Provision and collection methods, base station, data collection and analysis device, and system

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for providing information by a base station of a cellular communications network, said method comprising, following a request (E40) to a network data collection and analysis device, a step (E60) of transmitting, to said collection and analysis device, information (INFO_CURR) representative of current deployment conditions of at least one network cell managed by the base station.

Description

Description Title of the invention: Methods of providing and collecting, base station, data collection and analysis device and system Prior art

[0001] The invention belongs to the general field of telecommunications.

[0002] It relates more particularly to the provision of information enabling the improvement of certain functionalities implemented by entities of a cellular communication network. The invention has a preferred but non-limiting application in the context of a cellular communication system or network based on a 5G core network (or 5GC for "5G Core network" in English) defined by the 3GPP standard. In this context, it makes it possible in particular to improve the functionalities implemented by a network data collection and analysis device also referred to as NWDAF (for "NetWork Data Analytics Function" in English).

[0003] Modern communication networks, such as the 5G networks defined by the 3GPP standard, are faced with complex situations, which are the consequence in particular of a very large number of user equipment (or UEs) to manage, the variety of uses made of the network (and the resulting requirements in terms of latency, throughput, volume), as well as the variety of behaviors of network users in time and space. To deal with these complex situations, operators set up within their networks one or more specialized entities, responsible for collecting network data and carrying out statistical analyses and predictions (also called "analytics" in English) based on this data, for example on the demand and response provided by the network in terms of quality of service.These predictions can be global, i.e., they can be established at the network, server, application or region level. Examples of global predictions are a network resource load rate, the average quality of service, the number of users connected to the network via their user equipment or active sessions. Individual predictions, i.e., predictions relating to a user or a group of users, can also be established, such as the future location of the user's UE or the volume of a future communication session of the user established via their UE. For example, in a 5G core network, the NWDAF function performs such a role.

[0004] Making predictions by an NWDAF function requires the prior collection of raw data representative of network facts (e.g., connected state of the UE, cell in which it is located, etc.) from different entities making up the network, also commonly referred to as "network functions" (or NF for "Network Functions" in English). This raw data can be global to each NF function, or concern each user. Once established, the predictions make it possible to implement corrective modifications to the network parameters in advance in order to optimize its operation.The entities using these predictions are typically NF functions, clients of the NWDAF function, which may or may not be distinct from the NF functions having collected and provided the raw data to the NWDAF function, such as for example an AMF (for "Access and Mobility management Function" in English) for access management, an SMF (for "Session Management Function" in English) for session management, etc. These client NF functions are then able to adapt their behavior according to the predictions received from the NWDAF function in order to optimize the operation of the network and the quality of the service delivered to each user on their UE.

[0005] 3GPP TR 23.791, "Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Study of Enablers for Network Automation for 5G (Release 16)", V16.2.0, June 2019, discusses various use cases for such predictions in a 5G network. For example, predictions of UE mobility can be used by the AMF function to optimize the management of the mobility of the UEs, and in particular the determination of their registration area (or RA for "Registration Area" in English), this registration area making it possible to locate UEs in standby and to send them paging messages when data intended for them reaches the network, etc. According to another example, it may be useful for the SMF function to have statistics or predictions on network traffic when selecting a UPF (for "User Plane Function" in English) of the user plane making it possible to route the data of the PDU (for "Packet Data Unit" in English) sessions.

[0006] It is therefore clear, given their importance in the operational functioning of the network, that the statistics and / or predictions delivered by the NWDAF function must be precise and relevant. Statement of the invention

[0007] The invention makes it possible to improve the accuracy and relevance of the statistics and / or predictions delivered by a network data collection and analysis device such as an NWDAF network function in a 5G network. To this end, it proposes a method for providing information by a base station of a cellular communications network, this method comprising, following a request from a network data collection and analysis device, a step of transmitting to said collection and analysis device information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by the base station.

[0008] Correlatively, the invention relates to a base station of a cellular communications network comprising a transmission module activated following a request from a device for collecting and analyzing network data, said module being configured to transmit to said collection and analysis device information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by the base station.

[0009] The invention therefore proposes to provide the network data collection and analysis device(s) with information representative of the current deployment conditions of the network cells (such as, for example, cell adjacency relationships), so that said device(s) can use it when establishing the predictions and / or statistics requested of it (them). This information can be used to provide more precise and more relevant predictions and / or statistics taking into account the deployment context of the network cells.

[0010] Furthermore, the provision of such information to the network collection and analysis device(s) makes it possible to feed the artificial intelligence (or AI) models operated, where applicable, by these device(s) with enriched input data, and thus to build AI models that are more accurate and more relevant to the needs / objectives of the network functions requesting the collection device(s). Typically, by enriching the input data of the AI ​​models with information representative of the current deployment conditions of the network cells, it is possible to reveal new associations and / or to eliminate variables that are not very relevant to the purposes of the processing implemented by the client network functions.

[0011] Thanks to the invention, the quality of decisions taken in the core network can be improved.

[0012] By information representative of current deployment conditions of a cell, we mean information that reflects the actual conditions in which the cell is deployed at the time considered. Different types of information are concerned. For example, at least one said information representative of current deployment conditions relates to: a disposition of the cell in a network architecture (e.g. coverage, radio neighborhood), a geographical environment of the cell, a type of deployment of the cell, a configuration of at least one cell antenna, - at least one infrastructure covered by the cell (e.g. road, railway, building, etc.), and / or a cell status (e.g. cell load, load at each network slice, number of active users, uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) throughput, congestion indicators, alarm status, security status, etc.).

