QoE report continuity with slice remapping

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to QoE reporting continuity with slice remapping. A terminal device obtains a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a QoE measurement report. The QoE measurement configuration indicates a first network slice range and a second network slice range. The first network slice range and the second network slice range indicate one or more first network slices and one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, respectively. In the slice remapping event, at least one first network slice of the one or more first network slices is to be remapped to at least one second network slice of the one or more second network slices. In response to the occurrence of the slice remapping event, the terminal device executes a QoE measurement report based on the QoE measurement configuration. In this manner, normal QoE measurement reports can be maintained by introducing slice remapping.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and particularly to a terminal device, a network device, a core network device, a method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium for quality of experience (QoE) report continuity in a slice remapping event. Background Art

[0002] Network slicing is a key 5G feature for supporting different services using the same underlying mobile network infrastructure. Network slices may differ in service requirements (such as ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) and enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)) or the tenants providing these services.

[0003] According to the current specification, when a service is provided within a configured slice, QoE measurement can also be configured with a certain network slice range, so that the user experience can be evaluated on a per-slice basis. In some scenarios, for example, when all current slices are congested, or when the UE switches to a cell that does not support the ongoing slice, the ongoing slice of the UE may need to be remapped to another slice to ensure service continuity. In such a scenario, there is still a need to improve the QoE measurement reporting process. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for achieving QoE report continuity in a slice remapping event.

[0005] In a first aspect, a terminal device for a radio access network is provided. The terminal device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device is caused to at least: obtain a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of quality of experience QoE measurement reporting, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, where the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement reporting, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement reporting, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices; and in response to the occurrence of the slice remapping event, perform QoE measurement reporting based on the QoE measurement configuration.

[0006] In a second aspect, a network device for a radio access network is provided. The network device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: obtain a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a quality of experience QoE measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration being for a terminal device for a radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

[0007] In a third aspect, a core network device is provided. The core network device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the core network device to at least: a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a quality of experience QoE measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration being for a terminal device for a radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: obtaining, by a terminal device for a radio access network, a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a quality of experience QoE measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices; and performing a QoE measurement report based on the QoE measurement configuration in response to the occurrence of a slice remapping event.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: obtaining, by a network device for a radio access network, a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a quality of experience QoE measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration being for a terminal device for the radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a quality of experience QoE measurement report at a core network device, the QoE measurement configuration being for a terminal device for the radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a device is provided. The device includes: means for obtaining, at a terminal device for a radio access network, a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a quality of experience QoE measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices; and means for performing a QoE measurement report based on the QoE measurement configuration in response to the occurrence of a slice remapping event.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: means for obtaining, at a network device for a radio access network, a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a quality of experience QoE measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration being for a terminal device for the radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: means for obtaining, at a core network device, a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a quality of experience QoE measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration being for a terminal device for the radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: an obtaining circuit system configured to obtain a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a quality of experience QoE measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices; and an execution circuit system configured to perform a QoE measurement report based on the QoE measurement configuration in response to the occurrence of a slice remapping event.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: acquisition circuitry configured to acquire a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a quality of experience QoE measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration being for a terminal device for a radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: transmission circuitry configured for continuity of a quality of experience QoE measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration being for a terminal device for a radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

[0017] In a thirteenth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, the non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least execute the program instructions of the method according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects above.

[0018] In a fourteenth aspect, a computer program including instructions is provided, the instructions, when executed by an apparatus, causing the apparatus to at least execute the method according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects above.

[0019] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0021] Figure 1A An example communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is illustrated;

[0022] Figure 1BIllustrates a schematic diagram of the QoE measurement reporting process in a slice remapping event in a related solution;

[0023] Figure 1C Illustrates a schematic diagram of the format of network slice identifiers;

[0024] Figure 2 Illustrates a flowchart of a process for QoE reporting in a slice remapping event according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 3A and Figure 3B Illustrates an example of a process for QoE reporting in a slice remapping event according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 4 Illustrates another example of a process for QoE reporting in a slice remapping event according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 5 Illustrates another example of a process for QoE reporting in a slice remapping event according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 6 Illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 7 Illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 8 Illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a server according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 9 Illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0032] Figure 10 Illustrates a block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0033] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Description

[0034] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and help those skilled in the art understand and implement the present disclosure, and do not represent any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various other ways than those described below.

[0035] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0036] In this disclosure, references to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "example embodiment", etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0037] It should be understood that although terms such as "first" and "second" may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the example embodiments, a first element may be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element may be termed a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0038] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. The singular forms "a", "an", and "the" as used herein also include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Further understood, the terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes", and / or "including" when used herein specify the presence of the stated feature, element, and / or component, etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, "at least one of the following: <list of two or more elements>" and "at least one of <list of two or more elements>" and similar phrases (where the list of two or more elements is joined by "and" or "or") refer to at least any one of these elements, or at least any two or more of these elements, or at least all of these elements.

[0039] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0040] (a) a pure hardware circuit implementation (such as an implementation using only analog and / or digital circuitry), and

[0041] (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable):

[0042] (i) A combination of (one or more) analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and

[0043] (ii) Any portion of (one or more) hardware processors (including (one or more) digital signal processors), software, and (one or more) memories with software that work together to cause a device, such as a mobile phone or a server, to perform various functions), and

[0044] (c) (One or more) hardware circuitry and / or (one or more) processors, such as (one or more) microprocessors or a portion of (one or more) microprocessors, which require software (e.g., firmware)

[0045] to operate, but the software may not be present when not needed for operation.

[0046] The definition of circuitry is suitable for all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also encompasses an implementation of only hardware circuitry or a processor (or processors) or a portion of hardware circuitry or a processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also encompasses a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network devices.

[0047] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as 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), etc. In addition, the communication between a terminal device and a network device in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth generation (5G) communication protocol, and / or any other protocol known currently or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Considering the rapid development of communication, of course, there will also be future types of communication technologies and systems that can be used to embody the present disclosure. It should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to the above systems.

[0048] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from the network. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, the network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), remote radio unit (RRU), radio header (RH), remote radio head (RRH), relay, low-power node (such as femto, pico), etc.

[0049] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, IP voice (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), game terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEE), laptop mounted devices (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premise equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMD), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automation processing chain environment), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment", and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0050] As described above, network slicing is a key 5G feature for supporting different services using the same underlying mobile network infrastructure. Network slices may differ in terms of service requirements (such as URLLC and eMBB) or the tenants providing these services. Network slices are uniquely identified via single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI). The current 3GPP specification allows a UE to be simultaneously connected and served by up to eight slices, which correspond to eight network slices, i.e., eight S-NSSAIs. On the other hand, each cell may support dozens or even hundreds of slices. For example, in the current specification, a tracking area (TA) may support up to 1024 network slices.

