Select and manage network slices

Abstract

Various aspects described herein relate to various methods, systems, and apparatus that can be used to configure and manage network slices based on charging rate information. By selecting a network slice based on the charging rate information, the system can further be capable of responding to a charging rate change by reselecting a network slice. For example, a change in the use of a network slice or the use of the entire network infrastructure may result in a change in the charging rate associated with the network slice. These aspects, as well as other aspects described herein, can improve network performance by, for example, offloading additional use from an overloaded network slice to a currently less used network slice.

Description

Background Art

[0001] One or more network slices can be created on the network infrastructure and can be built using virtual resources. Each of the network slices can be configured to perform certain data processing tasks. Based on a request from a user device, a network slice can be selected and associated with a protocol data unit (PDU) session of the user device. During the operation of the network slice, data for the PDU session can be processed and / or transmitted to the user device via the network slice. The use of the network slice and the entire network can change over time. Based on changes in usage, operators may find it desirable to manage how to configure, select and / or operate network slices. Existing systems and methods for selecting and managing network slices can no longer meet all the needs of operators in configuring, selecting and / or operating network slices. Summary of the invention

[0002] This summary is provided to introduce in a simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the various embodiments, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claims.

[0003] Aspects described herein relate to various methods, systems, and apparatus that can be used to configure and manage network slices based on charging rate information. By selecting a network slice based on charging rate information, the system can be capable of further responding to charging rate changes by reselecting a network slice. For example, a change in the use of a network slice or the use of the entire network infrastructure may result in a change in the charging rate associated with the network slice. These aspects, as well as other aspects described herein, can improve network performance by, for example, offloading additional use from an overloaded network slice to a currently less used network slice. These and other benefits should be apparent from the discussion below.

[0004] In some variants, one or more computing devices may receive a protocol data unit (PDU) session request from a user device. The one or more computing devices may also receive, for a first network slice from the available network slices, one or more selection criteria based on charging rate information associated with the first network slice. The one or more computing devices may select the first network slice based on the one or more selection criteria. The one or more computing devices may cause a PDU session to be established for the user device. The PDU session may be associated with the first network slice.

[0005] In addition, in some variants, one or more computing devices may determine a charging rate rule for the first network slice. The charging rate rule may associate one or more network conditions with a charging rate. The one or more computing devices may determine that the charging rate rule is satisfied based on comparing one or more current network conditions with the one or more network conditions. The one or more computing devices may cause the use of the first network slice to be charged according to the charging rate based on satisfying the charging rate rule. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Some example embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements, and in which:

[0007] Figure 1 An example block diagram of a system for configuring network slicing is shown;

[0008] Figure 2A and 2B An example network environment that may include a system for configuring network slicing is shown;

[0009] Figure 3 An example method that may be performed by a network slice manager is shown;

[0010] Figure 4 An example method that may be performed by a network slice controller is shown;

[0011] Figure 5 An example apparatus is shown that may be used in the network environment described herein or to implement one or more aspects described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] In the following description of various illustrative embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the description and in which are shown by way of illustration various embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0013] Network slicing allows the creation of multiple logical networks on top of a common shared physical infrastructure of computing resources. In some variants, network slicing can allow different degrees of specialization, thereby improving network performance. For example, some user devices may need PDU sessions that require low latency but allow low throughput. An example of such a PDU session may be for communication between self-driving cars. Some other user devices may require high throughput but allow latency. An example of such a PDU session may be for audio / video streaming services. By using network slicing, PDU sessions with different requirements can be served on the same physical infrastructure.

[0014] However, there are complexities involved in designing a system for selecting and managing network slices. For example, a PDU session can be established and associated with a network slice operating on a radio access network (RAN). During the operation of the network slice, and in conjunction with the PDU session, data can be processed and routed to a user device. During the life of the PDU session, the use of the network slice or the use of the entire RAN infrastructure may change. These changes may result in changes in, for example, the charging rates associated with the network slice. If other network slices that meet the requirements of the PDU session are available and charged at a lower rate, the user experience can be improved by trying to avoid or reduce the increase in the charging rate. Therefore, some aspects described herein relate to responding to changes in charging rates by reselecting a network slice during the life of a PDU session. Other aspects described herein relate to determining selection criteria based on charging rate information. These aspects, as well as other aspects described herein, can improve network performance by, for example, offloading additional usage from an overloaded network slice (e.g., a slice that now has an increased charging rate) to a currently less used network slice (e.g., a slice with a lower charging rate). These benefits and other benefits should be apparent from the discussion below.

[0015] Figure 1 An example block diagram of a system for configuring network slicing is shown. Figure 1 As shown in , user device 101 can use various network services by transmitting and receiving data via network 102. User device 101 can be a user equipment, a station capable of communicating via RAN, or some other device using network services. Other examples of user devices include computing devices of self-driving cars or Internet of Things (IoT) devices. User device 101 can be associated with an end user (e.g., a personal computer or personal mobile phone may be used by a person) or can be associated with an enterprise (e.g., a server or other computing device of an industrial site, company or other enterprise). The end user and / or the enterprise may have a business relationship with a service provider operating network 102.

[0016] The user equipment 101 may transmit a request to establish a PDU session for the user equipment 101. For example, the user equipment 101 may transmit a PDU session request or a registration request to the access and mobility management function (AMF) 105. The PDU session request or the registration request may include information indicating one or more requirements for the PDU session. For example, the information may indicate that the PDU session is suitable for handling 5G enhanced mobile broadband, suitable for low-latency communications, or suitable for large-scale IoT communications. The information may be transmitted from the AMF 105 to the network slice selection function (NSSF) 110. Based on the information and the selection criteria accessed by the network slice controller 113, a network slice 140 may be selected to perform one or more computing functions for the PDU session. In some variants, the network slice controller 113 may be a network slice control function (NSCF).

