User Plane Integrity Protection (UP IP) Capability Signaling in 5G / 4G Systems

Abstract

Methods, systems and devices for supporting user plane integrity protection (UP IP) for communications with a radio access network (RAN) are provided. Various embodiments may include indicating whether a wireless device supports UP IP on an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access (eUTRA) by including a UP IP support indication in a user equipment (UE) security capability information element (IE).

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 910,632, filed on October 4, 2019, entitled “UP IP Capability Signaling In5G / 4G Systems,” the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Background Art

[0003] Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5G New Radio (NR), and other recently developed communications technologies allow wireless devices to transmit information at data rates (such as in gigabits per second) orders of magnitude greater than were available just a few years ago.

[0004] Today's communications networks are also more secure, resilient to multipath fading, allow for lower latency for network traffic, and provide better communication efficiency (such as in units of bandwidth per second used, etc.) These and other recent improvements have facilitated the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), massive machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, autonomous vehicles, and other technologies that rely on consistent and secure communications. Summary of the invention

[0005] Various aspects include methods for supporting user plane integrity protection (UP IP) for communications with a radio access network (RAN). Various aspects may include indicating whether a wireless device supports UP IP on an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access (eUTRA) by setting one of an evolved packet system (EPS) encryption algorithm (EEA) bit or an EPS integrity algorithm (EIA) bit in a fifth generation (5G) user equipment (UE) security capability information element (IE). In some aspects, the same bit may also be used to indicate that the wireless device supports the same maximum data rate capability for UP IP on eUTRA. Various aspects may include indicating whether a wireless device supports UP IP on eUTRA by setting one of an EEA bit or an EPS bit in a fourth generation (4G) S1 UE security capability IE. In some aspects, the same bit may also be used to indicate that the wireless device supports UP IP on new radio (NR). In some aspects, different bits in the 4G S1 UE security capability IE may indicate that the wireless device supports UP IP on NR.

[0006] Various aspects may include: determining whether the wireless device supports UP IP for an eUTRA connection established between the wireless device and the RAN; generating a first security capability information element including a first UP IP support indication, wherein the first UPIP support indication is used to indicate whether the wireless device supports UPIP for an eUTRA connection established between the wireless device and the RAN; and sending the first security capability information element to a base station. In some aspects, the first UP IP support indication may be a bit setting in the first security capability information element. In some aspects, the first security capability information element may be S1 UE security capabilities. In various aspects, the UP IP support indication may utilize one or more algorithms to indicate support for UP IP.

[0007] Various aspects may also include: generating a second security capability information element including a second UP IP support, the UE device computing device supports the UP IP for the eUTRA connection established between the wireless device and the RAN or the UP IP for the NR connection established between the wireless device and the RAN; and sending the second security capability information element to the base station. In some aspects, the second UP IP support indication can be a bit setting in the second security capability information element. In some aspects, the second security capability information element can be a 5G UE security capability.

[0008] Various aspects may also include: determining whether the wireless device supports UP IP for the NR connection established between the wireless device and the RAN; wherein generating a first security capability information element including a first UP IP support indication may include: generating a first security capability information element including the first UP IP support indication and a third UP IP support indication, wherein the third UP IP support indication is used to indicate whether the wireless device supports UP IP for the NR connection established between the wireless device and the RAN. In some aspects, the third UP IP support indication may be another bit setting in the first security capability information element.

[0009] Various aspects may include: receiving a security capability information element at a processor of a network computing device of a wireless device, the security capability information element including a UP IP support indication; and determining whether the security capability information element indicates that the wireless device supports UP IP for an eUTRA connection established with the wireless device based at least in part on the UP IP support indication. In some aspects, the UP IP support indication may be a bit setting in the security capability information element. In some aspects, the security capability information element may be an S1 UE security capability or a 5G UE security capability. Various aspects may also include: determining whether the security capability information element indicates that the wireless device supports UP IP for an NR connection established with the wireless device. In some aspects, the UP IP support indication may indicate whether UP IP is supported for NR connection. In some aspects, the security capability information element may include another UP IP support indication indicating whether UP IP supports NR connection. In some aspects, the other UP IP support indication may be another bit setting in the security capability information element. In various aspects, the UP IP support indication may utilize one or more algorithms to indicate support for UP IP.

[0010] In some aspects, the RAN may be a 4G RAN or a 5G RAN. In some aspects, the RAN may be connected to an evolved packet core (EPC) network or a next generation core (NGC) network. In some aspects, the base station may be an enode B (eNB) or a next generation eNB (ng-eNB). In some aspects, the UP IP support indication may be delivered to a type of core network and may be used when the wireless device moves to another type of core network.

[0011] Additional aspects may include a wireless device having a processor configured to perform one or more operations outlined above. Additional aspects may include a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon, the processor-executable instructions being configured to cause the processor of the wireless device to perform the operations of the method outlined above. Additional aspects include: a wireless device having a unit for performing the functions of the method outlined above. Additional aspects include a system-on-chip used in a wireless device, which includes a processor configured to perform one or more operations outlined above. Additional aspects include a system-in-a-package, which includes two systems-on-chip used in a wireless device, the system-on-chip including a processor configured to perform one or more operations outlined above. Additional aspects may include a network computing device having a processor configured to perform one or more operations outlined above. Additional aspects may include a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon, the processor-executable instructions being configured to cause the processor of the network computing device to perform the operations of the method outlined above. Additional aspects include: a network computing device having a unit for performing the functions of the method outlined above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the claims and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain features of the claims.

[0013] Figure 1A is a system block diagram conceptually illustrating an example communication system.

[0014] Figure 1B-Figure 1E Various deployment options for connecting 4G and 5G radio access networks to a 4G core network are shown.

[0015] Figure 1F-1I Various deployment options for connecting 4G and 5G radio access networks to a 5G core network are shown.

[0016] Figure 2 is a component block diagram illustrating an example computing and wireless modem system suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments.

[0017] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a software architecture including a radio protocol stack for user and control planes in wireless communications according to various embodiments.

[0018] Figure 4is a component block diagram illustrating a system configured for execution by a processor of a wireless device for supporting User Plane Integrity Protection (UP IP) for communications with a Radio Access Network (RAN) in accordance with various embodiments.

[0019] Figure 5 is a process flow diagram illustrating a method for supporting user plane integrity protection for communicating with a RAN according to various embodiments.

[0020] Figure 6 is a process flow diagram illustrating a method for supporting user plane integrity protection for communications with a RAN according to various embodiments.

[0021] Figure 7 is a process flow diagram illustrating a method for supporting user plane integrity protection for communications with a RAN according to various embodiments.

[0022] Figure 8 is a process flow diagram illustrating a method for supporting user plane integrity protection for communications with a RAN according to various embodiments.

[0023] Fig. 9 is a process flow diagram illustrating a method for supporting user plane integrity protection for communications with a RAN according to various embodiments.

[0024] Fig.10 is a component block diagram of a network computing device suitable for use with the various embodiments.

[0025] Fig.11 is a component block diagram of a wireless device suitable for use with the various embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts as much as possible. References to specific examples and implementations are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0027] Various aspects include methods for supporting user plane integrity protection (UP IP) for communications with a radio access network (RAN). Support for UP IP can enable a wireless device and / or network computing device to detect that user plane data has been modified in transit. Detection of modifications to user plane data can improve network and / or wireless device security.

[0028] The terms "wireless device" or "computing device" are used interchangeably herein to refer to any or all of the following: wireless router devices, wireless appliances, cellular phones, smart phones, portable computing devices, personal or mobile multimedia players, laptop computers, tablet computers, smartbooks, ultrabooks, handheld computers, wireless email receivers, multimedia Internet-enabled cellular phones, medical devices and apparatus, biometric sensors / devices, wearable devices (including smart watches, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wristbands, smart jewelry (e.g., smart rings, smart bracelets, etc.)), entertainment devices (e.g., wireless game controllers, music and video players, satellite radio units, etc.), wireless network-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) devices (including smart meters / sensors, industrial manufacturing equipment, large and small machinery and appliances for home or business use, wireless communication elements within autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles), wireless devices attached to or incorporated into various mobile platforms, global positioning system devices, and similar electronic devices that include memory, wireless communication components, and programmable processors.

