Network devices for collecting EU-related measurements in dual connectivity.

Description

1 / 54 Network devices for collecting EU-related measurements in dual connectivity. FIELD

[001] The modalities of this disclosure generally relate to the field of communication and, in particular, to network devices for collecting measurements related to UE in dual connectivity. BACKGROUND

[002] With the development of communication technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) is used to implement network optimization. For example, a very typical workflow for AI-based network optimization is that a next-generation base station (gNB) with AI capability could use all the data / measurements collected from one or more user equipment (UE) and neighboring gNBs to train an AI model that can produce inference outputs.

[003] In this case, gNB could make decisions and take actions based on the trained AI model. For example, network actions considered might be turning cells on / off and / or transferring UE(s) to another cell. To monitor whether the AI ​​model is functioning well and to enable AI model updates when necessary, gNB needs to collect UE-related measurements from a target gNB after a UE is delivered to the target gNB. However, there are still some issues to be resolved in collecting UE-related measurements. SUMMARY

[004] In general, the methods of this disclosure provide a solution for collecting a measurement related to the UE in dual connectivity.

[005] In a first aspect, a network device is provided. The network device comprises a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to: transmit, via the transceiver, a first message to request measurement related to the user equipment (UE); Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 10 / 79 2 / 54 transmit, via the transceiver, a second message as part of a dual connectivity procedure to the UE to activate the provision of UE-related measurement to the UE, wherein the second message includes a measurement identifier that identifies the first message; and in response to the completion of the dual connectivity procedure, receive, via the transceiver, a third message that includes the requested UE-related measurement related to the dual connectivity procedure.

[006] In a second aspect, a network device is provided. The network device comprises a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to: receive, via the transceiver, a first message to request user equipment (UE) related measurement; receive, via the transceiver, a second message as part of a dual connectivity procedure for the UE to enable the provision of UE related measurement to the UE, wherein the second message includes a measurement identifier that identifies the first message; and in response to the completion of the dual connectivity procedure, transmit, via the transceiver, a third message that includes the requested UE related measurement related to the dual connectivity procedure.

[007] In a third aspect, a network device is provided. The network device comprises a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to: receive, via the transceiver, a first message to request user equipment (UE)-related measurement; receive, via the transceiver, a second message as part of a dual connectivity procedure for the UE to enable the provision of UE-related measurement to the UE, wherein the second message includes a measurement identifier that identifies the first message; and in response to the completion of the dual connectivity procedure, transmit, via the transceiver, a third message that includes the requested UE-related measurement. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 11 / 79 3 / 54 related to the dual connectivity procedure.

[008] In a fourth aspect, a method implemented by a network device is provided. The method comprises: transmitting, via the transceiver, a first message to request user equipment (UE)-related measurement; transmitting, via the transceiver, a second message as part of a dual connectivity procedure to the UE to enable the provision of UE-related measurement to the UE, wherein the second message includes a measurement identifier that identifies the first message; and in response to the completion of the dual connectivity procedure, receiving, via the transceiver, a third message that includes the requested UE-related measurement related to the dual connectivity procedure.

[009] In a fifth aspect, a method implemented by a network device is provided. The method comprises: receiving, via the transceiver, a first message to request user equipment (UE) related measurement; receiving, via the transceiver, a second message as part of a dual connectivity procedure for the UE to enable the provision of UE related measurement to the UE, wherein the second message includes a measurement identifier that identifies the first message; and in response to the completion of the dual connectivity procedure, transmitting, via the transceiver, a third message that includes the requested UE related measurement related to the dual connectivity procedure.

[010] In a sixth aspect, a method implemented by a network device is provided. The method comprises: receiving, via the transceiver, a first message from a secondary source node (SN) as part of a dual connectivity procedure for user equipment (UE), wherein the first message includes a measurement identifier that identifies a second message transmitted by a source SN to request a first measurement related to the UE; and in response to receiving the first message, Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 12 / 79 4 / 54 transmit, via the transceiver, a third message to a target SN to activate the provision of a second UE-related measurement related to the dual connectivity procedure.

[011] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium has instructions stored in it. The instructions, when executed on at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method of the fourth aspect.

[012] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium has instructions stored in it. The instructions, when executed on at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method of the fifth aspect.

[013] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium has instructions stored in it. The instructions, when executed on at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method of the sixth aspect.

[014] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify essential or main features of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become easily understood through the description below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[015] Some embodiments will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, in which: FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a communication system in which some aspects of this disclosure can be implemented; FIG. 2A illustrates an example of a signaling chart that illustrates a process for collecting a measurement related to the UE according to Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 13 / 79 5 / 54 with some example modalities of the present disclosure; FIG. 2B illustrates an example of a signaling chart that illustrates a process for collecting a measurement related to the UE according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic example diagram for collecting a UE-related measurement in a conditional addition of SN initiated by MN or conditional change of SN according to some example embodiments of this disclosure; FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic example diagram for collecting UE-related measurements in an SN-initiated (conditional) SN change according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 5 illustrates another example schematic diagram for collecting a UE-related measurement in an SN-initiated (conditional) SN change according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 6 illustrates an example flowchart of an example method implemented on a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 7 illustrates an example flowchart of an example method implemented on a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 8 illustrates an example flowchart of an example method implemented on a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[016] In all drawings, the same reference numbers or similar numbers represent the same elements or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[017] The principles of this disclosure will now be Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 14 / 79 6 / 54 described with reference to some embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes and assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described in this document can be implemented in several ways different from those described below. In the description and claims that follow, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this document have the same meaning commonly understood by a person with common knowledge in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[018] References in this disclosure to “one embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” “an embodiment,” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that each embodiment includes the specific feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is understood that it is known to a person skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments, whether explicitly described or not.

[019] It should be understood that, although the terms “first” and “second” or similar terms may be used in this document to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may also be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may also be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the modalities. As used in this document, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the terms listed. In some examples, values, procedures, or Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 15 / 79 7 / 54 devices are referred to as "best," "smallest," "largest," "minimum," "maximum," or similar. It will be appreciated that such descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection among many functional alternatives used can be made, and such selections need not be better, smaller, larger, or otherwise preferable to other selections.

[020] The terminology used in this document is intended to describe specific modalities and is not intended to be limiting of modalities. As used in this document, the singular forms “a,” “an,” “the,” and “the” should also include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “possesses,” “possessing,” “includes,” and / or “including,” when used in this document, specify the presence of declared features, elements, components, and / or similar items, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. For example, the term “includes” and its variants should be read as open terms meaning “includes, but is not limited to.” The term “based on” should be read as “based at least in part on.” The terms “one modality” and “an modality” should be read as “at least one modality.”The term “another modality” should be read as “at least one other modality.” Other definitions, both explicit and implicit, may be included below.

[021] As used in this document, the term “communication network” refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standards, such as 5G NR, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and so on. Furthermore, communications between a terminal device and a network device on the communication network can be carried out Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 16 / 79 8 / 54 in accordance with any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. The modalities of this disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will also be future types of communication technologies and systems in which this disclosure may be incorporated. This should not be seen as a limitation of the scope of this disclosure only to the systems mentioned above.

[022] As used in this document, the term network device generally refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device can access the network and receive services from it. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a B node (NodeB or NB), a radio access network node (RAN), an evolved B node (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also known as gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), an infrastructure device for a V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication, a transmit and receive point (TRP), a receive point (RP), a remote radio header (RRH), a relay, an integrated access and backhaul node (IAB), a low-power node such as a femto BS, a pico BS, and so on, depending on the terminology and technology applied.

[023] As used in this document, the term terminal device generally refers to any end device that is capable of wireless communications. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), an end-user device, a subscriber station (SS), an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a subscriber station. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 17 / 79 9 / 54 portable, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smartphone, a Voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device such as a digital camera, a gaming terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, lap computer integrated equipment (LEE), lap computer mounted equipment (LME), a USB adapter, a smart device, customer premises wireless equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone,A medical device and application (e.g., a remote surgery device), an industrial device and application (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated process chain contexts), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms terminal device, communication device, terminal, user equipment, and UE may be used interchangeably.

[024] As used in this document, the term Master Cell Group (MCG) fast link recovery generally refers to a radio resource control (RRC) procedure in dual multi-radio connectivity (MR-DC), where the UE sends an MCG fault information message to a master node (MN) via the secondary cell group (SCG) after detecting a radio link fault in the MCG.

[025] As used in this document, the term cell group Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 18 / 79 10 / 54 master generally refers to a group of service cells in MR-DC associated with the master node, comprising the SpCell (PCell) and, optionally, one or more SCells.

[026] As used in this document, the term “group of secondary cells” generally refers to a group of service cells in the MR-DC associated with the Secondary Node, comprising the SpCell (PSCell) and, optionally, one or more SCells.

[027] As used in this document, the term “secondary node” generally refers to a radio access node in MR-DC, without a control plane connection to the core network, providing additional resources to the UE. It can be an en-gNB (in dual EUTRA-NR connectivity (EN-DC)), a secondary ng-eNB (in dual NR-EUTRA connectivity (NE-DC)) or a secondary gNB (in dual new radio connectivity (NR-DC) and dual NG-RAN E-UTRA-NR connectivity (NGEN-DC)).

