Method and apparatus for analyzing service experience of network slice instances

Abstract

A method for determining an analysis of a service experience of a network slice instance in a network including one or more network entities is provided. The method includes obtaining first information for determining a mapping between a set of one or more user equipments (UEs) and a set of one or more network slice instances, obtaining second information for determining an analysis of the set of one or more UEs, and determining the analysis of the network slice instance based on the first information and the second information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to methods, apparatuses, and systems for determining analysis of service experience for a network slice instance in a network. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to methods, apparatuses, and systems for performing management of quality of experience (QoE) in a network. For example, certain examples of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatuses, and systems for management of network slice instance (NSI) level QoE in a third generation partnership project (3GPP) 5G core network (5GC) using a network data analysis function (NWDAF). Background Art

[0002] In order to meet the demand for wireless data services that has increased since the deployment of the fourth generation (4G) communication system, efforts have been made to develop improved fifth generation (5G) or pre-5G communication systems. 5G or pre-5G communication systems are also referred to as "super 4G networks" or "post-Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems." Consider implementing 5G communication systems in higher frequency (mmWave) bands (e.g., 60 gigahertz (GHz) bands) to achieve higher data rates. In order to reduce the propagation loss of radio waves and increase the transmission distance, beamforming, massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, and massive antenna technology are discussed with respect to 5G communication systems. In addition, in the 5G communication system, system network improvements are being developed based on advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks (RAN), ultra-dense networks, device-to-device (D2D) communications, wireless backhaul, mobile networks, cooperative communications, coordinated multi-points (CoMP), receiving-end interference elimination, etc. In the 5G system, hybrid frequency shift keying (FSK) and Feher's quadrature amplitude modulation (FQAM) and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) as advanced coding modulation (ACM) have been developed, as well as filter bank multi carrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) as advanced access technologies.

[0003] The Internet, which is a human-centered connection network in which humans generate and consume information, is now evolving into the Internet of Things (IoT), in which distributed entities such as things exchange and process information without human intervention. The Internet of Everything (IoE), which is a combination of IoT technology and big data processing technology through connection with cloud servers, has emerged. As the technical elements of the technical connection network such as human generation and consumption of information are evolving towards the Internet of Things (IoT) with IoT implementation in cloud servers, sensor networks, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), etc. have been studied recently. Such an IoT environment can provide intelligent Internet technology services that create new value for human life by collecting and analyzing data generated among connected things. IoT can be applied to various fields, including smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities, smart cars or connected cars, smart grids, health care, smart appliances, and advanced medical services, through the integration and combination between existing information technology (IT) and various industrial applications.

[0004] In line with this, various attempts have been made to apply 5G communication systems to IoT networks. For example, technologies such as sensor networks, MTC, and M2M communications can be implemented through beamforming, MIMO, and array antennas. The application of cloud RAN, which is the above-mentioned big data processing technology, can also be considered as an example of the fusion between 5G technology and IoT technology.

[0005] The above information is presented as background information only to assist in understanding the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion has been made, as to whether any of the above may be used as prior art with respect to the present disclosure. Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical Solutions

[0007] It is an object of some examples of the present disclosure to at least partially address, solve and / or mitigate at least one of the problems and / or disadvantages associated with the related art, such as at least one of the problems and / or disadvantages described herein. It is an object of some examples of the present disclosure to provide at least one advantage over the related art, such as at least one of the advantages described herein.

[0008] The disclosure is defined in the independent claim. Advantageous features are defined in the dependent claims.

[0009] Embodiments or examples disclosed in the specification and / or drawings that fall outside the scope of the claims should be understood as examples that assist in understanding the present disclosure.

[0010] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for determining an analysis of a service experience of a network slice instance (NSI) in a network including one or more network entities (e.g., determining and / or predicting quality of experience (QoE)). The analysis of the NSI may be determined in a control plane. The analysis of the NSI may be determined using network analysis provided by a network data analysis function (NWDAF) entity.

[0011] For example, certain examples of the present disclosure provide a method for determining an analysis of a service experience of a network slice instance in a network including one or more network entities, the method comprising: obtaining first information for determining a mapping between a set of one or more user equipments (UEs) and a set of one or more network slice instances; obtaining second information for determining an analysis of the set of UEs; and determining an analysis of the network slice instance based on the first information and the second information.

[0012] Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0014] Figure 1 shows the composition of S-NSSAI according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 2 illustrates techniques utilized according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 3 The call flow of alternative solution 1-1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 4 The call flow of alternative scheme 1-2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 5 shows the call flow of alternatives 1-3 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 6 The call flows of alternatives 2-1-1, 2-1-2 and 2-1-3 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown;

[0020] Figure 7The call flow of alternative solution 2-2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 8 shows a call flow of alternative 2-3 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Fig. 9 A flow chart according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0023] Fig.10 A block diagram according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0024] Fig.11 is a flow chart according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Fig.12 According to the embodiment of the present disclosure Fig.11 A flowchart of the implementation of the use case shown in the network; and

[0026] Fig.13 is a block diagram of a network entity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Aspects of the present disclosure are to at least solve the above-mentioned problems and / or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Therefore, one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a method for determining an analysis of a service experience of a network slice instance in a network including one or more network entities, the method comprising obtaining first information for determining a mapping between a set of one or more user equipments (UEs) and a set of one or more network slice instances, obtaining second information for determining an analysis of the set of one or more UEs, and determining an analysis of the network slice instance based on the first information and the second information.

[0029] Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.

[0030] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method also includes receiving a request for a service experience analysis, and in response to the request, sending a service experience analysis based on the determined analysis of the network slice instance.

[0031] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the request includes one or more of a request for a single report of service experience analysis and a request for a subscription to periodic reports of service experience analysis.

[0032] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes determining, by the first network entity, that service experience analysis is required, and in response to determining that service experience analysis is required, sending, by the first network entity, a request for service experience analysis.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a request for service experience analysis includes one or more analysis filters.

[0034] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, obtaining the first information includes determining a set of one or more UEs according to one or more analysis filters.

[0035] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, obtaining the first information includes determining, by the second network entity, whether the first information is available at the second network entity, and sending a request for the first information to a third network entity if the first information is not available at the second network entity.

[0036] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the request for the first information includes one or more analysis filters.

[0037] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one of the analysis filters is specified by the first network entity.

[0038] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, one or more analysis filters include filtering UEs based on an area of ​​interest, one or more single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI), and one or more network slice instance identifiers (IDs).

[0039] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, obtaining the first information includes obtaining information indicating which UEs have been assigned to which network slice instances.

[0040] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, obtaining the first information includes receiving from a third network entity one or more of a message indicating which UEs (e.g., using UE IDs) are currently assigned to a network slice instance, one or more messages each indicating that the UE has been newly assigned to the network slice instance, and one or more messages each indicating that the UE has been recently deallocated from the network slice instance.

[0041] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, obtaining the second information is performed by the second network entity.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the network slice instance analysis does not include the ID of the UE, includes the ID of the UE, includes a mapping for identifying the network slice instance deployed within the network slice, includes service experience metrics per network slice instance, and / or includes a mapping for identifying applications running on the network slice instance and / or network slice.

[0043] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, one or more of the networks is a 3GPP 5G System (5GS) (e.g., including 5GC) network,

[0044] The first network entity includes a network slice selection function (NSSF) entity, the second network entity includes a NWDAF entity, the third network entity includes an access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, the area of ​​interest includes a set of one or more parameters (for example, a tracking area identity (TAI)), the request for network slice instance analysis includes a Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo_Request message or a Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Subscribe message, the response to the request for network slice instance analysis includes a Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo_Request Response message or a Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Notify message, the request for the first information includes a Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe Request message, the message indicating which UEs are currently assigned to the network slice instance includes a Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe Response message, and the message indicating that the UE has been newly assigned to the network slice instance and the message indicating that the UE has been newly deassigned from the network slice instance include a Namf_EventExposure_Notify message.

