figure 1A according to one mode;

[007] Figure 1C is a system diagram illustrating an exemplary radio access network (RAN) and an exemplary main network (CN) that can be used in the communication system illustrated in Figure 1A according to one modality;

[008] Figure 1D is a system diagram illustrating an additional example of RAN and an additional example of CN that can be used in the communication system illustrated in Figure 1A according to a modality;

[009] Figure 2 is a sign diagram of an example of a WTRU member selection structure;

[010] Figures 3A and 3B are a signal diagram of an exemplary method of WTRU member selection assistance based on Service Experience filtering;

[011] Figure 4 is a signal diagram of an exemplary method for WTRU member selection assistance based on network slice availability analysis; and

[012] Figure 5 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for assisting with WTRU member selection. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[013] Figure 1A is a diagram illustrating an exemplary communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed modalities can be implemented. The communications system 100 can be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcasting, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 can enable multiple wireless users to access this content through the Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 11 / 61 4 / 34 Sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, communication systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail single-word discrete Fourier transform spreading OFDM (ZTUW-DFT-S-OFDM), single-word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[014] As shown in Figure 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a radio access network (RAN) 104, a core network (CN) 106, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, although it should be recognized that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment.By way of example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a station (STA), may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop computer, a netbook computer, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, an access point or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a wristwatch or other wearable device, a virtual reality headset (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and its applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and its applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in...). Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 12 / 61 5 / 34 contexts of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), an electronic device intended for the consumer, a device that operates on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may interchangeably be referred to as UE.

[015] Communication systems 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as CN 106, the Internet 110 and / or other networks 112. By way of example, base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a Home Node B, a Home eNodeB, a next-generation NodeB such as a gNode B (gNB), a New Radio (NR) NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router and the like. Although each of the base stations 114a and 114b is shown as a single element, it should be considered that base stations 114a and 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[016] Base station 114a may be part of RAN 104, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, and the like. Base station 114a and / or base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be called cells (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a wireless service to a specific geographic area that may be relatively fixed or that may change over time. The cell Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, p. 13 / 61 6 / 34 can also be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with base station 114a can be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, base station 114a can include three transceivers, that is, one for each sector of the cell. In another embodiment, base station 114a can employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology and can use multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming can be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[017] Base stations 114a, 114b can communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d through an air interface 116, which can be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 can be established through the use of any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[018] More specifically, as indicated above, communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SCFDMA and the like. For example, base station 114a in RAN 104 and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) terrestrial radio access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 by using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as high-speed packet access (HSPA) and / or evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include high-speed downlink (DL) packet access (HSDPA) and / or high-speed uplink (UL) packet access (HSUPA).

[019] In one embodiment, base station 114a and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement a radio technology, such as terrestrial radio access. Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 14 / 61 7 / 34 of evolved UMTS (E-UTRA), which can establish the 116 air interface using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or Advanced LTE (LTE-A) and / or Advanced LTE Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[020] In one embodiment, base station 114a and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement a radio technology, such as NR radio access, which can establish the air interface 116 through the use of NR.

[021] In one embodiment, base station 114a and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, base station 114a and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for example, using dual connectivity (DC) principles. In this way, the air interface used by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., an eNB and a gNB).

[022] In other embodiments, base station 114a and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi)), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[023] The base station 114b in Figure 1A can be a wireless router, a source node B, a source eNodeB, or an access point, for example, and can use any suitable RAT to facilitate wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a workplace, a residence, a carrier, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a highway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 15 / 61 8 / 34 Base stations 102c and 102d can implement a radio technology, such as IEEE 802.11, to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In one embodiment, base station 114b and WTRUs 102c and 102d can implement a radio technology, such as IEEE 802.15, to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, base station 114b and WTRUs 102c and 102d can use a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in Figure 1A, base station 114b can have a direct connection to Internet 110. Therefore, base station 114b may not be necessary to access Internet 110 via CN 106.

[024] RAN 104 may be in communication with CN 106, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, application and / or voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have varying Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, such as different processing capacity requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data processing capacity requirements, mobility requirements and the like. CN 106 may provide call control, billing services, location-based mobile services, prepaid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions such as user authentication.Although not shown in Figure 1A, it should be considered that RAN 104 and / or CN 106 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT, such as RAN 104 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to RAN 104, which may use NR radio technology, CN 106 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) that employs GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or Wi-Fi radio technology. Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, p. 16 / 61 9 / 34

[025] CN 106 can also serve as a gateway for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. PSTN 108 may include circuit-switched telephone networks that provide conventional telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and the Internet Protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP Internet protocol suite. Networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communication networks owned by, and / or operated by, other service providers. For example, 112 networks may include another CN connected to one or more RANs that may employ the same RAT as RAN 104, or a different RAT.