[0017] Network slice 140 may be configured to use one or more computing resources from computing resources 135. Computing resources 135 may include virtual computing resources and physical computing resources (e.g., computing devices). As some examples, computing resources 135 may include one or more of the following: virtual machines; containers; microservices or blade servers, etc. For simplicity, in Figure 1 Only one network slice is described in , because there is usually a pool of available network slices. Further, the pool of available network slices may change over time depending on the currently operating physical infrastructure and / or depending on what services are currently available via the network 102.

[0018] The NSSF 110 may be configured to communicate with a network slice controller 113. The network slice controller 113 may be configured to access selection criteria determined based on charging rate information. Based on the selection criteria, the network slice controller 113 may select a network slice for the PDU session, or otherwise cause the NSSF 110 to select a network slice (e.g., network slice 140) for the PDU session. For example, the network slice controller 113 may receive an indication of one or more available network slices that meet the PDU session requirements from the NSSF 110. The network slice controller 113 may access the selection criteria and determine which network slice to select from the one or more available network slices. In some cases, the selection criteria may include a selection priority for each network slice, and the selection priority for a particular network slice may be based on the charging rate of the network slice. In this way, a first network slice having a higher charging rate may be assigned a lower selection priority than a second network slice having a lower charging rate. The network slice controller 113 may select a network slice having the highest selection priority. In addition to the selection priority, the selection criteria may also include a current charging rate for the network slice, an indication of a change in network slice priority, and / or an indication of a change in network slice charging rate. The network slice controller 113 may receive the selection criteria from the network slice manager 128. When selecting a network slice, the network slice controller 113 may transmit an indication of the selected network slice to the NSSF 110. In some variants, the network slice manager 128 may be interchangeably referred to as a network slice manager function (NSMF).

[0019] The NSSF 110 may be configured to communicate with a computing resource unit manager (EM) 130. For example, based on an indication of a selected network slice received from the network slice controller 113, the NSSF 110 may communicate with the computing resource EM 130 so that a PDU session is established for the user equipment 101. The NSSF 110 may transmit a network slice definition of the selected network slice to the computing resource EM 130. The computing resource EM 130 may configure computing resources based on the network slice definition. Upon successful establishment of the PDU session, configuration data of the network slice 140 may be provided to the user equipment 101 to enable data transmission via the network slice 140.

[0020] The computing resource EM 130 may be configured to communicate directly with the computing resources 135 and / or any other infrastructure elements. The computing resource EM 230 may be configured to configure the physical resources based on direct communication with those physical resources and / or activate the physical resources once the physical resources are appropriately configured for the network slice 140. For example, the computing resource EM 130 may communicate with the computing resources 135 based on communications from the NSSF 110 to cause configuration of one or more of the computing resources. The configuration may establish a PDU session.

[0021] In addition, the computing resource EM 130 can be configured to communicate with the computing resource management and operation (MANO) 125. The computing resource MANO 125 can be configured to manage and coordinate computing resources and any other infrastructure elements related to the network slice. For example, the computing resource MANO 125 can be configured to manage and coordinate physical computing resources, network resources, storage resources, and virtual computing resources in conjunction with the network slice.

[0022] The network slice controller 113 may be configured to communicate with the network slice manager 128. The network slice manager 128 may be configured to receive charging rate information from one or more servers 145 or other units of the network infrastructure. The one or more servers 145 or other units of the network infrastructure may include, for example, a charging server, other types of charging systems, and one or more network functions associated with the network slice (e.g., a policy control function (PCF) of the network slice and a unified data management (UDM) of the network slice, etc.). Based on the charging rate information, the network slice manager 128 may determine one or more charging rate rules and the above selection criteria for each network slice. Each of the one or more charging rate rules may associate one or more network conditions with the charging rate of the network slice. If the network slice is associated with multiple charging rate rules, each of the multiple charging rate rules, if compared with each other, will indicate different charging rates and different network conditions. The computing resource MANO 145 may also be configured to communicate with the one or more servers 145 or other units of the network infrastructure in conjunction with ensuring that the use of the network slice is properly charged.

[0023] In addition, the network slice manager 128 can be configured to monitor current network conditions (e.g., conditions of the network slice 140 or the entire RAN network). If the current network conditions meet one or more network conditions of the charging rate rules, the network slice manager 128 can be configured to cause the use of the associated network slice to be charged according to the charging rate of the charging rate rules (e.g., cause the network slice to be configured based on the charging rate and / or transmit an indication of the charging rate of the network slice to the network infrastructure unit responsible for charging).

[0024] like Figure 1 As depicted in FIG. 1 , one or more first computing devices 103 are illustrated as including AMF 105, NSSF 110, and network slice controller 113. AMF 105, NSSF 110, and network slice controller 113 may each be executed as one or more software modules on one or more first computing devices 103. Figure 1 As also depicted in FIG. 1 , one or more second computing devices 120 are illustrated as including computing resources MANO 125 and network slice manager 128. The computing resources MANO 125 and the network slice manager 128 may each be executed as one or more software modules on the one or more second computing devices 120. The AMF 105, the NSSF 110, the computing resources MANO 125, and the computing resources EM may conform to or be configured to be similar to the requirements of technical specifications formulated by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute Industry Specification Group (ETSI ISG) or the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), etc. For example, the computing resources MANO 125 may be an ETSI Network Function Virtualization (NFV) MANO, and the AMF 105 and the NSSF 110 may be configured based on 3GPP TS23.501.