[0045] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the network includes a first entity, a second entity and a third entity, and the network is configured to perform the method.

[0046] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program including instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method.

[0047] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer readable data carrier storing a computer program is provided.

[0048] Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.

[0049] Invention

[0050] The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding, but these specific details are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Therefore, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made to the various embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and configurations may be omitted for clarity and brevity.

[0051] The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for illustrative purposes only and not for the purpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0052] It will be understood that the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a component surface" includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.

[0053] abbreviation

[0054] In this disclosure, the following acronyms are used.

[0055] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0056] 5G Fifth Generation

[0057] 5G-AN 5G Access Network

[0058] 5GC 5G Core Network

[0059] 5GS 5G System

[0060] AF Application Function

[0061] AMF Access and Mobility Management Function

[0062] DNN data network name

[0063] eNA Network Automation Enablers

[0064] GPSI General Public Subscription Identifier

[0065] HPLMN Home Public Land Mobile Network

[0066] HR Home Routing

[0067] ID Identifier

[0068] IP Internet Protocol

[0069] LBO Local Burst

[0070] MOS Mean Opinion Score

[0071] N3GPP Non-3GPP

[0072] NEF Network Exposure Function

[0073] NF Network Function

[0074] NR New Radio

[0075] NRF Network Storage Function

[0076] NS Network Slicing

[0077] NSI Network Slice Instance / Individual

[0078] NSI ID Network Slice Instance / Individual Identifier

[0079] NSSAI Network Slice Selection Assistance Information

[0080] NSSF network slice selection function

[0081] NWDAF network data analysis function

[0082] OAM Operation and Maintenance

[0083] PCF Policy Control Function

[0084] PDU Protocol Data Unit

[0085] PLMN Public Land Mobile Network

[0086] QFI QoS Flow Identifier

[0087] QoE Quality of Experience

[0088] QoS Quality of Service

[0089] Rel version

[0090] RSRP Reference Signal Received Power

[0091] RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality

[0092] SA2 Services and Systems Aspects Working Group 2

[0093] SCP Service Communication Proxy

[0094] SINR Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio

[0095] SLA Slice Service Level Agreement

[0096] SMF session management functions

[0097] S-NSSAI Single Network Slice Selection Auxiliary Information

[0098] SUPI Subscription Persistent Identifier

[0099] TA Tracking Area

[0100] TAI Tracking Area Identifier

[0101] TS Technical Specifications

[0102] UCU User Configuration Update

[0103] UDM Unified Data Management

[0104] UDR Unified Data Storage

[0105] UE User Equipment

[0106] UPF User Plane Function

[0107] URI Uniform Resource Identifier

[0108] The following description of examples of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. The description includes various specific details to assist in understanding. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications to the examples described herein may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0109] The same or similar components may be designated by the same or similar reference numerals although they may be shown in different drawings.

[0110] For the sake of clarity and conciseness, and to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of techniques, structures, configurations, functions, or processes known in the art may be omitted.

[0111] The terms and words used herein are not limited to the bibliographical or standard meanings, but, are merely used to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the present disclosure.

[0112] Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words “comprise,” “include,” and “contain,” and variations of these words, such as “comprising” and “comprises,” mean “including but not limited to,” and are not intended to (and do not) exclude other features, elements, components, integers, processes, operations, functions, characteristics, properties, and / or groups thereof.

[0113] Throughout the description and claims of this specification, singular forms such as "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the context requires otherwise. For example, reference to "an object" includes reference to one or more of such objects.

[0114] Throughout the description and claims of this specification, language in the general form of "X for Y" (where Y is some action, procedure, operation, function or activity, and X is some means for performing the action, procedure, operation, function or activity) encompasses means X that is specifically, but not necessarily exclusively, adapted, configured or arranged to perform Y.

[0115] Features, elements, components, integers, processes, operations, functions, characteristics, properties, and / or groups thereof described or disclosed in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment, example, or claim of the disclosure shall be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment, example, or claim described herein unless incompatible therewith.

[0116] Certain examples of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatus, and systems for determining an analysis of the service experience of a network slice instance in a network. For example, certain examples of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatus, and systems for performing management of QoE in a network. For example, certain examples of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatus, and systems for management of NSI-level QoE in 3GPP 5GC using NWDAF data analysis. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples and may be applied to any suitable system or standard, such as one or more existing and / or future generations of wireless communication systems or standards, including any existing or future versions of the same standard specification (e.g., 3GPP 5GC).

[0117] It will be understood that examples of the present disclosure may be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Any such software may be in the form of a volatile or non-volatile storage device (e.g., a storage device such as a read-only memory (ROM), whether erasable or rewritable), or in the form of a memory (such as, for example, a random access memory (RAM), a memory chip, a device, or an integrated circuit), or stored on an optical or magnetically readable medium (such as, for example, a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a disk, or a tape, etc.). Certain examples of the present disclosure may provide a computer program including instructions or codes that, when executed, implement a method, system, and / or device according to any aspect, claim, example, and / or embodiment disclosed herein. Certain examples of the present disclosure provide a machine-readable storage device that stores such a program.

[0118] In 3GPP 5GS, the following are defined (e.g., in 3GPP TS 23.501). A network slice (NS) is defined as a logical network that provides specific network capabilities and network characteristics. A network slice instance (NSI) is defined as a collection of network function instances and the required resources (e.g., computing, storage, and networking resources) that form a deployed NS. A network function (NF) is defined as a 3GPP-adopted or 3GPP-defined processing function in a network with defined functional behavior and 3GPP-defined interfaces. The NFs in 3GPP 5GC include a network data analysis function (NWDAF) (as defined in 3GPP TS 23.288) and a network slice selection function (NSSF).

[0119] NSSF supports functions including selecting the NSI set for serving UEs. NWDAF provides load level information to NF at the network slice instance level. NWDAF notifies the NFs that subscribe to it of slice-specific network status analysis information. NF can collect slice-specific network status analysis information directly from NWDAF. NSSF can be a consumer of network analysis provided by NWDAF. NSSF can use the load level information provided by NWDAF for slice selection.

[0120] A key issue in the 3GPP SA2 Enablers for Network Automation (eNA) work item (in both Rel-16 and Rel-17) is how to guarantee the slice service level agreement (SLA). Therefore, the standardization working group is currently studying how NWDAF and the different analyses it provides can help to guarantee the SLA of the slices previously agreed between the tenant and the operator.

[0121] In Rel-16, SA2 has specified two types of analysis at the slice level, namely i) slice load and ii) slice quality of experience (QoE) analysis. These analyses can allow control plane mechanisms to be triggered at the slice level. In Rel-16, a single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) ("slice") can be implemented by more than one NSI in the network. According to the current specification standards, there is currently no control plane mechanism that allows the determination of the QoE of the NSI and the execution of any action at such an NSI level, because the current control plane mechanism only considers the NF and S-NSSAI levels.

[0122] The above information is presented as background information only to assist in understanding the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion has been made, as to whether any of the above content may be used as prior art with respect to the present disclosure.