[028] As used in this document, the term “SCG carrier” generally refers to a radio carrier in MR-DC with a radio link control (RLC) carrier (or two RLC carriers in the case of carrier aggregation (CA) packet duplication in an E-UTRAN cell group, or up to four RLC carriers in the case of CA packet duplication in a new radio (NR) cell group) only in SCG.

[029] As used in this document, the term “SpCell” generally refers to a primary cell in a group of master or secondary cells.

[030] As used in this document, the term “signaling radio carrier 3 (SRB3)” generally refers to NGEN-DC and NR-DC, a direct SRB between the SN and the UE in EN-DC.

[031] As used in this document, the term “split carrier” generally refers to a radio carrier with RLC carriers in both MCG and SCG in MR-DC.

[032] As discussed above, when monitoring the performance of an AI model, a measurement related to the UE is collected from a target gNB after the UE is delivered to the target gNB. This measurement Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 19 / 79 11 / 54 related to the UE can be used as a measurement to determine whether a network operation (NW) decision is good or not. In the 3GPP discussion, it was agreed that a Class 1 data collection request / response procedure via an Xn interface is used so that the originating gNB requests the measurement before the transfer occurs (i.e., by sending a transfer request message). Then, the actual measurement is sent from the target gNB to the originating gNB after the transfer is complete.

[033] Furthermore, before the originating gNB decides to shut down a cell and transfer all user equipment (UE) to a neighboring target gNB, the originating gNB may use the same Class 1 procedure to request an estimated additional energy cost from the target gNB. Then, the originating gNB will take into account the estimated additional energy cost at the target gNB when deciding to shut down a cell. For example, the originating gNB may shut down a cell if the estimated additional energy cost at the target gNB is less than the reduced energy cost at the originating gNB.

[034] As discussed above, UE-related measurement is collected in the standalone scenario, for example, a non-dual connectivity (non-DC) scenario. However, the applicability of such data collection procedures for dual connectivity scenarios was not discussed in 3GPP, for example, the MN may use an SN to offload some traffic for load balancing or to save power for network power. Therefore, the performance of operations in dual connectivity scenarios cannot be estimated or determined.

[035] In view of the foregoing, the modalities of this disclosure provide a solution for collecting UE-related measurement in a dual connectivity scenario. For example, a network device may transmit a first message to request a measurement related to the user equipment (UE). The network device also transmits a second message as part of a dual connectivity procedure to a UE to activate a measurement provision. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 20 / 79 12 / 54 related to the UE for the UE. The second message includes a measurement identifier that identifies the first message. After the dual connectivity procedure is complete, the network device may receive a third message that includes the requested UE-related measurement related to the dual connectivity procedure. Through the solution of this disclosure, a signaling mechanism can be introduced that allows the network device to collect the UE-related measurement in the dual connectivity scenario. In this way, the UE-related measurement can be used to better determine the performance of operations in dual connectivity scenarios and can also be used to determine whether it is necessary to offload some traffic for load balancing or to save power for network power.

[036] The principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the figures. However, it should be noted that these embodiments are provided to enable those skilled in the art to implement the solution as proposed herein and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way.

[037] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a communication system 100 in which some embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. The communication network 100 includes three network devices 110, 130 and 140 and a terminal device 120. The terminal device 120 is also called UE equipment. The network devices 110, 130 and 140 can provide services to the terminal device 120 in the dual connectivity scenario. For example, in the dual connectivity scenario, the terminal device 120 can be connected to the network devices 110 and 130.

[038] In the 100 system, terminal device 120 is assumed to be located within the coverage area of ​​network devices 110 and 130. In some instances, a link from network device 110, 130, or 140 to terminal device 120 is called a downlink (DL), while a link from terminal device 120 Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 21 / 79 13 / 54 for network device 110, 130, or 140 is called an uplink (UL). In a downlink, network device 110, 130, or 140 is a transmitting (TX) device (or a transmitter) and terminal device 120 is a receiving (RX) device (or a receiver). In an uplink, terminal device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or a transmitter) and network device 110, 130, or 140 is an RX device (or a receiver). In some embodiments, network device 110, 130, or 140 and terminal device 120 can communicate via direct links / channels. DL may comprise one or more logical channels, including, but not limited to, a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).A Logical Unit (LU) may comprise one or more logical channels, including, but not limited to, a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). As used in this document, the term channel may refer to a carrier or a portion of a carrier consisting of a contiguous set of resource blocks (RBs) on which a channel access procedure is performed in shared spectrum.

[039] Communications in system 100, between network device 110, 130 or 140, and terminal device 120, for example, may be implemented in accordance with any suitable communication protocol(s), including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G) and fifth-generation (5G) cellular communication protocols and the like, wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and the like, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. In addition, communication may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Divided Multiple Address (CDMA), Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 22 / 79 14 / 54 Frequency Divided Multiple Address (FDMA), Time Divided Multiple Address (TDMA), Frequency Divided Duplexer (FDD), Time Divided Duplexer (TDD), Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Divided Multiple Access (OFDMA) and / or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

[040] The embodiments of this disclosure may be applied to any suitable scenarios. For example, embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in low-capacity NR devices. Alternatively, embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in one of the following: multi-input / multi-output NR (MIMO), NR side link enhancements, NR systems with frequencies above 52.6 GHz, extended NR operation up to 71 GHz, narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) / enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC) over non-terrestrial networks (NTN), NTN, UE power saving enhancements, NR coverage enhancement, NB-IoT and LTE-MTC, integrated access and backhaul (IAB), NR multicast and broadcast services, or enhancements in dual multi-radio connectivity.

[041] It should be understood that the device numbers (i.e., network devices 110, 130, and 140 and terminal device 120) and their connection relationships and types shown in FIG. 1 are for illustrative purposes only, without suggesting any limitation. System 100 may include any suitable number of devices adapted to implement embodiments of this disclosure.

[042] Reference is also made to FIGS. 2A and 2B, which illustrate the signaling graph that illustrates processes 200A and 200B for collecting measurements related to the UE according to some example embodiments of this disclosure. For discussion purposes, processes 200A and 200B will be described with reference to FIG. 1. Process 200A may involve network devices 110 and 130, and process 200B may involve network devices Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 23 / 79 15 / 54 110, 130 and 140.

[043] As shown in FIG. 2A, network device 110 transmits 206 a first message to request measurement related to user equipment (UE). The first message is transmitted to network device 130 and network device 130 receives the first message. For example, the first message is a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message.

[044] In some embodiments, the first message is used to instruct network device 130 to collect UE-related measurements, such as UL / DL throughput, packet delay, packet error rate, UE mobility / pathway, UE traffic load, and so on. Alternatively or additionally, the first message includes a measurement identifier that is used to identify the first message. Furthermore, network device 110 can send multiple messages to multiple network devices, including network device 130. For example, multiple messages are transmitted to several network devices. Each of the multiple messages is transmitted to the respective network device to request user equipment (UE)-related measurements.

[045] In some embodiments, the first message includes a flag that indicates whether the first message is applied to a transfer procedure, a dual connectivity procedure, or both. In this way, the network device 130 can determine which procedure uses the first message.

[046] In some embodiments, the dual connectivity procedure is a secondary node (SN) addition initiated by MN or an SN change initiated by MN to the MN and a target SN. As shown in FIG. 2A, in the secondary node (SN) addition initiated by MN or in an SN change initiated by MN, network device 110 is a master node (MN) and network device 130 is the SN. Network device 110 can initiate the (conditional) SN addition initiated by MN or the SN change (conditional). Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 24 / 79 16 / 54

[047] In some modes, after receiving the first message, network device 130 will send a reply message to network device 110. For example, the reply message is a DATA COLLECTION REPLY message.

[048] As shown in FIG. 2A, network device 110 transmits 208 a second message as part of a dual connectivity procedure to a UE to activate a UE-related measurement provision for the UE. The second message includes a measurement identifier that identifies the first message. The second message is transmitted to network device 130, and network device 130 receives the second message. After the second message is received by network device 130, network device 130 needs to collect the UE-related measurement. Because the second message contains the measurement identifier that identifies the first message, network device 130 can determine what information is collected based on the first message identified by the measurement identifier. For example, the measurement identifier could be a measurement / event ID.

[049] In some modes, the second message may contain an EU identity assigned by the MN, for example, the EU identity assigned by network device 110. In some modes, in the addition of an SN (conditional) initiated by MN or in the change of an SN (conditional), the second message may be a REQUEST FOR ADDITION OF SN message.

[050] In some modes, after receiving the second message, network device 130 may transmit a confirmation message to the network device. For example, the confirmation message is a SN ADDITION CONFIRMATION message.

[051] As shown in FIG. 2A, in response to the completion of the dual connectivity procedure, network device 110 receives a third message that includes the requested UE-related measurement related to the dual connectivity procedure. The third message is from network device 130. For example, the Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 25 / 79 17 / 54 The third message may be a DATA UPDATE message.

[052] In some modes, when adding a (conditional) SN initiated by MN or changing a (conditional) SN, when the dual connectivity procedure for UE is completed, network device 110 can send a complete message to network device 130. For example, the message might be SN RECONFIGURATION COMPLETED.