[0013] This information is dynamic and likely to change over time, typically due to a reconfiguration of base stations, the appearance of new infrastructures, the extinction of certain cells (e.g. small cells planned for capacity reasons, during periods when the network is little used such as at night, in order to reduce the network's energy consumption), etc. Knowledge of the actual deployment of network cells can be used to improve the efficiency of the procedures implemented in the network, and incidentally the resulting quality of service. For example, the mobility predictions of a UE carried out by an NWDAF network function in a 5G network can be made easier and more accurate if it is known that the UE is moving on a main road axis.According to another example, information on cell congestion or average throughput achieved in UL and / or DL ​​can influence quality of service predictions, and incidentally the decisions taken from these predictions.

[0014] It should be noted that other information relating to said at least one cell managed by the base station, in addition to the information of current deployment conditions of the cell, may be transmitted to the collection and analysis device, such as for example static configuration information of the cell such as: an identity of said at least one cell; and / or a frequency band allocated to said at least one cell; and / or at least one radio access technology associated with said at least one cell; - etc; or other information more related to the operational functioning of the network such as for example the membership of a cell in a location zone or TA (for “Tracking Area” in English), a TA being able to include one or more cells of the cellular network.

[0015] This list is not exhaustive of course, and it is possible to consider enriching the knowledge of the collection and analysis device with other information, such as for example information relating to the base station, already known and shared by the latter in the state of the art such as its identity, the list of TAs and / or network slices that it supports, or information relating to a state of the base station (e.g. load level, congestion level), etc.

[0016] In a particular embodiment, the information is transmitted by the base station to the collection and analysis device by exposing it via an application programming interface of the base station.

[0017] Correlatively, the base station can be configured to implement an application programming interface to expose said information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by the base station, said application programming interface being used by said transmission module.

[0018] Exposure via a base station application programming interface (API) such as a RESTful API, facilitates the implementation of the invention and allows for the network control plane to be relied upon. It allows for the reuse of certain principles and protocols already implemented by the core network, particularly in the context of a 5GC core network. There is no need for an additional management layer, which would make the system more complex and limit the dynamic nature of information exchanges, for example in the event of a change in the operating conditions. deployment (e.g. linked to automatic reconfiguration of a base station and the modification of neighborhood information that may result from this).

[0019] As is known per se, an API is a standardized set of classes, methods / functions, data types and / or constants, which serves as an interface for an entity (in this case the base station) to provide services to other entities (namely, here, to provide information relating to the current deployment conditions of the cells managed by the base station). The exposure of this information by the base station via an API therefore also makes it easier to access this information by devices in the network other than a data collection and analysis device, such as for example by any other device in the core network hosting a network function as long as it has the capacity to call this API.

[0020] As mentioned above, the invention is particularly applicable in the context of a 5G network. However, it can be used in other contexts. Indeed, some players in the telecommunications field are anticipating for the 6 ème generation of mobile networks (also more commonly called 6G), a blurring of the boundaries between access network(s) and core network. In this perspective, network architectures based on control plane signaling interfaces can offer significant advantages, making it possible to access internal contexts specific to virtualized network equipment / functions. The invention can therefore easily be applied in such a context as well.

[0021] No limitation is attached to the way in which the base station is requested by the collection and analysis device to transmit information representative of the current deployment conditions of all or part of the cells that it manages.

[0022] Thus, in a particular embodiment, the solicitation of the base station comprises a reception of a request from the collection and analysis device relating to said information, said information being sent in a response to said request.

[0023] In other words, the request triggering the transmission of information representative of the current deployment conditions of the cells managed by the base station can respond to a one-off or recurring request from the collection and analysis device. By sending such a request, the collection and analysis device can advantageously target a particular base station and / or specific information that it wishes to obtain.

[0024] In another embodiment, said solicitation comprises a subscription of the collection and analysis device to the base station to a notification of events likely to affect said current deployment conditions of said at least one cell, said information being sent in a notification of at least one said event.

[0025] This embodiment advantageously allows the collection and analysis device to be informed automatically and without delay of changes affecting the current deployment conditions of the cells managed by the base station.

[0026] It should be noted that such information representative of current cell deployment conditions is, with the exception of certain information relating to the state of the cell, not known today to the base stations: the base station is not aware of the actual deployment context of the cells it manages, it only has radio parameters that it uses to manage the quality of the radio links, maintain communications using measurements that it carries out and / or that are reported by the UEs and / or broadcast cell selection / reselection parameters to the UEs. This type of information is in fact not used today by the base stations in the processing entrusted to them. As for the information relating to the state of the cell and / or the base station, it is not shared with the core network.

[0027] In a particular embodiment, all or part of the information relating to the current deployment conditions of the cells of the network can be configured at the stations of base by the network operator (e.g. in the form of unstructured metadata (e.g. XML, JSON, YAML, etc. formats) in a standardized or network operator-specific data repository) or be acquired or determined by the base stations themselves.

[0028] Thus, the provision method may comprise a step of evaluating at least part of said information before transmitting it to the collection and analysis device.

[0029] By way of illustration, it can be envisaged that the base station evaluates the geographical extent of the coverage area of ​​a cell from the geographical positions of the UEs that the cell serves, these positions being able to be provided by satellite positioning modules (e.g. GPS (for "Global Positioning System" in English), GNSS (for "Global Navigation Satellite Systems" in English)) equipping the UEs or deduced by the base station from information that it has on these UEs such as their speed or an observed difference in time of arrival (or OTDOA for "Observed Time Difference of Arrival" in English)).

[0030] Alternatively, the provisioning method further comprises a step of obtaining, from a radio planning system adapted to said network, at least part of said information before transmitting it to said collection and analysis device.

[0031] A radio planning system can typically provide information on the type of deployment envisaged for the cell: in a dense, suburban or rural area, in line of sight (LOS for "Line Of Sight" in English) or not (NLOS for "Non Light Of Sight" in English), event-based or temporary deployment, configuration of the cell (e.g. macro, micro or pico cell), configuration of the cell's antennas (e.g. distributed antenna system or DAS (for "Distributed Antenna System" in English), etc. It can also provide information on the infrastructures covered by the cell, for example if it is deployed to cover a road, a waterway, a port, a railway, a station, and if necessary identify the infrastructures in question.