[0123] The following examples apply to 3GPP 5GS and use professional terms associated with 3GPP 5GS. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the technology disclosed herein is not limited to 3GPP 5GS. For example, the functions of the various network entities disclosed herein can be applied to corresponding or equivalent entities in other communication systems or standards. Corresponding or equivalent entities can be regarded as entities that perform the same or similar roles within the network. For example, the functions of NWDAF in the following examples can be applied to any other suitable type of entity that provides network analysis, the functions of NSSF in the following examples can be applied to any other suitable type of entity that performs network slice selection functions, the functions of AMF in the following examples can be applied to any other suitable type of entity that performs mobility management functions, the functions of SMF in the following examples can be applied to any other suitable type of entity that performs session management functions, and the functions of AF in the following examples can be applied to any other suitable type of entity that performs application functions. Those skilled in the art will also understand that the transmission of information between network entities is not limited to the specific form or type of message described with respect to the examples disclosed herein.

[0124] In the following, a network slice (NS) may be defined as a logical network that provides specific network capabilities and network characteristics, a network slice instance (NSI) may be defined as a collection of network function instances and required resources (e.g., computing, storage, and networking resources) that form a deployed network slice, and an NSI ID may be defined as an identifier for identifying the core network portion of a network slice instance when multiple network slice instances of the same network slice are deployed, and need to be distinguished between them in the 5GC.

[0125] Network slices may differ in terms of supported features and network function optimizations, in which case such network slices may have different S-NSSAIs, e.g. with different slice / service types. An operator may deploy multiple network slices that deliver exactly the same features but target different groups of UEs, e.g. because they deliver different promised services and / or because they are dedicated to customers, in which case such network slices may have different S-NSSAIs, e.g. with the same slice / service type but different slice discriminators.

[0126] The network can simultaneously serve a single UE with one or more network slice instances via the 5G-AN, regardless of the (multiple) access types (i.e., 3GPP access and / or N3GPP access) to which the UE is registered. The AMF instance serving the UE logically belongs to each of the network slice instances serving the UE, i.e., the AMF instance is common to the network slice instance serving the UE.

[0127] The selection of a set of network slice instances for a UE is triggered by the first AMF contacted during the registration process, typically through interaction with the NSSF, and can result in a change of the AMF.

[0128] Hereinafter, a protocol data unit (PDU) connection service may be defined as a service providing PDU exchange between a UE and a data network, and a PDU session may be defined as an association between a UE and a data network providing the PDU connection service.

[0129] A PDU Session belongs to one and only one specific network slice instance per PLMN. Different network slice instances do not share PDU Sessions, although different network slice instances can have slice-specific PDU Sessions using the same DNN.

[0130] The UE's set of network slices may be changed at any time while the UE is registered with the network, and may be initiated by the network or the UE under certain conditions as described below.

[0131] Based on local policy, subscription changes and / or UE mobility, operational reasons (e.g., the network slice instance is no longer available or load level information of the network slice instance provided by the NWDAF), the network may change the set of network slices to which the UE is registered for each access type through which the UE is registered, and provide the UE with a new registration area and / or allowed NSSAI and a mapping of the allowed NSSAI to the HPLMN S-NSSAI.

[0132] In the following example, the network may include a user equipment (UE), an access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, a network slice selection function (NSSF) entity, a network data analysis function (NWDAF) entity, a session management function (SMF) entity, an application function (AF) entity, and one or more other network function (NF) entities.

[0133] Specific network functions can be implemented as network elements on dedicated hardware, software instances running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on an appropriate platform (e.g., on a cloud infrastructure). NF services can be defined as functions exposed by NFs through service-based interfaces and consumed by other authorized NFs.

[0134] NWDAF represents an operator-managed network analysis logical function that provides slice-specific network data analysis to NF. The stage 2 architecture enhancements to 5GS that support network data analysis services in 5GC are defined in 3GPP TS 23.288 (e.g., V16.0.0). NWDAF is part of the architecture specified in 3GPP TS 23.501 (e.g., V 15.6.0).

[0135] The NWDAF service is used to expose load level analytics from the NWDAF to consumer NFs (e.g., NSSF). Analytics can be filtered by (i) network slice instances, (ii) load level thresholds reported by the NWDAF when the load level crosses the threshold provided in the analytics subscription, if no threshold is provided in the subscription, the reporting (notification operation) is assumed to be periodic.

[0136] NWDAF provides load level information to NF at the network slice instance level. NWDAF does not need to know the current subscribers using the slice. NWDAF notifies the NFs subscribed to it of slice-specific network status analysis information. NF can collect slice-specific network status analysis information directly from NWDAF. This information is not subscriber-specific.

[0137] 5GC AMF receives all connection and session related information from UE (N1 / N2), but is only responsible for handling connection and mobility management tasks. All messages related to session management are forwarded to SMF through the N11 reference interface. AMF acts as the access point of 5GC. The functional description of AMF is given in 3GPP TS 23.501 Section 6.2.1.

[0138] The functional description of NSSF is given in 3GPP TS 23.501 clause 6.2.14. NSSF supports the following functions: (i) select the set of network slice instances to serve the UE, (ii) determine the allowed NSSAI and, if necessary, the mapping to the subscribed S-NSSAI, (iii) determine the configured NSSAI and, if necessary, the mapping to the subscribed S-NSSAI, (iv) determine the set of AMFs to be used to serve the UE, possibly by querying the NRF, or determine the list of (multiple) candidate AMFs based on the configuration.

[0139] The functional description of SMF is given in 3GPP TS 23.501 Section 6.2.2. SMF includes a function including session management (eg, session establishment, modification and release) including tunnel maintenance between UPF and AN nodes.

[0140] The functional description of AF is given in 3GPP TS 23.501 Section 6.2.10. The Application Function (AF) interacts with the 3GPP core network to provide services, for example to support the following: (i) application impact on service routing, (ii) access network exposure functions, (iii) interaction with the policy framework for policy control.

[0141] A key issue in the 3GPP SA2 Enablers for Network Automation (eNA) work item (in both Rel-16 and Rel-17) is how to guarantee a slice service level agreement (SLA). Therefore, the standardization working group is currently studying the task of how NWDAF and the different analyses it provides can help guarantee the SLA of slices previously agreed between tenants and operators. The solution to this problem may need to be constrained to control plane based mechanisms, so in some examples of the present disclosure, no operations administration and maintenance (OAM) specific mechanisms may be implemented.

[0142] Figure 1 The composition of S-NSSAI according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0143] refer to Figure 1 As a control plane-based mechanism for handling slices, there are three relevant concepts that can be considered, as defined in 3GPP TS 23.501 "System Architecture for the 5G System, Stage 2" v16.1.0, namely network slices (identified by S-NSSAI in the 3GPP specification), network slice instances (identified by the currently optional NSI ID in the 3GPP specification), and network functions (NFs). Figure 1 As shown, they are hierarchically related. In certain examples of the present disclosure, for the purpose of this discussion, the new 3GPP concepts of NF Set and NF Service Set may be ignored, because NF Set may be viewed as NF Instance, and NF Service Set is part of NF Instance. NF Set contains multiple NF Instances of the same type, which share (or can transfer) context data and are interchangeable, and thus may be viewed as equivalent to NF Instance. In certain examples of the present disclosure, Service Communication Proxy (SCP) may also be ignored in the context of this discussion.

[0144] In Rel-16, SA2 has specified two types of analysis at the slice level, namely i) slice load and ii) slice quality of experience (QoE) analysis. These analyses can allow the control plane mechanism to be triggered at the slice level.

[0145] Slice load: Slice load level data analytics as described in 3GPP TS 23.288 “Architecture enhancements for 5G System (5GS) to support network data analytics services” v16.1.0 refers to NSI level and is provided in two possible formats, i) when a load threshold is provided by the consumer NF as an analytics filter in the Slice Load Subscription message, the NWDAF notifies the consumer NF of such threshold crossing every time such threshold crossing occurs, and ii) when no load threshold is provided by the consumer NF, the NWDAF provides periodic notifications to the consumer NF reporting the NSI load. The specification lacks details on how slice load is calculated and reported (e.g. in the absence of a threshold), how input data is collected by the NWDAF, and how statistics and predictions on the load are obtained and reported.