[0029] The term "system on chip" (SOC) is used herein to refer to a single integrated circuit (IC) chip that includes multiple resources and / or processors integrated on a single substrate. A single SOC may include circuits for digital, analog, mixed signal, and radio frequency functions. A single SOC may also include any number of general and / or special processors (digital signal processors, modem processors, video processors, etc.), memory blocks (e.g., ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc.), and resources (e.g., timers, voltage regulators, oscillators, etc.). The SOC may also include software for controlling the integrated resources and processors and for controlling peripheral devices.

[0030] The term "system-in-package" (SIP) may be used herein to refer to a single module and / or package that contains multiple resources, computing units, cores, or processors on two or more IC chips, substrates, or SOCs. For example, a SIP may include a single substrate on which multiple IC chips or semiconductor dies are stacked in a vertical configuration. Similarly, a SIP may include one or more multi-chip modules (MCMs) on which multiple ICs or semiconductor dies are packaged into a unified substrate. A SIP may also include multiple independent SOCs that are coupled together via high-speed communication circuits and are tightly packaged, for example, on a single motherboard or in a single wireless device. The proximity of the SOCs facilitates high-speed communication and sharing of memory and resources.

[0031] The term "multi-core processor" may be used herein to refer to a single integrated circuit (IC) chip or chip package that contains two or more independent processing cores (e.g., CPU cores, Internet Protocol (IP) cores, graphics processor unit (GPU) cores, etc.) configured to read and execute program instructions. A SOC may include multiple multi-core processors, and each processor in the SOC may be referred to as a core. The term "multiprocessor" may be used herein to refer to a system or device that includes two or more processing units configured to read and execute program instructions.

[0032] The term "server" is used herein to describe various embodiments to refer to any computing device that can be used as a server, such as a primary exchange server, a network server, a mail server, a document server, a content server, or any other type of server. A server can be a dedicated computing device or a computing device that includes a server module (e.g., running an application that can cause the computing device to operate as a server). A server module (e.g., a server application) can be a full-featured server module, or a light server module or auxiliary server module (e.g., a light server application or auxiliary server application) configured to provide synchronization services between dynamic databases on a receiver device. A light server or auxiliary server can be a streamlined version of a server-type function that can be implemented on a receiver device so that it can be used as an Internet server (e.g., an enterprise email server) only to the extent necessary to provide the functionality described herein.

[0033] User plane integrity protection allows a network operator's computing equipment and wireless devices (e.g., user equipment (UE) computing devices) to detect that user plane data has been modified in transit between each other. Integrity protection on the user plane, at least over the wireless interface, is currently available for fifth generation (5G) access networks with a 5G core, but not for long term evolution (LTE) access networks with an evolved packet core (EPC) or LTE with a 5G core. Integrity protection is currently specified for the control plane to protect signaling messages, but integrity protection is currently only partially specified for the 5G user plane. There are multiple options for how 5G and fourth generation (4G) technologies can be implemented together, for example, option 1 - Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (eUTRA) with EPC; option 2 - Standalone New Radio (NR) with 5G core; option 3 - Dual connectivity based on EPC eUTRA and NR radio access technology (RAT); option 4 - Dual connectivity based on 5G core (NR primary-eUTRA secondary); option 5 - 5G core with eUTRA; and option 7 - Dual connectivity based on 5G core (eUTRA primary-NR secondary). Therefore, it may be beneficial to support user plane integrity protection (UP IP) in different options for 5G and 4G implementations.

[0034] During registration of the wireless device to the 5G system, 5G wireless device support for UP IP on NR is signaled to the 5GC network using the User Equipment (UE) Security Capability Information Element (IE). Section 9.11.3.54 of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) (3GPP TS) 24.501 describes the UE Security Capability IE for the 5G system. The UE Security Capability IE indicates the supported NR integrity protection algorithms for NR and the integrity protection algorithms for eUTRA. Fourth Generation (4G) UE security capabilities (e.g., Evolved Packet System (EPS) UE Security Capability) are indicated to the network in the 5G system using a separate IE (referred to as the S1 UE Security Capability IE in the 5G system), and similar IEs are used when the wireless device registers to the EPS, and similar IEs are defined in Sections 9.9.3.34 and 9.9.3.53 of 3GPP TS 24.301. As described herein, the IE used when registering to the EPS is referred to as the 4G S1 UE Security Capability IE.

[0035] Various embodiments may enable separate indications of support for UP IP on eUTRA to the network. In various embodiments, the separate indications of support for UP IP on eUTRA may be in addition to the signaling of 5G wireless device support for UP IP on NR in the 5G system. In various embodiments, the separate indications of support for UP IP on eUTRA may be indicated when the wireless device starts to support UP IP on eUTRA. When the wireless device is connected to the 5G core (5GC) via a base station (e.g., next generation eNB (ng-eNB)) in a 5G radio access network (RAN), various embodiments may enable the wireless device to indicate support for UP IP on eUTRA. When the wireless device is connected to a 4G core network (e.g., EPC) via a base station (e.g., enode B (eNB)) of a 4G RAN, various embodiments may enable the wireless device to indicate support for UP IP on eUTRA. When the wireless device is connected to a 4G core network (e.g., EPC) via a base station (e.g., eNB) of a 4G RAN, various embodiments may enable the wireless device to indicate support for UP IP on eUTRA. When the wireless device is connected to a 4G core network (e.g., EPC) via a base station (e.g., eNB) of a 4G RAN, various embodiments may enable the wireless device to indicate support for UP IP on eUTRA and NR. In some embodiments, the UP IP support indication may be delivered to one type of core network (e.g., EPC or 5GC), but may be used when the wireless device moves to another type of core network (e.g., EPC or 5GC).

[0036] Various embodiments include methods for supporting user plane integrity protection (UP IP) for communications with a radio access network (RAN). Various embodiments may include indicating whether a wireless device supports UP IP on eUTRA by setting one of an unused or spare Evolved Packet System (EPS) encryption algorithm (EEA) bit or an EPS integrity algorithm (EIA) bit in a 5G UE security capability IE. In some embodiments, the same bit may also be used to indicate that the wireless device supports the same maximum data rate capability for UP IP on eUTRA. Various embodiments may include indicating whether a wireless device supports UP IP on eUTRA by setting one of an unused or spare EEA bit or an EIA bit in a 4G S1 UE security capability IE. In some embodiments, the same bit may also be used to indicate that the wireless device supports UP IP on new radio (NR). In some embodiments, different bits in the 4G S1 UE security capability IE may indicate that the wireless device supports UP IP on NR. Indicating whether the wireless device supports UP IP on eUTRA by setting one of the unused bits or spare bits in the 5G UE Security Capability IE and / or the 4G S1 UE Security Capability IE may enable the wireless device to interact with legacy 4G RAN nodes (e.g., legacy eNBs that do not support UP IP). For example, the legacy 4G RAN node may ignore the unused bits or spare bits in the 5G UE Security Capability IE and / or the 4G S1 UE Security Capability IE. In this way, various embodiments may enable the wireless device to transition between legacy 4G RAN nodes and 4G RAN and 5G RAN nodes that support UP IP without having to determine the UP IP support status of any particular RAN node to which the wireless device may be connected.

[0037] Figure 1A 1 is a system block diagram illustrating an example communication system 100 suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments. The communication system 100 may be a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) network, or any other suitable network, such as an LTE network, a 5G network, etc. Although Figure 1A A 5G network is shown, but networks of subsequent generations may include the same or similar elements. Therefore, references to 5G networks and 5G network elements in the description below are for illustrative purposes only and not limiting.