[053] In some embodiments, after completion of the dual connectivity procedure for the UE, network device 130 will collect the requested UE-related measurement. The requested UE-related measurement is a UE-related measurement specific to the SN measured by the target SN.

[054] In some embodiments, the SN-specific UE-related measurement is returned to network device 110 via the third message. The SN-specific UE-related measurement is incorporated into an information element (IE) of the third message. The IE used for the SN-specific UE-related measurement is the same as an IE used for a UE-related measurement for a transfer procedure. In one example, the SN-specific UE-related measurement might include the received uplink / downlink (UL / DL) throughput relative to the master cell group / secondary cell group (MCG / SCG) carriers terminated on the SN. In another example, the SN-specific UE-related measurement might include a packet delay relative to the master cell group / secondary cell group (MCG / SCG) carriers terminated on the SN.In another example, the SN-specific UE-related measurement might include a packet error rate related to master cell group / secondary cell group (MCG / SCG) carriers terminated at the SN. In another example, the SN-specific UE-related measurement might include UE traffic load related to master cell group / secondary cell group (MCG / SCG) carriers terminated at the SN. In another example, the SN-specific UE-related measurement might... Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 26 / 79 18 / 54 include a received UE mobility / trajectory relating to one or more visited PSCells for the target SN. The above examples are used to illustrate this disclosure, rather than to limit this disclosure. The specific UE measurement relating to the SN may contain two or more pieces of information about the received uplink / downlink (UL / DL) throughput, packet delay, packet error rate, UE traffic load, or received UE mobility / trajectory, or other information.

[055] In some embodiments, an information element (IE) used for the SN-specific UE-related measurement is different from the IE used for the UE-related measurement for the transfer procedure. For example, in one instance, the SN-specific UE-related measurement includes the average SN-terminated uplink / downlink throughput. In another instance, the SN-specific UE-related measurement includes an average SN termination delay. In another instance, the SN-specific UE-related measurement includes an average error rate of packets terminated at the SN. In yet another instance, the SN-specific UE-related measurement includes an average SN-terminated traffic load. The above embodiments are used to illustrate the present disclosure, rather than to limit the present disclosure.The measurement related to the specific UE of the SN may contain two or more data points such as average uplink / downlink throughput terminated at the SN, average delay terminated at the SN, average packet error rate terminated at the SN, or average traffic load terminated at the SN, or other information.

[056] In some modes, the third message can be received by network device 110 from network device 130, provided the UE is connected to network device 130. In DC operations, such as adding or changing SN, the target PSCell is decided by the target SN itself. Therefore, the specific measurement of the UE SN can be determined by network device 130. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 27 / 79 19 / 54

[057] Fig. 2A shows the (conditional) addition of SN initiated by MN or the (conditional) change of SN. During the process of (conditional) addition of SN initiated by MN or (conditional) change of SN, network device 110 is the MN and network device 130 is the SN. FIG. 2B illustrates an example of a signaling graph that illustrates a process for collecting a UE-related measurement according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[058] In FIG. 2B, an SN change initiated by SN (conditional) is shown for a source SN, a target SN, and an MN. This process can occur after the SN addition (conditional) process initiated by the MN or the SN change (conditional). In this process, network device 110 and network device 130 can also be used to illustrate the communication procedure. In this case, network device 130 can be used as the source SN, network device 110 can be used as the MN, and network device 140 can be used as the target SN. In this process, the operations for network 130 are similar to the operations for network device 110 shown in FIG. 2A, and the operations for network device 140 are similar to the operations for network device 130 shown in FIG. 2A.

[059] As shown in FIG. 2B, network device 110 receives 220 a first message from a secondary source node (SN) as part of a dual connectivity procedure for user equipment (UE). The first message includes a measurement identifier that identifies a second message transmitted by a source SN to request a first measurement related to the UE. The measurement identifier is also called the first measurement identifier. In response to receiving the first message, MN 110 transmits 222 a third message to a target SN 140 to activate the provision of a second measurement related to the UE related to the dual connectivity procedure. The target SN 140 is the network device used by the UE to achieve the dual connectivity procedure. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 28 / 79 20 / 54

[060] For the SN-initiated (conditional) SN change shown in FIG. 2B, there are at least two solutions. A first solution is that the UE-related feedback is transmitted directly from the target SN to the source SN. A second solution is that the UE-related feedback is transmitted indirectly from the target SN to the source SN via an MN. The operations shown above in FIG. 2B are used in at least two solutions.

[061] In the first solution, the source SN 130 transmits the second message directly to the target SN 140. The second message is used to request a UE-related measurement from the target SN. The UE-related measurement can be used to determine whether the SN-initiated (conditional) SN change is good or not. Alternatively and additionally, the second message includes the measurement identifier that identifies the second message. Alternatively or additionally, the second message may include indicators that indicate what information would be obtained from the target SN. For example, the second message is a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message, and the measurement identifier could be the measurement / event identity.

[062] In some modes, the originating SN 130 can transmit a set of messages to a set of candidate SNs to request a UE-related measurement. The set of candidate NPs includes the target NP. For SN-initiated SN change, the set of candidate SNs includes one SN. For SN-initiated conditional SN change, the set of candidate SNs includes multiple SNs. Additionally, after receiving the second message, the target SN 140 can transmit a reply message to the originating SN. For example, the reply message could be a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message.

[063] In some embodiments, the first message uses an IE to carry the measurement identifier. For example, the first message is a REQUIRED SN CHANGE message, and the measurement identifier can be used to identify the second message. The IE Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 29 / 79 The 21 / 54 used for the measurement identifier in the first message may be the same as the IE used for the measurement identifier in the second message. In this case, MN 110 will, by default, consider that the measurement / event ID in question refers to a data collection request procedure between the source SN and the target SN, in order to avoid a collision with the data collection request / response between the source SN and the MN. In some modes, an IE used for the measurement identifier in the first message is different from the IE used for the measurement identifier in the second message.

[064] In some embodiments, the first message includes a set of SN identifiers for a set of candidate SNs, including the target SN. The first message also includes a set of measurement identifiers. The set of measurement identifiers indicates the messages transmitted to the set of candidate SNs. Therefore, the set of measurement identifiers includes the first measurement identifier of the second message that is transmitted to the target SN. Therefore, the set of measurement identifiers corresponds to the set of SN identifiers of the set of candidate SNs. The first message also includes a first UE identifier of the UE assigned by the originating SN.

[065] In some embodiments, in the first solution, the third message transmitted from MN 110 to target SN 140 includes an SN identifier for the originating SN, an UE identifier assigned by the originating SN, and a measurement identifier that identifies the first message transmitted from originating SN 130 to target SN 140 directly. For example, the third message is a REQUEST FOR ADDITION OF SN message.

[066] In some embodiments, after the third message is transmitted to target SN 140, target SN 140 will transmit a fourth message including a second UE identifier assigned by the target SN to MN 110. Therefore, MN 110 can receive the fourth message from the target SN. For example, the fourth message is a CONFIRMATION message. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 30 / 79 22 / 54 REQUEST FOR ADDITION OF SN.

[067] In some embodiments, MN 110 transmits a fifth message to the originating SN 130. The fifth message includes a set of UE identifiers assigned by the set of candidate SNs. For example, each of the sets of candidate SNs receives the fourth message. After receiving the fourth message, each candidate SN will assign a UE identifier to the UE. Therefore, the set of UE identifiers is from the set of candidate SNs. In addition, the set of UE identifiers includes the second UE identifier. For example, the fifth message may be a SN CHANGE CONFIRMATION message.

[068] In some embodiments, the source SN 130 receives a measurement message from the target SN 140. In one example, the measurement message includes the first UE identifier. In another example, the measurement message includes a second UE identifier assigned by the target SN. The measurement message also includes the SN-specific measurement related to the UE. The SN-specific measurement related to the SN is discussed above. For example, the measurement message is a DATA UPDATE message.

[069] In the second solution, where UE-related feedback is transmitted from the target SN to the source SN indirectly via MN, the second message is transmitted from source SN 130 to MN 110. The second message includes a set of SN identifiers from a set of candidate SNs, including the target SN. In the SN-initiated SN change, the set of candidate SNs includes one SN, which is the target SN. In the SN-initiated conditional SN change, the set of candidate SNs includes multiple SNs, including the target SN. In addition, the second message also includes the measurement identifier that identifies the second message and indicators that indicate the UE-related measure to be returned. For example, the second message is a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message.

[070] In some modes, after receiving the second message, Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 31 / 79 23 / 54 MN 110 transmits a sixth message to target SN 130 to request the second measurement related to the user equipment (UE). The second UE-related measurement includes the first UE-related measurement. For example, MN 110 may request more information than that requested by the originating SN based on the first UE-related measurement. Additionally, the sixth message includes a second measurement identifier that identifies the sixth message. For example, the sixth message is a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message.

[071] In the second solution, the first message is transmitted from the originating SN to the MN. The first message also includes the set of SN identifiers from the set of candidate SNs and a set of measurement identifiers corresponding to the set of SN identifiers. For example, one of the sets of measurement identifiers corresponds to one of the sets of SN identifiers. An SN that has an SN identifier receives a message identified by the measurement identifier. The set of measurement identifiers includes the first measurement identifier. In addition, the first message also includes a UE identifier from the UE assigned by the originating SN.