[026] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in communications system 100 may include multimode capabilities (for example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communication with different wireless networks via different wireless links). For example, WTRU 102c shown in Figure 1A may be configured to communicate with base station 114a, which may employ a cellular network-based radio technology, and with base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[027] Figure 1B is a system diagram illustrating an exemplary WTRU 102. As shown in Figure 1B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a screen / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power supply 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136 and / or other peripherals 138, among others. It will be recognized that the WTRU 102 may include Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 17 / 61 10 / 34 any subcombination of the aforementioned elements as long as it remains consistent with a modality.

[028] Processor 118 may be a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate array circuits (FPGAs), any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. Processor 118 may perform signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. Processor 118 may be coupled to transceiver 120, which may be coupled to transmit / receive element 122.Although Figure 1B depicts processor 118 and transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be recognized that processor 118 and transceiver 120 can be integrated together in an electronic package or electronic circuit.

[029] The transmit / receive element 122 can be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., base station 114a) via the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 can be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 can be a transmitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 can be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be recognized that the transmit / receive element 122 can be configured to transmit and / or Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 18 / 61 11 / 34 receive any combination of wireless signals.

[030] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is represented in Figure 1B as a single element, the WTRU 102 can include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 can employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 can include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) to transmit and receive wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[031] Transceiver 120 can be configured to modulate signals intended to be transmitted by transmit / receive element 122, and to demodulate signals received by transmit / receive element 122. As indicated above, WTRU 102 can have multimode capabilities. Thus, transceiver 120 can include multiple transceivers to enable WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11, for example.

[032] The WTRU 102 processor 118 can be coupled to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126 and / or the screen / touchpad 128 (for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit) and can receive user input data from these devices. The processor 118 can also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keyboard 126 and / or the monitor / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 can access information from, and store data in, any suitable type of memory, such as non-removable memory 130 and / or removable memory 132. Non-removable memory 130 can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk or any other type of memory storage device.Removable memory 132 may include a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card, a memory card, a Secure Digital Memory (SD) card, and similar items. Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 19 / 61 12 / 34 In other embodiments, processor 118 can access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located in WTRU 102, such as in a server or a home computer (not shown).

[033] Processor 118 can receive power from power source 134, and can be configured to distribute and / or control power to the other components in WTRU 102. Power source 134 can be any device suitable for powering WTRU 102. For example, power source 134 can include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[034] Processor 118 can also be coupled to GPS chipset 136, which can be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of WTRU 102. In addition to, or instead of, information from the GPS electronic circuitry 136, WTRU 102 can receive location information via the air interface 116 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more nearby base stations. It should be considered that WTRU 102 can capture location information by any suitable location determination method and still remain compatible with a mode.

[035] The processor 118 can also be coupled with other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional wireless or wired features, functionality and / or connectivity. For example, peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an electronic compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs and / or video), a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, a Bluetooth® module, Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 20 / 61 13 / 34 a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an internet browser, a virtual reality and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker and the like. Peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors. The sensors may be one or more of the following: a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor; an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, a humidity sensor and the like.

[036] The WTRU 102 may include a full duplex radio for which the transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with a specific subframe for both UL (e.g., for transmission) and DL (e.g., for reception) subframes) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit and substantially reduce or eliminate self-interference through hardware (e.g., a shutter) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with specific subframes for UL (e.g., for transmission) or for DL ​​(e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous.

[037] Figure 1C is a system diagram illustrating RAN 104 and CN 106, according to one embodiment. As noted above, RAN 104 can employ E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c via air interface 116. RAN 104 can also be in communication with CN 106. Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, p. 21 / 61 14 / 34

[038] RAN 104 may include eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c, although it should be considered that RAN 104 may include any number of eNodeBs and still remain consistent with a mode. Each of the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c may include one or more transceivers for communication with WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c via air interface 116. In a mode, eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, eNodeB 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit and / or receive wireless signals from WTRU 102a.

[039] Each of the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c can be associated with a specific cell (not shown) and can be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, user scheduling in the UL and / or DL, and similar tasks. As shown in Figure 1C, the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c can communicate with each other via an X2 interface.

[040] The CN 106 shown in Figure 1C may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a server gateway (SGW) 164 and a packet data network gateway (PDN) (PGW) 166. Although the aforementioned elements are shown as part of CN 106, it will be recognized that any of these elements may belong to, and / or be operated by, an entity other than the CN operator.