[0032] As appears from the above, the invention relies on the base stations of the cellular network configured to transmit to the network collection and analysis device(s) information representative of the current deployment conditions of the cells that it manages, but also on the collection and analysis device(s), configured to receive such information and, where appropriate, to use it.

[0033] Thus, according to another aspect, the invention also relates to a method for collecting data by a device for collecting and analyzing data from a cellular communication network, said method comprising: a step of receiving, from at least one base station of the network requested by said collection and analysis device, information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by said at least one base station; and a step of using all or part of said information received during an analysis of network data.

[0034] Correlatively, the invention also relates to a device for collecting and analyzing data from a cellular communications network comprising: - a solicitation module, configured to solicit at least one base station of the network; - a reception module configured to receive from said at least one requested base station information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by said at least one base station; and - an analysis module configured to use all or part of said information received during an analysis of network data.

[0035] The collection method and device benefit from the same advantages mentioned above as the supply method and the base station.

[0036] As mentioned previously, in a particular embodiment, at least one said base station is requested by the collection and analysis device by sending a request relating to said information, said information being received in a response from the base station to said request.

[0037] In another embodiment, at least one said base station is solicited by the collection and analysis device by subscribing to it a notification of events likely to affect said current deployment conditions of at least one said cell managed by the base station, said information being received in a notification from the base station of at least one said event.

[0038] These two embodiments can be used exclusively or in combination.

[0039] In a particular embodiment, the collection method comprises a step of sending a result of said analysis to another device on the network having requested this analysis.

[0040] Such a result is for example a prediction (for example a prediction of the mobility of a user equipment managed by said other device) and / or statistics exploiting the information on cell deployment conditions provided by the base stations of the network.

[0041] In a particular embodiment, the collection method further comprises a preliminary step of selecting at least one said requested base station, said selection being carried out as a function of at least one given selection criterion and / or at least one said item of information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one said cell.

[0042] As mentioned above, the invention offers great flexibility. The collection and analysis device can decide which base station(s) it wishes to request, and if applicable, which information(s) on which cell(s) it wishes to obtain, depending for example on the statistics and / or predictions requested from it by the other devices in the network. This makes it possible to limit the amount of information exchanged on the network between the base stations and the collection and analysis device, and stored by the collection and analysis device.

[0043] In a particular embodiment, the methods of providing and collecting are implemented by a computer.

[0044] The invention also relates to a computer program on a recording medium, this program being capable of being implemented in a computer or more generally in a base station in accordance with the invention and comprising instructions adapted to the implementation of a supply method as described above.

[0045] The invention also relates to a computer program on a recording medium, this program being capable of being implemented in a computer or more generally in a collection and analysis device in accordance with the invention and comprising instructions adapted to the implementation of a collection method as described above.

[0046] Each of these programs may use any programming language, and may be in the form of source code, object code, or code intermediate between source code and object code, such as in a partially compiled form, or in any other desirable form.

[0047] The invention also relates to an information medium or a recording medium readable by a computer, and comprising instructions of a computer program as mentioned above.

[0048] The information or recording medium may be any entity or device capable of storing programs. For example, the medium may include a storage medium, such as a ROM, for example a CD ROM or a microelectronic circuit ROM, or a magnetic recording medium, for example a hard disk, or a flash memory.

[0049] On the other hand, the information or recording medium may be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, which may be conveyed via an electrical or optical cable, by radio link, by wireless optical link or by other means.

[0050] The program according to the invention can in particular be downloaded from an Internet-type network.

[0051] Alternatively, the information or recording medium may be an integrated circuit in which a program is incorporated, the circuit being adapted to execute or to be used in the execution of the methods of providing and collecting according to the invention.

[0052] According to another aspect, the invention relates to a system in a cellular communication network comprising: at least one base station according to the invention; and at least one collection and analysis device according to the invention.

[0053] In a particular embodiment, the base station implements an application programming interface to expose information relating to the current deployment conditions of said at least one cell that it manages and the system comprises at least one other device of the network hosting a network function and configured to call the application programming interface implemented by the base station.

[0054] This embodiment allows in particular other network functions of the core network than the collection and analysis device to access information relating to the current deployment conditions of the cells managed by the base station.

[0055] It may also be envisaged, in other embodiments, that the supply and collection methods, the base station and the collection and analysis device, and the system according to the invention have in combination all or part of the aforementioned characteristics. Brief description of the drawings

[0056] Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the description given below, with reference to the appended drawings which illustrate an exemplary embodiment thereof without any limiting character. In the figures: [Fig. 1] Figure 1 represents, in its environment, a system in a network according to the invention, in a first embodiment; [Fig. 2] Figure 2 schematically represents the hardware architecture of a base station and a collection and analysis device of the system of Figure 1, in accordance with the invention; [Fig. 3] Figure 3 represents the functional modules of a base station and of a collection and analysis device of the system of Figure 1, in accordance with the invention; [Fig. 4] Figure 4 illustrates the steps of the supply and collection methods implemented by the system of Figure 1 in a particular embodiment. Description of the invention

[0057] Figure 1 represents a system 1 in a cellular communication NW network, according to the invention in a particular embodiment. The NW network is here a 5G network as defined by the 3GPP standard, managed by an operator OP; it comprises at least one access network AN and a core network CN.