[0038] The communication system 100 may include a heterogeneous network architecture including a core network 140 and various mobile devices (also referred to as user equipment (UE) computing devices) (shown as Figure 1A120a-120e in the communication system 100). The communication system 100 may also include multiple base stations 110 (shown as BS 110a, BS 110b, BS 110c and BS 110d) and other network entities. A base station is an entity that communicates with a wireless device (mobile device or UE), and may also be referred to as a NodeB, NodeB, LTE evolved NodeB (eNB), access point (AP), wireless head, transmit receive point (TRP), new radio base station (NRBS), 5G NodeB (NB), next generation NodeB (gNB), etc. Each base station can provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" can refer to the coverage area of ​​a base station, a base station subsystem serving the coverage area, or a combination thereof, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0039] Base stations 110a-110d may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, another type of cell, or a combination thereof. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by mobile devices with service subscription. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by mobile devices with service subscription. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a residence) and may allow restricted access by mobile devices associated with the femto cell (e.g., mobile devices in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). A base station for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A base station for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico BS. A base station for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS or a home BS. In Figure 1A In the example shown in , base station 110a can be a macro BS for macro cell 102a, base station 110b can be a pico BS for pico cell 102b, and base station 110c can be a femto BS for femto cell 102c. Base stations 110a-110d can support one or more (e.g., three) cells. The terms "eNB", "base station", "NR BS", "gNB", "TRP", "AP", "Node B", "5G NB" and "cell" may be used interchangeably herein.

[0040] In some examples, the cell may not be stationary, and the geographic area of ​​the cell may move depending on the location of the mobile base station. In some examples, the base stations 110a-110d may be interconnected with each other and with one or more other base stations or network nodes (not shown) in the communication system 100 using any suitable transport network, through various types of backhaul interfaces (such as direct physical connections, virtual networks, or combinations thereof).

[0041] The base stations 110a-110d may communicate with the core network 140 over a wired or wireless communication link 126. The wireless devices 120a-120e (UE computing devices) may communicate with the base stations 110a-110d over a wireless communication link 122.

[0042] The wired communication link 126 may use various wired networks (e.g., Ethernet, TV cable, telephone, fiber optic, and other forms of physical network connections) that may use one or more wired communication protocols (such as Ethernet, Point-to-Point Protocol, High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC), High-Level Data Communications Control Protocol (ADCCP), and Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP)).

[0043] The communication system 100 may also include a relay station (e.g., relay BS 110d). A relay station is an entity that can receive transmissions of data from an upstream station (e.g., a base station or a mobile device) and send transmissions of data to a downstream station (e.g., a wireless device or a base station). A relay station may also be a mobile device that is capable of relaying transmissions for other wireless devices. Figure 1A In the example shown in FIG. 1 , a relay station 110d can communicate with a macro base station 110a and a wireless device 120d to facilitate communication between the base station 110a and the mobile device 120d. A relay station may also be referred to as a relay base station, a relay base station, a relay, or the like.

[0044] The communication system 100 may be a heterogeneous network including different types of base stations (e.g., macro base stations, pico base stations, femto base stations, relay base stations, etc.). These different types of base stations may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different impacts on interference in the communication system 100. For example, a macro base station may have a high transmit power level (e.g., 5 to 40 watts), while a pico base station, a femto base station, and a relay base station may have a lower transmit power level (e.g., 0.1 to 2 watts).

[0045] A network controller 130 may be coupled to a set of base stations and may provide coordination and control for these base stations. The network controller 130 may communicate with the base stations via a backhaul. The base stations may also communicate with each other directly or indirectly, for example, via a wireless or wired backhaul.

[0046] Wireless devices (UE computing devices) 120a, 120b, 120c may be dispersed throughout the communication system 100, and each wireless device may be stationary or mobile. A wireless device may also be referred to as an access terminal, terminal, UE, mobile station, subscriber unit, station, etc.

[0047] The macro base station 110a may communicate with the communication network 140 over a wired or wireless communication link 126. The wireless devices 120a, 120b, 120c may communicate over a wireless communication link 122 with the base stations 110a-110d.

[0048] The wireless communication links 122, 124 may include multiple carrier signals, frequencies or frequency bands, each of which may include multiple logical channels. The wireless communication links 122 and 124 may utilize one or more radio access technologies (RATs). Examples of RATs that may be used in the wireless communication links include 3GPP LTE, 3G, 4G, 5G (e.g., NR), GSM, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and other mobile phone communication technology cellular RATs. Additional examples of RATs that may be used in one or more of the various wireless communication links 122, 124 within the communication system 100 include medium-range protocols (such as Wi-Fi, LTE-U, LTE-Direct, LAA, MuLTEfire) and relatively short-range RATs (such as ZigBee, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE)).

[0049] Some wireless networks, such as LTE, utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and single carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as tones, frequency bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Typically, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain using OFDM and in the time domain using SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the spacing of the subcarriers can be 15kHz and the minimum resource allocation (referred to as a "resource block") can be 12 subcarriers (or 180kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), the nominal fast file transfer (FFT) size can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (ie, 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0050] Although the description of some embodiments may use terms and examples associated with LTE technology, the various embodiments may be applicable to other wireless communication systems, such as new radio (NR) or 5G networks. NR can utilize OFDM with a cyclic prefix (CP) on the uplink (UL) and downlink (DL), and can include support for half-duplex operation using time division duplex (TDD). A single component carrier bandwidth of 100MHz can be supported. NR resource blocks can span 12 subcarriers with a subcarrier bandwidth of 75kHz in a duration of 0.1ms. Each radio frame can consist of 50 subframes and have a length of 10 milliseconds. Therefore, each subframe can have a length of 0.2 milliseconds. Each subframe can indicate a link direction (ie, DL or UL) for data transmission, and the link direction for each subframe can be dynamically switched. Each subframe can include DL / UL data and DL / UL control data. Beamforming can be supported and the beam direction can be dynamically configured. Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission with precoding can also be supported. MIMO configurations in the DL can support up to eight transmit antennas with multi-layer DL transmissions of up to eight streams and up to two streams per wireless device. Multi-layer transmissions with up to 2 streams per wireless device can be supported. Aggregation of multiple cells with up to eight serving cells can be supported. Alternatively, NR can support different air interfaces other than OFDM-based air interfaces.

[0051] Some mobile devices may be considered to be machine type communication (MTC) or evolved or enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) mobile devices. MTC and eMTC mobile devices include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, etc., which may communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. A wireless node may provide a connection to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network) or a connection to a network, for example, via a wired or wireless communication link. Some mobile devices may be considered to be Internet of Things (IoT) devices or may be implemented as NB-IoT (narrowband Internet of Things) devices. Wireless devices 120a-120e may be included inside a housing that houses components of the wireless device (such as a processor component, a memory component, a similar component, or a combination thereof).

[0052] In some implementations, two or more mobile devices 120a-120e (e.g., shown as wireless device 120a and wireless device 120e) may communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels 124 (e.g., without using base station 110 as an intermediary to communicate with each other). For example, the wireless devices 120a-120e may communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocol (which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocol, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocol, or similar protocol), mesh network, or similar network, or a combination thereof. In this case, the wireless devices 120a-120e may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and other operations described elsewhere herein as being performed by base stations 110a-110d.

[0053] In general, any number of communication systems and any number of wireless networks can be deployed in a given geographic area. Each communication system and wireless network can support a specific RAT and can operate on one or more frequencies. RAT can also be referred to as radio technology, air interface, etc. Frequency can also be referred to as carrier, frequency channel, etc. Each frequency can support a single RAT in a given geographic area to avoid interference between communication systems of different RATs. In some cases, 44G / LTE and / or 5G / NR RAT networks can be deployed. For example, a 5G non-independent (NSA) network can utilize a 4G / LTE RAT on the 4G / LTE RAN side of a 5G NSA network, and a 5G / NR RAT on the 5G / NR RAN side of a 5G NSA network. Both 4G / LTE RAN and 5G / NR RAN can be interconnected and can be connected to a 4G / LTE core network (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) network) in a 5G NSA network. Other example network configurations may include a 5G independent (SA) network, in which a 5G / NR RAN is connected to a 5G core network.

[0054] For example, 5G and 4G technologies can be deployed together. As a specific example, Figure 1B-Figure 1E Shows various deployment options for 4G and 5G RAN connected to a 4G core network, Figure 1F-1I Various deployment options showing 4G and 5G RAN connected to a 5G core network.

