Apparatus and method for radio access network

Abstract

Apparatus and method for a radio access network. A method of operating an apparatus comprises receiving and / or determining (102) a plurality of condition information characterizing communication paths for communicating with at least one endpoint, wherein the communication paths differ at least in terms of respective radio channels; receiving and / or determining (104) application information characterizing at least one communication property of an application; determining (106) a duplication decision depending on the plurality of condition information and depending on the application information; and transmitting (110) data packets associated with the application on one or a set of the different communication paths depending on the duplication decision.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an apparatus and method, particularly an apparatus and method for use in radio communication networks. Background Technology

[0002] The concept of redundant transmission is known; for example, the Ethernet standard IEEE 802.1CB describes frame duplication and elimination over redundant paths in a network to minimize the risk of frame loss in the event of device failure. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to one aspect of this specification, an apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising at least one processor, at least one memory including computer program code, and at least one communication module, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured together with the at least one processor and the at least one communication module such that the apparatus at least: receives a plurality of conditional information characterizing communication paths for communicating with at least one endpoint, wherein the communication paths are different at least in terms of corresponding radio channels; receives application information characterizing at least one communication attribute of an application; determines a replication decision depending on the plurality of conditional information and depending on the application information; and, depending on the replication decision, transmits application-associated data packets on one or a set of different communication paths.

[0004] Advantageously, an adaptive multi-connectivity control is provided for service applications in a radio communication network. Therefore, the multi-connectivity control can decide to omit duplication, or in other words, the multi-connectivity control will select duplication when necessary but will choose to exit duplication when unnecessary. This reduces the number of unnecessary duplicates of data packets transmitted over the communication network. Thus, the amount of wasted resources can be reduced, thereby improving system utilization.

[0005] Based on conditional and application information, replication decisions determine not only whether replication on redundant paths is currently needed for the data packets to be transmitted, but also whether such replication will be effective.

[0006] To improve reliability in wireless communication networks, packet replication offers the advantage of transmission independent of other radio communication paths. Even if another frame is completely lost, successful reception over the alternative communication path is still possible. In other words, path diversity helps avoid data packet loss. A good example is a moving element that obstructs the line of sight, severely impacting received power. In this case, the probability of reception errors remains high. For instance, if multiple access points are used to transmit data, obstruction of one link will not affect other links.

[0007] If the application's communication attributes change during operation, for example, if control enters an idle state because it is waiting for a new task, then packet replication adaptation is complete. By notifying the device with such application information, radio resources / path resources can be reduced as needed, thereby increasing the available bandwidth for, for example, other coexisting applications.

[0008] In particular, industrial applications benefit. By taking application information into account, the multi-connectivity control can finely adapt the communication network at a lower layer to meet at least one communication requirement of the application.

[0009] According to an advantageous example, the apparatus is further configured to: receive context information characterizing the environment of at least one endpoint; and determine a replication decision depending on the plurality of condition information, depending on application information, and depending on the context information.

[0010] For example, if the UE moves to a well-served area indicated by context information, a single transmission path may be sufficient. Therefore, packet tracing for robustness and RRC diversity can be disabled.

[0011] According to an advantageous example, the device is further configured to: receive a region map; receive spatial locations associated with endpoints; and determine contextual information depending on both the spatial locations and the region map.

[0012] Advantageously, when determining a replication decision, the location of the endpoint or the radio terminal associated with the endpoint is taken into account.

[0013] According to an advantageous example, the device is further configured to: receive at least one additional spatial location of another entity associated with the environment of the endpoint; and determine contextual information depending on the spatial location, depending on the additional spatial location, and depending on the area map.

[0014] For example, a line-of-sight connection interruption can be detected, and replication can be enabled based on that detection.

[0015] According to a favorable example, application information includes the permitted lifetime between the reception of two subsequent data packets associated with the application at the endpoint.

[0016] Advantageously, replication decisions are determined based on lifetime. By taking lifetime into account, replication decisions are adapted to application requirements on the one hand, and resources are used only to the extent necessary to serve the application on the other.

[0017] According to an advantageous example, the device is configured to determine a replication decision based on the survival time.

[0018] Advantageously, lifetime controls the granularity at which multi-connectivity control is operated. If the lifetime is significantly greater than a flexible threshold, such as the frame arrival interval, multi-connectivity control may not need to take action at each frame, thus reducing the system performance requirements of the multi-connectivity control function.