[0051] RAN3 Rel-17 SI identifies several scenarios for network slice support continuity via TR 38.832, in which remapping the slice ID of several packet data unit (PDU) sessions to another slice is proposed, for example, when the current slice is congested. Slice remapping covering NG-RAN nodes is proposed, where the remapping policy is generated at the management / orchestration entity (OAM) or the core network (CN) during NG establishment / PDU session establishment. For each S-NSSAI, a list of possible other S-NSSAIs is proposed from the OAM / CN to the NG-RAN nodes for remapping. After the RAN node makes a decision, it notifies the network to continue the remapping process towards the UE and the PDU session modification process. However, due to potential UE and core impacts, no solution was selected during the specification phase, and further SA2 research is required. Furthermore, the SA2 Rel-18 Phase 3 via TR 23.700-41 aims to provide solutions for supporting network slice service continuity for non-mobility and inter-registration area mobility scenarios, in which slice remapping solutions have been proposed.

[0052] RAN#91e has reached the Rel-17 QoEWI via RP-210913 on "NR QoE Management and Optimization for Different Services", the objectives of which include specifications such as QoE measurement, definition of processes for supporting QoE data collection in intra-system RAT mobility scenarios, RAN visible QoE, and QoE measurement collection per S-NSSAI. During the SI phase, R2-2102483 in RAN2#113-e (January 2021) endorsed the TP of TR 38.890, and the NR QoE solutions and processes include signaling-based processes and management-based processes, such as LTE, where in the signaling-based process, the CN network initiates the activation of QoE measurement configured by the OAM, while in the management-based process, the OAM directly sends the QoE measurement configuration to the RAN node. For both methods, after the RAN node identifies one or more UEs that meet specific criteria (e.g., area scope, service type, network slice scope), the RAN node forwards the QoE measurement configuration to the UE access stratum (AS), and this AS layer then sends the QoE measurement configuration to the UE application (APP) layer. The RAN node encapsulates the configuration in a transparent container, which is then sent to the UE in the RRCReconfiguration message as an application layer configuration. On the other hand, according to 3GPP TS 38.331], all measurement reports generated from the UE APP layer are encapsulated in a transparent container and sent to the network in the MeasurementReportAppLayer message.

[0053] As a result of the above research, according to 3GPP TS 38.300, when services are provided within a configured slice, QoE measurements can also be configured with a certain network slice scope so that the user experience can be evaluated on a per-slice basis. The UE APP layer includes the slice ID in the QoE report container when reporting QoE measurements. For QoE in Rel-17, the UE APP layer does not know the network slice scope, but for QoE in Rel-18, it has been agreed that the UE APP will have knowledge of the network slice scope.

[0054] For RRC_CONNECTED state mobility, the source RAN node can send the QoE measurement configuration of a specific UE to the target RAN node via XnAP or NGAP, where for signaling-based QoE, information such as the area scope, network slice scope, and measurement status is transmitted to the target RAN node. For signaling-based QoE, when switching to a target RAN node that supports QoE, the target RAN node decides which application layer measurement configurations to retain based on the configuration information received in the Xn / NG signaling.

[0055] From the perspective of network slices, Rel-18 SA2 TR 23.700-41 is considering slice remapping as a potential solution to overcome the discontinuity of slice PDU sessions when the UE moves to a RAN node where the slice in which the UE operates is not supported at all or when the slice is currently unavailable. In this regard, it is proposed to potentially map the PDU session of this slice of the UE to another slice available on that RAN node so that PDU session continuity can be maintained. However, although this solution provides PDU session continuity for the UE, the current QoE network slice scope framework is not applicable to the slice remapping concept to be specified in Rel-18 and results in an inconsistency between the APP layer and the AS layer, which may undermine the QoE reporting principle of Rel-17.

[0056] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a solution for QoE report continuity under slice remapping events is provided. In particular, the present disclosure proposes a new solution to overcome these inconsistencies between the APP layer and the AS layer and enable normal QoE measurement reporting by introducing a slice remapping feature.

[0057] The principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, refer to Figure 1A, which illustrates an example communication system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The communication system 100 includes a terminal device 120, a first access network device 110-1 and a second access network device 110-2 (collectively referred to as access network devices 110 or network devices 110), and a core network device 130. The access network devices 110-1, 110-2 serve corresponding areas 140-1 and 140-2 (also referred to as cells 140-1, 140-2). In some embodiments, cells 140-1 and 140-2 may overlap and use different frequency bands in both DL and UL to avoid interference.

[0058] As Figure 1A shown, as long as the terminal device is located within the corresponding cell, the terminal device 120 can connect and communicate with any one or both of the network devices 110-1, 110-2 in UL and DL. The terminal device 120 may access a cell 140-1 provided by the first access network device 110-1. For example, the terminal device 120 may initially be connected to the cell 140-1 provided by the first access network device 110-1. Based on measurements or due to the mobility of the terminal device 120, one or more handover (HO) processes may be performed, for example, from the cell 140-1 provided by the first access network device 110-1 to another cell 140-2 provided by the second access network device 110-2.

[0059] In addition to communicating with the terminal device 120, the access network devices 110-1, 110-2 may also communicate with each other via a backhaul link, for example. The communication between the terminal device 120 and the core network device 130 may be performed via one or more access network devices 110. The access network device 110 may communicate with the core network device 130, and the core network device 130 may provide various services to the terminal device 120 via the access network device 110.

[0060] It should be understood that the numbers of the access network device, the core network device, and the terminal device are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent any limitation. The system 100 may include any suitable number of access network devices, core network devices, and terminal devices adapted to implement the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0061] Communication in the communication system 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol(s), including but not limited to cellular communication protocols such as the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), and fifth generation (5G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol known currently or to be developed in the future. In addition, the communication can utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD), Time Division Duplexing (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technology known currently or to be developed in the future.

[0062] The source cell 140-1 can support network slice X for providing the service requested by the terminal device 120. Network slice remapping can occur together with the HO process from the source cell 140-1 to the target cell 140-2. For example, if the currently ongoing slice X is overloaded in the target cell 140-2, or if the target cell 140-2 does not support the currently ongoing slice X. In addition, when the terminal device 120 communicates with the first access network device 110-1 without an HO process, for example, if the currently ongoing slice X is overloaded in the cell 140-1, network slice remapping can also occur.

[0063] As described above, slice remapping may result in a series of inconsistencies in terms of QoE reporting. Figure 1B The figure illustrates a schematic diagram of the QoE measurement reporting process 150 in a slice remapping event in a related solution. Figure 1B It will be depicted and described from the perspectives of the Measurement Collection Entity / Trace Collection Entity (MCE / TCE) 131, OAM / CN 133, source RAN node 110-1, target RAN node 110-2, UE AS121, and UE APP layer 123. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1A Describe the process 150. The process 150 may involve Figure 1A as shown, the terminal device 120, access network devices 110-1, 110-2, and core network device 130. Specifically, the MCE / TCE 131 and OAM / CN 133 may correspond to the network entities of the core network device (e.g., Figure 1A the core network device 130 in Figure 1Aa network entity of the terminal device 120 therein.