[041] MME 162 can be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in RAN 104 via an S1 interface and can serve as a control node. For example, MME 162 can be responsible for authenticating users of WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, for enabling / disabling the carrier, for selecting a specific server gateway during an initial connection of WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and similar. MME 162 can provide a control plane function for switching between RAN 104 and other RANs (not Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 22 / 61 15 / 34 shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM or WCDMA.

[042] SGW 164 can be connected to each of the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c in RAN 104 via the S1 interface. SGW 164 can generally route and forward user data packets destined for / from WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. SGW 164 can perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during handovers between eNodeBs, initiating radio lookup when DL data is available for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and similar.

[043] SGW 164 can be connected to PGW 166, which can provide WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[044] CN 106 can facilitate communications with other networks. For example, CN 106 can provide WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional terrestrial communications devices. For example, CN 106 can include, or communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between CN 106 and PSTN 108. In addition, CN 106 can provide WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other 112 networks, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[045] Although the WTRU is described in Figures 1A to 1D as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that, in certain representative embodiments, such a terminal may use (for example, temporarily or permanently) wired communication interfaces with the communication network.

[046] In representative modalities, the other network 112 can be a Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, p. 23 / 61 16 / 34 WLAN.

[047] A WLAN in Basic Services Set (BSS) mode may have a connection point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access to, or an interface with, a distribution system (DS) or other type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic into and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs originating outside a BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. Traffic from STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to the respective destinations. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where the originating STA may send traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. Traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as point-to-point traffic.Point-to-point traffic can be sent between (e.g., directly between) the source and destination STAs with a Direct Link System (DLS) configuration. In certain representative modes, the DLS may use an 802.11eDLS or an 802.11z Tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs (e.g., all STAs) within or using IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS communication mode may sometimes be referred to here as an “ad hoc” communication mode.

[048] When using the 802.11ac operating mode or a similar operating mode of infrastructure, the AP can transmit a beacon on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel can have a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz bandwidth) or a dynamically defined width. The primary channel can be the BSS operating channel and can be used by STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, carrier-sensing multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) can be implemented, for example, in 802.11 systems. For CSMA / CA, the STAs Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 24 / 61 17 / 34 (e.g., each STA), including the AP, can detect the primary channel. If the primary channel is detected and / or determined / detected as occupied by a given STA, the specific STA can back off. An STA (e.g., only one station) can transmit at any given time on a given BSS.

[049] High-capacity processing (HT) STAs can use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, for example, by combining the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or non-adjacent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[050] Very high processing capacity (VHT) STAs can support 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. 40 MHz and / or 80 MHz channels can be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel can be formed by combining 8 contiguous 20 MHz channels or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which can be called an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data, after channel encoding, can be passed through a segment analyzer that can split the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing and time-domain processing can be performed, for example, on each stream separately. Streams can be mapped to the two 80 MHz channels, and data can be transmitted via a broadcast STA.At the receiving STA receiver, the operation described above for the 80+80 configuration can be reversed, and the combined data can be sent to the medium access control (MAC).

[051] Sub-1 GHz operating modes are supported by 802.11af and 802.11ah. The operating channel bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah compared to those used in 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports bandwidths of 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz in the TV white space spectrum (TVWS), and 802.11ah supports bandwidths of Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 25 / 61 18 / 34 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz that use spectrum other than TVWS. According to a representative embodiment, the 802.11ah protocol can support meter-type control / machine-type communications, such as MTC (Machine-to-Computer) devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities that include support (e.g., support only for) certain bandwidths and / or limited bandwidths. MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life above a limit (e.g., to maintain a long battery life).

[052] WLAN systems, which can support multiple channels and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah, include a channel that can be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may, for example, have a bandwidth equal to the highest common operational bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be defined and / or limited by an STA, among all STAs operating in a BSS, that supports the lowest bandwidth operating mode. In the 802.11ah example, the primary channel may have a 1 MHz bandwidth for STAs (e.g., MTC-type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1 MHz mode, even if the AP and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sense and / or network allocation vector (NAV) settings may depend on the primary channel state.If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to an STA (which only supports a 1 MHz operating mode) transmitting to the AP, all available frequency bands can be considered busy even if most of the available frequency bands remain idle.

[053] In the United States, the available frequency bands that can be used by 802.11ah are from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the bands of Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, p. 26 / 61 The available 19 / 34 frequencies are from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total available bandwidth for 802.11 ah is from 6 MHz to 26 MHz, depending on the country code.

[054] Figure 1D is a system diagram illustrating RAN 104 and CN 106, according to one embodiment. As noted above, RAN 104 can employ NR radio technology to communicate with WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c via air interface 116. RAN 104 can also be in communication with CN 106.