[0058] In a manner known per se, the CN core network relies on a plurality of network functions or NFs offering various services and implementing various functionalities in the CN core network, such as for example an AMF function managing access to the network and the mobility of the UEs attached to the network, an SMF function managing the sessions established in the network, an NRF function maintaining the profiles of the NF functions of the network, an NWDAF function for collecting and analyzing network data, etc. One or more instances of each of the NF functions of the CN core network can be deployed to ensure the operational functioning of the latter. In the example of FIG. 1, we consider in particular a device 2 hosting an instance of an AMF network function, a device 3 hosting an instance of an SMF network function and a device 4 hosting an instance of an NWDAF network function. Of course, this example is given only for illustrative purposes and is in no way limiting of the invention.

[0059] To access the services offered by the NW network, a user equipment or UE 5 connects to the core network CN via the access network AN, and more particularly a gNB base station 6 of this access network. There is no limitation on the nature of the UE 5: it can be a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, an object, a machine or a connected vehicle, etc.

[0060] In a manner known per se, each gNB base station (and in particular the base station 6) is configured to manage one or more cells of the NW network. By "cell" is meant here a "unitary" geographical area of ​​the NW network to which is associated a cell identifier (or "NR Cell Identity" in English) designating it uniquely, and transmission parameters (e.g. a frequency band). It should be noted that the same transmission parameters can be used simultaneously by several cells of the network duly distributed to limit interference. Thus, in the example of Figure 1, it is assumed that the base station 6 is a tri-sector gNB and thus manages three cells of the network C1, C2 and C3 corresponding respectively to the three sectors covered by the base station 6.

[0061] There are no limitations on the type of base stations considered for the AN network. Fixed and / or mobile base stations can be considered (for example, embedded in a vehicle, in a drone or more generally in any system likely to move).

[0062] In accordance with the invention, the system 1 comprises: at least one gNB base station managing at least one cell of the NW network and in accordance with the invention, namely in the example of Figure 1, the base station 6 managing the cells C1, C2 and C3; and at least one device for collecting and analyzing data from the NW network, in accordance with the invention, namely in the example of Figure 1, the device 4 hosting the NWDAF function instance.

[0063] In the first embodiment described here, each base station of the system 1 according to the invention (including the base station 6) has the hardware architecture of a computer as shown in FIG. 2. This computer comprises in particular a processor 7, a random access memory 8, a read-only memory 9, a non-volatile memory 10, and communication means 11 allowing in particular each base station to communicate with the UE 5 as well as with other elements of the NW network, and in particular with devices of the CN core network such as the NWDAF device 4, or with other elements external to the NW network, such as for example with a radio planning system 12 adapted to the NW network (e.g. that used by the OP operator of the NW network to deploy its network).The communication means 11 implement in particular in the embodiment described here, to communicate with the devices of the CN core network, a programming interface or API which allows it to expose information intended for these devices of the CN core network.

[0064] The non-volatile memory 10 of the computer constitutes a recording medium in accordance with the invention, readable by the processor 7 and on which is recorded a computer program PROG in accordance with the invention, comprising instructions defining the main steps of a supply method according to the invention.

[0065] The PROG program defines the functional modules of a base station of the system 1 (such as the base station 6), which rely on or control the hardware elements 7 to 11 of the computer cited above. These modules include in particular, in the embodiment described here, as illustrated in FIG. 3: a reception module 13, configured to receive requests (i.e. requests, interrogations) from data collection and analysis devices of the NW network, and in particular here from the NWDAF device 4; and a transmission module 14, configured to transmit to the collection and analysis devices having requested the base station in question for information noted here INFO_CURR representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by it.

[0066] In the embodiment described here, the base station according to the invention implements an application programming interface (API) to expose in particular the INFO_CURR information representative of the current deployment conditions of the cells of the network that it manages, on which the reception modules 13 and 14 of transmission rely. The advantage of such an API is that it is universal and allows access to the INFO_CURR information to any device of the NW network (in particular to the devices of the CN core network hosting network functions or NF) configured to call it.

[0067] In an alternative embodiment, another type of interface can be envisaged for communicating this information, and in particular a point-to-point interface using a protocol similar or identical to the NGAP protocol (for "NG Application Protocol" in English) defined in the document 3GPP TS 38.413 entitled "Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NG-RAN; NG Application Protocol (NGAP); (Release 17)", V17.0.0, April 2022, implemented between the base station according to the invention (e.g. gNB 6) and the NWDAF 4 device.

[0068] The operation of modules 13 and 14 is described in more detail later with reference to the steps of the supply method according to the invention.

[0069] Similarly, in the embodiment described here, each collection and analysis device of the system 1 according to the invention (including the NWDAF device 4) has the hardware architecture of a computer as shown in FIG. 2. This computer comprises in particular a processor 15, a random access memory 16, a read-only memory 17, a non-volatile memory 18, and communication means 19 allowing in particular each collection and analysis device to communicate on the one hand with the base stations of the system 1 (and in particular with the base station 6 by calling in particular the API implemented by the latter to expose the INFO_CURR information of current deployment conditions of the cells that it manages), and on the other hand, with devices of the core network CN.In the embodiment described here, the communication means 19 are notably configured to communicate with the base stations of the system 1 and with the devices of the core network CN using APIs provided for this purpose.

[0070] The non-volatile memory 18 of the computer constitutes a recording medium in accordance with the invention, readable by the processor 15 and on which is recorded a computer program PROG' in accordance with the invention, comprising instructions defining the main steps of a collection method according to the invention.

[0071] The PROG' program defines the functional modules of a collection and analysis device according to the invention (such as the NWDAF device 4), which rely on or control the hardware elements 15 to 19 of the computer cited above. These modules comprise in particular, in the embodiment described here, as illustrated in FIG. 3: a solicitation module 20, configured to solicit (i.e. interrogate) at least one base station of the system 1, and in particular the base station 6, via the API implemented by the latter; a reception module 21 configured to receive from said at least one solicited base station (via the aforementioned API) information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by said at least one base station; and an analysis module 22, configured to use all or part of said information received during an analysis of network data.

[0072] The operation of the modules 20 to 22 of the collection and analysis device according to the invention is described in more detail later with reference to the steps of the collection method according to the invention.