[072] In some modes, in response to receiving the first message, MN 110 transmits a seventh message to target SN 140. The seventh message includes the second measurement identifier that identifies the sixth message transmitted by MN 110. In addition, the seventh message includes the UE identifier assigned by MN 110. For example, the seventh message is a REQUEST FOR ADDITION OF SN message.

[073] In some embodiments, after receiving the seventh message, target SN 140 transmits a confirmation message of the seventh message to MN 110. The acknowledgment message includes a UE identifier assigned by target SN 140. For example, the confirmation message may be a CONFIRMATION OF SN ADDITION REQUEST message. Then, MN 110 transmits a message of Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 32 / 79 24 / 54 confirmation for the originating SN 130. For example, the confirmation message is a SN CHANGE CONFIRMATION message.

[074] In some embodiments, target SN 140 transmits an eighth message to MN 110. The eighth message includes a specific SN measurement related to the UE. For example, the eighth message is a data update message, also called the first data update message. After receiving the eighth message, MN 110 transmits a second data update message to source SN 130. The second data update message includes at least the specific SN measurement related to the UE. In one embodiment, the second data update message includes a specific SN UE-related measurement received by the MN from the target SN. In another embodiment, the second data update message includes the specific SN UE-related measurement and / or a specific MN UE-related measurement.In another example, the second data update message includes an average / merged UE-related measurement for the MN-specific UE-related measurement and the SN-specific UE-related measurement. In some examples, the second data update message includes two or more SN-specific UE-related measurements, the SN-specific UE-related measurement or an MN-specific UE-related measurement, or an average / merged UE-related measurement for the MN-specific UE-related measurement and the SN-specific UE-related measurement. Additionally, the second data update message also includes a target SN identifier.

[075] FIG. 3 illustrates an example schematic diagram for collecting UE-related measurements in a conditional SN addition initiated by MN or conditional SN change according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that process 300 can be considered a more specific example of process 200A, as shown in FIG. 2A. Thus, gNB 1 302 in FIG. 3 can be an example of the device. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 33 / 79 25 / 54 of network 110 in FIG. 2A and gNB 2 304 in FIG. 3 can be an example of network device 130 in FIG. 2A.

[076] FIG. 3 shows a process that collects UE-related feedback on SN addition (conditional) initiated by MN or on SN change (conditional). In this mode, gNB 1 302 transmits 306 the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message to gNB 2 304 to request a UE-related measurement from a gNB 2 304 peer after a UE connects to the gNB 2 304 peer as a secondary node in a dual connectivity scenario. If gNB 2 304 accepts the data collection request and responds to the DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message 308, gNB 1 will transmit the SN ADDITION REQUEST message 310 (which contains a Measurement / Event ID referring to a previous request, for example, the same as the Measurement / Event ID contained in the previous request) to gNB 2 304. Then, gNB 2 304 transmits SN ADDITION CONFIRMATION 312 to gNB 1 302.gNB 2 304 must provide 316 the DATA UPDATE, including the requested UE-related measurement, to gNB 1 302 after receiving an associated SN ADDITION REQUEST and the UE successfully connects to gNB#2. When the UE successfully connects to gNB#2, gNB 1 302 transmits 314 a SN RECONFIGURATION COMPLETED message to gNB 2 304. This applies to both the MN-initiated SN addition procedure (conditional) and the SN change procedure (conditional), where the target gNB 2 304 will receive the SN ADDITION REQUEST message from the MN. The requested UE-related measurement can be any of the following: UL / DL throughput, packet delay, packet error rate, UE mobility / trajectory, or UE traffic load.

[077] In some modes, in the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message, indicators are added to indicate whether the data request applies to the transfer procedure, or to the dual connectivity procedures, or both. For example, the UL / DL transfer rate request may apply to both the transfer procedure and the dual connectivity procedure. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 34 / 79 26 / 54 dual connectivity, while the UE mobility / trajectory request can be applied to the transfer procedure. Therefore, the UE-related measurement request for the transfer procedure and the dual connectivity procedure can be requested in the same DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message.

[078] In some modes, gNB 2 304 starts measuring the UE-related measurement accepted / requested after gNB 2 304 receives the SN RECONFIGURATION COMPLETED message from MN via the XnAP interface. After gNB 2 304 receives the SN RECONFIGURATION COMPLETED message from MN, SN knows that UE has successfully applied the SN-related radio carrier configuration and can start UL / DL data transfer. In this case, gNB 1 and gNB 2 304 are also referred to as MN and SN, respectively.

[079] In some modes, if the requested UE-related measurement is accepted, gNB 2 304 will measure and provide the DATA UPDATE message, including the SN-specific UE-related measurement, to gNB 1 302. The SN-specific UE-related measurement can be provided using the same IE used for the provision of UE-related measurement for transfer. In this case, gNB#1 must consider that the received UE-related measurement is SN-specific, for example: the received UL / DL throughput, packet delay, packet error rate, and UE traffic load pertain only to MCG / SCG carriers terminated in the SN; the received UE mobility / trajectory pertains only to the visited PSCell(s) and, optionally, the associated dwell time.Alternatively, specific UE measurement related to the SN can be provided using different IEs than those for providing UE-related measurement for transfer, for example, by introducing new IEs in the DATA UPDATE message, such as Average SN Terminated Throughput UL / DL, Average SN Terminated Delay, Average SN Terminated Packet Error Rate, Average SN Terminated Traffic Load. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 35 / 79 27 / 54

[080] The EU Performance Measurements IE indicates performance measurements for an EU. Example EU Performance Measurements (IE) designs of some modalities are shown in Table 1 below. Table 1: Example of performance measurement projects for some EU modalities. Name of IE / Group Presence Type and reference of IE Semantic description Average EU Transfer Rate DL Protocol 9.2.3.4 Average general user plan EU transfer rate in DL Average EU Transfer Rate UL Protocol 9.2.3.4 Average general user plan EU transfer rate in UL Average Packet Delay O For further study (FFS) Average value of the delay that a packet may suffer. Average Packet Error Rate O Protocol 9.2.3.13 Average Packet Error Rate UL Average SN Terminated Transfer Rate O Average general user plan EU transfer rate in DL by SN-terminated MCG / SCG carriers Average SN Terminated Transfer Rate O Average general user plan EU transfer rate in UL by SN-terminated MCG / SCG carriers Average Packet Delay O Average value for the delay that a packet may suffer Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 36 / 79 28 / 54 SN terminated on SN-terminated MCG / SCG carriers. Average error rate of SN-terminated packets. Average error rate of packets on SN-terminated MCG / SCG carriers. Average traffic load on SN-terminated MCG / SCG carriers. Average traffic load on SN-terminated MCG / SCG carriers. SCG historical information.

[081] In some modes, the target SN will continue to provide the requested / accepted UE-related measurement as long as the UE is connected to the same target SN, regardless of which UE of the PSCell it is connected to. In autonomous transfer, the target gNB may stop providing the UE-related measurement to the source gNB if the UE is transferred to another cell. This is because during the HO procedure, the target PCell is pointed to by the source gNB. However, in DC operations, such as adding or changing SNs, the target PSCell is decided by the target SN itself.

[082] Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate two solutions of some modalities for collecting measurements related to UE in SN change initiated by SN (conditional). It should be understood that process 400 can be considered as a more specific example of process 200B, as shown in FIG. 2B. Thus, source SN 402 in FIG. 4 can be an example of source SN 130 in FIG. 2B, MN 404 in FIG. 4 can be an example of MN 110 in FIG. 2B, and target SN 406 in FIG. 4 can be an example of target SN 140 in FIG. 2B. It should be understood that process 500 can be considered as a more specific example of process 200B, as shown in FIG. 2B. Thus, source SN 502 in FIG. Figure 5 could be an example of the SN originating from 130 in FIG. 2B, while MN 504 in FIG. 5 could be an example of... Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 37 / 79 29 / 54 MN 110 in FIG. 2B, and target SN 506 in FIG. 5 may be an example of target SN 140 in FIG. 2B.

[083] In the modes shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the case of a SN change initiated by SN (conditional), the MN will help the originating SN to request and receive the UE-related measurement from the target SN. If accepted, the UE-related measurement will be measured by the target SN and transmitted to the originating SN directly or indirectly via MN. Furthermore, the modes of FIG. 3 also apply to the modes shown in FIG. 4.

[084] Figs. 4 illustrates an example schematic diagram for collecting a collection of UE-related measurements in an SN-initiated (conditional) SN change according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 4 shows the solution, including that the UE-related measurement is transmitted from the target SN to the source SN directly.