[0146] Slice QoE, Slice QoE analytics as described in 3GPP TS 23.288 “Architecture enhancements for 5G System (5GS) to support network data analytics services” v16.1.0 refers to the S-NSSAI level and is derived using observed service experience analytics provided to UE / applications on such S-NSSAI. The mean opinion score (MOS) value for service experience is obtained from the corresponding application function (AF) and other relevant network data is obtained from different 5GC NFs. However, the specification currently lacks details on how to perform input data collection for NWDAF on other 5GC NFs, as the event ID of the NF that should allow such network data to be delivered to the NWDAF is often missing from the specification.

[0147] The examples of the present disclosure relate to the field of data analysis for network automation. Based on the existing framework, the examples of the present disclosure provide a mechanism that allows NSI-level slice QoE metrics to be determined and / or predicted at the 5GC, thereby enabling subsequent NSI-level control plane mechanisms to be triggered to help the slice SLA guarantee process. An example of such an NSI-based control plane mechanism is slice load (re)distribution. Using NSI-level QoE metrics, in the event that, for example, one of the NSIs fails and the network detects the failure via the proposed mechanism in the present disclosure, the network can trigger the redistribution of the load between the NSIs. In addition, if the load is unevenly distributed between the NSIs (for example, for power efficiency reasons) and the network detects that no SLA degradation problem is occurring or is predicted to occur via the NSI-level QoE mechanism according to the examples of the present disclosure, such an uneven distribution of load can be maintained. On the contrary, if such an SLA degradation is indeed occurring or is predicted to occur on a particular NSI, the network can trigger NSI-based load redistribution.

[0148] Therefore, the examples of the present disclosure solve the problem that the control plane uses the available NWDAF analysis to determine and / or predict the QoE of the NSI that is part of the S-NSSAI so that other NSI level mechanisms can be triggered to guarantee the slice SLA. There is a lack of specifications in Rel-16 on how the QoE of a network slice / network slice instance is determined by the control plane and provided as an analysis. In addition, the NWDAF specification in 3GPP TS 23.288 "Architecture enhancements for 5G System (5GS) to support network data analytics services" v16.1.0 does not consider the case where the S-NSSAI ("slice") is implemented in the network by more than one NSI. For a single-NSI S-NSSAI, the specification supports the possibility of providing a slice service experience for one specific S-NSSAI. However, if the S-NSAAI consists of several NSIs, it is currently impossible to determine and / or predict the QoE of the NSI.

[0149] There are several reasons why operators are interested in having more than one NSI per S-NSSAI. Among them, the following reasons can be highlighted in this context:

[0150] One NSI per data center for resiliency purposes.

[0151] One NSI per geographic region to manage latency and also improve resiliency.

[0152] One NSI per vendor to minimize interaction between vendors.

[0153] Multiple NSIs to contain the impact of severe network failures (reducing the chance of a failure in one section spreading to other sections).

[0154] Multiple NSIs to control the rollout of new software / devices.

[0155] In some examples of the present disclosure, even if there are multiple NSIs logically, not all NSIs need to be operational. Additional NSIs may be instantiated when the network requires it, and similarly, an NSI may be de-instantiated at some point if determined by the network for, for example, power consumption reasons. De-instantiation of an NSI requires that its remaining load be redistributed to another NSI before the de-instantiation itself is performed.

[0156] Assuming that the S-NSSAI consists of more than one NSI, NSI QoE needs to be taken into account when NSI allocation occurs, which is decided by the AMF and NSSF as specified in 3GPP TS 23.501 "System Architecture for the 5G System, Stage 2" v16.1.0. The NSI of the UE to be used for the S-NSSAI can be selected at UE registration time, or it can be decided when a PDU session is established. In the latter case, a different NSI can in principle be used for each PDU session establishment, or an NSI can be selected for future sessions (and this NSI can replace the one selected at UE registration time). Whether new PDU session requests will change the NSI to which they are assigned, or existing PDU sessions can be directed to a different NSI, this will be triggered by the NSI level QoE determination.

[0157] Certain examples of the present disclosure address the question of how to use available NWDAF analysis to determine and / or predict the QoE of an NSI as part of an S-NSSAI.

[0158] Those skilled in the art will understand that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific examples disclosed herein. For example, the technology disclosed herein is not limited to 3GPP 5G. One or more entities in the examples disclosed herein may be replaced with one or more alternative entities that perform equivalent or corresponding functions, processes, or operations. One or more of the messages in the examples disclosed herein may be replaced with one or more alternative messages, signals, or other types of information carriers that communicate equivalent or corresponding information. Those skilled in the art will understand that one or more additional elements or entities may be added to the examples disclosed herein. Those skilled in the art will also understand that one or more non-essential elements or entities may be omitted in certain examples. For example, the use of Figure 6 and Figure 8 One or more of the messages indicated by the dotted arrows shown in . The function, process or operation of a particular entity in one example may be divided between two or more separate entities in an alternative example. The function, process or operation of two or more separate entities in one example may be performed by a single entity in an alternative example. The information carried by a particular message in one example may be carried by two or more separate messages in an alternative example. The information carried by two or more separate messages in one example may be carried by a single message in an alternative example. In alternative examples, the order in which operations are performed and / or the order in which messages are sent may be modified if possible.

[0159] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various examples of the present disclosure provide a technique (e.g., method, apparatus, system, etc.) for determining an analysis of the service experience of a network slice instance. One example of such an analysis is an analysis involving quality of service (QoS). For example, the analysis may include statistics and / or predictions of the QoE of a network slice instance. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the analysis in the examples of the present disclosure is not limited to QoE or these specific examples. One example of QoS is a mean opinion score (MOS), although those skilled in the art will appreciate that the QoS in the examples of the present disclosure is not limited to this specific example.

[0160] Certain examples of the present disclosure relate to information for determining (or identifying, distinguishing, discovering, etc.) a mapping between a set of one or more UEs and a set of one or more network slice instances. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some examples, such a mapping may refer to the allocation information of each UE to the corresponding network slice instance, although the examples of the present disclosure are not limited to this particular definition. The mapping may be defined in a direct or indirect manner. The mapping may be defined in an explicit or implicit manner.

[0161] Throughout the disclosure, a "network slice instance" or "network slice instance" may be defined as a collection of network function instances and required resources (e.g., computing, storage, and networking resources) that form a deployed network slice. The terms "network slice instance" and "network slice instance" may be used interchangeably in this disclosure and may both be referred to by the abbreviation "NSI".

[0162] In certain examples of the present disclosure, a first entity may request information from a second entity. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that such requests may be made according to any suitable scheme. For example, the request may be a "one-time" request, in which the second entity provides the requested information once for each separate request made by the first entity. The request may include a request for subscription information, such that the second entity provides the requested information to the first entity multiple times in response to a single request (subscription request). Once a subscription is established, the second entity may provide the requested information to the first entity according to any suitable scheme (e.g., periodically, or whenever one or more predefined criteria are met).

[0163] Examples of the present disclosure allow the control plane to determine and / or predict NSI QoE and act upon it by using mechanisms available at the 5GC NF. Examples of the present disclosure do not require OAM mechanisms to facilitate such operations, as is currently done in legacy networks (i.e., 3G, 4G, and Rel-15 5G). References herein to determining NSI QoE also include references to predicting NSI QoE.

[0164] Certain examples of the present disclosure provide control plane mechanisms to guarantee slice SLAs facilitated by data analytics supported by the introduction of NWDAF in 5GC during Rel-16 and slice level analytics (i.e., by NWDAF in 5GC). Slices represented by S-NSSAI in 5GC in Rel-165G are composed of different NSIs. Examples of the present disclosure address the problem of determining and / or predicting the QoE of the individual NSIs that form the S-NSSAI as a key way to allow execution of NSI-level control plane mechanisms that mitigate any slice QoE issues that may reach the S-NSSAI level.