[0019] According to an advantageous example, the apparatus is further configured to: determine or receive an error associated with the transmitted data packet; upon determining or receiving an error associated with the transmitted data packet, determine an additional replication decision for the transmitted data packet, depending on the plurality of condition information and depending on application information; and, depending on the additional replication decision, retransmit the data packet on one or more different communication paths.

[0020] Advantageously, data packets are retransmitted based on the current state of conditional and application information. For example, application information may include information about frame delivery requirements. Some applications may tolerate some jitter, in which case immediate retransmission can be used. In this case, multi-connectivity control is configured such that if a transmission fails, the retransmission will be sent as a copy over multiple paths, thereby increasing the probability of successful retransmission delivery.

[0021] According to an advantageous example, determining a replication decision includes: for at least a portion of the plurality of communication paths, determining and / or receiving the probability of successfully transmitting data packets via the respective communication path; selecting one of the plurality of communication paths that provides a determined probability above a threshold, or selecting a set of the plurality of communication paths that provides a determined probability below a threshold.

[0022] Advantageously, replication decisions are simplified by considering the success probability of each communication path. Successful reception is significantly more likely over a better communication path; therefore, transmitting frames over a communication path with a weak signal is a waste of resources. On the other hand, transmitting data over a weak path requires even more resources because more robust modulation and coding schemes must be applied to overcome channel errors, which also requires additional resources. For example, when the signal strength to two access points / serving nodes is similar, multi-connectivity is beneficial to endpoints at the cell edge in most cases.

[0023] According to a second aspect of this specification, a method of operating an apparatus is provided, the method comprising: receiving a plurality of conditional information characterizing communication paths for communicating with at least one endpoint, wherein the communication paths differ at least in terms of corresponding radio channels; receiving application information characterizing at least one communication attribute of an application; determining a replication decision based on the plurality of conditional information and based on the application information; and, depending on the replication decision, transmitting application-associated data packets on one or more of the different communication paths.

[0024] The third aspect of this specification relates to the use of the apparatus according to the first aspect and the use of the method according to the second aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic flowchart has been drawn.

[0026] Figure 2 A schematic sequence diagram is depicted.

[0027] Figure 3 and Figure 4 Each has been depicted with a schematic diagram. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic flowchart depicts an apparatus for operating a service radio communication network or an entity thereof. Receiving and / or determining component 102 receives and / or determines multiple conditional information characterizing a communication path for communicating with at least one endpoint, wherein the communication paths differ at least in terms of their respective radio channels. Receiving and / or determining component 104 receives and / or determines application information characterizing at least one communication attribute of the application. Determining component 106 determines a replication decision rp based on the multiple conditional information and the application information. Transmitting component 110 transmits application-associated data packets on / via one or more of the different communication paths, depending on the replication decision rp.

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic sequence diagram is depicted. The receiving component 102 of device 100 receives multiple conditional information ci#1, ci#2 representing the corresponding current states of communication paths cp#1, cp#2 for communication with at least one endpoint EP-A; EP-B. Communication paths cp#1, cp#2 differ at least in terms of their respective physical radio channels RCH#1, RCH#2, as referenced below. Figure 3 and Figure 4 Explanation.

[0030] The receiving component 104 of the device 100 receives application information ai, which represents at least one communication attribute of an application executed on at least one endpoint EP-A, EP-B.

[0031] The receiving component 210 receives context information conti, for example, from endpoint EP-B or the associated UE or environment monitoring unit EMU. This context information conti characterizes the environment of at least one endpoint EP-A, EP-B operating at the radio terminal or user equipment UE. Therefore, endpoint EP-BB communicates via two spatially separated radio channels. The determining component 106 determines the replication decision rp based on multiple conditional information ci, application information ai, and context information conti.

[0032] Receiving component 212 receives, for example, an area map am from the endpoint EP-B or the associated UE or environmental monitoring unit EMU. Receiving component 214 receives, for example, a spatial location sp associated with the endpoint EP-B from the endpoint EP-B or the associated UE or environmental monitoring unit EMU. Determining component 216 determines context information conti based on the spatial location sp and the area map am.