[0073] We will now describe, with reference to Figure 4, the main stages of the processes of supply and collection according to the invention when implemented respectively, in the embodiment described here, by the base station 6 and by the NWDAF device 4 of the system 1.

[0074] It is assumed that the UE 5 registers with the core network CN via the base station 6 (step E10). In a manner known per se, the registration request of the UE 5 (“Registration Request”) is transmitted to an AMF instance. In the example of FIG. 1, it is assumed that this is the AMF instance hosted by the device 2 (also referred to hereinafter as AMF device 2).

[0075] Upon receipt of the registration request from the UE 5, the AMF device 2 requests the NWDAF device 4 for predictions / statistics on the UE 5, such as for example predictions on the mobility of the UE 5 (message "Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo Request") (step E20). For this purpose, in the embodiment described here, it uses the Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo service described in the documents 3GPP TS 23.288 entitled "Architecture Enhancements for 5G system (5GS) to support network data analytics services (Release 17)", V17.4.0, March 2022, and TS 28.520 entitled "Technical Specification Group Core Network and Terminals; 5G System; Network Data Analytics Services; Stage 3; (Release 17) », vl 7.6.0, March 2022. Note that this request can be made in the form of a simple query “Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo Request” as described here, or alternatively in the form of a subscription as described in the previously cited TS 23.288 and TS 29.520 documents.

[0076] Upon receipt of the forecast request from the AMF device 2, the NWDAF device 4 collects INPUT_DATA data necessary for calculating the requested forecasts, as described in document TS 23.288 in paragraph 6.7.2.4 (step E30). In addition, it requests, via its solicitation module 20, at least one gNB base station of the system 1 to obtain INFO_CURR information representative of the deployment conditions of the cells managed by said at least one base station (step E40).

[0077] Such INFO_CURR information reflects the actual deployment of the NW network at a given time, i.e., the geographical areas and infrastructures covered by the cells of the NW network, the topology of the NW network architecture (e.g. adjacency between cells), etc. They are dynamic in the sense that they can evolve over time, depending on the decisions taken by the OP operator of the NW network or autonomously by the base stations (e.g. reconfiguration of certain base stations, etc.), the movement of the base stations (especially when they are mobile), the extinction of certain cells (e.g. to limit the energy consumption of the network), the appearance of new infrastructures (e.g. roads, buildings, etc.), etc.

[0078] Thus, for example, the INFO_CURR information representative of the current deployment conditions of a cell managed by a base station may comprise all or part of the following information: information relating to the arrangement of the cell in the network architecture, such as the logical or radio neighborhood of the cells (for example in the form of the identity of the neighboring cells of said cell); information relating to the geographical environment of the cell such as the geographical area covered by the cell (expressed for example from the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the center of the cell and its radius, or from a polygonal spatial pattern using the same type of coordinates or via a reference to a coverage map, etc.); information relating to the type of cell deployment, such as indoor / outdoor deployment, line of sight (LOS) or indirect line of sight (NLOS), in a white, dense, suburban or rural area, for coverage or capacity purposes, in support of a private network, infrastructure or critical vertical, event / temporary deployment, deployment configuration (e.g. macro / small / pico cell, cell managed by a base station on board a high-altitude platform, a drone or a satellite, etc.); information relating to a configuration of at least one antenna of the cell such as the. position and orientation of this antenna (latitude, longitude, altitude, height above ground, azimuth, inclination), the deployment of a distributed antenna system (or DAS); information relating to at least one infrastructure covered by the cell, for example a road, a railway, a waterway, one or more buildings, an industrial zone, etc. (expressed for example in the form of the identity of the infrastructure in question); information relating to the state of the cell, such as the load or load level (e.g. low, medium, high) of the cell, the load or load level of the cell at the level of each network slice ("network slice" in English), the number of active users in the cell, the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) throughput, congestion indicators (e.g. radio resource utilization rate, number of packets in queue), a fault state or an alarm level, a security state (e.g.jamming detection, detection of attacks such as "Man In The Middle Attack", "fake base station", distributed denial of service (DDoS), compromise by botnets), etc.).

[0079] This list is of course not exhaustive and other information representative of current cell deployment conditions may be considered in the context of the invention.

[0080] In addition, the solicitation module 20 may request to obtain other information in addition to the INFO_CURR information on a cell, such as INFO_SUPP information of static configuration of the cell such as an identity of the cell, a frequency band used by the cell, at least one radio access technology associated with the cell (e.g. GERAN, UTRA, E-UTRA, NR), etc. It should be noted that it can be envisaged that some of this information which is static today in the context of 5G networks, will take on a more dynamic character in a later version (or "Release" in English) of these networks or in another context.

[0081] The solicitation module 20 can also request from each base station that it solicits information noted here INFO_gNB concerning it, such as its identity (in the form for example of a “Global RAN Node ID” identifier), the list of TAs and / or network slices that it supports, information representative of its state (e.g. load or load level, number of users using the base station), etc.

[0082] The solicitation module 20 can solicit all the base stations of the system 1 indifferently, or only solicit a part of them selected according to one or more selection criteria.

[0083] Typically, the base stations of the system 1 requested by the solicitation module 20 may depend on the predictions requested by the AMF device 2. Thus, in the illustrative example envisaged here, the AMF device 2 having requested the NWDAF device 4 for predictions on the mobility of the UE 5 attached to the base station 6, the solicitation module 20 of the NWDAF device 4 may decide to request only the base station 6.

[0084] Similarly, the solicitation module 20 can target the information that it wishes to receive from the solicited base stations. In the previous illustrative example, it can in particular request to receive only the information relating to the current deployment conditions of the cell to which the UE 5 is attached, for example the cell C1 managed by the base station 6, or alternatively, to all the cells C1, C2 and C3 managed by the latter. The identifier of the cell used by the UE 5 (C1 in the example envisaged here) can be obtained by the NWDAF device 4 for example from the INPUT_DATA data that it has collected.