[0064] As Figure 1B shown, at 152, the UE joins the network at the source RAN node 110-1 for slice 1. At 156, the OAM / CN 133 sends the QoE measurement configuration 154 to the source RAN node 110-1. The QoE measurement configuration 154 includes a network slice scope, such as an S-NSSAI list {1, 2}.

[0065] Figure 1C The figure illustrates a schematic diagram of the format of the S-NSSAI according to the current specification. As Figure 1C shown, the S-NSSAI can include both a slice service type (SST) field and a slice differentiator (SD) field (the total length is 32 bits), or only include the SST field part, in which case the length of the S-NSSIA is only 8 bits. The SST field can have standard values and non-standard values. Values from 0 to 127 belong to the standardized SST range. For example, an SST value of 1 can indicate that the slice is suitable for handling 5G eMBB, an SST value of 2 can indicate that the slice is suitable for handling URLLC, and so on. The SD is only defined by the operator.

[0066] Returning to Figure 1B , at 160, the source RAN node 110-1 sends the AppLayerConfiguration 158 including the network slice scope to the UE AS121. For Rel-18 UEs, the UE APP layer will know the network slice scope. That is, at 162, the UE AS121 forwards the AppLayerConfiguration 158 to the UE APP layer 123. At 164, the UE APP layer 123 includes the measurement of slice 1. At 168, the UE APP layer 123 reports the measurement to the UEAS121 via the AppLayerMeasurement report 166 to indicate that the slice ID is 1. At 170, the UE AS121 further forwards the AppLayerMeasurement report 166 to the source RAN node 110-1. At 172, the source RAN node 110-1 finally sends the AppLayerMeasurement report 166 to the MCE / TCE 131 for further analysis.

[0067] At 174, the UE switches to the target RAN node 110-2 where slice 1 is not supported. At 176, slice 1 is remapped to slice 3, but the UE APP layer 3 is not aware of the slice remapping. At 178, the UE APP layer 123 in the current state continues the QoE measurement reporting because it is not aware of the remapped slice and thus it will consider that the slice remapping has never occurred, but the network may no longer need these QoE reports.

[0068] Even if the UE APP layer 123 is aware of the slice remapping, the current QoE reporting poses a problem because the UE APP layer 123 will detect that the remapped slice is not part of the network slice scope and thus will stop reporting, but the network may still be interested in these reports.

[0069] In these cases, the current QoE network slice scope framework is not applicable to the slice remapping concept to be specified in Rel-18 and leads to an inconsistency between the UE APP layer and the UE AS layer, which may undermine the QoE reporting principle of Rel-17. In the present disclosure, a solution is provided to overcome the above inconsistency and enable normal QoE measurement reporting by introducing a slice remapping feature. This will be described in conjunction with Figures 2 - 8 for description.

[0070] Now refer to Figure 2 , which shows a process 200 for QoE reporting in a slice remapping event according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the process 200 will be described with reference to Figure 1A . The process 200 may involve a terminal device 120, a network device 110, and a core network device 130 as shown in Figure 1A . The network device 110 may be one of a first access network device 110-1 and a second access network device 110-2 in the same radio access network as the terminal device 120. In other words, the network device 110 is connected to and communicates with the terminal device 120. For example, the network device 110 may be the first access network device 110-1 (which may also be referred to as the source access network device 110-1) that is initially connected to the terminal device 120 without a HO process. Alternatively, the network device 110 may be the second access network device 110-2 (which may also be referred to as the target access network device 110-2) that is connected to the terminal device 120 after a HO process. It should be understood that although the process 200 is described in the communication system 100 of Figure 1A , the process can equally be applied to other communication scenarios.

[0071] In process 200, the core network device 130 sends (202) a QoE measurement configuration 204 for the continuity of the QoE measurement report to the network device 110. The QoE measurement configuration 204 is for the terminal device 120. The QoE measurement configuration 204 specifies a first network slice range and a second network slice range. The first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report. In a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices. In some embodiments, the core network device 130 may configure the QoE measurement configuration 204 for a specific terminal device or a group of terminal devices. In some embodiments, the core network device 130 may send the QoE measurement configuration 204 to the source access network device 110-1 initially connected to the terminal device 120, or to a group of network devices, such as all access network devices in a region.

[0072] The network device 110 obtains (206) the QoE measurement configuration 204 from the core network device 130. In addition to obtaining it from the core network device 130, the network device 110 may also obtain the QoE measurement configuration 204 by other methods. For example, the network device 110 may obtain the QoE measurement configuration 204 from OAM or from a pre-configured configuration. Alternatively, in a case where the network device 110 may be the target network device of a HO process, such as Figure 1A the second access network device 110-2 in, and the terminal device 120 may switch from the source access network device (e.g., Figure 1A the first access network device 110-1 in) to the target access network device 110-2, the target access network device 110-2 may receive the QoE measurement configuration 204 from the source access network device 110-1.

[0073] The terminal device 120 for the radio access network obtains (208) the QoE measurement configuration 204 from the network device 110 for the radio access network. In addition to obtaining it from the network device 110 communicating with the terminal device 120, the terminal device 120 may also obtain the QoE measurement configuration 204 by other methods. For example, in a case where the network device 110 may be the target network device of a HO process, such as Figure 1A the second access network device 110-2 in, and the terminal device 120 switches from the source access network device (e.g., Figure 1A the first access network device 110-1 in) to the target access network device 110-2, the terminal device 120 may receive the QoE measurement configuration 204 from the source access network device 110-1.

[0074] At 210, a slice remapping event occurs, where at least one first network slice among one or more first network slices is remapped to at least one second network slice among one or more second network slices. In response to the occurrence of the slice remapping event 210, the terminal device 120 performs (212) a QoE measurement report based on the QoE measurement configuration 204. In other words, if in the QoE measurement configuration 204, at least one first network slice among one or more first network slices is remapped to at least one second network slice among one or more second network slices, then the terminal device 120 continues to report QoE measurements to the network device 110 communicating with the terminal device 120. In some embodiments, if in the QoE measurement configuration 204, at least one first network slice among one or more first network slices is remapped to (a plurality of) other network slices other than one or more second network slices, then the terminal device 120 may stop reporting QoE measurements to the network device 110 communicating with the terminal device 120. In this way, it is possible to enable normal QoE measurement reporting by introducing the slice remapping feature.

[0075] In some embodiments, the network device 110 may send an indication to the terminal device 120 indicating the occurrence of the slice remapping event. For example, when the slice remapping event occurs, the network device 110 communicating with the terminal device 120 may send an indication to the terminal device 120 indicating the occurrence of the slice remapping event. The terminal device 120 may receive an indication from the network device 110 indicating the occurrence of the slice remapping event. In this way, the terminal device can be notified of the slice remapping event and thus determine whether to continue the QoE measurement report.