[055] RAN 104 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, although it is recognized that RAN 104 may include any number of gNBs, as long as it remains consistent with a mode. gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may include one or more transceivers for communication with WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c via air interface 116. In some modes, gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 108b may use beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a, for example, can use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c can implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a can transmit carriers from multiple components to the WTRU 102a (not shown).A subset of these component carriers may be in the unlicensed spectrum while the remaining component carriers may be in the licensed spectrum. In one embodiment, gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may implement coordinated multipoint (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180C).

[056] WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, p. 27 / 61 20 / 34 For example, OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing can vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using scalable subframe or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various lengths (e.g., containing a variable number of OFDM symbols and / or variable lengths of absolute time).

[057] gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c can be configured to communicate with WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c in a standalone and / or non-standalone configuration. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c without also accessing other RANs (e.g., eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c). In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c can use one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c as a mobility docking point. In a standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c can communicate with / connect to gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c while also communicating with / connecting to other RANs such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c.For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in a substantially simultaneous manner. In a non-autonomous configuration, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c can serve as a mobility anchor for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can provide additional coverage and / or processing capacity for maintaining WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[058] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can be associated with a specific cell (not shown) and can be configured to handle decisions of Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, p. 28 / 61 21 / 34 radio resource management, connection transfer decisions, user scheduling in UL and / or DL, network slicing support, DC, interoperability between NR and E-UTRA, user plane data routing to user plane function (UPF) 184a, 184b, control plane information routing to access and mobility management (AMF) function 182a, 182b, and similar. As shown in Figure 1D, gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can communicate with each other through an Xn interface.

[059] The CN 106 shown in Figure 1D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one session management function (SMF) 183a, 183b and possibly a data network (DN) 185a, 185b. Although the aforementioned elements are shown as part of the CN 106, it will be recognized that any of these elements may belong to, and / or be operated by, an entity other than the CN operator.

[060] The AMF 182a, 182b can be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in RAN 104 via an N2 interface and can serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b can be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, supporting network slicing (e.g., handling different Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions with different requirements), selecting a specific SMF 183a, 183b, managing the register area, interrupting signaling in the non-accessible stratum (NAS), managing mobility, and the like. Network splitting can be used by AMF 182a, 182b to customize CN support for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the types of services used by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.For example, different network slices can be established for different use cases such as services that rely on ultra-reliable low-latency access (URLLC), services that rely on bulk mobile broadband access (eMBB), services for MTC access, and similar services. AMF 182a, 182b can... Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 29 / 61 22 / 34 provides a control plane function to switch between RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as Wi-Fi.

[061] SMF 183a, 183b can be connected to AMF 182a, 182b on CN 106 via an N11 interface. SMF 183a, 183b can also be connected to UPF 184a, 184b on CN 106 via an N4 interface. SMF 183a, 183b can select and control UPF 184a, 184b and configure traffic routing through UPF 184a, 184b. SMF 183a, 183b can perform other functions such as managing and assigning UE IP addresses, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy and QoS enforcement, providing DL data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type can be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, and similar.

[062] UPF 184a, 184b can be connected to one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in RAN 104, via an N3 interface, which can provide WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, for example, in order to facilitate communications between WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. UPF 184 and 184b can perform other functions such as packet routing and forwarding, application of user plane policies, support for multi-base PDU sessions, user plane QoS handling, temporary storage of DL packets, provision of mobility tethering, and the like.

[063] CN 106 can facilitate communications with other networks. For example, CN 106 may include, or communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between CN 106 and PSTN 108. Additionally, CN 106 may provide WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other 112 networks, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other providers. Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, p. 30 / 61 23 / 34 services. In one embodiment, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can be connected to a local DN 185a, 185b via UPF 184a, 184b via interface N3 to UPF 184a, 184b and an interface N6 between UPF 184a, 184b and DN 185a, 185b.

[064] In view of Figures 1A to 1D and the corresponding description of Figures 1A to 1D, one or more, or all, of the functions described in the present invention in relation to one or more of: WTRU 102a-d, base station 114a-b, eNode B 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF 182a-ab, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b and / or any other devices described herein may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all, of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[065] Emulation devices can be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a laboratory environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, one or more emulation devices can perform one or more, or all, of the functions while being fully or partially implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. One or more emulation devices can perform one or more, or all, of the functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device can be directly coupled to another device for testing purposes and / or for performing tests using wireless communications over the air.