[0085] In an alternative embodiment, it may use the raw INPUT_DATA data that it has collected, or statistics / predictions that it has established from this raw data in a manner known per se, to select the relevant base stations to be requested and / or the deployment condition information to be requested from these base stations. Typically, in the previous illustrative example, it may use a first mobility prediction established from the raw INPUT_DATA data and select the base stations managing the cells that are on a trajectory of the UE 5 with regard to this forecast, as well as the deployment information that it wishes to obtain from these base stations, for example information concerning the arrangement of the cells managed by these base stations in the network architecture (adjacent cells, etc.), the type of deployment of each of these cells and the infrastructures that they cover.

[0086] Of course, these examples are given for illustrative purposes only, and other selection criteria may be considered as a variant or in addition to those already mentioned to select the base stations to be contacted and / or the information to be requested from them.

[0087] In the embodiment described here, during step E40, the solicitation module 20 solicits each base station that it has selected by relying on a service named here Ngnb_CellInfo. Such a service here relies on the APIs of the solicited base stations and is designed for the needs of the invention: it can in particular use the same protocol (e.g. HTTP / 2 protocol for “HyperText Transfer Protocol / 2” in English) as the services already defined by the 3GPP standard, such as the Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo service or any other service defined by the 3GPP standard to allow an NF function of the CN core network to access the functionalities implemented by another NF function and exposed by them via its API.

[0088] Alternatively, as mentioned earlier, other types of interface can be considered to interact with base stations, such as a point-to-point interface using a protocol similar or identical to the NGAP protocol defined in the 3GPP TS 38.413 specification cited earlier.

[0089] During step E40, the solicitation module 20 solicits each selected base station by sending it a request (message “Ngnb_CellInfo Request”) defined by the Ngnb_CellInfo service relating to (i.e. implicitly or explicitly indicating) the INFO_CURR information that it wishes to receive (and possibly other information INFO_SUPP and INFO_gNB as mentioned previously). In the example envisaged in FIG. 4, it is assumed for example that the solicitation module 20 has selected the base station 6 to which the UE 5 is attached, and sends it a request “Ngnb_CellInfo Request” relating to the INFO_CURR information relating to the cell C1 in which the UE 5 is located.

[0090] The INFO_CURR information concerned can be identified explicitly in the “Ngnb_CellInfo Request” request by means of a predefined coding, in a manner known per se, shared between the NWDAF device 4 and the base stations of the system 1. For example, a distinct integer value can be associated with each piece of INFO_CURR information that can be provided by a base station, and a field of the request can be valued with the values ​​associated with the information desired by the NWDAF device 4. Alternatively, a list of information defined by default at the level of the base stations of the system 1 can be envisaged, the absence of explicit mention in the request sent by the NWDAF device 4 meaning that the latter is interested in all of the information specified in this list.

[0091] Upon receipt of the request from the NWDAF device 4 by its reception module 13 (in other words following its request), the base station 6 via its transmission module 14 identifies and obtains the INFO_CURR information (and where applicable the INFO_SUPP and INFO_gNB information) requested by the NWDAF device 4 (step E50).

[0092] It should be noted that the information INFO_CURR, INFO_SUPP and / or INFO_gNB may have been configured at the base station 6 (and more generally at each base station of the system 1) by the operator OP of the NW network (via means known per se and not described here), or be obtained or discovered dynamically by the base station 6 before transmitting them to the NWDAF device 4.

[0093] For example, base station 6 may evaluate some of this information itself, such as the geographic area covered by each of the cells C1, C2 and C3 that it manages. For this purpose, it can in particular use the geographical location of the UEs which are attached to the cell in question, this location being able to be sent by satellite positioning modules (or PNT for “Positioning Navigation and Timing Service” in English) such as GPS or GNSS modules equipping the UEs or being able to be calculated by the base station 6 from the TDOA and speed information which it has on the UEs. Thanks to the location of the UEs and the knowledge of the cells serving each of these UEs, the base station 6 can establish a “map” of the UEs and deduce the coverage limits of each cell.

[0094] According to another example, particularly well suited in the case of a mobile base station 6 equipped with a PNT receiver and a compass, the base station 6 can evaluate the position and orientation of the antennas serving the cells that it manages from the positions returned by its PNT receiver and the indications provided by its compass.

[0095] According to yet another example, the base station 6 can determine the identity of the neighboring cells of each cell that it manages by using the ANR (Automatic Neighbor Relation) functionality of the SON (Self-Organizing Networks) technology designed in a manner known per se to allow self-configuration, self-operation and self-optimization of the equipment of a cellular communication network.

[0096] According to another example, the base station 6 can deduce information relating to the state of the cell from its own state: for example, if the base station 6 encounters an overload problem typically caused by the limitation of its processing capacities, this will have repercussions on the state of the cells that it manages which will themselves be in an overloaded state.

[0097] In addition, the base station 6 has, in a manner known per se, information on the use of network resources. From this information, it can detect a state (or level) of congestion of the cells that it manages. Such congestion is likely to affect different types of resources used by the cell, such as radio resources or PRB (for "Physical Resource Block" in English), buffers or even radio channels (e.g., traffic, signaling or paging channels), and occurs when 100% of the resources in question are used (e.g., 100% of the buffers are full). To detect such a state, various advanced congestion indicators can be monitored, such as, for example, a percentage of resource use that approaches a critical threshold, an increase in delays or packet losses observed on the cell, etc. These indicators can be considered among the INFO_CURR information.