[0076] In some embodiments, to obtain the QoE measurement configuration, the terminal device 120 may cause the AS of the terminal device 120 to receive the QoE measurement configuration 204 from the network device for the radio access network, and cause the AS to send the QoE measurement configuration 204 to the application layer of the terminal device 120. In this way, the application layer of the terminal device can know the second network slice range to which the network slices in the first network slice range can be remapped (in the future), and the QoE measurement report for the second network slice range can continue even after the remapping.

[0077] In some embodiments, to perform the QoE measurement report, the terminal device 120 may cause the AS to notify the application layer of the occurrence of the slice remapping event, and cause the application layer to perform the QoE measurement report based on the QoE measurement configuration 204. In this way, the inconsistency between the APP layer and the AS can be eliminated, and it is possible to enable normal QoE measurement reporting by introducing the slice remapping feature.

[0078] In some embodiments, the QoE measurement configuration may also specify priority information associated with one or more first network slices and / or one or more second network slices. The network device 110 may determine whether the network device 110 is overloaded. If the network device 110 is overloaded, the network device 110 may send an indication to the terminal device 120 based on the priority information. The indication may specify that the terminal device 120 pauses the QoE measurement report or releases the QoE measurement configuration. The terminal device 120 may receive an indication to pause the QoE measurement report or release the QoE measurement configuration from the network device 110 for the radio access network. The terminal device 120 may pause the QoE measurement report or release the QoE measurement configuration based on the received indication. For example, if the priority of the network slice in which one or more first network slices or one or more second network slices on which the terminal device is operating is relatively low, when the network device communicating with the terminal device 120 on the ongoing network slice is overloaded, the terminal device 120 may pause the QoE measurement report or release the QoE measurement configuration. If the priority of the ongoing network slice is relatively high, the terminal device 120 may continue the QoE measurement report even if the network device communicating with the terminal device 120 on the ongoing network slice is overloaded. In this way, the QoE reporting continuity priority can help the RAN node select whether to continue the QoE measurement report, pause the QoE measurement report, or release the QoE measurement configuration of a specific remapped slice.

[0079] In some embodiments, the network device 110 may send the QoE measurement configuration 204 to the terminal device 120. For example, Figure 1A the source access network device 110-1 in may send the QoE measurement configuration 204 to the terminal device 120. In the case where the terminal device 120 switches from the first access network device 110-1 to the second access network device 110-2, the first access network device 110-1 may send the QoE measurement configuration 204 to the second access network device 110-2, and the second access network device 110-2 may receive the QoE measurement configuration 204 from the first access network device 110-1. In this way, the target access network device can know the second network slice range, and even in the case where a HO process occurs, it can enable normal QoE measurement reporting by introducing a slice remapping feature.

[0080] In some embodiments, to obtain the QoE measurement configuration, the network device 110 may receive the QoE measurement configuration 204 from the core network device 130 or the OAM. Alternatively, to obtain the QoE measurement configuration, the network device 110 may obtain the QoE measurement configuration 204 from a pre-configured configuration.

[0081] Figure 3A and Figure 3BIllustrates examples of processes 300A and 300B for QoE reporting in a slice remapping event according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that process 300B is a continuation of process 300A, and processes 300A and 300B can be considered Figure 2 more specific examples of process 200. Figure 3A and Figure 3B Example implementations will be depicted and described from the perspectives of MCE / TCE 131, OAM / CN 133, source RAN node 110-1, target RAN node 110-2, UE AS121, and UE APP layer 123. For the purpose of discussion, processes 300A and 300B will be described with reference to Figure 1A Processes 300A and 300B can involve terminal device 120, access network devices 110-1, 110-2, and core network device 130 as shown in Figure 1A . Specifically, MCE / TCE 131 and OAM / CN 133 can correspond to network entities of core network devices (e.g., core network device 130 in Figure 1A ). Source RAN node 110-1 and target RAN node 110-2 correspond to access network devices 110-1 and 110-2 respectively. UE AS121 and UE APP layer 123 can correspond to network entities of the UE (e.g., terminal device 120 in Figure 1A ). It should be understood that processes 300A and 300B may also include additional boxes not shown and / or omit some of the shown boxes, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0082] In process 300A, at 302, the UE can join the network at source RAN node 110-1 for slice 1. OAM / CN 133 can configure a QoE measurement configuration 304 for the UE or a group of UEs. The QoE measurement configuration 304 can include a network slice range and a remapped network slice range. For example, the network slice range can refer to a first network slice range, and the remapped network slice range refers to a second network slice range. The network slice range can contain a list of S-NSSAIs on which QoE measurement reports can be performed, such as Figure 3A shown as {1, 2}. For example, the list of S-NSSAIs can refer to one or more first network slices. The remapped network slice range can contain a list of S-NSSAIs, and if remapped to this list, the QoE measurement report can continue, such as Figure 3A{3} shown. For example, the list of S-NSSAIs included in the remapped network slice range may refer to one or more second network slices. In some embodiments, for a signaling-based process, the OAM / CN 133 may send the QoE measurement configuration 304 to the source RAN node 110-1 at 306. Alternatively, for an administrative-based process, the OAM / CN 133 may send the QoE measurement configuration 304 to multiple RAN nodes including the source RAN node 110-1, such as all RAN nodes in a range area. At 310, the source RAN node 110-1 may send the AppLayerConfiguration 308 to the UE AS121. The AppLayerConfiguration 308 may include the network slice range and the remapped network slice range. At 312, the UE AS121 may then forward the AppLayerConfiguration 308 to the UE APP layer 123.

[0083] In other words, the network slice range sent by the OAM / CN 133 to the source RAN node 110-1 and then forwarded to the UE APP layer 123 via the QoE configuration container may be extended with an additional list of S-NSSAIs called the remapped network slice range. The remapped network slice range may contain S-NSSAIs to which the network slices within the network slice range may be remapped (in the future), and the QoE measurement reports for these S-NSSAIs may continue even after the remapping. For example, at least one first network slice among one or more first network slices may be remapped to at least one second network slice among one or more second network slices.

[0084] At 314, the QoE measurement for slice 1 may be available. At 318, the UE APP layer 123 may report the QoE measurement to the UE AS121 via the AppLayerMeasurement report 316 to indicate that the slice ID is 1. At 320, the UE AS121 may then forward the AppLayerMeasurement report 316 to the source RAN node 110-1. At 322, the source RAN node 110-1 may finally send the AppLayerMeasurement report 316 to the MCE / TCE 131 for further analysis.