[0165] As per current specification standards, there is currently no control plane mechanism enabled that allows determining and / or predicting the QoE of an NSI and performing any actions at such an NSI level, because current control plane mechanisms only consider the NF and S-NSSAI levels. One obstacle is that it is currently not possible to have an entity (i.e., 5GC NF) with information about the UEs assigned to a specific NSI and their service experience values, so that QoE metrics within the NSI range can be derived and reacted to. The examples of this disclosure clarify the following for the task of obtaining / deriving NSI-level QoE information:

[0166] Identify the most convenient NF to obtain the required data and / or derive the QoE metrics within the NSI range.

[0167] Develop processes centered around the identified NFs that implement such tasks.

[0168] One option of relatively low technical complexity to solve the above problem is to allow the NSSF to store UE level data whenever a registration procedure is performed. This solution is technically simple, but the current direction of the 5GC NF specifications makes such a solution unlikely to be enabled. Nevertheless, the following alternative 1-0 is provided to take this possibility into account:

[0169] Alternative 1-0: The NSSF receives the SUPI with the Registration Request from the AMF, therefore, the NSSF shall decide the NSI ID knowing the SUPI to which such NSI ID is assigned. In this case, no new procedures are required to enable the NSSF to derive the NSI level QoE using the NWDAF analysis currently specified in 3GPP TS 23.288 "Architecture enhancements for 5G System (5GS) to support network data analytics services" v16.1.0.

[0170] As specifications evolve over time, there may be multiple ways in which NSI level QoE may be determined and / or predicted, as well as many NSI level processes that may be triggered when utilizing the aforementioned metrics. Certain examples of the present disclosure specifically identify NSSF as a possible entity for NSI QoE determination and / or prediction tasks (alternatives 1-1 to 1-3), while certain other examples of the present disclosure identify NWDAF as a possible entity for performing such a role (alternatives 2-1-1 to 2-1-3 and 2-2). However, both NSSF and NWDAF currently lack the above information to perform this task. In this regard, the following suggestions are disclosed, which differ in the processes they require in the specifications and the network costs that need to be paid to make the information available:

[0171] Alternative 1-1: A new service on AMF is required that allows NF (NSSF) to ask which UEs have sessions on which NSIs. AMF needs to be informed of the NSI ID being used for PDU sessions.

[0172] Alternative 1-2: A new event ID for the Namf_EventExposure service is required, which allows the NSSF to be notified when a PDU Session is established in a specific NSI. The event notification includes the SUPI of the UE. The AMF needs to be informed of the NSIID being used for the PDU Session.

[0173] Alternative 1-3: Introduce a new service on the SMF that allows the NSSF to seek a list of UEs with active PDU sessions and their corresponding NSI IDs.

[0174] In addition, certain examples of the present disclosure provide a second set of alternative solutions, where the collection of NSI to UE mapping information occurs at the NWDAF instead of the NSSF. The required services are the same as in the alternatives listed above, but the consumer NF is the NWDAF instead of the NSSF. This set of alternatives effectively means that the NWDAF can provide NSI level QoE analysis, so this information can be transmitted to the NSSF as a list of QoE values ​​for all UEs on the NSI of interest or as a single aggregate value that directly represents the NSI QoE.

[0175] Alternatives 2-1-1 to 2-1-3: These solutions centered around NWDAF are similar to the set of the above three alternatives centered around AMF (alternatives 1-1 to 1-3), but NWDAF assumes the role of delivery of the required information collected by the AMF and used for analysis. The QoE value(s) of the NSI(s) of interest are thus communicated to the NSSF.

[0176] Alternative 2-2: In this solution, NWDAF provides a mapping with a list of SUPI and NSI IDs as part of the analysis output for analysis types other than slice service experience (e.g., slice load). NSSF then utilizes the mapping and S-NSSAI service experience value to derive NSI QoE.

[0177] Alternative 2-3: In this solution, analysis filters can be based on areas of interest and used to determine service experience statistics and predictions for an NSI ID or a set of NSI IDs. The mapping of SUPI (i.e., UE ID) to NSI ID can be performed at the NWDAF via a process of NWDAF data collection that leverages existing AMF events and event open services and the newly proposed slice-related event filters. In addition, a mapping of S-NSSAI, (multiple) NSI IDs, and (multiple) application service experiences can be provided as output analysis. In some examples, it can be assumed that the consumer of the NWDAF analysis also provides the NSI ID of interest as an analysis filter in addition to the corresponding S-NSSAI.

[0178] The following will refer to Figures 3 to 10 The above alternatives are described in more detail.

[0179] Furthermore, in certain examples of the present disclosure, the task of determining and / or predicting NSI QoE at the control plane may also be performed by employing multiple instances of NSSF and / or NWDAF, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above alternative solutions may be easily extended to take into account such scenarios.

[0180] As mentioned before, although there is no support in the standard for NWDAF to provide NSI QoE analysis, the Rel-16 specification already describes the possibility for NSSF to subscribe to information from NWDAF about the load level of a Network Slice Instance (NSI).

[0181] Figure 2 Examples of how the techniques disclosed herein may be used are shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0182] In this example, the NSSF subscribes to slice level load analysis, where the analysis is provided for the NSI ID specified in the subscription. The NWDAF derives the requested analysis and transmits them to the NSSF. Upon receiving such an analysis, without information about the NSI level QoE, the NSSF may not have enough information to determine whether NSI load redistribution is required. This may occur, for example, in the case of a failed NSI or an unevenly loaded system with several NSIs, but there is no clear reason to start a load balancing process that may occupy the signaling resources of the network. For these reasons, the NSSF can trigger a process to determine the NSI QoE for the NSI ID for which the load analysis is received. After completing the process, and in addition to the NSI load analysis (which may include statistics about the past or predictions about the future), using the available NSI QoE information, the network will be more informed to trigger the NSI level mechanism, which in this case can be a load redistribution process to unload the failed NSI that may deteriorate the slice QoE performance at the S-NSSAI level.

[0183] refer to Figure 2 As part of the NSI QoS determination process, NSSF can subscribe to MOS statistics notifications from NWDAF. To do this, NSSF calls Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Subscribe with application (App) ID, S-NSSAI, analysis ID = SE and DNN as input parameters. This actually triggers NWDAF to call Naf_EventExposure_Subscribe with application ID, service experience, subscription target = any UE as input parameters. NWDAF should also call Nnf_EventExposure_Subscribe (where "nf" replaces any 5GC NF with relevant information for input data collected at NWDAF). It is assumed that the target 5GC NF contains an event ID that allows the information to be delivered to NWDAF whenever prompted, and the input parameters of the event open subscription are provided according to the specifications of those relevant event IDs. In addition, as part of the NSIQoS determination function, actions can be performed per NSI to try to discover whether one of them is the cause of insufficient service experience. For example, NSSF can create a UE group from a randomly selected set of UEs that it knows are using the NSI. It can then call Naf_EventExposure_Subscribe to the AF with a random UE group as the target of the subscription. The NSSF can do this for each NSI and use the result to determine if one of the NSIs is the source of the problem. In any case, the NSSF should find out which UEs are using which NSIs, the process is described in the different alternatives presented below.

[0184] Figure 2 Techniques utilized according to embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.