[085] In some modes, before the SN-initiated (conditional) SN change by the SN is activated by the originating SN, the originating SN initiates the Data Collection Request procedure towards the target SN to request the UE-related measurement. As shown in FIG. 4, originating SN 402 transmits 408 a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message to target SN 406. Then, target SN 406 transmits 410 a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message to originating SN 402 after receiving the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message. Next, the originating SN 402 transmits a REQUIRED SN CHANGE message to MN 404. The REQUIRED SN CHANGE message activates the SN-initiated (conditional) SN change procedure. The REQUIRED SN CHANGE message includes a measurement / event ID that refers to the previous request (e.g., using the same measurement / event ID contained in the previous DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message).When the MN sends the 414 REQUEST TO ADD SN message to the target SN, the MN must include the same Measurement / Event ID as in the REQUIRED SN CHANGE message. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 38 / 79 30 / 54 Target SN. The target SN can therefore refer to a previous data collection request from the source SN based on the measurement / event ID received from the MN in the SN ADDITION REQUEST message. After receiving the SN ADDITION REQUEST message, the target SN 406 will transmit a SN ADDITION CONFIRMATION message to the MN. The SN ADDITION CONFIRMATION message includes a UE XnAP Z ID assigned to the target SN (T-SN). Then, the MN 404 transmits a SN CHANGE CONFIRMATION message to the source SN, which also includes a UE XnAP Z ID assigned to the T-SN. When the UE successfully connects to target SN 406, MN 404 transmits a SN RECONFIGURATION COMPLETE message (420) to target SN 406. Then, target SN 406 will send a DATA UPDATE message (422) directly to the source SN 402.

[086] In some modes, in the REQUIRED SN CHANGE message, the Measurement / Event ID relating to a data collection request between the source SN and the target SN (e.g., using the same Measurement / Event ID contained in the previous DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message) is contained as a separate IE (e.g., Measurement / Event ID for the target SN IE) compared to the IE used for the data collection request procedure (e.g., Measurement / Event ID IE). Alternatively, the UE-specific measurement related to the SN is contained in the same IE as the IE used for the data collection request procedure. In this case, the MN will, by default, consider that the Measurement / Event ID in question refers to a data collection request procedure between the source SN and the target SN.

[087] Because there may be a data collection request / response between the source SN and the MN, it is possible that the measurement / event ID used between the source SN and the target SN may collide with the measurement / event ID used between the source SN and the MN. Therefore, it is important for the MN to distinguish that the received Measurement / Event ID refers to the data collection request procedure between the source SN and the target SN, rather than the request procedure. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 39 / 79 31 / 54 of data collection between the originating SN and the MN, as in some Modalities. Then, the MN must ensure that the measurement / event ID in the SN ADDITION REQUEST message for the target SN is the same measurement / event ID as the SN CHANGE REQUIRED message received.

[088] In some modes, in the case of a conditional SN change initiated by SN, the SN CHANGE REQUIRED message will contain a list of target SN IDs. In this case, the SN CHANGE REQUIRED message may transmit a list of Measurement / Event IDs and each one is associated with a target SN ID.

[089] In some modes, in the SN ADDITION REQUEST message sent from the MN to the target SN, the Measurement / Event ID is provided along with the associated source SN ID and a UE Y ID assigned by the source SN that is contained in the SN CHANGE REQUIRED message received from the source SN earlier (e.g., SN UE XnAP ID). This allows the target SN to accurately refer to a previous data request for the source SN ID, considering the potential for measurement / event ID collisions between the target SN and other gNBs. Furthermore, in legacy modes, the source SN and the target SN do not actually know the UE XnAP ID assigned by the corresponding node. To support some modes, the UE XnAP ID assigned by the source SN and the target SN needs to be forwarded by the MN to the corresponding node.

[090] In some modes, in the SN CHANGE CONFIRMATION message, you can also include the UE ID Z assigned by the target SN to the UE in question. In the case of a conditional SN change initiated by SN, the SN CHANGE CONFIRMATION message will include a list of UE IDs, each associated with a target SN ID.

[091] In some modes, the DATA UPDATE message transmitted from the target SN to the source SN may include at least one of the Y UE IDs previously assigned by the source SN and the Z UE ID previously assigned by the target SN.

[092] FIG. 5 illustrates another example schematic diagram for Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 40 / 79 32 / 54 collect a UE-related measurement in a SN change initiated by SN (conditional) of SN according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; specifically, FIG. 5 shows the solution, including that the UE-related measurement is transmitted from the target SN to the source SN indirectly via MN.

[093] In some modes, the addition of SN is performed in block 508. The data collection request between the source SN and the target SN is done in two steps. First, the source SN initiates the data collection request procedure with MN. Then, the MN initiates another data collection request towards the target SN to request the UE-related measurement, as previously requested by the source SN. After the SN-initiated (conditional) SN change, the target SN first sends the requested UE-related measurement to the MN, and the MN forwards it to the source SN.

[094] For example, originating SN 502 transmits 510 a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST 1 message to MN 504. Then, MN 504 transmits 512 a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST 2 message to a target SN 506. As shown in FIG. 5, the measurement / event ID is different. For example, measurement / event ID X in the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST 1 message is assigned by originating SN 502 to identify the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST 1 message. Measurement / event ID Y in the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST 2 message is assigned by originating SN 502 to identify the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST 2 message. Then a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE 2 message is transmitted 514 from target SN 506 to MN 504 and a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE 1 message is transmitted 516 from MN 504 to originating SN 502. The originating SN transmits 518 the message SN CHANGE REQUIRED to MN 504. Next, MN 504 transmits 520 the message SN ADDITION REQUEST to target SN 506.MN 504 will receive a CONFIRMATION OF SN ADDITION REQUEST message and will send a CONFIRMATION OF SN CHANGE message to the originating SN 502. Then, MN receives... Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 41 / 79 33 / 54 6 a DATA UPDATE 2 message from target SN 50 6 and transmits a DATA UPDATE 1 message to source SN 502.

[095] In some modes, the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST 1 message also contains the target SN ID which helps the MN to identify and request the UE-related measurement of the corresponding target SN. In the case of a conditional SN change initiated by SN, the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST may contain a list of target SN IDs.

[096] In some modes, the Measurement / Event ID X in the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST 1 message is assigned by the originating SN, the Measurement / Event ID Y in the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST 2 message is assigned by MN. X and Y may have the same or different values. While the exact measurement related to UE Z requested in the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST 1 message must be the same as or a subset of the measurement related to UE Z' requested in the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST 2 message.

[097] In some modes, the Measurement / Event ID X assigned by the originating SN is from a specific ID pool (e.g., Measurement ID for another Node) that is used to assign the Measurement / Event ID that requests data from another gNB (e.g., target SN).

[098] In some modes, it is also possible that Measurement / Event ID X and the measurement related to the request UE Z are carried as a container in the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST 1 message from the source SN to the MN. The container is associated with a target SN ID. The MN will route the container to the target SN without interpretation. In this case, the measurement / event IDs X and Y, the measurements related to the request UE Z and Z' are identical.

[099] In some modes, in the case of a conditional SN change initiated by an SN, the SN CHANGE REQUIRED message will contain a list of target SN IDs. In this case, the SN CHANGE REQUIRED message may transmit a list of Measurement / Event IDs. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 42 / 79 34 / 54 and each is associated with a target SN ID.

[100] In some embodiments, when the MN forwards the requested UE-related A' measurement to the originating SN, the MN may provide only the SN-specific UE-related A' measurement, the same as the SN-specific UE-related A' measurement received from the target SN. Alternatively or additionally, the MN may provide both the SN-specific UE-related measurement and the MN-specific UE-related measurement separately. Alternatively or additionally, the MN may provide average / merged UE-related measurements considering both MN-specific and SN-specific UE-related measurements. The SN-specific UE-related measurement may be a subset of the UE-related A' measurement.

[101] In some modes, the DATA UPDATE 1 message may also contain the corresponding target SN ID. In the case of a conditional SN change initiated by SN, the source SN may not know which target SN the UE connects to in the legacy procedure.

[102] FIG. 6 illustrates an example flowchart of an example method implemented on a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, method 600 will be described from the perspective of network device 110 with reference to FIG. 1.

[103] In block 602, network device 110 transmits, via the transceiver, a first message to request user equipment (UE) related measurement. In block 604, network device 110 transmits, via the transceiver, a second message as part of a dual connectivity procedure to the UE to enable the provision of UE-related measurement to the UE, wherein the second message includes a measurement identifier that identifies the first message. In block 606, network device 110 determines whether the dual connectivity procedure has been completed. In response to the completion of the dual connectivity procedure, in block 608, the device Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 43 / 79 Network 35 / 54 110 receives, via the transceiver, a third message that includes the requested UE-related measurement related to the dual connectivity procedure. In response to the dual connectivity procedure not being completed, no operation is performed.

[104] In some embodiments, the first message includes a flag that indicates whether the first message is applied to a transfer procedure, a dual connectivity procedure, or both.

[105] In some embodiments, where the network device is a master node (MN), and the dual connectivity procedure is a secondary node (SN) addition initiated by MN or an SN change initiated by MN to the MN and a target SN.

[106] In some embodiments, where the requested UE-related measurement is a specific SN-related UE measurement measured by the target SN.

[107] In some embodiments, wherein an information element (IE) used for the SN-specific UE-related measurement is the same as an IE used for a UE-related measurement for a transfer procedure, and the SN-specific UE-related measurement includes one of: received uplink / downlink (UL / DL) throughput, a packet delay, a packet error rate or a UE traffic load, or a received UE mobility / trajectory, wherein the received uplink / downlink (UL / DL) throughput, packet delay, packet error rate and UE traffic load relate to the master cell group / secondary cell group (MCG / SCG) carriers terminated in SN, and the received UE mobility / trajectory relates to one or more PSCells visited for the target SN.