[0025] about Figure 1 The above discussion provides a brief introduction to the examples and various features described throughout the present disclosure. Additional details about the above aspects and further aspects will be discussed in the remaining figures below. In particular, Figure 2A and 2B An example operating environment including one or more RANs and suitable for use as a cellular mobile network is shown. Although various parts of the present disclosure provide details about the operating environment of one or more RANs or cellular mobile networks, the various aspects described herein are also applicable to other technologies that can implement network slicing.

[0026] Figure 2A and 2B An example network environment that may include a system for selecting and managing network slices is shown. In particular, Figure 2A The diagram illustrates a network environment including user equipment connected via one or more RANs and other networks, and in which network slicing can be configured. Figure 2B Example RAN equipment that may include a system for selecting and managing network slices is illustrated.

[0027] like Figure 2AAs shown in FIG, a station (STA) can be connected to other STAs via one or more access networks 250 (e.g., a 4G LTE access network or a 5G access network), which in turn can be connected to each other via one or more core and / or external networks 210. After registering with the access network 250, a PDU session can be established for the STA. The PDU session can be configured to provide specific data services to the STA via one or more RANs. Data for the PDU session can be routed on one or more RANs via network slices.

[0028] The one or more RANs (e.g., 250a, 250b, 250c) may include various equipment, such as access points 230 (e.g., 230a, 230b, 230c, 230d) and network equipment 220 (e.g., 220a, 220b). The access point 230 may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the user equipment 240. The access point 230 may include a base station and / or a node that enables wireless communication with the user equipment 240 according to a wireless standard (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, or other such wireless standards). Such a node of the access point 230 may provide a scheduler function, a traffic management function, and other RAN resource management functions. The access point 230 may include a network slicing function, as will be described below in conjunction with Figure 2B for discussion.

[0029] The network equipment 220 may be configured to provide additional RAN functions. For example, the network equipment 220 may implement a radio network controller function for controlling the access point 230 to communicate with the user equipment 240. Additionally or alternatively, the network equipment 220 may include a network slicing function, as described below in conjunction with Figure 2B In some variations, some or all of the functionality of network equipment 220 may be implemented by nodes and / or base stations of access point 230 .

[0030] As shown, the STA may include a smartphone (e.g., 240a-c) and / or a personal computer (e.g., 240d) and / or any other type of user equipment. For example, the user equipment may include a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a gaming device, a virtual reality (VR) headset, an IoT device, or any other mobile device or other fixed device having a wireless interface capable of communicating with the access point 230.

[0031] As described above, a PDU session may have specific requirements, and these requirements may be based on the type of data being processed and / or transmitted during the PDU session. For example, a PDU session may provide content-related data streams that are routed on the RAN via a network slice and routed to a user device. Content-related data streams may include two-way video data streams associated with data traffic from a conversational video application (e.g., SKYPE, FACETIME, etc.) or other types of multimedia data streams that are sensitive to latency. Such latency-sensitive multimedia data streams may further include two-way audio (e.g., audio chat), two-way VR video, one-way audio / video / VR, and other such multimedia data streams.

[0032] The content-related data stream may be a bidirectional data stream (e.g., a conversation video between user equipment 240a and user equipment 240b) and / or may involve multiple user equipment (e.g., a video conference involving user equipment 240a, user equipment 240b, and user equipment 240c). Such a data stream involving multiple user equipment may involve multiple bidirectional data streams between each pair of user equipment (e.g., a first bidirectional data stream between user equipment 240a and user equipment 240b, a second bidirectional data stream between user equipment 240b and user equipment 240c, and a third bidirectional data stream between user equipment 240a and user equipment 240c), or may involve a bidirectional data stream between each user equipment and a central server. The bidirectional data streams described herein may therefore occur between user equipment and other endpoints (e.g., servers). All of these data streams may be routed over one or more of the access network 250 and the core and / or (multiple) external networks 210 via network slices.

[0033] like Figure 2A As illustrated in , some STAs may be connected via other access networks 250d, which may not be RAN. Although the concepts described below are generally described for radio access networks, it should be understood that the principles described herein may be used for any type of access network.

[0034] Although each STA is shown with Figure 2AThe STA may communicate with one AP 230 in the same network, but the STA may communicate with multiple APs 230 connected to the same network or multiple networks. In addition, the network may include additional networks that are interconnected to provide further internetwork communications. Such networks may include one or more private or public packet switching networks (e.g., the Internet), one or more private or public circuit switching networks (e.g., public switched telephone networks, satellite networks), one or more wireless local area networks (e.g., 802.11 networks), one or more metropolitan area networks (e.g., 802.16 networks), and / or one or more cellular networks, which are configured to facilitate communication to and from the STA through one or more APs 230. In various embodiments, the STA may perform the functions of an AP for other STAs.

[0035] Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access (OFDMA) can be used to multiplex wireless devices for uplink and / or downlink data transmission. In an OFDMA system, the spectrum is divided into a plurality of closely spaced narrowband orthogonal subcarriers. The subcarriers are then divided into mutually exclusive groups called subbands, where each subband (also called subchannel) is assigned to one or more wireless devices. According to various aspects, the subcarriers can be assigned to different wireless devices. OFDMA has been adopted in synchronous and cellular systems, including 4G broadband wireless standards (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE)), 5G wireless standards (e.g., New Radio (NR)), and IEEE 802.16 family standards. Out of caution, the discussion of OFDMA is only an example of different types of technologies on which network slices can be configured. As an example, the various aspects described herein can be used to configure network slices on an optical transport network.