[066] One or more emulation devices can execute one or more, including all, of the functions while they are not implemented / deployed. Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 31 / 61 24 / 34 as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, emulation devices can be used in a test scenario in a test laboratory and / or in a wired and / or wireless communication network (e.g., test) to implement the testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices can be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications through RF circuits (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) can be used by emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[067] 5GS assistance for member selection functionality can enable an AF to request 5GS assistance in selecting WTRUs that the AF can consider when supporting certain applications, such as Federated Learning. The AF can provide an initial list of target WTRUs, filter criteria, and other details, such as a time window, when the 5GS is expected to select candidate members. The 5GS can use the AF's filtering criteria to derive operations that enable the 5GS to collect data from relevant Network Functions and thus identify candidate WTRUs. For example, the Network Exposure Function (NEF) can use QoS requirements as filtering criteria to select candidate members.

[068] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an N2 / N3 A WTRU interface. In the example illustrated in Figure 2, an AF 202 can send a member selection subscriber message to NEF 204, which may include, for example, an initial WTRU list and WTRU member filtering criteria (208). NEF 204 can obtain Service Authorization for the AF request and can map the WTRU member filtering criteria to a corresponding service operation (210). NEF 204 can provide service operations for NFs 5GC 206 (212), which may depend on specific WTRU member filtering criteria. NEF 204 can consolidate all information collected from other Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 32 / 61 25 / 34 NFs 5GC 206 to derive the list from the list of candidate WTRUs (214). NEF 204 can send a member selection notification message to AF (216), which may include, for example, a list of candidate WTRUs.

[069] Federated Learning (FL) follows a collaborative training approach where each device uses local training data to train site models, and servers generate a global model by combining site model parameters. However, FL is vulnerable to system heterogeneity, for example, when local devices have varying computational, storage, or communication capabilities. Therefore, it may be crucial for FA to eliminate low-performance devices that could severely impact FL operations by delaying convergence.As mentioned above, it was agreed that the possibility of using Service Experience analysis can be discussed during the normative phase; however, it is unclear how Service Experience can be requested by the AF and used by the NEF to perform WTRU Member Selection, since conventional systems allow service consumers to request Service Experience, but do not delve into how Service Experience analysis can assist in the WTRU member selection process, for example for Federated Learning operations.The modalities described here can provide solutions for requesting member selection assistance to identify members based on Service Experience on a given path leading to an Edge Computing Network (ECN), requesting member selection assistance to identify members in a sub-slice location to narrow the search for candidate WTRUs, requesting member selection assistance to identify members based on a reputation metric or a certain weight that AF can provide to 5GC, and requesting member selection assistance to identify members based on the type of Service Experience being considered. Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, page 33 / 61 26 / 34 measure, for example, if Service Experience is being measured in Services that deliver AI / ML federated learning operations, AI / ML model / data distribution, or AI / ML split operations.

[070] In conventional 5G systems, a service consumer can request Service Experience at different levels, for one or many WTRUs. Depending on the service consumer, service consumer analysis can be used differently. For example, the Session Management Function (SMF) can consider Service Experience analysis by UP path to select a target data network access identifier (DNAI) and thus determine whether a UPF in the data path should be removed.

[071] With the introduction of the WTRU member selection functionality, NEF is expected to provide candidate WTRU members taking into account data collection from other NFs. However, the current filtering criteria that NEF uses to derive the list of candidate WTRUs do not take into account the relative impact on an application operation when WTRUs with suboptimal Service Experience are included in the list, even when, for example, the quality of service (QoS) measurements for that WTRU may prove to be above an acceptable threshold.

[072] Mechanisms are described here that may include analyzing the WTRU Service Experience in selecting candidate WTRU members, while allowing the AF to request filtering criteria considering weighting factors, Service Experience type, and specific UP paths in a given network slice. One advantage of this enhancement may be that, by including Service Experience filtering criteria, the AF can ensure that the NEF filters WTRUs (selecting or discarding them) considering their MoS, which may have been derived from aspects such as computing capacity, storage, or battery capacity. For example, this could allow a Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, pp. 34 / 61 27 / 34 overall performance is superior during FL operations and ensures optimal model convergence.

[073] In some modalities, an AF may first request assistance in selecting WTRU members and provide Observed Service Experience filtering criteria that may take into account the presence of low-performing WTRUs. For example, when using contribution weight, the AF consumer may provide a minimum relative importance for the target WTRUs in the list to be provided to the NEF. The contribution weights associated with the target WTRUs may have different values ​​depending on location, time window, access type, Service Experience Type, and / or a WTRU reputation or reliability metric.AF can map an application's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Machine Learning (ML) (AIML) operation to an Application ID and a Service Experience Type, and can associate the Service Experience Type with a custom MoS, for example, based on the Service Level Agreement (SLA) between the Application Service Provider (ASP) and the Mobile Network Operator (MNO). AF can request that the Service Experience be measured in a specific area, either by providing a list of DNAIs, a geographic location, or location availability information that corresponds to a Network Slice Service Area. It can also associate contribution weights with that location.AF may request that the Observed Service Experience be supplemented with Performance Data from one or more AF producers, in specific AS instances and locations, and for specific Application IDs, S-NSSAI / DNNs, for example, by providing specific DNAIs and specific Service flows.