[0085] Now refer to Figure 3B。At 324, the UE may switch to the target RAN node 110-2. In some embodiments, for signaling-based QoE, when the UE switches from the source RAN node 110-1 to the target RAN node 110-2, the remapped network slice scope may also be forwarded from the source RAN node 110-1 to the target RAN node 110-2 via the XnAP / NGAP interface together with the QoE measurement configuration 304. Alternatively, for management-based QoE, the target RAN node 110-2 may have received the QoE measurement configuration 304 from the OAM / CN 133. Therefore, for management-based QoE, since the target RAN node 110-2 already contains the QoE measurement configuration 304, the remapped network slice scope does not need to be forwarded from the source RAN node 110-1 to the target RAN node 110-2.

[0086] In some embodiments, the target RAN node 110-2 may not support slice 1. At 326, slice 1 may be remapped to slice 3. In some embodiments, the target RAN node 110-2 may send an indication to the UE AS121 indicating the occurrence of the slice remapping event. At 328, the UE AS121 may indicate to the UE APP layer 123 that the slice remapping has occurred and that slice 1 has been remapped to slice 3. Alternatively, the UE APP layer 123 may be notified that the slice remapping has occurred and that slice 1 has been remapped to slice 3 via the URSP rules mentioned in TR 23.700-41V0.3.0 or other means. Therefore, the UE APP layer 123 may be aware of the slice remapping.

[0087] At 330, the UE may identify that slice 3 is within the remapped network slice scope and thus continue the QoE measurement reporting. At 332, the UE APP layer 123 may include the QoE measurement for slice 3. At 334, the UE APP layer 123 may report the QoE measurement to the UE AS121 via the AppLayerMeasurement report 336 to indicate that the slice ID is 3. At 338, the UE AS121 may then forward the AppLayerMeasurement report 336 to the source RAN node 110-1. At 340, the source RAN node 110-1 may finally send the AppLayerMeasurement report 336 to the MCE / TCE 131 for further analysis.

[0088] To avoid any unnecessary QoE measurement reports initiated by the UE APP layer 123, the list of remapped network slice ranges can be checked only when slice remapping occurs. For example, if the network slice range includes slice 1 and slice 2, and the remapped network slice range includes slice 3, the UE APP layer 123 will generate a QoE measurement report only when slice 1 or 2 is remapped to slice 3; otherwise, no QoE measurement report will be generated (i.e., the original report for slice 3 will be generated directly without remapping). In other words, if the UE operates on slice 3 without slice remapping occurring, the UE APP layer 123 will not generate a QoE measurement report for slice 3.

[0089] In some embodiments, network slice remapping can also occur when the UE communicates with the source RAN node 110-1 without an HO process. For example, if the ongoing slice 1 is overloaded, slice 1 can be remapped to slice 3. The UE APP layer 123 can be notified that slice remapping has occurred and that slice 1 has been remapped to slice 3. The UE can identify that slice 3 is within the remapped network slice range and thus continue with QoE measurement reporting.

[0090] In some embodiments, slice 1 can be remapped to another slice that is different from the slices in the network slice range and the remapped network slice range. The UE can identify that the remapped slice is not within the remapped network slice range and thus stop QoE measurement reporting. In this way, the continuity of QoE reporting can depend on the remapped network slice range.

[0091] Figure 4 Another example of a process 400 for QoE reporting in a slice remapping event in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. It should be noted that process 400 can be considered Figure 2 a more specific example of process 200. Figure 4 The example implementation will be depicted and described from the perspectives of the MCE / TCE 131, OAM / CN 133, source RAN node 110-1, target RAN node 110-2, UE AS 121, and UE APP layer 123. For the purposes of discussion, process 400 will be described with reference to Figure 1A Process 400 can involve the terminal device 120, access network devices 110-1, 110-2, and core network device 130 as shown in Figure 1A . Specifically, the MCE / TCE 131 and OAM / CN 133 can correspond to core network devices (e.g., Figure 1Aa network entity of the core network device 130). The source RAN node 110-1 and the target RAN node 110-2 respectively correspond to the access network devices 110-1 and 110-2. The UE AS 121 and the UE APP layer 123 may correspond to network entities of a UE (e.g., Figure 1A the terminal device 120) in. It should be understood that process 400 may further include additional boxes not shown and / or omit some of the shown boxes, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0092] In process 400, at 402, the UE may join the network at the source RAN node 110-1 for slice 1. The OAM / CN 133 may configure a QoE measurement configuration 404 for the UE or a group of UEs. The QoE measurement configuration 404 may include a network slice scope, a remapped network slice scope, and an indication of what is referred to as the QoE reporting continuity priority for each slice in the remapped network slice scope. For example, the network slice scope may refer to a first network slice scope, while the remapped network slice scope refers to a second network slice scope. The network slice scope may contain a list of S-NSSAIs on which QoE measurement reports may be performed, e.g., as Figure 4 shown {1,2}. For example, the list of S-NSSAIs may refer to one or more first network slices. The remapped network slice scope may contain a list of S-NSSAIs, and if remapped to this list, the QoE measurement report may continue, e.g., Figure 4 shown {3,4}. For example, the list of S-NSSAIs contained in the remapped network slice scope may refer to one or more second network slices. The QoE reporting continuity priority may indicate whether the remapping to a particular slice is important for the OAM / CN and whether the QoE measurement report should continue accordingly. In Figure 4In the illustrated embodiment, the QoE report continuity priority of slice 3 is low, and the QoE report continuity priority of slice 4 is low. At 406, OAM / CN 133 may send a QoE measurement configuration 404 to the source RAN node 110-1 in a signaling-based process. Alternatively, OAM / CN 133 may send a QoE measurement configuration 404 to all RAN nodes in the scope area in a management-based process. The source RAN node 110-1 may detect that the UE meets the criteria for operating on slice 1 within the network slice scope, and thus may send an AppLayerConfiguration 408 to the UE AS121 at 410. The AppLayerConfiguration 408 may include the network slice scope, the remapped network slice scope, and the QoE report continuity priority for each slice in the remapped network slice scope. At 412, the UE AS121 may then forward the AppLayerConfiguration 408 to the UE APP layer 123.

[0093] In other words, in addition to the remapped network slice scope sent by OAM / CN 133 to the source RAN node 110-1 and then forwarded to the UE APP layer 123 through the QoE configuration container, OAM / CN 133 may also send the QoE report continuity priority to the source RAN node 110-1 additionally. The QoE report continuity priority may help the RAN node determine whether it can continue with QoE measurement reporting, pause QoE measurement reporting, or release the QoE measurement configuration for a specific remapped slice. The proposed QoE report continuity priority may allow for differentiation between slices within the QoE configuration container.

[0094] At 414, the QoE measurement for slice 1 may be available. At 418, the UE APP layer 123 may report the QoE measurement to the UE AS121 via an AppLayerMeasurement report 416 to indicate that the slice ID is 1. At 420, the UEAS121 may then forward the AppLayerMeasurement report 416 to the source RAN node 110-1. At 422, the source RAN node 110-1 may finally send the AppLayerMeasurement report 416 to the MCE / TCE 131 for further analysis.