[0185] refer to Figure 2 , shows examples of actions that the network can take following a determination of NSI QoE. If the estimated service experience is unacceptable (or if the service experience is trending towards being unacceptable), some action may be required. For example, the NSSF may understand based on past measurements whether exceeding the load level in any NSI may cause service experience issues, and may direct future PDU sessions to a different NSI. In fact, it should already be doing this to avoid crossing a "generic" threshold, but NSI-specific QoE and correlation based on load history may be exploited at the NSSF to optimize the performance of load distribution decisions.

[0186] Now refer to Figures 3 to 7 The above-mentioned various alternatives for collecting the required information so that the 5GC NF (e.g., NSSF) can derive the NSI QoE metrics are described in more detail.

[0187] Alternative 1-0

[0188] As discussed above, this solution assumes that the UE's SUPI is shared with the NSSF during registration, so when the NSI is selected, the NSSF will have stored the SUPI and NSI ID mapping. In this case, the Service Experience Analysis (MOS) provided by the NWDAF alone along with the SUPI is sufficient for the NSSF to determine the NSI QoE.

[0189] Alternative 1-1

[0190] Figure 3 A call flow of alternative 1-1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0191] refer to Figure 3 , a new AMF service is defined where the AMF can provide a list of SUPIs assigned to a certain (certain) NSI ID. The service is "Namf_Communication_UENSIAssignment". Therefore, the way this solution can be applied is that the NSSF first subscribes to the slice service experience analysis, indicating "any UE" in the request. When receiving the list of service experience values ​​for all UEs in the S-NSSAI, the NSSF requests the AMF for the list of SUPIs in the NSI of interest, and when receiving this information, the NSSF is able to determine the QoE of the NSI by aggregating the selected service experience values ​​from the UEs on the NSI.

[0192] Namf_Communication_UENSIAssignment service

[0193] Service Description: This service enables the AMF to provide information about the UEs that have been assigned to a certain NSI ID.

[0194] Service operation name: Namf_Communication_UENSIAssignment_Request

[0195] Description: This service operation enables a NF service consumer (e.g., NSSF) to request a list of SUPIs that have been assigned to an NSI ID or a set of NSI IDs.

[0196] Input, required: The NSI ID of the NSI of interest.

[0197] Input, optional: None.

[0198] Output, required: None.

[0199] Output, optional: None.

[0200] Service operation name: Namf_Communication_UENSIAssignment_Response

[0201] Description: This service operation enables the AMF to provide the NF service consumer (e.g. NSSF) with the list of SUPIs of the UEs assigned to the NSI ID indicated in the request.

[0202] Input, required: List of SUPI(s).

[0203] Input, optional: NSI ID (if multiple NSI IDs were indicated in the request).

[0204] Output, required: None.

[0205] Output, optional: None.

[0206] Alternative 1-2

[0207] Figure 4 The call flow of alternative 1-2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0208] refer to Figure 4, a new event ID is defined for the AMF where a notification is delivered whenever an NSI ID (or one within a set of NSI IDs) is used for a new PDU session establishment. The new event ID is "NSI ID allocation". The consumer NF in this solution is the NSSF, which subscribes to such notifications from the AMF, indicating the NSI ID(s) of interest and "Any UE" as the subscription target. The NSI ID(s) are those IDs for which a QoE determination is intended to be made, i.e. Figure 4 In the example shown in , they should correspond to the NSI associated with the S-NSSAI for which service experience analysis has been requested. For this new event ID, an associated new event filter needs to be defined, i.e. the NSI ID for which the event ID has been defined. The event open service at the AMF can be utilized as it is currently stated in 3GPP TS 23.502 "Procedures for the 5G System, Stage 2" v16.1.1 without further modification.

[0209] Alternatives 1-3

[0210] Figure 5 Call flows for alternatives 1-3 according to embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.

[0211] refer to Figure 5 ,Similar to solution 1-2, this solution utilizes a new event ID for event opening, but the NF providing the service is the SMF. A new event ID needs to be created at the SMF, where each time an NSI ID allocation occurs, a notification is transmitted to the subscriber NF (NSSF in this case) with the NSI ID, SUPI and PDU Session ID that have been allocated.

[0212] Alternative 2-1

[0213] Figure 6 The call flows of alternatives 2-1-1, 2-1-2 and 2-1-3 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown.

[0214] refer to Figure 6 , this alternative utilizes the NWDAF input collection process to obtain the mapping of SUPI to NSI ID in a number of optional ways similar to the different alternatives described above. This option includes using one of the following services:

[0215] Namf_EventExposure service with a new event ID defined for NSI ID assignment. The response message contains the NSI ID and the list of SUPIs assigned to such NSI ID.

[0216] Nsmf_EventExposure service with a new event ID defined for NSI ID assignment. The response contains the NSIID, SUPI list and PDU Session ID.

[0217] Namf_Communication_NSIUEAssignment service to request the NSI IDs assigned to a list of SUPIs of interest. This is a new service that does not currently exist in the specification and its description can be found below.

[0218] Namf_Communication_NSIUEAssignment Service

[0219] Service Description: This service enables the AMF to provide information about the NSI IDs assigned to a set of UEs to the NF service consumer.

[0220] Service operation name: Namf_Communication_UENSIAssignment_Request

[0221] Description: This service operation enables a NF service consumer (e.g. NWDAF) to request from the AMF the NSI ID that has been assigned to a SUPI or SUPI set.

[0222] Input, required: SUPI(s) of interest.

[0223] Input, optional: None.

[0224] Output, required: None.

[0225] Output, optional: None.

[0226] Service operation name: Namf_Communication_UENSIAssignment_Response

[0227] Description: This service operation enables the AMF to provide the NSI ID assigned to the UE identified by the UE's SUPI(s) in the Service Request to the NF Service Consumer (e.g. NWDAF).

[0228] Input, required: NSI ID(s).

[0229] Input, optional: SUPI(s) of interest.

[0230] Output, required: None.

[0231] Output, optional: None.

[0232] In case information about SUPI to NSI mapping is available, NWDAF can provide service experience output analysis where each SUPI is mapped to one NSI ID. Such information can then be easily used by NSSF to derive QoE values ​​within the NSI range.

[0233] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 6 Combines all three of the above services (corresponding to Figure 6 ), while some examples of the present disclosure may include only one of these services (corresponding to a pair of message exchanges) and omit the other two services.

[0234] Alternative 2-2

[0235] Figure 7 A call flow of alternative 2-2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0236] refer to Figure 7 , this solution assumes that the NWDAF can still provide the required mapping of SUPI and (multiple) NSI IDs to determine NSI QoE, but such mapping is obtained via an alternative type of analysis other than slice QoE. Specifically, Figure 7 An example is shown where such a mapping is inferred as part of the NWDAF analysis output provided in the context of slice load analysis, where the SUPI(s) assigned to a certain NSI ID are provided in an analysis notification message delivered by the NWDAF to the NSSF.

[0237] Alternative 2-3

[0238] Figure 8 The call flow of alternative 2-3 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0239] refer to Figure 8 , an example of this solution, where each of the operations in the flowchart can be described as follows:

[0240] 1. Consumer NFs may require slice instance analysis for multiple reasons (e.g., service experience analysis). One example is that the NSSF requires them for the purpose of performing load distribution across slice instances (i.e., across different NSI IDs). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this technology is not limited to load distribution, and that the analysis may be used by any suitable network entity for any suitable purpose.

[0241] 2. The consumer NF may request a slice instance service experience analysis from the NWDAF (or any other suitable network entity that provides similar, corresponding, or equivalent analysis). The analysis may be requested in any suitable manner. For example, the consumer NF may request the analysis: i) by requesting (e.g., seeking a single report in response to the request) an analysis from the NWDAF, such as the analysis ID "service experience", or ii) by subscribing (e.g., seeking periodic reports or seeking reports when predetermined criteria are met) an analysis from the NWDAF, such as the analysis ID "service experience". In some examples, the target of the analysis report may be set to "any UE". In some examples, one or more filters may be used. For example, if available, the following analysis filters (or filtering parameters) may be provided: area of ​​interest, S-NSSAI and / or (multiple) NSIIDs. Figure 8 In the example shown in FIG, the target of the analysis report is set to "Any UE" and the analysis filter area of ​​interest, S-NSSAI and NSI ID are used.