[0055] refer to Figure 1A-Figure 1I ,like Figure 1BAs shown, example LTE / NR EPC connection deployment options may include Option 1 - a standalone LTE RAN including base stations, such as eNBs 156 (e.g., base stations 110a-d), connected to an EPC 154 (e.g., core network 140). The EPC 154 may include a mobility management entity (MME) server 150 and a packet data network and serving gateway (P / SGW) server 152. A wireless device 158 (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e) may connect to the eNB 156 and send / receive user plane data to the eNB 156, and the eNB 156 may send / receive user plane data to the EPC 154 via an S1-U interface with the P / SGW server 152. As shown in FIG. Figure 1C As shown, example LTE / NR EPC connection deployment options may include Option 3 - Master Cell Group (MCG) Split Bearer, where the non-standalone LTE anchor is connected to the EPC 154. In such a deployment, a master base station, such as a master eNB (MeNB) 162 (e.g., base stations 110a-110d) can control a secondary gNB (SgNB) 164 (e.g., 110a-110d). The MeNB 162 can be connected to the SgNB 164 and can provide a connection to the EPC 154 for the SgNB 164. The wireless device 158 can connect to the MeNB 162 or the SgNB 164 and send / receive user plane data to the MeNB 162 or the SgNB 164. The SgNB 164 can send / receive user plane data from the MeNB 162 via an X2-U interface. The MeNB 162 can send / receive user plane data to the EPC 154 via an S1-U interface with the P / SGW server 152. like Figure 1D As shown, example LTE / NR EPC connection deployment options may include Option 3a - Secondary Cell Group (SCG) bearer, where the non-standalone LTE anchor point is connected to the EPC 154. In such a deployment, the SgNB 164 can be connected to the EPC 154. The wireless device 158 can connect to the SgNB 164 and send / receive user plane data to the SgNB 164, and the SgNB 164 can send / receive user plane data to the EPC 154 via the S1-U interface with the P / SGW server 152. Figure 1EAs shown, example LTE / NR EPC connection deployment options may include Option 3x – SCG Split Bearer, where the non-standalone LTE anchor point is connected to the EPC 154. The SgNB 164 may be connected to the MeNB 162 and may provide connectivity to the EPC 154 for the MeNB 162. The wireless device 158 may be connected to the MeNB 162 or the SgNB 164 and send / receive user plane data to the MeNB 162 or the SgNB 164. The MeNB 162 may send / receive user plane data from the SgNB 164 via an X2-U interface. The SgNB 164 may send / receive user plane data to the EPC 154 via an S1-U interface with the P / SGW server 152.

[0056] like Figure 1F As shown, example LTE / NR 5GC connection deployment options may include option 5 - a standalone LTE RAN including base stations, such as eNB 156 (e.g., base stations 110a-d) connected to a next generation core (NGC) 174 (e.g., core network 140). In such a deployment, the eNB 156 may be an enhanced LTE (eLTE) base station configured to connect to a 5GC (e.g., NGC 174). The EPC 154 may include a control plane function (CPF) server 170 and a user plane function (UPF) server 172. A wireless device 158 (e.g., wireless devices 120a-e) may connect to the eNB 156 and send / receive user plane data to the eNB 156, and the eNB 156 may send / receive user plane data to the NGC 174 via an N3 interface with the UPF server 172. As shown in FIG. Figure 1G As shown, example LTE / NR 5GC connection deployment options may include Option 7 – MCG Split Bearer, where the non-standalone LTE anchor is connected to the NGC 174. In such a deployment, a master base station (e.g., MeNB 162 (e.g., base stations 110a-110d)) may control the SgNB 164 (e.g., 110a-110d). In such a deployment, the MeNB 162 may be an eLTE base station configured to connect to the 5GC (e.g., NGC 174). The MeNB 162 may be connected to the SgNB 164 and may provide a connection to the NGC 174 for the SgNB 164. The wireless device 158 may be connected to the MeNB 162 or the SgNB 164 and send / receive user plane data to the MeNB 162 or the SgNB 164. The SgNB 164 may send / receive user plane data from the MeNB 162 via an Xn interface. MeNB 162 may send / receive user plane data to NGC 174 via the N3 interface with UPF server 172. Figure 1HAs shown, example LTE / NR 5GC connection deployment options may include Option 7a – SCG bearer, where the non-standalone LTE anchor point is connected to the NGC 174. In such a deployment, the SgNB 164 can be connected to the NGC 174. The wireless device 158 can connect to the SgNB 164 and send / receive user plane data to the SgNB 164, and the SgNB 164 can send / receive user plane data to the NGC 174 via the N3 interface with the UPF server 172. Fig. 1I As shown, example LTE / NR 5GC connection deployment options may include Option 7x – SCG Split Bearer, where the non-standalone LTE anchor point is connected to the NGC 174. The SgNB 164 may be connected to the MeNB 162 and may provide a connection to the NGC 174 for the MeNB 162. The wireless device 158 may be connected to the MeNB 162 or the SgNB 164 and send / receive user plane data to the MeNB 162 or the SgNB 164. The MeNB 162 may send / receive user plane data from the SgNB 164 via an Xn interface. The SgNB 164 may send / receive user plane data to the NGC 174 via an N3 interface with the UPF server 172.

[0057] Figure 1B-Figure 1I The deployment options shown in are merely examples of deployment options, and other deployment options exist. Figure 1B-Figure 1I The example deployment options shown in , as well as other deployment options, may be used with various embodiments.

[0058] Figure 2 is a component block diagram illustrating an example computing and wireless modem system 200 suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments. The various embodiments may be implemented on a variety of single-processor and multi-processor computer systems, including a system on a chip (SOC) or a system in a package (SIP).

[0059] refer to Figure 1A-Figure 2, the illustrated example wireless device 200 (which may be a SIP in some embodiments) includes two SOCs 202, 204 coupled to a clock 206, a voltage regulator 208, and a wireless transceiver 266 configured to send / receive wireless communications to / from a network wireless device (e.g., a base station 110a) via an antenna (not shown). In some embodiments, the first SOC 202 operates as a central processing unit (CPU) of the wireless device, which executes instructions of a software application by performing arithmetic, logic, control, and input / output (I / O) operations specified by the instructions. In some embodiments, the second SOC 204 may operate as a dedicated processing unit. For example, the second SOC 204 may operate as a dedicated 5G processing unit to be responsible for managing high-capacity, high-speed (e.g., 5 Gbps, etc.) and / or very high frequency short wavelength (e.g., 28 GHz millimeter wave spectrum, etc.) communications.

[0060] The first SOC 202 may include a digital signal processor (DSP) 210, a modem processor 212, a graphics processor 214, an application processor (AP) 216, one or more coprocessors 218 (e.g., vector coprocessors) connected to one or more of these processors, memory 220, custom circuits 222, system components and resources 224, an interconnect / bus module 226, one or more temperature sensors 230, a thermal management unit 232, and a thermal power envelope (TPE) component 234. The second SOC 204 may include a 5G modem processor 252, a power management unit 254, an interconnect / bus module 264, multiple millimeter wave transceivers 256, memory 258, and various additional processors 260 (such as an application processor, a packet processor, etc.).

[0061] Each processor 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260 may include one or more cores, and each processor / core may perform operations independently of other processors / cores. For example, the first SOC 202 may include a processor that executes a first type of operating system (e.g., FreeBSD, LINUX, OS X, etc.) and a processor that executes a second type of operating system (e.g., MICROSOFT WINDOWS10). In addition, any one or all of the processors 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260 may be included as part of a processor cluster architecture (e.g., a synchronous processor cluster architecture, an asynchronous or heterogeneous processor cluster architecture, etc.).