[0095] At 424, the UE may switch to the target RAN node 110-2. In some embodiments, for signaling-based QoE, when the UE switches from the source RAN node 110-1 to the target RAN node 110-2, the remapped network slice range and QoE reporting continuity priority may also be forwarded from the source RAN node 110-1 to the target RAN node 110-2 via the XnAP / NGAP interface together with the QoE measurement configuration 404. Alternatively, for management-based QoE, the target RAN node 110-2 may have received the QoE measurement configuration 404 from the OAM / CN 133. Therefore, for management-based QoE, since the target RAN node 110-2 already contains the QoE measurement configuration 404, the remapped network slice range and QoE reporting continuity priority do not need to be forwarded from the source RAN node 110-1 to the target RAN node 110-2.

[0096] In some embodiments, the target RAN node 110-2 may not support slice 1. At 426, slice 1 may be remapped to slice 3, and the UE APP layer 123 may be aware of the slice remapping. Since slice 3 is within the remapped network slice range, the QoE measurement report may continue.

[0097] At 428, the target RAN node 110-2 may be overloaded. Since the target RAN node 110-2 has received the remapped network slice range and QoE reporting continuity priority information from the source RAN node in signaling-based QoE, or contains the remapped network slice range and QoE reporting continuity priority information in the case of management-based QoE, considering the fact that slice 3 has a lower priority, the target RAN node 110-2 may determine to suspend the QoE measurement report or release the QoE measurement configuration at 430. At 434, the target RAN node 110-2 may send the AppLayerConfiguration432 to the UE to suspend the QoE measurement report or release the QoE measurement configuration. In other words, based on the QoE reporting continuity priority information received from the OAM / CN, if the priority of the remapped slice is lower, the RAN node may release the QoE measurement configuration, or when the RAN node is overloaded, the QoE measurement report may be suspended and the UE is notified accordingly.

[0098] Figure 5 Another example of a process 500 for QoE reporting in a slice remapping event according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. It should be noted that the process 500 can be regarded as Figure 2 a more specific example of the process 200. Figure 5The exemplary implementation will be depicted and described from the perspectives of MCE / TCE 131, OAM / CN 133, source RAN node 110-1, target RAN node 110-2, UE AS 121, and UE APP layer 123. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1A describe process 500. Process 500 may involve, as Figure 1A shown, terminal device 120, access network devices 110-1, 110-2, and core network device 130. Similar reference numerals are used to denote Figure 5 steps or components described in Figure 4 that have the same operations as the steps or components described in

[0099] Figure 5 shown, the network slice range is {1, 2}, the remapped network slice range is {3, 4}, the QoE reporting continuity priority of slice 3 is higher, and the QoE reporting continuity priority of slice 4 is lower. For example, the network slice range {1, 2} included in the network slice range may refer to one or more first network slices, and the remapped network slice range {3, 4} included in the remapped network slice range may refer to one or more second network slices. For example, the QoE measurement configuration may include priorities associated with one or more second network slices. OAM / CN 133 may send the QoE measurement configuration 504 to the source RAN node 110-1. The source RAN node 110-1 may detect that the UE meets the criteria for operating on slice 1 within the network slice range, and thus may send the AppLayerConfiguration 508 to the UE AS 121 at 510. At 512, the UE AS 121 may in turn forward the AppLayerConfiguration 508 to the UE APP layer 123.

[0100] ​At 514, the QoE measurement of slice 1 may be available. At 518, the UE APP layer 123 may report the QoE measurement to the UE AS 121 via the AppLayerMeasurement report 516 to indicate that the slice ID is 1. At 520, the UE AS 121 may then forward the AppLayerMeasurement report 516 to the source RAN node 110-1. At 522, the source RAN node 110-1 may finally send the AppLayerMeasurement report 516 to the MCE / TCE 131 for further analysis.

[0101] At 524, the UE may switch to the target RAN node 110-2. In some embodiments, for signaling-based QoE, when the UE switches from the source RAN node 110-1 to the target RAN node 110-2, the remapped network slice range and QoE reporting continuity priority may also be forwarded from the source RAN node 110-1 to the target RAN node 110-2 via the XnAP / NGAP interface together with the QoE measurement configuration 504. Alternatively, for management-based QoE, the target RAN node 110-2 may have received the QoE measurement configuration 504 from the OAM / CN 133. Therefore, for management-based QoE, since the target RAN node 110-2 already includes the QoE measurement configuration 504, the remapped network slice range and QoE reporting continuity priority do not need to be forwarded from the source RAN node 110-1 to the target RAN node 110-2.

[0102] In some embodiments, the target RAN node 110-2 may not support slice 1. At 526, slice 1 may be remapped to slice 3, and the UE APP layer 123 may be aware of the slice remapping. Since slice 3 is within the remapped network slice range, the QoE measurement report may continue.

[0103] At 528, the target RAN node 110-2 may be overloaded. Given the fact that slice 3 has a higher priority, the target RAN node 110-2 may determine at 530 that the QoE measurement report may continue. As Figure 5As shown, even if the target RAN node 110-2 is overloaded, the QoE operation remains. At 532, the QoE measurement for slice 3 may be available. At 536, the UE APP layer 123 may report the QoE measurement to the UE AS 121 via the AppLayerMeasurement report 534 to indicate that the slice ID is 3. At 538, the UE AS 121 may then forward the AppLayerMeasurement report 534 to the source RAN node 110-1. At 540, the source RAN node 110-1 may finally send the AppLayerMeasurement report 534 to the MCE / TCE 131 for further analysis. In other words, based on the QoE report continuity priority information received from the OAM / CN, if the priority of the remapped slice is higher, the QoE measurement report can continue even if the RAN node is overloaded because the UE APP layer knows both the extended network slice range and the slice remapping information.

[0104] In this way, when the RAN node is overloaded, the continuity of the QoE report can depend on the network slice range being remapped and the corresponding QoE report continuity priority of the remapped slice.

[0105] Although the QoE report continuity priority is associated with the slices in the remapped network slice range and is used in the case of slice remapping, a similar method can be used to distinguish the priorities of the slices within the QoE measurement configuration of the network slice range. For example, in Figure 5 the embodiment, the QoE measurement configuration 504 may further include the QoE report continuity priority for each slice in the network slice range {1, 2}, that is, the QoE measurement configuration 504 may further include the QoE report continuity priority for one or more first network slices. For example, the QoE report continuity priority for the ongoing slice 1 may be higher. In this case, when no slice remapping occurs and the UE is communicating with the source RAN node 110-1 on slice 1, the QoE measurement report can continue even if the source RAN node 110-1 is overloaded. If the QoE report continuity priority for the ongoing slice 1 is lower, then when the source RAN node 110-1 is overloaded, the source RAN node 110-1 may decide to suspend the QoE measurement report or release the QoE measurement configuration.