[0033] As in the example, spatial location includes an estimate of the endpoint's future spatial location. This estimate can be determined based on mobility patterns. For example, the endpoint's mobility patterns can be taken into account to predict that the endpoint will soon lose its connectivity to the serving TRP or access point. To minimize the risk of packet loss during handover, replication is enabled as a precaution, or even used directly in MC-assisted soft handovers during the handover process.

[0034] In another example, spatial location refers to the current spatial location of the endpoint. For instance, if an autonomous vehicle with wireless control including the endpoint is operating in an area where safety is critical (e.g., near humans or other machines), reliability can be increased by setting appropriate configurations at the multi-connectivity control. If the vehicle leaves such an area, the multi-connectivity control settings can be relaxed to conserve radio resources.

[0035] For example, the context information `conti` includes a replication metric that indicates the replication of an application group due to the environment context.

[0036] The receiving component 218 receives, for example, at least one additional spatial location spf of another entity associated with the environment of the endpoint EP-B from the endpoint EP-B or the associated UE or environment monitoring unit. The determining component 216 determines the context information conti based on the spatial location sp, the additional spatial location spf, and the area map am.

[0037] Another example of contextual information could be a change in the environment that affects communication systems. For instance, if heavy machinery or goods need to be transported, this would typically affect communication systems due to changes in channel characteristics. If the location and movement of such equipment are known via contextual information, the system can enable multi-connectivity / replication for the affected endpoints / UEs as a precaution.

[0038] According to the example, application information ai includes the permitted liveness period between the reception of two subsequent data packets dp associated with the application at endpoints EP-A and EP-B. For example, the liveness period indicates the time during which the application can survive without receiving new data packets. Triggering component 220 determines the replication decision rp based on the liveness period.

[0039] The component 106 determines the replication decision rp, which includes the selection of one or more (i.e. set) of communication paths cp#1 and cp#2 depending on multiple condition information ci#1, ci#2 and application information ai.

[0040] The condition information includes the current state of the parameters of the communication path under consideration, and the current state of the parameters also includes statistics of the service data flow associated with the endpoint.

[0041] Other examples of conditional information include: statistics on frame errors of other services on the transmission path associated with the service data stream linked to the endpoint; network parameters such as the number of connected UEs, interference signals, system utilization, etc.; signal strength and quality metrics such as channel quality index (CQI), received signal strength index (RSSI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and interference ratio (SINR), etc.; and transmission parameters used such as modulation scheme and coding rate, etc.

[0042] Transmission component 110, depending on the replication decision rp, transmits application-related data packets dp on one or a set of different communication paths cp#1, cp#2. Device 100 receives data packets dp via receiving component 208.

[0043] The determination and / or receiving component 230 determines and / or receives an error associated with the transmitted data packet dp. Upon determining or receiving an error e associated with the transmitted data packet d, the determination component 236, depending on multiple condition information ci#1, ci#2 and application information ai, determines an additional replication decision rp for the transmitted data packet dp. According to the example, time-to-live is also part of determining the replication decision. The retransmission component 240, depending on the additional replication decision rpf, retransmits the data packet dp on one or more different communication paths cp#1, cp#2.

[0044] This additional replication decision indicates, for example, how data packet dp is repeated via multiple different communication paths before the time-to-live expires after the error is identified, or before the time-to-live expires after the transmission of previously transmitted data packets associated with the error.

[0045] According to the example, device 100 can omit copying data packets on multiple communication paths because the lifetime indicates that the application tolerates frame loss to a certain extent.

[0046] For example, from an application perspective, industrial applications can have various communication attributes. For instance, control applications require cyclical frame delivery with a lifetime. Within the lifetime, frame loss is tolerable, but if no frames are received for an extended period, the application will fail. This often results in a situation where frame loss is tolerable, but consecutive losses will bring the system to a halt. In these cases, application information includes the lifetime, meaning that multi-connectivity control is configured in such a way that if a frame error / error associated with at least one transmitted data occurs, preventative measures are taken in the form of a determined replication decision. Multi-connectivity control then decides to replicate the next data packet over multiple possible transmission paths to reduce the likelihood of losing subsequent frames.

[0047] The determination of replication decisions rp and rpf includes determining the determining component and / or receiving component 102 to determine and / or receive the probability of successfully transmitting data packets dp via the respective communication paths cp#1 and cp#2 for at least a portion of the plurality of communication paths cp#1 and cp#2. According to one example, the corresponding probability is determined based on corresponding condition information. According to another example, the condition information includes probabilities. The device 100 selects one of the plurality of communication paths cp#1 and cp#2 that provides a determined probability above a threshold, or selects a set of the plurality of communication paths cp#1 and cp#2 that provides a determined probability below a threshold.