[0036] As described above, the access point 230 and the network equipment 220 may include network slicing functionality. Figure 2B An example block diagram for providing network slicing functionality is shown. In particular, Figure 2B A block diagram of providing network slicing functionality using virtual computing resources (e.g., virtual machines and / or containers) is shown. Figure 2B 2. A cloud system interface 253; a cloud manager 255; an element manager 260 (e.g., NOKIA NetAct); a virtual infrastructure manager 265; a virtual machine monitor 270; and physical computing resources 275 are shown. The cloud system interface 253 can be configured similarly to the one or more first computing devices 103. The cloud manager 255 can be configured similarly to the one or more second computing devices 120. The element manager 260 can be configured similarly to the computing resource EM 130. The virtual infrastructure manager 265, the virtual machine monitor 270, and the physical computing resources 275 can be similar to the computing resources 135.

[0037] Based on one or more data communications routed over one or more access networks, the Figure 2B In fact, if Figure 2B As shown in FIG. 1 , one or more virtual machines 280 may be executed on the physical computing resource 275. The one or more virtual machines 280 may be configured as part of a network slice associated with a PDU session of a user device. In this way, the one or more virtual machines 280 may be processing data to be routed to the user device through the RAN. Figure 2B In the arrangement shown in , any one of the access points and / or network equipment 220 can route data for a PDU session via a network slice on one of the RANs.

[0038] although Figure 2B The network slicing functionality of is discussed as being implemented by the access point 230 or the network equipment 220, but other arrangements are possible. For example, the cloud system interface 253 (and / or the one or more first computing devices 103) can be located near the edge of the network (e.g., the network equipment 220). The remaining components (e.g., the cloud manager 255, the element manager 260, the virtual infrastructure manager 265, the virtual machine 280, the virtual machine monitor 270, the physical computing resources 275 and / or the one or more second computing devices 120) can be located within the core network (e.g., the core network 210).

[0039] Figure 3 and Figure 4 Example methods for selecting and managing network slices that can be performed by the system are provided. Various methods can be combined with the above Figure 1 , 2A and 2B discussed different components and equipment to perform. For example, Figure 3 The example method may be performed by the one or more second computing devices 120 . Figure 4 The example method may be performed by the one or more first computing devices 103. For simplicity, Figure 3 and Figure 4 Each of the example methods shown will be discussed in terms of being performed by one or more computing devices. However, specific units (e.g., AMF 105, NSSF 110, network slice controller 113, computing resource EM 130, computing resource MANO 125, and network slice manager 128, etc.) may be combined throughout Figure 3 and 4 The example discussed is mentioned (e.g., if the unit is the source or destination of a particular data transmission).

[0040] As mentioned above, Figure 3The example method may be performed by the one or more second computing devices 120. Figure 3 At step 301, one or more computing devices may receive an indication that a network slice has been instantiated. The indication may be received from a computing resource MANO or a network function (e.g., PCF or UDM) of the network slice.

[0041] At step 303, the one or more computing devices may transmit a request for billing rate information for the network slice based on the indication received at step 301. The request may be transmitted to a billing server or other billing system.

[0042] At step 305, the one or more computing devices may receive billing rate information based on the request transmitted at step 303. The billing rate information may include, for example, a current billing rate for the network slice, one or more additional billing rates associated with the network slice, an indication of one or more network conditions that trigger a change in the billing rate, an indication of a return on investment for the network slice, and an indication of a change in the billing rate for the network slice (e.g., the billing rate has changed 10 times during the life of the network slice, or the billing rate has changed 3 times within a threshold amount of time). The billing information may also indicate how each billing rate (e.g., the current billing rate and the one or more additional billing rates) is applied. For example, if the billing rate information includes a first billing rate and a second billing rate, the billing information may include an indication of one or more first network conditions that cause the first billing rate to be applied, and the billing information may include an indication of one or more second network conditions that cause the second billing rate to be applied. The network condition indicated by the charging information may be any combination of network conditions, including, for example, network load (e.g., a threshold bandwidth for a network slice or the entire network), network traffic (e.g., a threshold throughput for a network slice or the entire network), time to live (e.g., a time threshold for network slice activity), application or service type (e.g., a specific application on a user device that is receiving data via a network slice), network function type (e.g., a specific network function included in a network slice), user device type (e.g., an IoT device or mobile station to which data is being provided via a network slice). The indication of return on investment may be determined based on current charging rates and the cost of performing network slicing.

[0043] At step 307, the one or more computing devices may determine one or more charging rate rules for the network slice based on the charging rate information. Each of the one or more charging rate rules may associate a charging rate for the network slice (e.g., a current charging rate and / or the one or more additional charging rates) with the one or more network conditions that cause the charging rate to be applied. Each charging rate rule may indicate an action to be taken when the charging rate rule is met. The action may, for example, indicate that a charging rate is to be applied when the charging rate rule is met, and may indicate one or more destinations that need to be signaled to apply the charging rate (e.g., a charging server or other charging system and a network function of the network slice, etc.).