[0242] 3. In some examples, the NWDAF may determine whether it already has certain information needed to provide the requested analysis to the consumer NF, for example, information of the SUPIs currently registered on the (multiple) NSI IDs of interest provided by the consumer NF. If not, the NWDAF goes to operation 4. Otherwise, the NWDAF goes directly to operation 7. In some examples, the determination operation may be omitted, and the NWDAF may go to operation 4 unconditionally. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any suitable type of UE ID (e.g., a network-private "internal" ID) may be used as a substitute for the SUPI.

[0243] 4. The NWDAF performs operations to obtain certain information needed to provide the requested analysis to the consumer NF. For example, the NWDAF may request information from the AMF (or any other suitable network entity that can provide the information). Figure 8 In the example of FIG. 1 , the NWDAF subscribes to AMF events about UE mobility by using the event ID "UE moves into or out of an area of ​​interest", although those skilled in the art will appreciate that this may be omitted in some examples. In some examples, one or more event filters may also be provided to the AMF, which may include, for example, an S-NSSAI and (multiple) NSI IDs of interest. In some examples, the subscription may also contain an event reporting flag set.

[0244] 5. In response to the request from the NWDAF, the AMF may provide the relevant information to the NWDAF. For example, the AMF may respond to the NWDAF's subscription query by providing the NWDAF with the current SUPI (and, if available, GPSI in some examples) registered on the (multiple) NSI IDs of interest. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any suitable type of identifier or identification may be used, and that the present technology is not limited to SUPI and / or GPSI. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any suitable type of UE ID (e.g., an "external" ID known outside the network) may be used as a substitute for GPSI.

[0245] 6. In some examples, after operation 5, the AMF may provide updates to the information provided in operation 5. For example, the updates may be provided continuously or periodically, or may be provided in response to a further request (e.g., from the NWDAF). For example, the AMF may provide the SUPI(s) of the UE(s) leaving or entering the area of ​​interest and registering or deregistering on the NSI ID(s) of interest. This information may be provided continuously (e.g., when an update occurs), periodically, or in response to receiving a request from the NWDAF.

[0246] 7. The NWDAF may continue to collect the remaining input data required for analysis (e.g., service experience analysis). For example, the NWDAF may collect data in a manner as described in 3GPP TS 23.288. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any other suitable manner of collecting this data may be used in alternative examples.

[0247] 8. Using the collected input data, NWDAF can derive analytics (e.g., slice service experience analytics).

[0248] 9. The NWDAF may provide analytics (e.g., slice instance service experience analytics) to the consumer NF in any suitable manner. For example, the NWDAF mapping may provide analytics in any of the following ways: i) continuously, such as by using the Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Notify service operation, or ii) one-time, such as by using the Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo_Request Response service operation.

[0249] From the above detailed explanation, those skilled in the art will appreciate that certain examples may exhibit one or more of the following features:

[0250] Consumer NF (i.e. Figure 8NSSF in the example of can request analysis (e.g., slice service experience analysis). Analysis can be requested for any UE (i.e., all UEs) as the target of the analysis report.

[0251] If multiple network slice instances of the same network slice are deployed, the associated NSI ID may be used in addition to the S-NSSAI.

[0252] Regions of interest (e.g., including TAI sets) may be provided as input to the process to determine statistics (e.g., QoE statistics) and predictions for NSI IDs. Regions of interest may be provided by NF consumers for analysis (e.g., NWDAF analysis). Figure 8 In the example, NSSF is the NF consumer.

[0253] Since in some examples, "any UE" can be the target of the analysis report for collecting SUPI (and, if available, GPSI), the NWDAF can subscribe to the UE mobility event notification of the AMF. In some examples, the event open request can also include an immediate reporting flag as event reporting information.

[0254] In order to utilize the NWDAF event subscription to retrieve the SUPI of interest (and, if available, the GPSI), the UE mobility events of the AMF may include a new event filter that indicates slice-related parameters in addition to the area of ​​interest, such as the S-NSSAI and (multiple) NSI IDs (when available).

[0255] In Table 5.2.2.3.1-1 of 3GPP TS 23.502, the event ID for UE mobility events for AMF is referred to as "UE moves into or out of an area of ​​interest". In certain examples, new event filters may be required for this previously defined event that provides information about the S-NSSAI and NSI ID (if available). Examples of these new event filter specifications to support this solution include the following:

[0256] <Parameter type = S-NSSAI, value = S-NSSAI1>

[0257] <Parameter type = NSI ID, value = NSI ID1>

[0258] The AMF notification response to such an event open request may include a list of SUPIs that match the event filter used to derive network slice instance service experience analytics at the NWDAF.

[0259] In addition, the analysis provided by the NWDAF (e.g., slice instance service experience analysis) may need to take into account the overhead imposed in the network. For example, the output analysis format may be adjusted in some examples so that per-UE information is not included. This is because the number of UEs per network slice / network slice instance may be very high. In this regard, some examples may provide one or more of the following:

[0260] Statistics from the network slice (e.g., service experience statistics) and an optional list of predicted SUPIs.

[0261] When the operator's deployment choices allow, a mapping is introduced in the output analysis format to identify the network slice instances deployed within the network slice.

[0262] Introducing per-network slice instance metrics (e.g., service experience metrics), which can be a complement to per-network slice service experience.

[0263] If only one instance is deployed or the Network Slice Instance Identifier (NSI ID) is not available in the network, a mapping is introduced in the output analysis format to identify the application running on the network slice instance or on the network slice.

[0264] Tables 1 and 2 below show the NWDAF output analysis format for slice service experience.

[0265] [Table 1] Network slicing service experience statistics

[0266]

[0267]

[0268] [Table 2] Network slicing service experience prediction

[0269]

[0270]

[0271] Note: In the case where no network slice instance is deployed or the NSI ID is not available, the size of the list is n = 1. In this case, the NSI ID and slice instance service experience entries in Tables 1 and 2 are optional.

[0272] Fig. 9 A flowchart according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, for example corresponding to Figure 8 .

[0273] Fig.10 A block diagram according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, for example corresponding to Figure 8 .

[0274] refer to Fig. 9 and Fig.10 , in some examples it may be necessary to operate d and e so that the NWDAF also provides application and network slice service experience analysis. In some examples, it may be necessary to retrieve the following data from other network data providers NF (see clause 6.4.2 in TS 23.288):

[0275] SMF: DNN (Data Name Network), Application ID, IP Filter Information, QFI (QoS Flow Identifier)

[0276] UPF (not in Rel-16): QoS flow bit rate, QoS flow packet delay, packet retransmission

[0277] OAM: Timestamp, RSRP, RSRQ, SINR

[0278] Multiple use cases can be defined for various examples of the present disclosure. An example use case is "Slice Service Level Agreement Guarantee via Load Distribution":

[0279] Fig.11 is a flow chart according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0280] refer to Fig.11 , multiple slice instances in a slice are deployed by the operator to i) cover different geographical areas and ii) provide slice elasticity to customers. Slice instance service experience analysis can then be used to guarantee the slice service level agreement (SLA) in 5GC. As an example, the consumer NF can be NSSF. The use case process is described as follows and is presented in Fig.11 It shows:

[0281] NSSF monitors the network slice service experience via NWDAF slice service experience analysis of (multiple) S-NSSAIs (e.g., S-NSSAI_1, S-NSSAI_2, S-NSSAI_3) in operation (operation 1101).