[0098] The base station 6 can also obtain some of the information from third-party entities, for example from entities of the NW network or from external entities. In particular, it can be envisaged that the base station 6 is configured to communicate with the radio planning system 12 adapted to the NW network, and obtains certain information from this radio planning system, such as for example the information relating to the type of deployment of the cells C1, C2 and C3 that it manages, the identity of the infrastructures covered by each of these cells, or even the information relating to the deployment configuration of these cells.

[0099] The base station 6 may also have knowledge of some of this information because it uses it to implement the processing for which it is responsible (e.g., identity of neighboring cells, frequency band used by each cell or even the access network technology implemented in each cell), or because it is configured to broadcast this information on the NW network (e.g., identity of the cells managed by the base station 6, list of TAs and / or network slices that it supports).

[0100] The nature of the information INFO_CURR, and where applicable INFO_SUPP and INFO_gNB, configured and / or obtained by the base station 6 can be defined by default at the level of the base station 6, for example by the operator of the NW network, or by a management platform also known as an OAM platform (for “Operations, Administration and Maintenance” in English).

[0101] Once the INFO_CURR (and if applicable INFO_SUPP and / or INFO_gNB) information is required by the NWDAF device 4 obtained, the base station 6 transmits them via its transmission module 14 to the NWDAF device 4 (step E60). For this purpose, the transmission module 14 here uses the API of the base station 6 allowing it to expose to the NWDAF device 4 the INFO_CURR (and where applicable INFO_SUPP and / or INFO_gNB) information that it has requested from it. More specifically, it sends it via this API a response (message “Ngnb_CellInfo Response”) to its request defined by the Ngnb_CellInfo service and containing the required INFO_CURR (and where applicable INFO_SUPP and / or INFO_gNB) information.

[0102] It should be noted that the NWDAF device 4 may alternatively request the base station 6 (or more generally all or some of the base stations of the system 1) via a subscription mechanism, known per se. More specifically, the NWDAF device 4 via its solicitation module 20 may subscribe to the base station 6 (or more generally all or some of the base stations of the system 1) for the notification of events likely to affect the current deployment conditions of all or some of the cells managed by the latter. When such an event is detected by the base station 6, the transmission module 14 of the base station 6 sends a notification message of this event to the NWDAF device 4 containing the information representative of the current deployment conditions of the cells impacted by the event.In an alternative embodiment, it may only transmit in the notification the information that has changed as a result of the event.

[0103] The response is received by the reception module 21 of the NWDAF device 4. The NWDAF device 4, via its analysis module 22, then establishes the forecasts requested by the AMF device 2 using on the one hand the collected INPUT_DATA data, but also all or part of the information received by its reception module 21 from the gNB base station 6, in particular all or part of the INFO_CURR information on current deployment conditions of the cell C1 received from the gNB base station 6 (step E70). For example, the mobility forecasts of the UE 5 made by the NWDAF device 4 may be influenced by the type of deployment of the cell C1 and in particular the fact that it is deployed in support of a given infrastructure such as a highway: the future positions of the UE 5 located on this highway will then have a higher probability. Of course, this example is given only for illustrative purposes and is not limiting in itself.

[0104] The analysis module 22 of the NWDAF device 4 transmits the forecasts thus established to the AMF device 2 (message “Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo Response”) (step E80), which uses them for example to establish the RA of the UE 5 in a manner known to those skilled in the art and not described in detail here (step E90). For example, the RA may contain all the TAs containing the future positions of the UE 5 predicted by the NWDAF device 4. Of course, this example is given only for illustrative purposes and is not limiting in itself.

[0105] The other steps in the UE 5 registration procedure are the same or similar to the steps described in 3GPP TS 23.501, and are not detailed further here.

[0106] The AMF device 2 sends the registration confirmation to the UE 5 (“Registration Accept”), including in this confirmation the RA that it has just determined (step E90).

[0107] Following its registration, it is assumed here that the UE 5 requests the establishment of a session (“PDU Session Establishment Request”) (step E100). The AMF device 2 via which the request passes, determines in a manner known per se the SMF instance which will manage this session (the SMF instance 3 in the example considered here), as defined in the 3GPP standard. It can possibly use the predictions received during step E80 to identify the SMF device 3 which will manage this session.

[0108] Upon receipt of the session establishment request, the SMF device 3 here in turn requests the NWDAF device 4 for predictions / statistics on the UE 5, for example predictions on the communications of the UE 5 (message "Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo Request") (step E110). As previously described for the AMF device 2 in step E20, the SMF device 3 uses for this purpose, in the embodiment described here, the Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo service described in the 3GPP TS documents 23.288 and TS 28.520. Steps E30-E60 can be repeated if necessary by the NWDAF device 4 (not shown in Figure 5).

[0109] The NWDAF device 4, via its analysis module 22, then establishes the forecasts requested by the SMF device 3 using on the one hand the INPUT_DATA data that it has collected (those collected during step E30 and / or new data if they are not or no longer relevant given the requested forecasts), but also all or part of the information provided by the base station 6 on the cell C1 used by the UE 5 to access the network, and in particular all or part of the INFO_CURR information on current deployment conditions of the cell C1 (step E120).

[0110] It should be noted that the NWDAF device 4 may, if necessary, again request the gNB base station 6, as described previously during step E40, if the INFO_CURR information obtained during step E30 is not relevant for establishing the predictions requested by the SMF device 3 (for example because these predictions differ from those requested by the AMF device 2), or to be informed of possible change(s) in the INFO_CURR information (it may also, for this purpose, subscribe to the base station 6 for notification of events affecting the INFO_CURR information of the cells that it manages, in a manner known per se).

[0111] In general, the NWDAF device 4 can request the base station 6 directly in connection with a request for predictions / statistics from a network device or asynchronously. It can also, for the same request, query the base station 6 several times. For example, the NWDAF device 4 can observe the movement of the UE 5 over a certain period and query the base stations managing each of the cells visited by the UE 5 in order to obtain more reliable predictions. This is possible in particular when the device requesting the predictions / statistics does not need an immediate response.