[0062] The first SOC 202 and the second SOC 204 may include various system components, resources and custom circuits for managing sensor data, analog-to-digital conversion, wireless data transmission, and for performing other dedicated operations, such as decoding data packets and processing encoded audio and video signals to present in a web browser. For example, the system components and resources 224 of the first SOC 202 may include power amplifiers, voltage regulators, oscillators, phase-locked loops, peripheral bridges, data controllers, memory controllers, system controllers, access ports, timers, and other similar components for supporting processors and software clients running on wireless devices. System components and resources 224 and / or custom circuits 222 may also include circuits that interface with peripheral devices (such as cameras, electronic displays, wireless communication devices, external memory chips, etc.).

[0063] The first SOC 202 and the second SOC 204 can communicate via an interconnect / bus module 250. The various processors 210, 212, 214, 216, 218 can be interconnected to one or more memory elements 220, system components and resources 224, and custom circuits 222, and thermal management units 232 via an interconnect / bus module 226. Similarly, the processor 252 can be interconnected to a power management unit 254, a millimeter wave transceiver 256, a memory 258, and various additional processors 260 via an interconnect / bus module 264. The interconnect / bus modules 226, 250, 264 can include an array of reconfigurable logic gates and / or implement a bus architecture (e.g., CoreConnect, AMBA, etc.). Communication can be provided through advanced interconnects such as high-performance networks on chip (NoCs).

[0064] The first SOC 202 and / or the second SOC 204 may also include an input / output module (not shown) for communicating with resources external to the SOC, such as a clock 206, a voltage regulator 208, and one or more wireless transceivers 266. The resources external to the SOC (e.g., clock 206, voltage regulator 208) may be shared by two or more of the internal SOC processors / cores.

[0065] In addition to the example SIP 200 discussed above, various embodiments may be implemented in a wide variety of computing systems, which may include a single processor, multiple processors, multi-core processors, or any combination thereof.

[0066] Figure 3An example of a software architecture 300 is shown that includes wireless protocol stacks for user and control planes in wireless communications between a base station 350 (e.g., base stations 110a-110d, 156, 162, 164, 176, 182) and a wireless device (also referred to as a UE or UE computing device) 320 (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e, 158, 200).

[0067] refer to Figure 1A-3 , the wireless device 320 may implement the software architecture 300 to communicate with a base station 350 of a communication system (e.g., 100). In various embodiments, the layers in the software architecture 300 may form a logical connection with the corresponding layers in the software of the base station 350. The software architecture 300 may be distributed between one or more processors (e.g., processors 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260). Although described with respect to one wireless protocol stack, in a multi-SIM (subscriber identity module) wireless device, the software architecture 300 may include multiple protocol stacks, each of which may be associated with a different SIM (e.g., two protocol stacks associated with two SIMs in a dual SIM wireless communication device, respectively). Although described below with reference to LTE communication layers, the software architecture 300 may support any of a variety of standards and protocols for wireless communication, and / or may include additional protocol stacks that support any of a variety of standards and protocols for wireless communication.

[0068] The software architecture 300 may include a non-access stratum (NAS) 302 and an access stratum (AS) 304. The NAS 302 may include functions and protocols for supporting packet filtering, security management, mobility control, session management, and services and signaling between a SIM (e.g., SIM 204) of a wireless device and its core network 140. The AS 304 may include functions and protocols for supporting communication between a SIM (e.g., SIM 204) and an entity (e.g., a base station) of a supported access network. Specifically, the AS 304 may include at least three layers (layer 1, layer 2, and layer 3), each of which may include various sublayers.

[0069] In the user and control planes, layer 1 (L1) of AS 304 may be a physical layer (PHY) 306, which may oversee functions that implement transmission and / or reception over the air interface. Examples of such physical layer 306 functions may include cyclic redundancy check (CRC) appending, decoding blocks, scrambling and descrambling, modulation and demodulation, signal measurement, MIMO, etc. The physical layer may include various logical channels, including a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0070] In the user and control planes, Layer 2 (L2) of AS 304 may be responsible for the link above physical layer 306 between wireless device 320 and base station 350. In various embodiments, Layer 2 may include a medium access control (MAC) sublayer 308, a radio link control (RLC) sublayer 310, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) 312 sublayer, each of which forms a logical connection that terminates at base station 350.

[0071] In the control plane, layer 3 (L3) of AS 304 may include a radio resource control (RRC) sublayer 3. Although not shown, the software architecture 300 may include additional layer 3 sublayers and various upper layers above layer 3. In various embodiments, the RRC sublayer 313 may provide functions including broadcasting system information, paging, and establishing and releasing RRC signaling connections between the wireless device 320 and the base station 350.

[0072] In various embodiments, the PDCP sublayer 312 may provide uplink functions including multiplexing between different radio bearers and logical channels, sequence number addition, handover data processing, integrity protection, encryption, and header compression. In the downlink, the PDCP sublayer 312 may provide functions including in-sequence delivery of data packets, duplicate data packet detection, integrity verification, decryption, and header decompression.

[0073] In the uplink, the RLC sublayer 310 may provide segmentation and concatenation of upper layer data packets, retransmission of lost data packets, and automatic repeat request (ARQ). In the downlink, the RLC sublayer 310 functions may include reordering of data packets to compensate for out-of-order reception, reassembly of upper layer data packets, and ARQ.

[0074] In the uplink, the MAC sublayer 308 can provide functions including: multiplexing between logical channels and transport channels, random access procedures, logical channel priorities, and hybrid ARQ (HARQ) operations. In the downlink, MAC layer functions may include channel mapping within a cell, demultiplexing, discontinuous reception (DRX), and HARQ operations.

[0075] While the software architecture 300 may provide functionality for sending data over a physical medium, the software architecture 300 may also include at least one host layer 314 to provide data transmission services to various applications in the wireless device 320. In various embodiments, the application-specific functionality provided by the at least one host layer 314 may provide an interface between the software architecture and the general processor 206.

[0076] In other embodiments, the software architecture 300 may include one or more higher logical layers (e.g., transport, session, presentation, application, etc.) that provide host layer functionality. For example, in some embodiments, the software architecture 300 may include a network layer (e.g., IP layer) in which a logical connection terminates at a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW). In some implementations, the software architecture 300 may include an application layer in which a logical connection terminates at another device (e.g., an end user device, a server, etc.). In some implementations, the software architecture 300 may also include a hardware interface 316 between the physical layer 306 and communication hardware (e.g., one or more radio frequency (RF) transceivers) in the AS 304.

[0077] Figure 4 4 is a component block diagram illustrating a system 400 for supporting user plane integrity protection (UP IP) for communications with a RAN according to various embodiments. In some embodiments, the system 400 may include one or more computing platforms 402 and / or one or more remote platforms 404. Figure 1A-Figure 4 , the computing platform 402 may include a base station (e.g., base stations 110a-110e, 156, 162, 164, 176, 182, 350) and / or a wireless device (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e, 158, 200, 320). The remote platform 404 may include a base station (e.g., base stations 110a-110e, 156, 162, 164, 176, 182, 350) and / or a wireless device (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e, 158, 200, 320).

[0078] The computing platform 402 may include a processor 422 configured by machine-readable instructions 406. The machine-readable instructions 406 may include one or more instruction modules. The instruction modules may include computer program modules. The instruction modules may include one or more of a user equipment (UE) computing device determination module 408, a security capability IE generation module 410, a security capability IE sending module 412, a security capability IE receiving module 414, a security capability IE determination module 416, and / or other instruction modules.

[0079] The UE computing device determination module 408 may be configured to determine whether the wireless device supports the UP IP for the eUTRA connection established between the wireless device and the RAN. In various embodiments, determining whether the wireless device supports the UP IP for eUTRA may include checking the capability settings of the wireless device. The UE computing device determination module 408 may be configured to determine whether the wireless device supports the UP IP for the NR connection established between the wireless device and the RAN. In various embodiments, determining whether the wireless device supports the UP IP for the NR connection may include checking the capability settings of the wireless device.