[0106] There can be two reasons why OAM / CN is interested in differentiating slice remapping by introducing priorities. First, due to the nature of slice remapping (which is usually introduced to provide PDU session continuity), especially if the previous slice is remapped to the default and basic slices that only provide best-effort quality, OAM / CN may not be interested in QoE reports. On the other hand, OAM / CN may be particularly interested in reporting during slice remapping to identify which remapped slices achieve the best performance. In this case, this information can be used to construct a list of remapped slice opportunities to be sent to the RAN node for selection.

[0107] Figure 6 FIG. 600 is a flowchart of an example method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, method 600 will be described from the perspective of terminal device 120. Figure 1A From the perspective of terminal device 120, method 600 will be described.

[0108] At block 610, terminal device 120 for a radio access network obtains a QoE measurement configuration for the continuity of QoE measurement reports. The QoE measurement configuration specifies a first network slice range and a second network slice range. The first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report. In a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices. At block 620, terminal device 120 determines whether a slice remapping event has occurred. In response to the occurrence of the slice remapping event, at block 630, terminal device 120 performs a QoE measurement report based on the QoE measurement configuration.

[0109] In some embodiments, terminal device 120 may receive an indication from a network device for a radio access network indicating the occurrence of a slice remapping event. In some embodiments, to obtain the QoE measurement configuration, terminal device 120 may cause the AS of terminal device 120 to receive the QoE measurement configuration from a network device for a radio access network, and cause the AS to send the QoE measurement configuration to the application layer of terminal device 120. In some embodiments, to perform a QoE measurement report, terminal device 120 may cause the AS to notify the application layer of the occurrence of the slice remapping event, and cause the application layer to perform a QoE measurement report based on the QoE measurement configuration.

[0110] In some embodiments, terminal device 120 may receive an indication from a network device for a radio access network to pause the QoE measurement report or release the QoE measurement configuration. Terminal device 120 may pause the QoE measurement report or release the QoE measurement configuration based on the received indication.

[0111] Figure 7 The flowchart of an example method 700 implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, method 700 will be described from the perspective of network device 110. Figure 1A From the perspective of network device 110.

[0112] At block 710, network device 110 obtains a QoE measurement configuration for the continuity of QoE measurement reports. The QoE measurement configuration specifies a first network slice range and a second network slice range. The first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report. In a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

[0113] In some embodiments, the QoE measurement configuration may also specify priority information associated with the one or more first network slices and / or the one or more second network slices. In some embodiments, network device 110 may determine whether network device 110 is overloaded. Based on the determination that network device 110 is overloaded, network device 110 may send an indication to terminal device 120 based on the priority information. The indication may specify that terminal device 120 pauses the QoE measurement report or releases the QoE measurement configuration.

[0114] In some embodiments, network device 110 may send the QoE measurement configuration to terminal device 120. In some embodiments, network device 110 may be the first network device 110-1. In the case where terminal device 120 switches from the first network device 110-1 to the second network device 110-2 for the radio access network, the first network device 110-1 may send the QoE measurement configuration to the second network device 110-2.

[0115] In some embodiments, to obtain the QoE measurement configuration, network device 110 may receive the QoE measurement configuration from core network device 130 or OAM. Alternatively, to obtain the QoE measurement configuration, network device 110 may obtain the QoE measurement configuration from a pre-configured configuration.

[0116] In some embodiments, the network device 110 may be the second network device 110-2. To obtain the QoE measurement configuration, in the case where the terminal device 120 switches from the first network device 110-1 for the radio access network to the second network device 110-2, the second network device 110-2 may receive the QoE measurement configuration from the first network device 110-1. In some embodiments, the network device 110 may send an indication to the terminal device 120 indicating the occurrence of a slice remapping event.

[0117] Figure 8 A flowchart of an example method 800 implemented at a core network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For purposes of discussion, method 800 will be described with reference to Figure 1A the perspective of the core network device 130.

[0118] At block 810, the core network device 130 sends a QoE measurement configuration for the continuity of the QoE measurement report to the network device 110 for the radio access network. The QoE measurement configuration specifies a first network slice range and a second network slice range. The first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report. In a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

[0119] In some embodiments, the QoE measurement configuration may further specify priority information associated with the one or more first network slices and / or the one or more second network slices.

[0120] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., the terminal device 120) capable of performing any of the methods in method 600 may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 600. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

[0121] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: components for obtaining, at a terminal device for a radio access network, a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a quality of experience (QoE) measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices; and components for performing the QoE measurement report based on the QoE measurement configuration in response to the occurrence of the slice remapping event.

[0122] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for receiving, from a network device for a radio access network, an indication indicating the occurrence of the slice remapping event. In some embodiments, the components for obtaining the QoE measurement configuration may include components for causing the access stratum (AS) of the apparatus to receive the QoE measurement configuration from a network device for a radio access network, and components for causing the AS to send the QoE measurement configuration to the application layer of the apparatus. In some embodiments, the components for performing the QoE measurement report may include components for causing the AS to notify the application layer of the occurrence of the slice remapping event, and components for causing the application layer to perform the QoE measurement report based on the QoE measurement configuration.

[0123] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for receiving, from a network device for a radio access network, an indication to suspend the QoE measurement report or release the QoE measurement configuration, and components for suspending the QoE measurement report or releasing the QoE measurement configuration based on the received indication.

[0124] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing other steps of some embodiments of method 600. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform the above operations.

[0125] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., network device 110) capable of performing any one of the methods in method 700 may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 700. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

[0126] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: components for obtaining, at a network device for a radio access network, a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a QoE measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration being for a terminal device for a radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, where the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

[0127] In some embodiments, the QoE measurement configuration may further specify priority information associated with the one or more first network slices and / or the one or more second network slices. In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for determining whether the apparatus is overloaded, and components for sending an indication to the terminal device based on determining that the apparatus is overloaded and based on the priority information, where the indication may specify that the terminal device pauses the QoE measurement report or releases the QoE measurement configuration.

[0128] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for sending the QoE measurement configuration to the terminal device. In some embodiments, the apparatus may be a first network device. The apparatus may further include components for sending the QoE measurement configuration to a second network device in a case where the terminal device switches from the first network device to the second network device for a radio access network.

[0129] In some embodiments, the components for obtaining the QoE measurement configuration may include components for receiving the QoE measurement configuration from a core network device or OAM. Alternatively, the components for obtaining the QoE measurement configuration may include components for obtaining the QoE measurement configuration from a pre-configured configuration.

[0130] In some embodiments, the apparatus may be a second network device. The components for obtaining the QoE measurement configuration may include components for receiving the QoE measurement configuration from the first network device in a case where the terminal device switches from the first network device for a radio access network to the second network device. In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for sending an indication to the terminal device indicating the occurrence of a slice remapping event.

[0131] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing other steps of some embodiments of method 700. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform the above operations.