[0112] The analysis module 22 of the NWDAF device 4 transmits the forecasts that it has established to the SMF device 3 (message “Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo Response”) (step E130), which uses them to establish the session required by the UE 5 (step E140). For example, the SMF device 3 uses these forecasts to optimally determine certain parameters of the session, such as the network function(s) of the user plane or UPF (for “User Plane Function” in English) which will route the data. For example, depending on the flow rates of the communications of the UE 2 provided by the NWDAF device 4, the SMF device 3 can select a UPF function optimized to process a high flow rate or, on the contrary, sporadic communications. Of course, this example is given only for illustrative purposes and is not limiting in itself.

[0113] The SMF device 3 then confirms the establishment of the session with the UE 5 (message “PDU Session Establishment Accept”) (step E150).

[0114] In the embodiment described here, the AMF 2 and SMF 3 devices each in turn query the NWDAF 4 device to obtain predictions / statistics, and use these predictions / statistics to implement the functionalities assigned to them. Of course, these hypotheses are not limiting in themselves, and it can be envisaged that only one of the devices requests and uses such predictions / statistics.

[0115] In the embodiment described here, an API and an Ngnb_CellInfo service are used at the base stations of the system 1 to expose the information (and in particular the INFO_CURR, INFO_SUPP and INFO_gNB information) to the NWDAF device that requests it. As previously highlighted, the advantage of using such an API is that it can be used by other devices of the NW network than the NWDAF device as long as these devices are configured to call (i.e. use) such an API. Thus, in another embodiment of the invention, the system according to the invention can comprise at least one device hosting a network function of the CN core network (such as for example a device hosting an AMF function, an SMF function, etc.), configured to call the APIs of the base station and directly request the base station via this API. basic to obtain INFO_CURR information (in a similar or identical manner to what was described for the NWDAF device in step E40). The device in question can then use the INFO_CURR information thus collected to implement the functionalities of the network function that it implements.

[0116] Alternatively, other communication interfaces between the base stations of system 1 and the NWDAF device can be considered than an API, as indicated previously. The same applies to the other services enabled in the above (e.g. Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo).

[0117] Furthermore, the invention has been described with reference to a 5G context. However, it can be applied in other contexts as well, for example to a 6G network or to a proprietary network.

Claims

Claims

1. Method for providing information by a base station (6) of a cellular communications network, said method comprising, following a request (E40) from a device (4) for collecting and analyzing network data, a step (E60) of transmitting to said collection and analysis device, information (INFO_CURR) representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by the base station.

2. A method of providing according to claim 1 wherein the information is transmitted to the collection and analysis device (4) by exposing it via an application programming interface of the base station.

3. A method of providing according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said solicitation (E40) comprises receiving a request from the collection and analysis device relating to said information, said information being sent in a response to said request.

4. A method of providing according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said solicitation comprises a subscription of the collection and analysis device to the base station to a notification of events likely to affect said current deployment conditions of said at least one cell, said information being sent in a notification of at least one said event.

5. A method of providing according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a step of evaluating at least a portion of said information before transmitting it to said collection and analysis device.

6. A method of providing according to any one of claims 1 to 5 further comprising a step of obtaining, from a radio planning system (12) adapted to said network, at least part of said information before transmitting it to said collection and analysis device.

7. A method of providing according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the transmitting step also comprises transmitting to the collection and analysis device: an identity of said at least one cell; and / or a frequency band allocated to said at least one cell; and / or at least one radio access technology associated with said at least one cell.

8. Method for collecting data by a device (4) for collecting and analyzing data from a cellular communication network, said method comprising: a step (E60) of receiving, from at least one base station (6) of the network requested by said collection and analysis device, information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by said at least one base station; and a step (E70, E120) of using all or part of said information received during an analysis of network data.

9. A collection method according to claim 8 wherein at least one said base station (6) is requested by the collection and analysis device by sending a request relating to said information, said information being received in a response from the base station to said request.

10. Collection method according to claim 8 or 9 in which at least one said base station (6) is requested by the collection and analysis device by subscribing to it a notification of events likely to affect said current deployment conditions of at least one said cell managed by the base station, said information being received in a notification from the base station of at least one said event.

11. Collection method according to any one of claims 8 to 10 further comprising a step of sending (E90, E130) a result of said analysis to another device (2,3) of the network having requested this analysis.

12. A collection method according to claim 11 wherein said result comprises a prediction of a mobility of a user equipment managed by said other device.

13. Collection method according to any one of claims 8 to 12 further comprising a preliminary step of selecting at least one said requested base station, said selection being carried out as a function of at least one given selection criterion and / or at least one said item of information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one said cell.

14. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 in which at least one said information (INFO_CURR) representative of current deployment conditions of a cell relates to a layout of the cell in a network architecture, to a geographical environment of the cell, to a configuration of at least one antenna of the cell, to a type of deployment of the cell, to at least one infrastructure covered by the cell, and / or to a state of the cell or of the base station managing said cell.

15. Base station (6) of a cellular communications network comprising a transmission module (14) activated following a request from a network data collection and analysis device, said module being configured to transmit to said collection and analysis device information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by the base station.

16. Device (4) for collecting and analyzing data from a cellular communications network comprising: - a solicitation module (20), configured to solicit at least one base station of the network; - a reception module (21), configured to receive from said at least one requested base station information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by said at least one base station; and - an analysis module (22), configured to use all or part of said information received during an analysis of network data.

17. System (1) of a cellular communications network comprising: - at least one base station (6) according to claim 15; and - at least one device (4) for collecting and analyzing data according to claim 16.

18. System (1) according to claim 17 wherein the base station is configured to implement an application programming interface for exposing said information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by the base station, and said system comprises at least one another network device hosting a network function and configured to call the application programming interface implemented by the base station.

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