[0044] At step 309, the one or more computing devices may determine one or more selection criteria for the network slice based on the billing rate information. The determination may be performed based on an analysis of various billing rates of the billing information (e.g., the current billing rate and the one or more additional billing rates), an analysis of various network conditions indicated by the billing information, and / or an analysis of indications of billing rate changes for the network slice. Based on the analysis, the billing rate information may be mapped to a selection priority for the network slice. Thus, different groups of billing rates, network conditions, and billing rate changes may result in different selection priorities being determined. The following table provides several examples of the relationship between selection priorities and various billing rates, network conditions, and billing rate changes. The exact impact of a particular example on the selection priority may depend on the specific combination of billing rates, network conditions, and billing rate changes that are the basis for determining the selection priority, and may further depend on any weights applied to each item in the specific combination. For example, if the first combination includes a current billing rate and an additional billing rate, an increase in the current billing rate may result in an increase in the determined selection priority, but an increase in one of the additional billing rates may not result in an increase in the determined selection priority. However, if the additional billing rate is weighted as more important than the current billing rate, an increase in one of the additional billing rates may result in an increase in the determined selection priority.

[0045] Table A

[0046]

[0047]

[0048]

[0049] In addition to the priority, the one or more selection criteria may include additional information. For example, the one or more selection criteria may include a current charging rate, an indication of a return on investment, an indication of a change in the network slice charging rate, and / or an indication of a change in the network slice selection priority. The indication of a change in the network slice selection priority is discussed below in conjunction with step 319.

[0050] At step 311, the one or more computing devices may transmit the one or more selection criteria. The transmission may be to a network slice controller (e.g., network slice controller 113) or to a device configured as a network slice controller (e.g., the one or more computing devices 103). In some cases, the transmission may be performed automatically based on the instantiated network slice (described below in conjunction with Figure 4 In addition, in some cases, the one or more computing devices may perform or repeat the transmission based on a request from the network slice controller (described below in conjunction with Figure 4 407 discussed above).

[0051] At step 313, the one or more computing devices may initiate a monitoring process for the network slice. The monitoring process may be configured based on the billing rate rules. For example, the monitoring process may monitor the network status of the network slice and / or the entire network, determine whether the billing rate rules are met, and if the billing rate rules are met, take appropriate actions associated with the billing rate rules. Steps 315-329 provide examples of monitoring processes. In addition, the monitoring process may be performed during the life cycle of the network slice. Therefore, steps 315-319 may be repeated multiple times throughout the entire life cycle of the network slice. In some variants, the monitoring process (e.g., steps 315-329) may be executed in its own thread, which is executed periodically or continuously.

[0052] At step 315, the one or more computing devices may determine whether the current network condition has changed or whether the network slice has changed. For example, the monitoring process may be configured to monitor one or more network conditions associated with the charging rate rules of the network slice and / or monitor configuration changes in the network slice. As a specific example, if the charging rate rules associate the charging rate with the network throughput of the network slice, the network throughput of the network slice will be monitored. If at least one of the network conditions has changed, the method may proceed to step 317. If the network condition has not changed, the method may continue to monitor changes in the network condition by repeating step 315.

[0053] As another specific example, the monitoring process may monitor for an indication of a configuration change from a network slice or a unit associated with the network slice (e.g., a PCF or UDP of the network slice). Based on receiving an indication that the configuration of the network slice has changed (e.g., an indication that a network function of the network slice has been activated or deactivated), the method may proceed to step 317. If no indication of a configuration change is received, the method may continue to monitor changes in network conditions by repeating step 315.

[0054] At step 317, the one or more computing devices may determine whether there is a change in the billing information. For example, the monitoring process may be configured to monitor for an indication that the billing rate information has changed. If such an indication has been received, the method may proceed to step 319. If the billing information has not changed, the method may proceed to step 321.

[0055] At step 319, the one or more computing devices may update one or more charging rate rules based on the change of the network slice. For example, similar to steps 303 and 305, the one or more computing devices may request and receive an update to the charging rate information from the charging server. Based on the update to the charging rate information, the one or more charging rate rules may be updated by, for example, performing a determination similar to step 307, which involves an initial determination of the charging rate rules for the network slice.

[0056] At step 321, the one or more computing devices may determine whether a charging rate rule is satisfied. The determination may be performed by comparing one or more current network conditions with one or more network conditions of a charging rate rule. Based on the comparison, one of the charging rate rules may be satisfied. For example, assuming that the charging rate rule includes a first charging rate rule associating a first charging rate with a first threshold of a network throughput of a network slice, and further includes a second charging rate rule associating a second charging rate with a second threshold of a network throughput of a network slice. The first threshold of network throughput may be greater than the second threshold of network throughput. However, the current network throughput of the network slice may be greater than both the first threshold and the second threshold. In this case, based on the second threshold being greater than the first threshold, the second charging rate rule will be satisfied. As another example, assuming that the charging rate rule includes a first charging rate rule associating a first charging rate with a specific network function. Based on the activation of the network function, the first charging rate rule may be satisfied. If the charging rate rule is satisfied, the method may proceed to step 323. If no billing rate rules are met, the method may return to step 315 to continue monitoring changes in network conditions and changes in network slices.

[0057] At step 323, the one or more computing devices may determine an updated billing rate. The updated billing rate may be a billing rate for the billing rate rule satisfied at step 319. The updated billing rate may be different from the current billing rate of the network slice.

[0058] At step 325, the one or more computing devices may determine one or more updated selection criteria for the network slice based on the updated charging rate. For example, the one or more computing devices may determine the one or more updated selection criteria by performing a determination similar to step 309, which involves an initial determination of the one or more selection criteria for the network slice. Determining the updated selection criteria may result in determining a different selection priority for the network slice. In addition, the one or more computing devices may store an indication of a change in selection priority (e.g., as part of the indication of a change in selection priority for the network slice described above).