[108] In some embodiments, where an information element, IE, used for measurement related to the specific UE of the SN is different from the IE used for measurement related to the UE for the Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 44 / 79 36 / 54 transfer procedure, and the measurement related to the specific SN UE includes an average uplink / downlink throughput rate terminated at the SN, an average delay terminated at the SN, an average packet error rate terminated at the SN, or an average traffic load terminated at the SN.

[109] In some modes, the third message is received from the target SN while the UE is connected to the target SN.

[110] In some embodiments, where the network device is a source SN, and the dual connectivity procedure is an SN change procedure initiated by SN to the source SN, a master node (MN) and a target SN.

[111] In some embodiments, where an IE used for the measurement identifier in the second message is the same as an IE used for the measurement identifier in the first message, or different from the IE used for the measurement identifier in the first message.

[112] In some embodiments, where the first message is transmitted to the target SN, and the second message is transmitted to the MN and includes: a set of SN identifiers for a set of candidate SNs, including the target SN; a set of measurement identifiers, including the measurement identifier and corresponding to the set of SN identifiers; and a first UE identifier of the UE assigned by the originating SN.

[113] In some embodiments, the network device 110 receives, via the transceiver and the MN, a fourth message including a set of UE identifiers for the UE assigned by the set of candidate SNs.

[114] In some embodiments, where the third message is received from the target SN and also includes one of the first UE identifiers or a second UE identifier assigned by the target SN, where the set of UE identifiers includes the second UE identifier.

[115] In some modes, where the first message is Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 45 / 79 Message 37 / 54 is transmitted to the MN and includes a set of SN identifiers from a set of candidate SNs, including the target SN, and the second message is transmitted to the MN and also includes the set of SN identifiers and a set of measurement identifiers, including the measurement identifier corresponding to the set of SN identifiers.

[116] In some forms, the third message also includes a target SN identifier.

[117] In some embodiments, where the third message is received from the MN, and the requested UE-related measurement includes a specific SN UE-related measurement received by the MN from the target SN, the specific SN UE-related measurement or a specific MN UE-related measurement, or an average / merged UE-related measurement for the specific MN UE-related measurement and the specific SN UE-related measurement.

[118] FIG. 7 illustrates an example flowchart of an example method implemented on a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, method 700 will be described from the perspective of network device 130 with reference to FIG. 1.

[119] In block 702, network device 130 receives, via the transceiver, a first message requesting user equipment (UE)-related measurement. In block 704, network device 130 receives, via the transceiver, a second message as part of a dual connectivity procedure for the UE to enable the provision of UE-related measurement to the UE, wherein the second message includes a measurement identifier that identifies the first message. In block 706, network device 130 determines whether the dual connectivity procedure has been completed. In response to the completion of the dual connectivity procedure, in block 708, network device 130 transmits, via the transceiver, a third message that includes the requested UE-related measurement related to the procedure. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 46 / 79 38 / 54 Dual connectivity. If the dual connectivity procedure is not completed, no operation is performed.

[120] In some embodiments, the first message also includes a flag indicating whether the first message is applied to a transfer procedure, a dual connectivity procedure, or both.

[121] In some embodiments, the network device is a target secondary node (SN) and the dual connectivity procedure is a secondary node initiated by a master node (MN), SN addition or a change of SN initiated by MN to the target SN and an MN.

[122] In some embodiments, the requested UE-related measurement is a UE-related measurement specific to the SN for the target SN.

[123] In some embodiments, an information element (IE) used for the SN-specific UE-related measurement is the same as an IE used for a UE-related measurement for a transfer procedure, and the SN-specific UE-related measurement includes one of: received uplink / downlink (UL / DL) throughput, a packet delay, a packet error rate, a UE traffic load or a received UE mobility / trajectory, wherein the received uplink / downlink (UL / DL) throughput, packet delay, packet error rate and UE traffic load relate to the master cell group / secondary cell group (MCG / SCG) carriers terminated in SN, and the received UE mobility / trajectory relates to one or more PSCells visited for the target SN.

[124] In some embodiments, an information element (IE), used for the SN-specific UE-related measurement, is different from an IE used for a UE-related measurement for a transfer procedure, and the SN-specific UE-related measurement includes an average uplink / downlink throughput terminated in SN, an average delay Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 47 / 79 39 / 54 terminated in SN, an average packet error rate terminated in SN, or an average traffic load terminated in SN.

[125] In some modes, the third message is transmitted to the MN while the UE is connected to the target SN. [12 6] In some embodiments, the network device is a target SN, and the dual connectivity procedure is an SN change procedure initiated by an SN to a source SN, a master node (MN) and the target SN.

[127] In some embodiments, an IE used for the measurement identifier in the second message is the same as an IE used for the measurement identifier in the first message, or different from the IE used for the measurement identifier in the first message.

[128] In some embodiments, the first message is received from the originating SN, and the second message is received from the MN and also includes: an SN identifier for the originating SN; and a first UE identifier of the UE assigned by the originating SN.

[129] In some embodiments, the network device 130 transmits, via the transceiver and to the MN, a fourth message including a UE identifier assigned by the target SN.

[130] In some embodiments, the third message is transmitted to the originating SN and also includes one of the first UE identifiers assigned by the originating SN or a second UE identifier assigned by the target SN.

[131] In some modes, the first message is received from a master node, MN, and the second message is received from MN.

[132] In some modes, the third message is transmitted to the MN and includes a measurement related to the specific UE of the SN.

[133] FIG. 8 illustrates an example flowchart of an example method implemented on a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, method 800 will be described from the perspective of network device 110 with reference to FIG. 1.

[134] In block 802, network device 110 receives, via Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 48 / 79 On block 40 / 54 of the transceiver, a first message from a secondary source node (SN) is sent as part of a dual connectivity procedure for user equipment (UE), where the first message includes a measurement identifier that identifies a second message transmitted by a source SN to request a first UE-related measurement. In block 804, network device 110 determines whether the first message is received. In response to receiving the first message, in block 806, network device 110 transmits, via the transceiver, a third message to a target SN to activate the provision of a second UE-related measurement related to the dual connectivity procedure. In response to the first message not being received, no operation is performed.

[135] In some embodiments, the measurement identifier is a first measurement identifier, and the first message includes: a set of SN identifiers for a set of candidate SNs, including the target SN; a set of measurement identifiers, including the first measurement identifier and corresponding to the set of SN identifiers; and a first UE identifier of the UE assigned by the source SN.

[136] In some forms, the third message includes: an SN identifier for the originating SN; the first measurement identifier; and the first UE identifier.

[137] In some embodiments, the network device 110 receives, via the transceiver and the target SN, a fourth message including a second UE identifier assigned by the target SN.

[138] In some embodiments, the network device 110 transmits, via the transceiver and to the originating SN, a fifth message including a set of UE identifiers assigned by the set of candidate SNs, wherein the set of UE identifiers includes the second UE identifier.

[139] In some embodiments, the second message is received from the originating SN and includes a set of SN identifiers from a set of candidate SNs, including the target SN, the identifier Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 49 / 79 Measurement 41 / 54 is a first measurement identifier and, in response to receiving the second message, network device 110 transmits, via the transceiver, a sixth message to the target SN to request the second measurement related to the user equipment (UE), where the second measurement related to the UE includes the first measurement related to the UE.

[140] In some embodiments, the first message includes the SN identifier set and a measurement identifier set, where the measurement identifier set includes the first measurement identifier and corresponds to the SN identifier set.

[141] In some embodiments, in response to receiving the first message, the network device 110 transmits, via the transceiver, a seventh message to the target SN, including a second measurement identifier that identifies the sixth message.

[142] In some embodiments, the network device 110 receives, via the transceiver, an eighth message from the target SN, including a UE-related measurement specific to the SN; and transmits, via the transceiver, a ninth message to the source SN, including a third UE-related measurement, wherein the third UE-related measurement includes at least the UE-related measurement specific to the SN.

[143] In some embodiments, the third UE-related measurement includes one of the SN-specific UE-related measurements, the SN-specific UE-related measurement or a MN-specific UE-related measurement, or an average / merged UE-related measurement for the MN-specific UE-related measurement and the SN-specific UE-related measurement.

[144] FIG. 9 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a 900 device that is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The 900 device can be considered as a further example of an implementation of the terminal device 120 and the network devices 110, 130 and 140, as shown in Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 50 / 79 42 / 54 FIG. 1. Consequently, device 900 can be implemented in, or as at least part of, terminal device 120, or network devices 110, 130, or 140.

[145] As shown, the device 900 includes a processor 910, a memory 920 coupled to the processor 910, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 940 coupled to the processor 910, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 940. The memory 910 stores at least part of a program 930. The TX / RX 940 is for bidirectional communications. The TX / RX 940 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although in practice an access node mentioned in this disclosure may have several. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements, such as the X2 interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs or gNBs, the S1 interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Service Gateway (S-GW) and the eNB or gNB, the Un interface for communication between the eNB or gNB and a relay node (RN), or the Uu interface for communication between the eNB or gNB and a terminal device.