[0132] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., core network device 130) capable of performing any of the methods in method 800 may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 800. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

[0133] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes components for QoE measurement configuration for continuity of quality of experience QoE measurement reports at a core network device, the QoE measurement configuration being for a terminal device for a radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

[0134] In some embodiments, the QoE measurement configuration may further specify priority information associated with the one or more first network slices and / or the one or more second network slices.

[0135] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing other steps of some embodiments of method 800. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform the above operations.

[0136] Figure 9 is a simplified block diagram of a device 900 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 900 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1A the terminal device 120, network device 110, or core network device 130 shown. As shown, the device 900 includes one or more processors 910, one or more memories 920 coupled to the processors 910, and one or more communication modules 940 coupled to the processors 910.

[0137] The communication module 940 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 940 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface required for communication with other network elements.

[0138] The processor 910 can be of any type suitable for the local technical network and, by way of non-limiting example, can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 900 can have multiple processors, such as an application-specific integrated circuit chip that is subordinate in time to a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0139] The memory 920 can include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 924, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), and other magnetic storage devices and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 922 and other volatile memories that do not persist during a power outage.

[0140] The computer program 930 includes computer-executable instructions executed by the associated processor 910. The program 930 can be stored in the ROM 920. The processor 910 can execute any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 930 into the RAM 920.

[0141] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by the program 930 such that the device 900 can execute any process of the present disclosure referred to Figures 2 to 8 in the discussion. Embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0142] In some embodiments, the program 930 can be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which can be included in the device 900 (such as in the memory 920) or in other storage devices accessible to the device 900. The device 900 can load the program 930 from the computer-readable medium into the RAM 922 for execution. The computer-readable medium can include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 10 An example of a computer-readable medium 1000 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The program 930 is stored on the computer-readable medium.

[0143] In general, the various embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented using hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented using hardware, while other aspects can be implemented using firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, a microprocessor, or other computing devices. Although the various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as a non-limiting example, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or a controller or other computing device, or some combination thereof.

[0144] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as the instructions included in program modules, which are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the methods referred to above Figures 2 - 8 as described. In general, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules can be combined or split as needed among the program modules. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules can be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules can be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0145] The program code for performing the methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated 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 flowchart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0146] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data can be carried by any suitable carrier so that the device, apparatus, or processor can perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0147] A computer-readable medium can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer floppy disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, rather than a signal), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0148] Moreover, although operations are described in a particular order, this should not be understood to require that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Also, although several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0149] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the above specific features or acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device for a radio access network, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: obtain a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a quality of experience QoE measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices; and in response to the occurrence of the slice remapping event, perform the QoE measurement report based on the QoE measurement configuration.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is caused to receive an indication from a network device for the radio access network indicating the occurrence of the slice remapping event.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the terminal device is caused to obtain the QoE measurement configuration by: causing an access stratum of the terminal device to receive the QoE measurement configuration from a network device for the radio access network; and causing the access stratum to send the QoE measurement configuration to an application stratum of the terminal device.

4. The terminal device according to claim 3, wherein the terminal device is caused to perform the QoE measurement report by: causing the access stratum to notify the application stratum of the occurrence of the slice remapping event, and causing the application stratum to perform the QoE measurement report based on the QoE measurement configuration.

5. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the terminal device is further caused to: receive from a network device for the radio access network an indication to suspend the QoE measurement report or release the QoE measurement configuration; and based on the received indication, suspend the QoE measurement report or release the QoE measurement configuration.

6. A network device for a radio access network, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: Obtain a QoE measurement configuration for achieving continuity of QoE measurement reports, where the QoE measurement configuration is for a terminal device used in the radio access network. The QoE measurement configuration specifies a first network slice range and a second network slice range, where the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report. And in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

7. The network device according to claim 6, wherein the QoE measurement configuration further specifies priority information associated with the one or more first network slices and / or the one or more second network slices.

8. The network device according to claim 7, wherein the network device is further configured to: Determine whether the network device is overloaded; and Based on determining that the network device is overloaded, send an indication to the terminal device based on the priority information, where the indication specifies that the terminal device pauses the QoE measurement report or releases the QoE measurement configuration.

9. The network device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the network device is further configured to: Send the QoE measurement configuration to the terminal device.

10. The network device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the network device is a first network device and is further configured to: In the case where the terminal device switches from the first network device to a second network device for the radio access network, send the QoE measurement configuration to the second network device.

11. The network device according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the network device is configured to obtain the QoE measurement configuration by: Receiving the QoE measurement configuration from a core network device or a management / orchestration entity (OAM); or Obtaining the QoE measurement configuration from a pre-configured configuration.

12. The network device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the network device is a second network device and is configured to obtain the QoE measurement configuration by: In the case where the terminal device switches from a first network device for the radio access network to the second network device, receiving the QoE measurement configuration from the first network device.

13. The network device according to any one of claims 6 to 12, wherein the network device is further configured to send an indication to the terminal device indicating the occurrence of the slice remapping event.

14. A core network device, comprising: At least one processor; And At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the core network device to at least: Send a QoE measurement configuration for the continuity of a quality of experience (QoE) measurement report to a network device for a radio access network, where the QoE measurement configuration is for a terminal device for the radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration specifies a first network slice range and a second network slice range, where the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

15. The network device according to claim 14, wherein: wherein the QoE measurement configuration further specifies priority information associated with the one or more first network slices and / or the one or more second network slices.

16. A method, comprising: At a terminal device for a radio access network, obtain a QoE measurement configuration for the continuity of a quality of experience (QoE) measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration specifies a first network slice range and a second network slice range, where the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices; and In response to the occurrence of the slice remapping event, perform the QoE measurement report based on the QoE measurement configuration.

17. A method, comprising: At a network device for a radio access network, obtain a QoE measurement configuration for the continuity of a quality of experience (QoE) measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration is for a terminal device for the radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration specifies a first network slice range and a second network slice range, where the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

18. A method, comprising: At a core network device, a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a quality of experience QoE measurement report is sent to a network device for a radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration being for a terminal device for the radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

19. An apparatus, comprising: means for obtaining, at a terminal device for a radio access network, a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a quality of experience QoE measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices; and means for performing the QoE measurement report based on the QoE measurement configuration in response to the occurrence of the slice remapping event.

20. An apparatus, comprising: means for obtaining, at a network device for a radio access network, a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a quality of experience QoE measurement report, the QoE measurement configuration being for a terminal device for the radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

21. An apparatus, comprising: A component for sending, at a core network device, a QoE measurement configuration for continuity of a QoE measurement report to a network device for a radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration being for a terminal device for the radio access network, the QoE measurement configuration specifying a first network slice range and a second network slice range, wherein the first network slice range specifies one or more first network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and the second network slice range specifies one or more second network slices associated with the QoE measurement report, and in a slice remapping event, at least one first network slice among the one or more first network slices will be remapped to at least one second network slice among the one or more second network slices.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the method according to claim 16, 17, or 18.

Images