[0059] At step 327, the one or more computing devices may transmit the one or more updated selection criteria. The transmission may be to a network slice controller (e.g., the network slice controller 113) or to a device configured as a network slice controller (e.g., the one or more computing devices 103). The transmission may be performed similar to step 311 (e.g., automatically based on the determined update or based on a request of the network slice controller).

[0060] At step 329, the one or more computing devices may charge for use of the network slice according to the updated billing rate. This may include, for example, transmitting an indication of the updated billing rate to each destination that needs to be signaled to apply the billing rate (e.g., a billing server and PCF, etc.). In addition, the one or more computing devices may store an indication of the change in the billing rate from the original billing rate to the updated billing rate (e.g., as part of the indication of the change in the network slice billing rate described above).

[0061] As mentioned above, Figure 4 The example method may be performed by the one or more first computing devices 103. Figure 4 At step 401 of , one or more computing devices may receive one or more selection criteria for a network slice. The one or more selection criteria may have been transmitted by a network slice manager (network slice manager 128) or a computing device (one or more second computing devices 120) configured as a network slice manager. Further, the transmission may be based on an instantiation of the network slice (e.g., Figure 3Step 311). Once instantiated, the network slice may be considered available for activation and / or selection. The one or more computing devices may store the one or more selection criteria in a database.

[0062] At step 403, the one or more computing devices may receive a request associated with a PDU session from a user device. Further, the request may take the form of a PDU session request or a registration request. In some variants, the request may include an indication of a network slice type, an indication of a network slice discriminator, and an indication of a data network name. The indication of the network slice type may be, for example, one from a standardized list of network slice types. For TS23.501, standardized network slice types are defined for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), and massive Internet of Things (MIoT) communications. The network slice discriminator may be optional information that provides further indication of the characteristics of a satisfactory network slice or requirements for a PDU session. The data network name may be, for example, a public land mobile network identifier (PLMN-ID), which includes a mobile country code (MCC) and a mobile network code (MNC). In addition, each network slice type may be paired with a network slice discriminator in a single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI). The request may include one or more S-NSSAIs, each of which is used for a different network slice. Currently, 3GPP supports up to eight S-NSSAIs for a particular user equipment. Therefore, under current 3GPP support, a single user equipment can be served by up to eight network slices. The S-NSSAI can be received through multiple requests. For simplicity, the following steps will be discussed in terms of a single network slice type and network slice discriminator. For each pair of network slice type and network slice discriminator, steps 405-415 can be repeated.

[0063] At step 405, the one or more computing devices may determine, based on the request, one or more available network slices that satisfy the request. For example, the network slice type, network slice discriminator, and data network name may be compared with a list of instantiated network slices to determine which network slices satisfy the requirements of the PDU session. For example, if the network slice type indicates eMBB, a network slice capable of supporting eMBB may be searched in the list of instantiated network slices. Any network slice that meets all requirements specified by the network slice type, network slice discriminator, and data network name may be added as one of the one or more available network slices. If a particular network slice fails to meet one of the requirements, it may not be added as one of the one or more available network slices.

[0064] At step 407, the one or more computing devices may determine whether selection criteria for each of the one or more available network slices have been received. The determination may be performed by searching a database based on the one or more available network slices to determine whether the database stores selection criteria for each available network slice. If the slices listed in the list are not associated with at least one selection criterion stored in the database, the one or more computing devices may determine that selection criteria have not been received for each available network slice. Therefore, the method may proceed to step 409. Otherwise, selection criteria have been received for each available network slice, and the method may proceed to step 413.

[0065] At step 409, based on determining that selection criteria have not been received, the one or more computing devices may transmit a request for one or more selection criteria. The request may be transmitted to a network slice manager (network slice manager 128) or a computing device configured as a network slice manager (one or more second computing devices 120). In addition, the request may identify any network slices for which selection criteria are missing from the database.

[0066] At step 411, the one or more computing devices may receive the one or more selection criteria based on the request of step 409. The received selection criteria may be for each network slice identified by the request transmitted at step 409. Upon receipt, the one or more selection criteria may be stored in a database.

[0067] At step 413, the one or more computing devices may select a first network slice from the one or more available network slices based on the one or more selection criteria of the one or more available network slices. For example, if the one or more selection criteria include a selection priority, the selection may be performed by determining which of the one or more available network slices has the highest selection priority and selecting the network slice with the highest selection priority. As another example, if the one or more selection criteria include additional information, the selection may be performed based on additional heuristics. For example, if the one or more selection criteria include a current charging rate, the selection may be performed by determining which available network slice has the highest selection priority and which available network slice has the lowest current charging rate. The current charging rate of the available network slice with the highest selection priority may be compared with the lowest charging rate. The selection priority of the available network slice with the lowest charging rate may be compared with the highest selection priority. The selection may be based on the two comparisons. As a specific example, the difference between two selection priorities and two charging rates can be calculated, the difference can be normalized to a common scale, and one of the two available network slices can be selected based on the size of the normalized difference (e.g., if the normalized difference between the priorities is greater than the normalized difference of the current charging rates, then the available network slice with the highest priority is selected). Similar heuristics can be performed for other combinations of selection priorities and additional information for selection criteria (e.g., current charging rates, indications of return on investment, indications of changes in network slice charging rates, and / or indications of changes in network slice selection priorities). As an example of similar heuristics possible for another combination of selection priorities and additional information for selection criteria, the indications of return on investment for the network slices with the two highest selection priorities can be compared to each other. Based on this comparison, the network slice with the highest return on investment can be selected.