[0080] The security capability IE generation module 410 may be configured to generate one or more security capability IEs, including one or more UP IP support indications. The UP IP support indication may be a bit setting in a security capability IE. For example, the security capability IE may be a 5G UE security capability IE, or may be an S1 UE security capability IE. The UP IP support indication may indicate whether the wireless device supports UP IP for an eUTRA connection established between the wireless device and the RAN and / or whether the wireless device supports UP IP for an NR connection established between the wireless device and the RAN. The UP IP support indication may indicate UP IP support using several integrity algorithms. The first UP IP support indication may be a setting of one of an evolved packet system (EPS) encryption algorithm (EEA) bit or an EPS integrity algorithm (EIA) bit in a 5G UE security capability IE or an S1 UE security capability IE. In various embodiments, the security capability IE generation module 410 may generate more than one security capability IE. For example, a first security capability IE and a second security capability IE may be generated. As a specific example, the first security capability IE may be an S1 UE security capability IE, and the second security capability IE may be a 5G UE security capability IE, or vice versa. In various embodiments, the security capability IE generation module 410 may be configured to generate a security capability IE including two UP IP support indications. For example, each UP IP support indication may be a separate bit setting in the security capability IE. One bit setting may indicate whether the wireless device supports UP IP for eUTRA, and another bit setting may indicate whether the wireless device supports UP IP for an NR connection established between the wireless device and the RAN.

[0081] The security capability IE sending module 412 may be configured to send the security capability IE to a base station of the RAN. As an example, the base station may be an eNB or an ng-eNB. In some embodiments, the security capability IE may be sent to the RAN via other nodes.

[0082] The security capability IE receiving module 414 may be configured to receive a security capability IE.

[0083] The security capability IE determination module 416 may be configured to determine whether the security capability IE indicates that the wireless device supports UP IP for an eUTRA connection established with the wireless device based at least in part on the UP IP support indication. The security capability IE determination module 416 may be configured to determine whether the security capability IE indicates that the wireless device supports UP IP for an NR connection established with the wireless device.

[0084] Figure 5 A process flow diagram of an example method 500 for supporting UP IP for communication with a RAN in accordance with various embodiments is shown. Figure 1A-Figure 5 , the method 500 may be implemented by a processor (eg, 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 422) of a wireless device (eg, wireless devices 120a-120e, 158, 200, 320, 402).

[0085] In block 502, the processor may perform operations including determining whether the wireless device supports UP IP for an eUTRA connection established between the wireless device and the RAN. In various embodiments, determining whether the wireless device supports UP IP for eUTRA may include checking a capability setting of the wireless device.

[0086] In block 504, the processor may perform operations including generating a first security capability IE including a first UP IP support indication. The first UP IP support indication may indicate whether the wireless device supports UP IP for an eUTRA connection established between the wireless device and the RAN. In some embodiments, the first security capability IE may be a 4G S1 UE security capability IE. In some embodiments, the first security capability IE may be a 5G UE security capability IE. In various embodiments, the first UP IP support indication may be a bit setting in the first security capability IE. For example, the first UP IP support indication may be a setting of one of the EEA bit or the EIA bit in the 4G S1 UE security capability IE or the 5G UE security capability IE. In some embodiments, the setting of a bit in the 4G S1 UE security capability IE (e.g., the setting of one of the EEA bit or the EIA bit in the 4G S1 UE security capability IE) may indicate that the wireless device supports both UP IP for an eUTRA connection established between the wireless device and the RAN and UP IP for an NR connection established between the wireless device and the RAN. In various embodiments, the first UP IP support indication may indicate UP IP support using one or more (e.g., several) integrity algorithms.

[0087] In block 506, the processor may perform operations including sending a first security capability IE to a base station. In some embodiments, the base station may be a base station of a RAN. In some embodiments, the base station may be a base station external to the RAN, which may be configured to forward the first security capability IE to a network device of the RAN (e.g., a base station of the RAN, an MME server of the RAN). For example, the first security capability IE may be sent as part of a wireless device registration request sent to the RAN.

[0088] Figure 6 A process flow diagram of an example method 600 of supporting a UP IP for communication with a RAN in accordance with various embodiments is shown. Figure 1A-Figure 6 , the method 600 may be implemented by a processor (eg, 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 422) of a wireless device (eg, wireless devices 120a-120e, 158, 200, 320, 402).

[0089] In blocks 502, 504, and 506, the processor may execute reference Figure 5 The operations of similarly numbered blocks of method 500 are described.

[0090] In block 608, the processor may perform operations including generating a second security capability IE including a second UP IP support indication. In a network including both 4G and 5G RAN elements, two security capability IEs may be provided to the RAN, such as one security capability IE for the 4G system and one security capability IE for the 5G system. Each security capability IE may indicate whether the wireless device supports UP IP for eUTRA connection and / or UP IP for NR connection, respectively. For example, the first security capability IE may be a 4G S1UE security capability IE, and the second security capability IE may be a 5G UE security capability IE. In various embodiments, the second UP IP support indication may be a bit setting in the second security capability IE. For example, depending on the type of the second security capability IE, the second UP IP support indication may be a setting of one of the EEA bit or the EIA bit in the 4G S1 UE security capability IE or the 5G UE security capability IE. In various embodiments, the second UP IP support indication may indicate UP IP support using one or more (e.g., several) integrity algorithms.

[0091] In block 610, the processor may perform operations including sending a second security capability IE to a base station. In some embodiments, the base station may be a base station of a RAN. In some embodiments, the base station may be a base station external to the RAN, which may be configured to forward the second security capability IE to a network device of the RAN (e.g., a base station of the RAN, an MME server of the RAN). For example, the second security capability IE may be sent as part of a wireless device registration request sent to the RAN.

[0092] Although Figure 6 A method 600 for sending two separate security capabilities IEs is shown, for example, one security capabilities IE for a 4G system and another security capabilities IE for a 5G system, but in other networks, only one security capabilities IE may be generated and sent because the network may be configured to share the security capabilities IE and / or the indication that the wireless device supports UP IP between the 4G and 5G systems. In such networks that share the indication that the wireless device supports UP IP across the 4G and 5G systems, the wireless device may not need to be re-registered when crossing 4G and 5G coverage.

[0093] Figure 7 A process flow diagram of an example method 700 of supporting UP IP for communication with a RAN in accordance with various embodiments is shown. Figure 1A-Figure 7 , method 700 may be implemented by a processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 422) of a wireless device (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e, 158, 200, 320, 402). In various embodiments, the operations of method 700 may be combined with method 500 ( Figure 5 ) and / or method 600( Figure 6 For example, the operations of method 700 may be performed as part of generating a first security capability IE in block 502 when determining whether the wireless device supports UP IP for an eUTRA connection established between the wireless device and the RAN.

[0094] In block 712, the processor may perform operations including determining whether the wireless device supports UP IP for an NR connection established between the wireless device and the RAN. In various embodiments, determining whether the wireless device supports UP IP for an NR connection may include checking a capability setting of the wireless device.

[0095] In block 714, the processor may perform operations including generating a first security capability IE including a first UP IP support indication and a third UP IP support indication. The third UP IP support indication may indicate whether the wireless device supports UP IP for an NR connection established between the wireless device and the RAN. In some embodiments, the first security capability IE may be a 4G S1 UE security capability IE. In various embodiments, the first UP IP support indication may be a bit setting in the first security capability IE, and the third UP IP support indication may be another bit setting in the first security capability IE. For example, the first UP IP support indication may be a setting of one of the EEA bit or the EIA bit in the 4G S1 UE security capability IE, and the third UP IP support indication may be a setting of the other of the EEA bit or the EIA bit in the 4G S1 UE security capability IE.

[0096] In response to generating the first security capability IE, the processor may execute reference Figure 5 and Figure 6 The operation of block 506 is described to send a first security capability IE.

[0097] Figure 8 A process flow diagram of an example method 800 for supporting UP IP for communication with a RAN in accordance with various embodiments is shown. Figure 1A-Figure 8 , method 800 may be implemented by a processor of a network computing device (e.g., base stations 110a-110e, 156, 162, 164, 176, 182, 350, 402, network controller 130, and / or other network entities). In various embodiments, the operations of method 800 may be combined with method 500 ( Figure 5 )、600( Figure 6 ) and / or 700( Figure 7 ) operation to achieve this.