[146] It is assumed that program 930 includes program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 910, enable the device 900 to operate in accordance with the embodiments of this disclosure, as discussed herein with reference to FIGS. 1-8. The embodiments described in this document may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 910 of the device 900, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 910 may be configured to implement various embodiments of this disclosure. Furthermore, a combination of the processor 910 and memory 920 may form processing media 950 adapted to implement various embodiments of this disclosure.

[147] The 920 memory can be of any type suitable for the local technical network and can be implemented using any technology. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 51 / 79 43 / 54 of suitable data storage, such as a non-transient computer-readable storage medium, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. Although only one 920 memory is shown in the 900 device, there may be several physically distinct memory modules in the 900 device. The 910 processor may be of any type suitable for the local technical network and may include one or more general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The 900 device may have multiple processors, such as an application-specific integrated circuit chip that is time-slave to a clock that synchronizes with the main processor.

[148] In summary, the methods of this disclosure may provide the following solutions.

[149] Clause 1. A network device comprising: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: transmit, through the transceiver, a first message to request user equipment (UE) related measurement; transmit, through the transceiver, a second message as part of a dual connectivity procedure for UE to enable the provision of UE-related measurement to UE, wherein the second message includes a measurement identifier that identifies the first message; and in response to the completion of the dual connectivity procedure, receive, through the transceiver, a third message that includes the requested UE-related measurement related to the dual connectivity procedure.

[150] Clause 2. The network device of Clause 1, where the first message includes an indicator that shows whether the first message is applied to a transfer procedure, to a Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 52 / 79 44 / 54 dual connectivity procedure or both.

[151] Clause 3. The network device of Clause 1, where the network device is a master node (MN) and the dual connectivity procedure is a secondary node (SN) addition initiated by MN or an SN change initiated by MN to the MN and a target SN.

[152] Clause 4. The network device of Clause 3, where the requested UE-related measurement is a specific SN-related measurement measured by the target SN.

[153] Clause 5. The network device of Clause 4, wherein an information element (IE) used for the SN-specific UE-related measurement is the same as an IE used for a UE-related measurement for a transfer procedure, and the SN-specific UE-related measurement includes one of: received uplink / downlink (UL / DL) throughput, a packet delay, a packet error rate or a UE traffic load, or a received UE mobility / trajectory, wherein the received uplink / downlink (UL / DL) throughput, packet delay, packet error rate and UE traffic load relate to the master cell group / secondary cell group (MCG / SCG) carriers terminated in SN, and the received UE mobility / trajectory relates to one or more PSCells visited for the target SN.

[154] Clause 6. The network device of Clause 4, wherein an information element, IE, used for the SN-specific UE-related measurement is different from the IE used for the UE-related measurement for the transfer procedure, and the SN-specific UE-related measurement includes one of the following: SN-terminated average uplink / downlink transfer rates, SN-terminated average delay, SN-terminated average packet error rate, or SN-terminated average traffic load.

[155] Clause 7. The network device of Clause 3, in which Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 53 / 79 45 / 54 the third message is received from the target SN while the UE is connected to the target SN.

[156] Clause 8. The network device of Clause 1, wherein the network device is a source SN and the dual connectivity procedure is an SN-initiated SN change procedure for the source SN, a master node (MN) and a target SN.

[157] Clause 9. The network device of Clause 8, wherein an IE used for the measurement identifier in the second message is the same as an IE used for the measurement identifier in the first message, or different from the IE used for the measurement identifier in the first message.

[158] Clause 10. The network device of Clause 8, where the first message is transmitted to the target SN and the second message is transmitted to the MN and includes: a set of SN identifiers for a set of candidate SNs, including the target SN; a set of measurement identifiers, including the measurement identifier and corresponding to the set of SN identifiers; and a first UE identifier of the UE assigned by the source SN.

[159] Clause 11. The network device of Clause 10, in which the processor is further configured to: receive, by means of the transceiver and the MN, a fourth message including a set of UE identifiers for the UE assigned by the set of candidate SNs.

[160] Clause 12. The network device of Clause 11, wherein the third message is received from the target SN, and also includes one of the first UE identifiers or a second UE identifier assigned by the target SN, wherein the set of UE identifiers includes the second UE identifier.

[161] Clause 13. The network device of Clause 8, where the first message is transmitted to the MN and includes a set of SN identifiers from a set of candidate SNs, including the target SN, and the second message is transmitted to the MN and also includes the set of SN identifiers and a set of identifiers Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 54 / 79 46 / 54 of measurement, including the measurement identifier and corresponding to the set of SN identifiers.

[162] Clause 14. The network device of Clause 13, where the third message also includes a target SN identifier of the target SN.

[163] Clause 15. The network device of Clause 13, wherein the third message is received from the MN, and the requested UE-related measurement includes an SN-specific UE-related measurement received by the MN from the target SN, the SN-specific UE-related measurement or an MN-specific UE-related measurement, or an average / merged UE-related measurement for the MN-specific UE-related measurement and the SN-specific UE-related measurement.

[164] Clause 16. A network device comprising: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, through the transceiver, a first message to request user equipment (UE) related measurement; receive, through the transceiver, a second message as part of a dual connectivity procedure for UE to enable the provision of UE-related measurement to UE, wherein the second message includes a measurement identifier that identifies the first message; and in response to the completion of the dual connectivity procedure, transmit, through the transceiver, a third message that includes the requested UE-related measurement related to the dual connectivity procedure.

[165] Clause 17. The network device of Clause 16, where the first message also includes a flag indicating whether the first message is applied to a transfer procedure, a dual connectivity procedure, or both.

[166] Clause 18. The network device of Clause 16, where the network device is a target secondary node (SN) and the dual connectivity procedure is a secondary node initiated by a master node. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 55 / 79 47 / 54 (MN), SN, addition or a change of SN initiated by MN to the target SN and an MN.

[167] Clause 19. The network device of Clause 18, where the requested UE-related measurement is a UE-related measurement specific to the SN for the target SN.

[168] Clause 20. The network device of Clause 19, wherein an information element (IE) used for the SN-specific UE-related measurement is the same as an IE used for a UE-related measurement for a transfer procedure, and the SN-specific UE-related measurement includes one of: received uplink / downlink (UL / DL) throughput, a packet delay, a packet error rate, a UE traffic load or a received UE mobility / trajectory, wherein the received uplink / downlink (UL / DL) throughput, packet delay, packet error rate and UE traffic load relate to the master cell group / secondary cell group (MCG / SCG) carriers terminated in SN, and the received UE mobility / trajectory relates to one or more PSCells visited for the target SN.

[169] Clause 21. The network device of Clause 19, wherein an information element (IE) used for the SN-specific UE-related measurement is different from an IE used for a UE-related measurement for a transfer procedure, and the SN-specific UE-related measurement includes an average uplink / downlink-terminated SN-terminated delay average delay, an average packet error rate terminated SN-terminated or an average traffic load terminated SN-terminated.

[170] Clause 22. The network device of Clause 18, in which the third message is transmitted to the MN while the UE is connected to the target SN.

[171] Clause 23. The network device of Clause 16, wherein the network device is a target SN, and the connectivity procedure Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 56 / 79 48 / 54 double is a SN change procedure initiated by SN to a source SN, a master node (MN), and the target SN.

[172] Clause 24. The network device of Clause 23, wherein an IE used for the measurement identifier in the second message is the same as an IE used for the measurement identifier in the first message, or different from the IE used for the measurement identifier in the first message.

[173] Clause 25. The network device of Clause 23, in which the first message is received from the originating SN and the second message is received from the MN and also includes: an SN identifier for the originating SN; and a first UE identifier of the UE assigned by the originating SN. [17 4]Clause 26. The network device of Clause 25, in which the processor is further configured to: transmit, via the transceiver and to the MN, a fourth message including a UE identifier assigned by the target SN.

[175] Clause 27. The network device of Clause 25, where the third message is transmitted to the originating SN and also includes one of the first UE identifiers assigned by the originating SN or a second UE identifier assigned by the target SN.

[176] Clause 28. The network device of Clause 23, where the first message is received from a master node, MN, and the second message is received from MN.

[177] Clause 29. The network device of Clause 28, where the third message is transmitted to the MN and includes a measurement related to the specific UE of the SN.

[178] Clause 30. A network device comprising: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, through the transceiver, a first message from a secondary source node (SN) as part of a dual connectivity procedure for user equipment (UE), wherein the first message includes a measurement identifier that identifies a second message transmitted by a Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 57 / 79 49 / 54 The originating SN is used to request an initial UE-related measurement; and in response to receiving the first message, a third message is transmitted via the transceiver to a target SN to activate the provision of a second UE-related measurement related to the dual connectivity procedure.

[179] Clause 31. The network device of Clause 30, where the measurement identifier is a first measurement identifier, and the first message includes: a set of SN identifiers for a set of candidate SNs, including the target SN; a set of measurement identifiers, including the first measurement identifier and corresponding to the set of SN identifiers; and a first UE identifier of the UE assigned by the source SN.

[180] Clause 32. The network device of Clause 31, where the third message includes: an SN identifier for the source SN; the first measurement identifier; and the first UE identifier.

[181] Clause 33. The network device of Clause 31, in which the processor is further configured to: receive, via the transceiver and the target SN, a fourth message including a second UE identifier assigned by the target SN.