[0068] At step 415, the one or more computing devices may establish a PDU session for the user equipment. Causing the PDU session to be established may include transmitting a definition of the first network slice and an indication of the PDU session to the computing resource EM. Upon reception, the computing resource EM may map the definition of the first network slice to one or more network functions and configure the network functions to operate as the first network slice. After successfully configuring the network functions, configuration data for the first network slice and the PDU session may be transmitted to the user equipment. Upon reception, the user equipment may be capable of transmitting and receiving data for the PDU session via the first network slice.

[0069] At step 417, the one or more computing devices may receive one or more updated selection criteria at a point in time during the lifecycle of the first network slice. The one or more updated selection criteria may have been transmitted by a network slice manager (network slice manager 128) or a computing device configured as a network slice manager (one or more second computing devices 120). In addition, the one or more updated selection criteria may be for the first network device or another network slice from the one or more available network slices (e.g., a second network slice from the one or more available network slices). Further, compared to the corresponding selection criteria processed at step 413, the one or more updated selection criteria may have at least one value different from the previously stored selection criteria (e.g., a different value of the selection priority or different information included as part of the additional information). The one or more updated selection criteria may be stored in a database.

[0070] At step 419, the one or more computing devices may select a second network slice based on the one or more updated selection criteria and the PDU session. For simplicity, this discussion will assume that the one or more updated selection criteria are for the first network slice and that the selection priority has changed in the updated selection criteria. To perform the selection, the one or more computing devices may determine that the updated selection criteria are for the first network slice. The one or more computing devices may further determine that the first network slice is associated with the PDU session. Based on the PDU session, the one or more computing devices may determine an updated set of available network slices that meet the PDU session requirements. For the purposes of this example, the updated set of available network slices includes the second network slice. After determining the updated set of available network slices, the one or more computing devices may perform determinations, comparisons, and heuristics similar to those discussed in conjunction with step 413 to reselect a network slice to be associated with the PDU session for the user device. In this example, the selection results in a change from the first network slice to the second network slice. The change may be based on a change in the updated selection criteria (e.g., a change in the selection priority results in the second network slice having a higher priority than the first network slice).

[0071] At step 421, the one or more computing devices may cause the PDU session to be updated based on the selection of the second network slice. Causing the update of the PDU session may include transmitting a definition of the second network slice and an indication of the PDU session to the computing resource EM. Upon reception, the computing resource EM may map the definition of the second network slice to one or more network functions and configure the network functions to operate as a second network slice. After successfully configuring the network functions, the configuration data of the second network slice and the PDU session may be transmitted to the user equipment. Upon reception, the user equipment may be capable of transmitting and receiving data for the PDU session via the second network slice. The definition of the network slice may be formatted according to or based on a version of the ETSI Network Service Description (NSD), other industry standard data model definitions, or proprietary data model definitions.

[0072] Any of the method steps, operations, processes, or functions described herein may be implemented using one or more processors and / or one or more memories in conjunction with machine-executable instructions that cause the processors and other components to perform the various method steps, described features, or other aspects described herein. Figure 5 An example apparatus, specifically a computing device 512, is shown, which may be used in applications such as Figure 1 , 2A and those constructed in 2B. The computing device 512 may be configured to execute Figure 1 , 2A and 2B. Further, the computing device 512 may be configured to perform some or all of the functions of any device, station, equipment, or point constructed in conjunction with Figure 3 and 4 Some or all of the steps discussed. The computing device 512 may be configured to perform Figure 1-4 Any other process, feature or aspect discussed, or any variations thereof.

[0073] The computing device 512 illustrates only one example of various types of hardware components that may be present in an apparatus configured to implement one or more aspects described in the present disclosure. The computing device 512 may include a controller 525. The controller 525 may be connected to a user interface control 530, a display 536, and / or other elements illustrated. The controller 525 may include circuitry such as, for example, one or more processors 528 and one or more memories 534 storing software 540. The software 540 may include, for example, one or more of the following software options: client software 565, user interface software, server software, etc.

[0074] Device 512 may also include a battery 550 or other power supply device, a speaker 553, and one or more antennas 554. Device 512 may include user interface circuitry, such as user interface controls 530. User interface controls 530 may include controllers or adapters and other circuits configured to receive input from a keyboard, touch screen, voice interface, or provide output to them, such as via microphone 556, function keys, joysticks, data gloves, and mice. User interface circuitry and user interface software may be configured to facilitate user control of at least some functions of device 512 using display 536. Display 536 may be configured to display at least a portion of a user interface of device 512. In addition, the display may be configured to facilitate user control of at least some functions of the device (e.g., display 536 may be a touch screen).

[0075] Software 540 may be stored within memory 534 to provide instructions to processor 528 that, when executed, cause processor 528, device 512, and / or other components of device 512 to perform various processes or methods, such as those described herein. Software may include machine-executable instructions and data used by processor 528 and other components of computing device 512, which may be stored in a storage facility such as memory 534 and / or in hardware logic in an integrated circuit, ASIC, or the like. Software may include both application and operating system software, and may include code segments, instructions, applets, precompiled code, compiled code, computer programs, program modules, engines, program logic, and combinations thereof.

[0076] The memory 534 may include any of various types of tangible machine-readable storage media, including one or more of the following types of storage devices: read-only memory (ROM) modules, random access memory (RAM) modules, magnetic tapes, magnetic disks (e.g., fixed hard disk drives or removable floppy disks), optical disks (e.g., CD-ROM disks, CD-RW disks, DVD disks), flash memory, and EEPROM memory. As used herein (including the claims), a tangible or non-transitory machine-readable storage medium is a physical structure that can be touched by a human. Although other embodiments may include ephemeral versions of signals or instructions that can be executed by one or more processors to perform one or more of the operations described herein, the signals themselves do not constitute tangible or non-transitory machine-readable storage media.