[074] In some modes, a NEF may use the AF request, including Service Experience filtering criteria, in combination with other filtering information, such as QoS filtering, to derive the data from Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, pp. 35 / 61 28 / 34 Associated Service Experience Services. The NEF may use the Service Experience contribution weights included in the Service Experience filtering criteria to select WTRU candidate members, based on Service Experience Service data collected from the AF producer and other NFs, such as SMF / UPF.

[075] Figures 3A and 3B are a signal diagram of an exemplary method of assisting in the selection of WTRU members based on Service Experience filtering. In the example illustrated in Figure 3, the AF 302 consumer can request assistance in selecting WTRU members (312) by providing Observed Service Experience filtering criteria and, in some modes, other related filtering criteria such as QoS filtering criteria. The AF 302 consumer can include in the Observed Service Experience filtering criteria the contribution weights associated with location, time window, Application ID, and Service Experience type.For example, contribution weights can be provided to favor the type of Service Experience related to Federated Learning in a given location, and can even be associated with a reliability or reputation metric (e.g., based on historical performance / contribution shown by WTRU).

[076] NEF 304 can request Service authorization for the AF consumer request and map the received Service Experience filtering criteria in combination with other related filtering criteria, such as QoS filtering criteria, to one or more Service operations (314). For example, NEF 304 can derive Service operations to request analysis from NWDAF 306 or request QoS monitoring from SMF or UPF 310. NEF 304 can perform discovery and selection of relevant NF producers (316) that support the Service operations obtained in (314). NEF can subscribe to Analysis of Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, pp. 36 / 61 29 / 34 Service Experience and can subscribe to QoS monitoring (318-324). NEF 304 can use the Service Experience type provided by the AF 302 consumer to use carrier policies to interpret a custom MoS (326). NEF 304 can use the contribution weight associated with an application and a Service Experience Type (e.g., an application AI / ML operation) and applied to a location, time window, access type, and / or reputation or reliability, as provided by the AF 302 consumer, to be used as reporting thresholds when selecting candidate WTRU members. For example, a WTRU located in a Network Slice Service Area, connected via a DNAI, and running an application whose Service Experience Type is associated with an application AI / ML operation, can be considered a candidate for WTRU membership if its Application Service Experience is above the reporting threshold.NEF 304 may notify the result of the selection of WTRU members, including the list of candidate WTRU members (328). NEF 304 may periodically notify AF 302 about the selected WTRU members based on changes in conditions / context experienced by one or more selected WTRUs with respect to the Observed Service Experience filtering criteria and other filtering criteria described above.

[077] In some modalities, assistance in selecting WTRU members can be enhanced. For example, NWDAF 306 can be enhanced to provide new analytical information or forecasts regarding slice availability duration information (e.g., how long a slice will be available to the WTRU before it becomes unavailable due to mobility or other factors). NWDAF 306 can collect WTRU mobility information and slice availability information and provide forecasts of how long the WTRU will remain registered in the slice before it becomes unavailable due to RA restriction, NSSRG restriction, NSACF change, NSA, etc. In some Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, pp. 37 / 61 In modes 30 / 34, the NWDAF 306 can produce analytical information or forecasts for WTRU availability time in specific locations (e.g., how long the WTRU will be available in a particular location or area). The application may want to engage WTRUs for a certain period in a specific area.

[078] Figure 4 is a signal diagram of an exemplary method for assistance in selecting WTRU members based on network slice availability analysis. In the example illustrated in Figure 4, the AF 402 consumer can subscribe to 5GS's assistance in selecting WTRU members (via NEF 404), for example to obtain candidate WTRU members for a specific application, such as an application AI / ML operation (410). The AF 402 consumer can provide an initial list of WTRUs to be considered for the selection process, as well as filtering criteria to be considered by 5GS for WTRU member selection. In some embodiments, the expected application operation duration time, indicating how long the AF 402 consumer expects the application operation to be running, can be included in the filtering information.In some modes, the filtering parameters may be the same for all WTRUs (e.g., a duration or time window), or they may be adapted for different WTRUs. The expected application uptime may be based on the inactivity timer value of the Deregistration Inactivity PDU Session provided by the AF consumer for a specific S-NSSAI provided to 5GS using the External Parameter Provision operation when 5GS authorizes the AF consumer 402 to do so, if 5GS assigns the AF consumer a dedicated S-NSSAI.