[182] Clause 34. The network device of Clause 33, in which the processor is further configured to: transmit, through the transceiver and to the originating SN, a fifth message including a set of UE identifiers assigned by the set of candidate SNs, in which the set of UE identifiers includes the second UE identifier.

[183] Clause 35. The network device of Clause 30, where the second message is received from the source SN and includes a set of SN identifiers from a set of candidate SNs, including the target SN, the measurement identifier is a first measurement identifier and where the processor is further configured to: in Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 58 / 79 50 / 54 In response to receiving the second message, transmit, via the transceiver, a sixth message to the target SN to request the second measurement related to the user equipment (UE), where the second measurement related to the UE includes the first measurement related to the UE.

[184] Clause 36. The network device of Clause 35, the first message includes the SN identifier set and a measurement identifier set, wherein the measurement identifier set includes the first measurement identifier and corresponds to the SN identifier set.

[185] Clause 37. The network device of Clause 35, in which the processor is further configured to: in response to receiving the first message, transmit, via the transceiver, a seventh message to the target SN, including a second measurement identifier that identifies the sixth message.

[186] Clause 38. The network device of Clause 37, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive, by means of the transceiver, an eighth message from the target SN, including a UE-related measurement specific to the SN; and transmit, by means of the transceiver, a ninth message to the source SN, including a third UE-related measurement, wherein the third UE-related measurement includes at least the UE-related measurement specific to the SN.

[187] Clause 39. The network device of Clause 38, wherein the third UE-related measurement includes one of the SN-specific UE-related measurements, the SN-specific UE-related measurement or a MN-specific UE-related measurement, or an average / merged UE-related measurement for the MN-specific UE-related measurement and the SN-specific UE-related measurement.

[188] Clause 40. A method implemented by a network device, comprising: transmitting a first message to request a measurement related to the user equipment (UE); Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 59 / 79 51 / 54 transmit a second message as part of a dual connectivity procedure to the UE to activate the provision of UE-related measurement to the UE, wherein the second message includes a measurement identifier that identifies the first message; and in response to the completion of the dual connectivity procedure, receive a third message that includes the requested UE-related measurement related to the dual connectivity procedure.

[189] Clause 41. A method implemented by a network device, comprising: receiving a first message to request a measurement related to the user equipment (UE); receiving a second message as part of a dual connectivity procedure to the UE to enable the provision of the UE-related measurement to the UE, wherein the second message includes a measurement identifier that identifies the first message; and in response to the completion of the dual connectivity procedure, transmitting a third message that includes the requested UE-related measurement related to the dual connectivity procedure.

[190] Clause 42. A method implemented by a network device, comprising: receiving a first message from a secondary source node (SN) as part of a dual connectivity procedure for user equipment (UE), wherein the first message includes a measurement identifier that identifies a second message transmitted by a source SN to request a first measurement related to the UE; and in response to receiving the first message, transmitting a third message to a target SN to enable the provision of a second measurement related to the UE related to the dual connectivity procedure.

[191] Clause 43. Computer-readable medium containing instructions stored therein which, when executed on at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method in accordance with Clause 40.

[192] Clause 44. Computer-readable medium containing instructions stored therein, which, when executed in Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 60 / 79 52 / 54 at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method in accordance with Clause 41.

[193] Clause 45. Computer-readable medium containing instructions stored therein which, when executed on at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method in accordance with Clause 42.

[194] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in special-purpose hardware or circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representation, it will be appreciated that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, special-purpose hardware, software, firmware, circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controller, or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[195] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transient, computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, executed on a device on a target real or virtual processor, to perform the process or method as described above. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functionality of program modules may be combined or divided among program modules. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 61 / 79 53 / 54 as desired in various modes. Machine-executable instructions for program modules can be executed on a local or distributed device. On a distributed device, program modules can be located on local and remote storage media.

[196] The program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. Such program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on one machine, partially on the machine as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on the remote machine or server.

[197] The above program code may be embedded in a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction-executing system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium may include, but not be limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer floppy disk, a hard disk drive, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, read-only memory Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 62 / 79 54 / 54 portable compact disc (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

[198] Furthermore, although the operations are described in a specific order, this should not be understood as a requirement that such operations be performed in the specific order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve the desired results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are contained in the discussions above, these should not be interpreted as limitations to the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to certain embodiments. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment.On the other hand, multiple features described in the context of a single modality can also be implemented in multiple modalities separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[199] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Instead, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as exemplary ways of implementing the claims. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 63 / 79

Claims

1 / 5 CLAIMS 1. Network device, CHARACTERIZED in that it comprises: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: transmit, through the transceiver, a first message to request measurement related to the user equipment (UE); transmit, through the transceiver, a second message as part of a dual connectivity procedure to the UE to activate a provision of measurement related to the UE, wherein the second message includes a measurement identifier that identifies the first message; and in response to the completion of the dual connectivity procedure, receive, through the transceiver, a third message that includes the requested measurement related to the UE related to the dual connectivity procedure.

2. Network device, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the network device is a master node (MN) and the dual connectivity procedure is a secondary node (SN) addition initiated by MN or an SN change initiated by MN for the MN and a target SN.

3. Network device, according to claim 2, CHARACTERIZED in that the requested UE-related measurement is a UE-related measurement specific to the target SN.

4. Network device, according to claim 3, CHARACTERIZED in that an information element (IE) used for measurement related to the specific SN UE is the same as an IE used for a measurement related to the UE for a transfer procedure, and the measurement related to the specific SN UE includes one of: uplink / downlink transfer rate. Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 64 / 79 2 / 5 (UL / DL) received, a packet delay, a packet error rate, or a UE traffic load, or a received UE mobility / trajectory, wherein the received uplink / downlink throughput (UL / DL), packet delay, packet error rate, and UE traffic load relate to SN-terminated master cell group / secondary cell group (MCG / SCG) carriers, and the received UE mobility / trajectory relates to one or more PSCells visited for the target SN.

5. Network device, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that the network device is a source SN and the dual connectivity procedure is a SN-initiated SN change procedure for the source SN, a master node (MN), and a target SN.

6. Network device, according to claim 5, CHARACTERIZED in that an IE used for the measurement identifier in the second message is the same as an IE used for the measurement identifier in the first message, or different from the IE used for the measurement identifier in the first message.

7. Network device, according to claim 5, CHARACTERIZED in that the first message is transmitted to the target SN and the second message is transmitted to the MN and includes: a set of SN identifiers for a set of candidate SNs including the target SN; a set of measurement identifiers, including the measurement identifier and corresponding to the set of SN identifiers; and a first UE identifier of the UE assigned by the source SN.

8. Network device, according to claim 7, CHARACTERIZED in that the processor is further configured Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 65 / 79 3 / 5 to: receive, through the transceiver and the MN, a fourth message including a set of UE identifiers for the UE assigned by the set of candidate SNs.

9. Network device, according to claim 8, CHARACTERIZED in that the third message is received from the target SN, and also includes either the first UE identifier or a second UE identifier assigned by the target SN, wherein the set of UE identifiers includes the second UE identifier.

10. Network device, according to claim 5, CHARACTERIZED in that the first message is transmitted to the MN and includes a set of SN identifiers from a set of candidate SNs, including the target SN, and the second message is transmitted to the MN and also includes the set of SN identifiers and a set of measurement identifiers, including the measurement identifier and corresponding to the set of SN identifiers.

11. Network device, CHARACTERIZED by the fact that it comprises: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, through the transceiver, a first message to request measurement related to the user equipment (UE); receive, through the transceiver, a second message as part of a dual connectivity procedure for the UE to activate a delivery of the UE-related measurement to the UE, wherein the second message includes a measurement identifier that identifies the first message; and in response to the completion of the dual connectivity procedure, transmit, through the transceiver, a third message that includes the requested UE-related measurement related to Petition 870250091099, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 66 / 79 4 / 5 dual connectivity procedure.

12. Network device, CHARACTERIZED in that it comprises: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, through the transceiver, a first message from a secondary source node (SN) as part of a dual connectivity procedure for user equipment (UE), wherein the first message includes a measurement identifier that identifies a second message transmitted by a source SN to request a first measurement related to the UE; and in response to receiving the first message, transmit, through the transceiver, a third message to a target SN to activate the provision of a second measurement related to the UE related to the dual connectivity procedure.

13. Network device, according to claim 12, CHARACTERIZED in that the measurement identifier is a first measurement identifier, and the first message includes: a set of SN identifiers for a set of candidate SNs including the target SN; a set of measurement identifiers, including the first measurement identifier and corresponding to the set of SN identifiers; and a first UE identifier of the UE assigned by the source SN.

14. Network device according to claim 13, CHARACTERIZED in that the third message includes: an SN identifier for the source SN; the first measurement identifier; and the first UE identifier.

15. Network device according to claim 12, CHARACTERIZED in that the second message is received from the source SN and includes a set of SN identifiers from a set of candidate SNs, including the target SN, the measurement identifier is a first measurement identifier, and wherein the processor is further configured to: in response to receiving the second message, transmit, via the transceiver, a sixth message to the target SN to request the second measurement related to the user equipment (UE), wherein the second measurement related to the UE includes the first measurement related to the UE.

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