[0077] As used herein, processor 528 (and any other processor or computer described herein) may include any of various types of processors, whether used alone or in combination with executable instructions stored in a memory or other computer-readable storage medium. A processor should be understood to encompass any of various types of computing structures, including but not limited to one or more microprocessors, special-purpose computer chips, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), combinations of hardware / firmware / software, or other special or general-purpose processing circuits.

[0078] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to any of: (a) a pure hardware circuit implementation (such as an implementation solely in analog and / or digital circuits) and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software (and / or firmware), such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of (multiple) processors or (ii) portions of (multiple) processors / software (including (multiple) digital signal processors), software and (multiple) memories that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions) and (c) a hardware circuit, such as (multiple) microprocessors or portions of (multiple) microprocessors, that requires software or firmware for operation, even if the software or firmware is not physically present.

[0079] These examples of "circuitry" apply to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As an example, as used in this application, the term "circuitry" would also cover an implementation of merely a processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuitry" would also cover, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or application processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other network equipment.

[0080] The device 512 or its various components may be mobile and configured to receive, decode and process various types of transmissions, including transmissions in Wi-Fi networks according to wireless local area networks (e.g., IEEE 802.11 WLAN standards 802.11n, 802.11ac, etc.) and / or wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN) standards (e.g., 802.16) through specific one or more WLAN transceivers 543, one or more WMAN transceivers 541. Additionally or alternatively, the device 512 may be configured to receive, decode and process transmissions through various other transceivers, such as an FM / AM radio transceiver 542 and a telecommunications transceiver 544 (e.g., a cellular network receiver such as CDMA, GSM, 4G LTE, 5G, etc.).

[0081] although Figure 5The above description generally relates to mobile devices, but other devices or systems may include the same or similar components and perform the same or similar functions and methods. For example, computers (e.g., Figure 2A The device 240d) may include the above components or a subset of the components and may be configured to perform the same or similar functions as the device 512 and its components. Further access points described herein may include components, a subset of components, or multiple components configured to perform the steps described herein (e.g., integrated in one or more servers).

[0082] While specific examples of carrying out the invention have been described, numerous variations and permutations of the above-described systems and methods are contemplated within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: receiving a protocol data unit (PDU) session request from a user equipment; receiving, by one or more computing devices, one or more selection criteria for each of a plurality of available network slices, the one or more selection criteria being based on billing rate information associated with the network slice; selecting, by the one or more computing devices, a first network slice based on the one or more selection criteria; and The one or more computing devices enable a PDU session to be established for the user equipment, wherein the PDU session is associated with the first network slice.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more selection criteria include a first selection priority based on a current charging rate of the first network slice, wherein the selection is performed based on comparing the first selection priority with a second selection priority, and wherein the second selection priority is associated with a second network slice among the plurality of available network slices.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more selection criteria include a first indication of a change in a charging rate for the first network slice, wherein the selection is performed based on comparing the first indication of the change in the charging rate with a second indication of a change in the charging rate for a second network slice, and wherein the second network slice is a second network slice among the multiple available network slices.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining one or more updated selection criteria based on an updated charging rate for the first network slice; receiving, by the one or more computing devices, the one or more updated selection criteria; selecting, by the one or more computing devices, a second network slice from the plurality of available network slices based on the one or more updated selection criteria; causing, by the one or more computing devices, an updating of the PDU session, wherein after the updating, the PDU session is associated with the second network slice; and Second data associated with the PDU session is routed via the second network slice.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: determining a first charging rate rule for the first network slice, wherein the first charging rate rule associates one or more network conditions with a charging rate; determining that the first billing rate rule is satisfied based on comparing one or more current network conditions to the one or more network conditions; and So that the use of the first network slice is charged according to the billing rate. The method of claim 5 , wherein the determining of the first charging rate rule is performed based on the charging rate information.

7. A device comprising: one or more processors; and a memory storing executable instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to at least: receiving a protocol data unit (PDU) session request from a user equipment; receiving one or more selection criteria for each network slice of a plurality of available network slices, the one or more selection criteria being based on charging rate information associated with the network slice; selecting a first network slice based on the one or more selection criteria; and Enables a PDU session to be established for the user equipment, wherein the PDU session is associated with the first network slice.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the one or more selection criteria include a first selection priority based on a current billing rate of the first network slice, wherein the apparatus selects the first network slice based on comparing the first selection priority with a second selection priority, and wherein the second selection priority is associated with a second network slice among the multiple available network slices.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the one or more selection criteria include a first indication of a change in a billing rate of the first network slice, wherein the apparatus selects the first network slice based on comparing the first indication of the change in the billing rate with a second indication of a change in the billing rate of a second network slice, and wherein the second network slice is a second network slice among the multiple available network slices.

10. An apparatus according to any one of claims 7-9, wherein the one or more selection criteria include a current charging rate of the first network slice, wherein causing the apparatus to select the first network slice is performed based on comparing the current charging rate with a charging rate threshold associated with the user equipment.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: receiving one or more updated selection criteria; selecting a second network slice from the plurality of available network slices based on the one or more updated selection criteria; and Causes the PDU session to be updated, wherein after the update, the PDU session is associated with the second network slice.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the one or more updated selection criteria are determined based on a monitoring process of the first network slice, the monitoring process determines that a billing rate rule is satisfied, wherein the determination that the billing rate rule is satisfied is performed based on comparing one or more current network conditions with one or more network conditions of the billing rate rule.

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