[0048] Conditional information ci#1 and ci#2 can be used to predict the success rate of data packet transmission. For example, if a communication system is under high load with many connected users at the access point, the probability of experiencing strong interference is higher than under low load, which may lead to frame errors. In this case, multi-connectivity control can decide to transmit data packets over two independent paths, or even over another path if the success probability over a single path seems too low. In particular, monitoring other ongoing flows in the system can be used to detect, for example, line-of-sight obstructions in the environment by monitoring the conditional information of other flows. In this case, transmitting a copy as a fallback over an alternative communication path would also be beneficial.

[0049] Long lifespans allow for fairly “reactive” actions, i.e., taking countermeasures such as replication decisions (RPs) when packet failures occur and are detected. In cases of short lifespans, for example, if the probability of successful transmission over a single channel seems low (even before it occurs), resilience is increased in advance (“proactive”).

[0050] Low-level parameters such as channel quality measurements are useful for comparing different communication paths over different radio channels. If the signal quality or strength on one radio channel is significantly higher than that on another, data packets are transmitted over the path with the better signal. Therefore, signal quality can be used as a measure of the probability of error-free communication.

[0051] However, even when the channel quality is similar but very high on two different links, transmission over a single link / single communication path may be sufficient. For example, if only a few users are connected to the same access point / node, experience only minimal interference, and / or the signal reception is strong, the probability of error-free transmission over a single link may be sufficient for the application. In this case, replication is disabled.

[0052] If the determined probabilities of multiple communication paths are below another threshold, device 100 transmits service condition messages to endpoints EP-A and EP-B. The service condition messages indicate that the application requirements indicated by the application information cannot be met.

[0053] The multi-connectivity control via device 100 includes logic controlling the number of redundant copies of data packets. Since the multi-connectivity control is aware of the transmission status over all redundant communication paths, device 100, according to an example, additionally controls the transmission configuration over each link. This is beneficial if, for example, the multi-connectivity control decides to use a single communication path in the absence of redundant communication paths, making the communication path more robust to frame errors. In this case, the multi-connectivity control configures transmission parameters, such as the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) of the radio channel as part of the communication path. Therefore, device 100 includes a determination and transmission component configured to determine information characterizing the configuration of the radio channel, depending on application information and multiple conditional information, and to transmit said information to the UE associated with one of endpoints EP-A and EP-B. The information characterizing the configuration is sent to the corresponding gNB, which is part of the communication path selected for the transmission of data packet dp, to increase or decrease reliability. For example, the information characterizing the configuration includes the modulation and coding scheme, transmit power, receive power, etc.

[0054] After retrieving information including application information ai, multi-connectivity control is configured via configuration component 250, such as setting thresholds for enabling multi-connectivity conditions, determining granularity, such as determining the maximum number of auxiliary gNB links SgNBs after each frame, etc. After multi-connectivity control is configured and operational, the condition information ci#1, ci#2 for the corresponding communication path is continuously monitored via monitoring component 252 and context information conti. Using this input, multi-connectivity control makes a replication decision rp based on the configuration determined via configuration component 250. Frames / data packets can then be transmitted via the primary link served by the primary gNB MgNB, or via one or more auxiliary links of the primary gNB and auxiliary gNB SgNB. Thereafter, the process of monitoring via monitoring component 252 and triggering replication decisions via triggering component 220 and determining component 106 is repeated for each subsequent frame or data packet in the system.

[0055] Figure 3 The scenario depicts dual connectivity using PDCP replication. Apparatus 100 is positioned between the PDCP and RLC functions RLC1 and RLC2 of different access points AP1 and AP2, which are, for example, transmit / receive points. The communication paths cp#1 and cp#2 between endpoints EP-A and EP-B differ in terms of radio channels RCH#1 and RCH#2. The user equipment (UE) receives both radio channels RCH#1 and RCH#2 in the downlink direction and provides the received data packets to endpoint EP-B.

[0056] For example, radio channels RCH#1 and RCH#2 are associated with radio bearers. Radio bearers are channels supplied from Layer 2 functions to higher layers for transmitting user and / or control data. Application detection is performed, for example, using Service Data Stream (SDF) traffic filters, 3-tuple protocols, server-side IP addresses, and port number packet flow descriptions (PFDs) received from the SMF.