[0098] In block 816, the processor may perform operations including receiving a security capability IE of a wireless device (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e, 200, 320). The security capability IE may be received as part of a wireless device registration and / or authentication process. The security capability IE may include a UP IP support indication. In some embodiments, the security capability IE may be a 4G S1 UE security capability IE. In some embodiments, the security capability IE may be a 5G UE security capability IE. In various embodiments, the UP IP support indication may indicate UP IP support using one or more (e.g., several) integrity algorithms. In various embodiments, the UP IP support indication may be a bit setting in the security capability IE. For example, the UP IP support indication may be a setting of one of the EEA bit or the EIA bit in the 4G S1 UE security capability IE or the 5G UE security capability IE. In some embodiments, the security capability IE may be received directly from the wireless device, such as by a base station of the RAN. In some embodiments, the security capability ID may be received from the wireless device via forwarding from another network computing device (e.g., forwarding from a base station, forwarding from an MME server, etc.).

[0099] In block 818, the processor may perform operations including determining whether the security capability IE indicates that the wireless device supports the UP IP for the eUTRA connection established with the wireless device based at least in part on the UP IP support indication. In various embodiments, the bit setting of the UP IP support indication in the security capability IE may indicate whether the wireless device supports the UP IP for the eUTRA connection established with the wireless device. For example, setting one of the EEA bit or the EIA bit in the 4G S1 UE security capability IE or the 5G UE security capability IE to a value of "1" may indicate that the wireless device does support the UP IP for eUTRA. In some embodiments, the bit setting in the 4G S1 UE security capability IE (e.g., the setting of one of the EEA bit or the EIA bit in the 4G S1 UE security capability IE) may indicate that the wireless device supports both the UP IP for the eUTRA connection established between the wireless device and the RAN and the UP IP for the NR connection established between the wireless device and the RAN. In various embodiments, the UP IP support indication may be a bit setting in the security capability IE.

[0100] In block 820, the network computing device may establish a user plane connection with integrity protection with the wireless device using the determined capability of the wireless device to support UPIP for eUTRA connections and / or UP IP for NR connections.

[0101] Fig. 9A process flow diagram of an example method 900 for supporting UP IP for communication with a RAN in accordance with various embodiments is shown. Figure 1A-Figure 9 , method 900 may be implemented by a processor of a network computing device (e.g., base stations 110a-110e, 156, 162, 164, 176, 182, 350, 402, network controller 130, and / or other network entities). In various embodiments, the operations of method 900 may be combined with method 500 ( Figure 5 )、600( Figure 6 ) and / or 700( Figure 7 ) operation to achieve this.

[0102] In blocks 816 and 818, the processor may execute reference Figure 8 The operations of similarly numbered blocks of method 800 are described.

[0103] In block 920, the processor may perform operations including determining whether the security capability IE indicates that the wireless device supports UP IP for the NR connection established with the wireless device. In some embodiments, the UP IP support indication may have a dual meaning of indicating that the wireless device supports UP IP for eUTRA and supports UP IP for NR. In some embodiments, the security capability IE may include more than one UP IP support indication. For example, one UP IP support indication (e.g., one bit setting) may indicate that the wireless device supports UP IP for eUTRA connections; and another UP IP support indication (e.g., another bit setting) may indicate that the wireless device supports UP IP for NR connections.

[0104] Various embodiments may be implemented on various wireless network devices, examples of which are Fig.10 1000, which acts as a network element of a communication network, such as a base station (e.g., base stations 110a-110e, 156, 162, 164, 176, 182, 350, 402). Such a network computing device may include at least Fig.10 Reference Figure 1A-10, the network computing device 1000 may generally include a processor 1001 coupled to a volatile memory 702 and a large capacity non-volatile memory such as a disk drive 1003. The network computing device 1000 may also include a peripheral memory access device, such as a floppy disk drive, a compact disc (CD), or a digital video disc (DVD) drive 1006 coupled to the processor 1001. The network computing device 1000 may also include a network access port 1004 (or interface) coupled to the processor 1001 for establishing a data connection with a network such as the Internet and / or a local area network coupled to other system computers and servers. The network computing device 1000 may include one or more antennas 1007 that may be connected to a wireless communication link for sending and receiving electromagnetic radiation. The network computing device 1000 may include additional access ports such as USB, Firewire, Thunderbolt, etc. for coupling to peripherals, external memory, or other devices.

[0105] Various embodiments may be implemented on various computing devices, such as wireless devices (e.g., wireless devices 120a-120e, 158, 200, 320, 402), examples of which are described in Fig.11 1100 is shown in the form of a smart phone. Figure 1A-Figure 11 , the smartphone 1100 may include a first SOC 202 (e.g., SOC-CPU) coupled to a second SOC 204 (e.g., a 5G-enabled SOC). The first and second SOCs 202, 204 may be coupled to internal memory 1106, 1116, a display 1112, and a speaker 1114. In addition, the smartphone 1100 may include an antenna 1104 for sending and receiving electromagnetic radiation, which may be connected to a wireless data link and / or cellular telephone transceiver 266 coupled to one or more processors in the first and / or second SOCs 202, 204. The smartphone 1100 also typically includes a menu selection button or rocker switch 1120 for receiving user input.

[0106] The typical smartphone 1100 also includes a sound coding / decoding (CODEC) circuit 1110, which digitizes the sound received from the microphone into a data packet suitable for wireless transmission, and decodes the received sound packet to generate an analog signal, which is provided to the speaker to generate sound. In addition, one or more of the processors in the first SOC 202 and the second SOC 204, the wireless transceiver 1108, and the CODEC 1110 may include a digital signal processor (DSP) circuit (not shown separately).

[0107] The processors of the wireless network computing device 1000 and the smartphone 1100 may be any programmable microprocessor, microcomputer, or one or more multi-processor chips that may be configured by software instructions (applications) to perform various functions, including the functions of the various embodiments described below. In some mobile devices, multiple processors may be provided, such as one processor within the SOC 204 dedicated to wireless communication functions, and one processor within the SOC 202 dedicated to running other applications. Typically, software applications may be stored in the memory 1106, 1116 before they are accessed and loaded into the processor. The processor may include internal memory sufficient to store the application software instructions.

[0108] As used in this application, the terms "component", "module", "system", etc. are intended to include computer-related entities, such as but not limited to hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution, which is configured to perform specific operations or functions. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to: a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, a thread of execution, a program, and / or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a wireless device and a wireless device may be referred to as a component. One or more components may be located in a process and / or a thread of execution, and a component may be located on a processor or core and / or distributed between two or more processors or cores. In addition, these components may be executed from various non-temporary computer-readable media having various instructions and / or data structures stored thereon. Components may communicate by way of local and / or remote processes, function or procedure calls, electronic signals, data packets, memory read / writes, and other known communication methods associated with networks, computers, processors, and / or processes.

[0109] A variety of different cellular and mobile communication services and standards are available or expected in the future, all of which can be implemented and benefit from various embodiments. Such services and standards include such as the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, third generation wireless mobile communication technology (3G), fourth generation wireless mobile communication technology (4G), fifth generation wireless mobile communication technology (5G), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), 3GSM, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system (such as cdmaOne, CDMA1020TM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), Digital AMPS (IS-136 / TDMA), Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Wi-Fi Protected Access I and II (WPA, WPA2) and Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN). Each of these technologies involves, for example, the transmission and reception of voice, data, signaling and / or content messages. It should be understood that, unless specifically stated in the language of the claims, any reference to terms and / or technical details related to individual telecommunication standards or technologies is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims to a particular communication system or technology.

[0110] The various embodiments shown and described are provided only as examples to illustrate the various features of the claims. However, the features shown and described with respect to any given embodiment are not necessarily limited to the associated embodiment, and may be used or combined with other embodiments shown and described. In addition, the claims are not intended to be limited by any one of the example embodiments. For example, one or more operations of methods 500, 600, 700, 800, and / or 900 may replace or be combined with one or more operations of methods 500, 600, 700, 800, and / or 900.