[079] Filtering criteria may also include WTRU location and Area of ​​Interest. This criterion may indicate that the application is interested in Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, pp. 38 / 61 31 / 34 WTRUs that are in a specific location or in certain locations or areas of interest. Filtering criteria may also include SNSSAI and DNN information to specify the network slice the AF consumer wants to use when running a specific application, such as Application AI / ML Federated Learning, for example. If the AF consumer does not provide the S-NSSAI / DNN, 5GC can detect the S-NSSAI of interest from the AF consumer identifier and can use this information later when using slice-related statistics or predictions to assist in WTRU member selection.

[080] TA NEF 404 may authorize AF’s request (412). NEF may use the Expected Application Operation duration included in the Filtering Criteria to determine a Service operation that provides Network Slice availability at a specific time and location, which NEF 404 may use to derive candidate WTRU members (414). In some embodiments, NEF 404 may use NF load statistics and forecasts and Slice Load Statistics and Forecasts to determine slice / NF availability, and NEF 404 may use Network Performance Statistics and Forecasts and WTRU Mobility Statistics and Forecasts to determine WTRU Mobility Patterns toward Network Slices that may or may not be available for a given duration and at a given location. For the initial list of WTRUs that AF provided, NEF 404 may be interested in knowing how long the slice of interest will be available to the WTRU.Additionally, NEF 404 may be interested in knowing, in certain locations, how long WTRU will be available at that location.

[081] NEF 404 may request analysis of NWDAF 406 by providing slice availability duration information for other WTRUs not initially listed and providing some candidate WTRUs whose slice availability duration meets a certain minimum threshold, or WTRUs that will be Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, pp. 39 / 61 32 / 34 available in certain locations for a minimum time. NEF 404 may consider these WTRUs later when responding to AF.

[082] NEF 404 may request relevant analysis from NWDAF 406, and may include in the request S-NSSAI / NF types, Target Period, Area of ​​Interest (Aol) of the Network Slice, NF types to signal when and where and for which NFs / Network Slices the analysis is being requested (416). NWDAF 406 may collect relevant input data from different network functions 408a, 408b, 408c on WTRU locations, WTRU mobility information and slice information for WTRUs (418). NWDAF 406 may respond to or notify NEF 404 on Network Slice Load, NF load, WTRU geographic distribution and actual / predicted WTRU location and WTRU direction (420). NWDAF 406 can generate a list of WTRU candidates after collecting NWDAF analysis and can determine the Network Slice availability duration and WTRU availability time at a given location (422).NEF 404 may identify a larger list of candidate WTRUs than the initial list provided by the AF 402 consumer and may include these WTRUs in the final list of candidate members (424).

[083] For example, NEF 404 can compare, for each WTRU, the WTRU slice availability duration with the expected application uptime provided by AF. If the predicted WTRU slice availability duration is greater than or equal to the expected uptime value, the WTRU can be selected. Otherwise, the WTRU can not be selected. NEF can include new WTRUs that are not in the initial list that, for example, have a WTRU slice availability duration greater than the expected application uptime.

[084] Similarly, NEF 404 can compare the duration of WTRU at a given location with location-related filtering criteria. Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, pp. 40-61 33 / 34 WTRU, area of ​​interest, and expected operating duration. In this case, if a WTRU is available (based on NWDAF forecasts) in a given location or area of ​​interest for a duration exceeding the expected application operating duration, then the WTRU may be a good candidate for AI / ML operation and may be selected. Otherwise, the WTRU may not be selected. Similarly, NEF 404 may include WTRUs not initially included in the WTRU list that meet this criterion. The availability duration of the WTRU slice and the availability of the WTRU in a given location may be used separately or together during the WTRU member selection assistance process.

[085] For example, a scenario can be considered where AF is only interested in no service interruption, regardless of location. In this case, AF can only provide the expected operation duration time in the filtering criteria, and not necessarily the WTRU location. In this case, NEF can only request WTRU slice availability duration predictions from NWDAF and not location-based WTRU analysis.

[086] After filtering the list of WTRUs and obtaining a final list of WTRUs that meet the criteria provided by the AF, the NEF can forward the list of candidate WTRUs to the AF (424).

[087] Figure 5 is a flow diagram of an exemplary 500 method for assistance in selecting WTRU members. In the example illustrated in Figure 5, a request can be sent for WTRU member selection that may include filtering criteria for low-performing WTRUs (502). The request may be for assistance in selecting members for federated learning operations and may include a preliminary list of candidate WTRUs. A list of candidate WTRUs may be received from the network node based on the criteria of Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, pp. 41 / 61 34 / 34 Service Experience filtering submitted (504).