[0057] PHY layer: The physical interface transmits information from the MAC transmission channel through the air interface and handles functions such as power control, link adaptation, and cell search.

[0058] MAC layer: Media Access Control provides mapping between logical channels and transport channels, and handles multiplexing / demultiplexing of RLC PDUs, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling between UEs, and transmission format selection.

[0059] RLC layer: Radio Link Control provides the transmission of upper-layer PDUs based on transmission mode, error correction, sequence numbering, segmentation, and resegmentation.

[0060] PDCP layer: Packet Data Convergence Protocol provides user data transmission, header compression, sequence numbering, forgery detection, and packet forgery processing.

[0061] SDAP Layer: Service Data Adaptation Protocol handles QoS streams. QoS: The mapping between Quality of Service and data radio bearers.

[0062] Figure 4 The diagram depicts a fully redundant scenario between endpoints EP-A and EP-B with replicated UEs. The apparatus 100 is positioned between two gNBs—gNB1 and gNB2—where gNB stands for Next Generation eNodeB. The communication paths between endpoints EP-A and EP-B differ in terms of radio channels RCH#1 and RCH#2, and in terms of the path between user plane functions UPF1 and UPF2. User equipment UE1 and UE2 receive the corresponding radio channel RCH#1 or RCH#2 in the downlink direction and provide the received data packets to endpoint EP-B.

Claims

1. A communication device (100) comprising at least one processor, at least one memory including computer program code, and at least one communication module, said at least one memory and computer program code being configured together with said at least one processor and said at least one communication module such that the communication device (100) at least: Receive and / or determine (102) multiple conditional information (ci#1, ci#2) characterizing the current state of parameters of multiple communication paths (cp#1, cp#2) for communicating with at least one endpoint (EP-A; EP-B), wherein the multiple communication paths (cp#1, cp#2) differ at least in relation to their respective radio channels (RCH#1, RCH#2), wherein, The current state of the communication path parameters also includes statistics on the service data stream associated with at least one endpoint, wherein the conditional information further includes at least one of the following: A) statistics on frame errors of other services on the transmission path associated with the service data stream associated with the endpoint; B) network parameters; C) signal strength and quality metrics; and D) transmission parameters used. The network parameters include the number of connected UEs, interference signals, and system utilization. The signal strength and quality metrics include channel quality index (CQI), received signal strength index (RSSI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and interference ratio (SINR). The transmission parameters used include the modulation scheme and coding rate. Receive and / or determine (104) application information (ai) characterizing at least one communication attribute of the application, the application information including the allowed lifetime between the reception of two subsequent data packets associated with the application at the endpoint; The replication decision (rp) is determined (106) based on the multiple conditional information (ci#1, ci#2) and the application information (ai); and Depending on the replication decision (rp), data packets (dp) associated with the application are transmitted (110) on one or a set of different communication paths (cp#1, cp#2), wherein the communication device (100) is further configured to: The determination of the replication decision (rp) is dependent on the time-to-live (220) trigger. Information characterizing the configuration of the radio channels (RCH#1, RCH#2) associated with one of the endpoints (EP-A; EP-B) is determined based on application information (ai) and the multiple conditional information (ci#1, ci#2); and Transmit information characterizing the configuration of radio channels (RCH#1, RCH#2).

2. The communication device (100) according to claim 1, wherein, The communication device (100) is further configured to: Receive (210) context information (conti) characterizing the environment of the at least one endpoint (EP-A; EP-B); and The replication decision (rp) is determined (106) depending on the multiple condition information (ci#1, ci#2), the application information (ai), and the context information (conti).

3. The communication device (100) according to claim 2, wherein, The communication device (100) is further configured to: Receive (212) area map (am); Receive (214) the spatial location (sp) associated with the endpoint (EP-B); and The context information (conti) is determined based on the spatial location (sp) and the regional map (am).

4. The communication device (100) according to claim 3, wherein, The communication device (100) is further configured to: Receive (218) at least one additional spatial location (spf) of another entity associated with the environment of the endpoint (EP-B); and The context information (conti) is determined based on spatial location (sp), other spatial location (spf), and regional map (am).