[0111] The foregoing method descriptions and process flow charts are provided only as illustrative examples, and are not intended to require or imply that the operations of the various embodiments must be performed in the order presented. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art: the order of operations in the foregoing embodiments can be performed in any order. Words such as "thereafter", "then", "next", etc. are not intended to limit the order of these operations; these words are used to guide the reader in the description of the method. In addition, any reference to a claim element in the singular form using the articles "a", "an", or "the" should not be construed as limiting the element to the singular.

[0112] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, components, circuits, and algorithmic operations described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination thereof. In order to clearly represent the interchangeability between hardware and software, the above generally describes the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and operations around their functions. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functions in an alternative manner for each specific application, but such an embodiment decision should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the claims.

[0113] The hardware for implementing the various illustrative logic units, logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented or executed using a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of receiver intelligent objects, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Alternatively, some operations or methods can be performed by circuits specific to a given function.

[0114] In one or more embodiments, the described functions may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium. The operation of the method or algorithm disclosed herein may be embodied in a processor-executable software module or processor-executable instructions that may be located on a non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium. A non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium may be any storage medium that can be accessed by a computer or processor. By way of example and not limitation, such a non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage smart objects, or any other medium that can be used to store the required program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer. As used herein, disks and discs include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, wherein disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical discs use lasers to reproduce data optically. The above combinations should also be included within the scope of non-transitory computer-readable and processor-readable media. In addition, the operations of the method or algorithm can be located as one or any combination or set of codes and / or instructions on a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium and / or computer-readable storage medium that can be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0115] The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the claims. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may also be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. Therefore, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims and the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for supporting user plane integrity protection (UP IP) for communications with a radio access network (RAN), the method comprising: determining, by a processor of a wireless device, whether the wireless device supports UP IP for an evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (eUTRA) connection established between the wireless device and a RAN; generating, by the processor, a first security capability information element IE including a first UP IP support indication, wherein the first UP IP support indication is used to indicate whether the wireless device supports UP IP for an eUTRA connection established between the wireless device and a RAN; and Sending, by the processor, the first security capability IE to a base station, Wherein the first UP IP support indication is a bit setting in the first security capability IE, and wherein the same bit setting also indicates that the wireless device supports the same maximum data rate capability for UP IP over eUTRA.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first security capability IE is fourth generation (4G) S1 user equipment (UE) security capability or fifth generation (5G) UE security capability.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: generating, by the processor, a second security capability IE including a second UP IP support indication, wherein the second UPIP support indication is used to indicate whether the wireless device supports UP IP for an eUTRA connection established between the wireless device and the RAN or UPIP for a new radio (NR) connection established between the wireless device and the RAN; and The second security capability IE is sent to the base station by the processor.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The second UP IP support indication is a bit setting in the second security capability IE.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the processor, whether the wireless device supports a UP IP for a New Radio (NR) connection established between the wireless device and the RAN, Generating the first security capability IE including the first UP IP support indication includes: generating the first security capability IE including the first UP IP support indication and a second UP IP support indication, wherein the second UP IP support indication is used to indicate whether the wireless device supports the UP IP for the NR connection established between the wireless device and the RAN.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The second UP IP support indication is another bit setting in the first security capability IE.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The RAN is connected to an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network or a Next Generation Core (NGC) network.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The RAN is a fourth generation (4G) RAN or a fifth generation (5G) RAN.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first UP IP support indication uses one or more algorithms to indicate support for UP IP.

10. A wireless device comprising: A processor configured with processor-executable instructions for: determining whether the wireless device supports user plane integrity protection (UP IP) for an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access (eUTRA) connection established between the wireless device and a radio access network (RAN); generating a first security capability information element IE including a first UP IP support indication, wherein the first UP IP support indication is used to indicate whether the wireless device supports UP IP for an eUTRA connection established between the wireless device and a RAN; and Sending the first security capability IE to the base station, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions for generating the first UP IP support indication as a bit setting in the first security capability IE, and wherein the same bit setting also indicates that the wireless device supports the same maximum data rate capability for UP IP over eUTRA.

11. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein: The processor is also configured with processor-executable instructions for generating the first security capability IE as a bit setting in one of fourth generation (4G) S1 user equipment (UE) security capabilities or fifth generation (5G) UE security capabilities.

12. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein: The processor is also configured with processor-executable instructions to: generating a second security capability IE including a second UP IP support indication, wherein the second UP IP support indication is used to indicate whether the wireless device supports UP IP for an eUTRA connection established between the wireless device and the RAN or UP IP for a new radio (NR) connection established between the wireless device and the RAN; and Send the second security capability IE to the base station.

13. The wireless device of claim 12, wherein: The processor is also configured with processor-executable instructions for generating the second UP IP support indication as a bit setting in the second security capability IE.

14. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein: The processor is also configured with processor-executable instructions to: determining whether the wireless device supports UP IP for a New Radio (NR) connection established between the wireless device and the RAN; and The first security capability IE including the first UP IP support indication is generated by generating the first security capability IE including the first UP IP support indication and a second UP IP support indication, wherein the second UP IP support indication is used to indicate whether the wireless device supports UPIP for an NR connection established between the wireless device and the RAN.

15. The wireless device of claim 14, wherein: The processor is also configured with processor-executable instructions for generating the second UP IP support indication as another bit setting in the first security capability IE.

16. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein: The processor is also configured with processor-executable instructions for generating the first UP IP support indication to indicate support for UP IP using one or more algorithms.

17. A method for supporting user plane integrity protection (UP IP) for communicating with a radio access network (RAN), the method comprising: receiving, in a processor of the network computing device, a security capability information element IE of the wireless device, the security capability IE including a UP IP support indication; determining, in the processor, based at least in part on the UP IP support indication, whether the security capability IE indicates that the wireless device supports UP IP for an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access (eUTRA) connection established with the wireless device; as well as establishing a user plane connection with integrity protection with the wireless device using the determined capability of the wireless device to support UP IP for eUTRA connections or UP IP for NR connections, Wherein the UP IP support indication is a bit setting in the security capability IE, and wherein the same bit setting also indicates that the wireless device supports the same maximum data rate capability for UP IP over eUTRA.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein: The security capability IE is fourth generation (4G) S1 user equipment (UE) security capability or fifth generation (5G) UE security capability.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising: A determination is made in the processor whether the security capability IE indicates that the wireless device supports UP IP for a new radio (NR) connection established with the wireless device.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein: The UP IP support indication is used to indicate whether the UPIP is supported for NR connection.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein: The security capability IE includes another UP IP support indication indicating whether the UP IP is supported for NR connection.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein: The other UP IP support indication is another bit setting in the security capability IE.

23. The method according to claim 17, wherein: The RAN is connected to an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network or a Next Generation Core (NGC) network.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein: The RAN is a fourth generation (4G) RAN or a fifth generation (5G) RAN.

25. A network computing device comprising: A processor configured with processor-executable instructions for: receiving a security capability information element IE of a wireless device, the security capability IE comprising a user plane integrity protection (UPIP) support indication; determining, based at least in part on the UP IP support indication, whether the security capability IE indicates that the wireless device supports UP IP for an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access (eUTRA) connection established with the wireless device; as well as establishing a user plane connection with integrity protection with the wireless device using the determined capability of the wireless device to support UP IP for eUTRA connections or UP IP for NR connections, Wherein the UP IP support indication is a bit setting in the security capability IE, and wherein the same bit setting also indicates that the wireless device supports the same maximum data rate capability for UP IP over eUTRA.

26. The network computing device according to claim 25, wherein: The processor is also configured with processor-executable instructions for determining, based on a bit setting in the security capability IE indicating one of fourth generation (4G) S1 user equipment (UE) security capabilities or fifth generation (5G) UE security capabilities, whether the security capability IE indicates that the wireless device supports a UP IP for an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access (eUTRA) connection established with the wireless device.

27. The network computing device of claim 25, wherein: The processor is also configured with processor-executable instructions to: A determination is made as to whether the security capability IE indicates that the wireless device supports UP IP for a new radio (NR) connection established with the wireless device.

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