[088] Although the resources and elements are described above in specific combinations, those skilled in the art will recognize that each resource or element can be used alone or in any combination with the other resources and elements. Furthermore, the methods described herein can be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware embedded in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted via wired and / or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media.Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a register, a cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard drives and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROMs and digital versatile discs (DVDs). A processor in conjunction with software can be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any central computer. Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, pp. 42 / 61

Claims

1 / 4 CLAIM 1. A method implemented on a network node, wherein the method is CHARACTERIZED by comprising: receiving, from an application function, a request for assistance in selecting a member wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), wherein the request includes an indication of a first list of WTRUs, an indication of at least one service experience filtering criterion and indications of contribution weights corresponding to each WTRU indicated in the first list, wherein the contribution weights are based on at least one type of service experience, a time window and a location;and send a notification to the application function, wherein the notification includes an indication of a second list of candidate WTRUs that is a subset of the first list of WTRUs, wherein the WTRUs indicated in the second list each have a Service experience metric, weighted based on the corresponding contribution weight, that meets at least one filtering criterion.

2. Method, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that at least one filtering criterion includes the contribution weights for the WTRUs in the first list that have different values ​​depending on at least one application identifier (ID), WTRU reputation, or WTRU reliability.

3. Method, according to claim 2, CHARACTERIZED in that it further comprises using the contribution weights to select the WTRUs for the second list.

4. Method, according to claim 3, CHARACTERIZED in that it further comprises using service experience data collected from other network nodes to select the WTRUs for the second list.

5. Method, according to any one of claims 1 to 4, Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, pp. 58 / 61 2 / 4 CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it further comprises mapping an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Machine Learning (ML) (AIML) operation to the type of Service experience.

6. Method, according to claim 5, CHARACTERIZED in that it further comprises associating the type of Service experience with an average opinion level.

7. A method, according to any one of claims 1 to 6, CHARACTERIZED in that it further comprises selecting candidate WTRUs for the second list based on at least one reporting threshold, wherein the at least one reporting threshold is based on contribution weights and the contribution weights are associated with an application.

8. Method, according to claim 7, CHARACTERIZED in that it further comprises applying the contribution weights associated with at least one application or type of Service experience to the location and time window.

9. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the network node includes a network exposure function (NEF).

10. A method, according to any one of claims 4 or 9, characterized in that the other network nodes include at least one application function producer or other network functions.

11. Network node CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it comprises: a receiver configured to receive from an application function, a request for wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) selection assistance from a member, wherein the request includes an indication of a first list of WTRUs, an indication of at least one service experience filtering criterion and indications of contribution weights corresponding to each WTRU indicated in the first list, wherein the contribution weights are Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, p.59 / 61 3 / 4 are based on at least one type of Service experience, a time window, and a location; and a transmitter configured to send a notification to the application function, wherein the notification includes an indication of a second list of candidate WTRUs that is a subset of the first list of WTRUs, wherein the WTRUs indicated in the second list each have a Service experience metric, weighted based on the corresponding contribution weight, that meets at least one filtering criterion.

12. Network node, according to claim 11, CHARACTERIZED in that at least one filtering criterion includes the contribution weights for the WTRUs in the first list that have different values ​​depending on at least one application identifier (ID), WTRU reputation, or WTRU reliability.

13. Network node, according to claim 12, the network node being CHARACTERIZED in being configured to use contribution weights to select the WTRUs for the second list.

14. Network node, according to claim 13, the network node being CHARACTERIZED in that it is configured to use service experience data collected from other network nodes to select the WTRUs for the second list.

15. Network node, according to any one of claims 11 to 14, the network node being CHARACTERIZED by mapping an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Machine Learning (ML) (AIML) operation to the Service experience type.

16. Network node, according to claim 15, the network node being CHARACTERIZED by associating the type of Service experience with an average opinion level. Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, pp. 60 / 61 4 / 4 17. Network node, according to any one of claims 11 to 16, the network node being CHARACTERIZED by being configured to select candidate WTRUs for the second list based on at least one reporting threshold, wherein the at least one reporting threshold is based on contribution weights and the contribution weights are associated with an application.

18. Network node, according to claim 17, the network node being CHARACTERIZED by applying the contribution weights associated with at least one application or Service experience type to location and time window.

19. Network node, according to any of claims 11 to 18, the network node being CHARACTERIZED by including a network exposure function (NEF).

20. Network node, according to any of claims 14 or 19, CHARACTERIZED in that the other network nodes include at least one application function producer or other network function. Petition 870250083980, dated 09 / 18 / 2025, pp. 61 / 61

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