5. The communication device (100) according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein, The communication device (100) is further configured to: Identify or receive (230) an error (e) associated with the transmitted data packet (dp); Upon determining or receiving an error (e) associated with the transmitted data packet (dp), a further replication decision (rpf) for the transmitted data packet (dp) is determined (236) based on the plurality of condition information (ci#1, ci#2) and the application information (ai); and Depending on the additional replication decision (rpf), (240) data packets (dp) may be retransmitted on one or more different communication paths (cp#1, cp#2).

6. The communication device (100) according to claim 5, wherein determining (106, 236) a copy decision and additional copy decisions (rp, rpf) comprises: For at least a portion of the plurality of communication paths (cp#1, cp#2), receive and / or determine (102) the probability of successfully transmitting a data packet (dp) via the respective communication path (cp#1, cp#2); Choose one of the plurality of communication paths (cp#1, cp#2) that provides a determined probability above the threshold, or Select a set of determined probabilities below a threshold from the plurality of communication paths (cp#1, cp#2).

7. A method of operating a communication device (100), the method comprising: Receive and / or determine (102) the characterization used for communication with at least one endpoint (EP-A; The current state of parameters of multiple communication paths (cp#1, cp#2) for EP-B communication includes multiple conditional information (ci#1, ci#2) such that the multiple communication paths (cp#1, cp#2) differ at least in relation to their respective radio channels (RCH#1, RCH#2). The current state of the parameters of the communication paths also includes statistics of the service data stream associated with at least one endpoint. The conditional information further includes at least one of the following: A) statistics on frame errors of other services associated with the transmission path of the service data stream associated with the endpoint; B) network parameters; C) signal strength and quality metrics; and D) transmission parameters used. The network parameters include the number of connected UEs, interference signals, and system utilization. The signal strength and quality metrics include Channel Quality Index (CQI), Received Signal Strength Index (RSSI), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), and Interference Ratio (SINR). The transmission parameters used include the modulation scheme and coding rate. Receive and / or determine (104) application information (ai) characterizing at least one communication attribute of the application, the application information including the allowed lifetime between the reception of two subsequent data packets associated with the application at the endpoint; The replication decision (rp) is determined (106) based on the multiple conditional information (ci#1, ci#2) and the application information (ai); and Depending on the replication decision (rp), data packets (dp) associated with the application are transmitted (110) on one or a set of different communication paths (cp#1, cp#2), wherein the communication device (100) is further configured to: The determination of the replication decision (rp) is dependent on the time-to-live (220) trigger. Information characterizing the configuration of the radio channels (RCH#1, RCH#2) associated with one of the endpoints (EP-A; EP-B) is determined based on application information (ai) and the multiple conditional information (ci#1, ci#2); and Transmit information characterizing the configuration of radio channels (RCH#1, RCH#2).

8. The method of claim 7, comprising: Receive (210) characterizes the at least one endpoint (EP-A; EP-B) environment context information (conti); and The replication decision (rp) is determined (106) depending on the multiple condition information (ci#1, ci#2), the application information (ai), and the context information (conti).

9. The method of claim 8, comprising: Receive (212) area map (am); Receive (214) the spatial location (sp) associated with the endpoint (EP-B); and The context information (conti) is determined based on the spatial location (sp) and the regional map (am).

10. The method of claim 9, comprising: Receive (218) at least one additional spatial location (spf) of another entity associated with the environment of the endpoint (EP-B). and The context information (conti) is determined based on spatial location (sp), other spatial location (spf), and regional map (am).

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, further comprising: Identify or receive (230) an error (e) associated with the transmitted data packet (dp); Upon determining or receiving an error (e) associated with the transmitted data packet (dp), a further replication decision (rpf) for the transmitted data packet (dp) is determined (236) based on the plurality of condition information (ci#1, ci#2) and the application information (ai); and Depending on the additional replication decision (rpf), (240) data packets (dp) may be retransmitted on one or more different communication paths (cp#1, cp#2).

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining (106, 236) replication decisions and additional replication decisions (rp, rpf) comprises: For at least a portion of the plurality of communication paths (cp#1, cp#2), receive and / or determine (102) the probability of successfully transmitting a data packet (dp) via the respective communication path (cp#1, cp#2); Choose one of the plurality of communication paths (cp#1, cp#2) that provides a determined probability above the threshold, or Select a set of determined probabilities below a threshold from the plurality of communication paths (cp#1, cp#2).

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