[0282] If / when the service experience of S-NSSAI_1 is predicted to degrade, the NSSF subscribes to the slice instance service experience of (multiple) NSI IDs (e.g., NSI ID_1, NSI_ID2) corresponding to S-NSSAI_1 (operation 1103), for example using the techniques described herein.

[0283] The NSSF may detect the degradation of the service experience in NSI ID_1. Therefore, the NSSF performs load distribution with new UE registrations and assigns them to NSI ID_2 (operation 1105).

[0284] As a result, NSSF helps guarantee the SLA of the entire network slice.

[0285] Fig.12 According to the embodiment of the present disclosure Fig.11 Flowchart of the implementation of the use case in a network shown in FIG.

[0286] refer to Fig.12 , the above example use cases can be implemented in a network, for example, by performing the following operations covering the full operation of the network:

[0287] 1. The UE registers with the network using any suitable method, such as the standard procedure defined in 3GPP TS 23.502 (operation 1201). The selected AMF should support the network slice(s) supported by the UE, such as described in 3GPP TS 23.501.

[0288] 2.AMF selects the network slice identified by S-NSSAI supported by the UE (operation 1203).

[0289] 3. The AMF in coordination with the NSSF selects one or several network slice instances to establish one or more PDU sessions on the required data network (operation 1205).

[0290] 4. The NSSF or AMF decides that the NSSF should subscribe to analysis of the network slice (e.g., observed service experience analysis) from the NWDAF, for example to track the QoE of one or several network slice instances (operation 1207).

[0291] 5. Retrieve service experience data analytics for the network slice instance(s) from the NWDAF (operation 1209). This may be triggered according to any suitable technique, such as regarding Fig.10 and / or Figure 8 Public process.

[0292] 6. Based on the received analysis, the NSSF and / or AMF decides (multiple) new network slice instances for the UE's (multiple) PDU sessions (operation 1211).

[0293] 7. Allocate (multiple) new network slice instances to the UE (operation 1213).

[0294] Certain examples of the present disclosure may be provided in the form of an apparatus / device / network entity configured to perform one or more defined network functions and / or methods thereof. Certain examples of the present disclosure may be provided in the form of a system (e.g., a network) and / or methods thereof including one or more such apparatus / device / network entities.

[0295] Fig.13 is a block diagram of a network entity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0296] refer to Fig.13 , shows a block diagram of network entities that can be used in examples of the present disclosure. For example, AMF, NSSF, NWDAF, SMF, AF and / or other NFs can be used in Fig.13 A person skilled in the art will understand that Fig.13 The network entities shown in may be implemented, for example, as network elements on dedicated hardware, as software instances running on dedicated hardware, or as virtualized functions instantiated on an appropriate platform (eg, on a cloud infrastructure).

[0297] The entity 1300 includes a processor (or controller) 1301, a transmitter 1303, and a receiver 1305. The receiver 1305 is configured to receive one or more messages from one or more other network entities, such as Figures 2 to 12 The sender 1303 is configured to send one or more messages to one or more other network entities, such as Figures 2 to 12 The processor 1301 is configured to execute the above-mentioned Figures 2 to 12 For example, the processor 1301 is configured to perform operations of AMF, NSSF, NWDAF, SMF, AF and / or other NFs.

[0298] The technology described herein can be implemented using any suitably configured device and / or system. Such a device and / or system can be configured to perform a method according to any aspect, embodiment, example disclosed herein or claim of the present disclosure. Such a device may include one or more elements, such as one or more of a receiver, a transmitter, a transceiver, a processor, a controller, a module, a unit, etc., each of which is configured to perform one or more corresponding processes, operations and / or method operations for implementing the technology described herein. For example, the operation / function of X can be performed by a module (or X module) configured to perform X. One or more elements can be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or any combination of hardware and software.

[0299] While the present disclosure has been shown and described with reference to certain examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the following claims.

[0300] Certain examples of the present disclosure provide a method for determining and / or predicting the quality of experience (QoE) of a network slice instance (NSI) in a network including one or more network entities, the method comprising obtaining first information for determining a mapping between a set of one or more user equipments (UEs) and a set of one or more NSIs, obtaining second information for determining the QoE of the set of UEs, and determining the QoE of the NSI based on the first information and the second information.

[0301] In some examples, obtaining the first information may include receiving information from the first network entity indicating which UEs have been assigned to which NSIs.

[0302] In some examples, the method may also include sending a request message to the first network entity requesting information indicating which UEs have been assigned to which NSIs.

[0303] In some examples, obtaining the first information may include receiving one or more messages from the first network entity, each message indicating that the UE has been newly assigned to the NSI.

[0304] In some examples, the method may also include sending a subscription request message to the first network entity for subscribing to event notification information indicating when the UE has been newly assigned to the NSI.

[0305] In some examples, obtaining the first information may include receiving a message from the second network entity including information indicating which UEs have active PDU sessions and information indicating an NSI assigned to the active PDU sessions.

[0306] In some examples, the method may also include sending a subscription request message to the second network entity for subscribing to event notification information indicating when the PDU session has been newly established.

[0307] In some examples, obtaining the second information may include receiving QoE analysis information corresponding to the UE from a third network entity.

[0308] In some examples, the method may further include sending a subscription request message for subscribing to the QoE analysis information to a third network entity.

[0309] In some examples, obtaining the first information, obtaining the second information, and determining the QoE may be performed by the same network entity.

[0310] In some examples, obtaining the first information, obtaining the second information, and determining the QoE are performed by a third network entity or a fourth network entity.

[0311] In some examples, obtaining the first information and obtaining the second information may be performed by the same network entity (A), and determining the QoE may be performed by a different network entity (B) that receives the obtained first network information and the second network information.

[0312] In some examples, obtaining the first information and obtaining the second information may be performed by a third network entity, and determining the QoE may be performed by a fourth network entity.

[0313] In some examples, the method may also include sending the determined QoE from the network entity to another network entity.

[0314] In some examples, one or more of the networks may be a 3GPP 5GC network, the first network entity may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, the second network entity may be a session management function (SMF) entity, the third network entity may be a network data analysis function (NWDAF) entity, and the fourth network entity may be a network slice selection function (NSSF) entity. The information indicating which UEs have been assigned to which NSIs (e.g., Namf_Communication_UENSIAssignment Response or Namf_Communication_NSIUEAssignment Response) may include one or more NSI IDs and one or more SUPIs corresponding to the NSI IDs. The request message for requesting information indicating which UEs have been assigned to which NSIs (e.g., Namf_Communication_UENSIAssignment Request or Namf_Communication_NSIUEAssignment_Request) may include one or more NDI IDs or one or more SUPIs. The message indicating that the UE has been newly assigned to the NSI (e.g., Namf_EventExposure_Notify) may include one or more NSI IDs and / or SUPIs corresponding to the NSI. A subscription request message (e.g., Namf_EventExposure_SubscribeRequest) for subscribing to event notification information indicating when a UE has been newly assigned to an NSI may include an area of ​​interest, an S-NSSAI and (multiple) NSI IDs as event filters, an event ID (e.g., "(multiple) NSI ID allocation" or "area of ​​interest"), an indication of "any UE", and an immediate reporting flag, a subscription response message (e.g., Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe Response) for subscribing to event notification information indicating when a UE has been newly assigned to (multiple) NSI IDs may include the SUPIs assigned to UEs of (multiple) NSI IDs indicated in the subscription request message, a message (e.g., Nsmf_EventExposure_Notify) including information indicating which UEs have active PDU sessions and information indicating the NSIs assigned to the active PDU sessions may include one or more NSI IDs, one or more corresponding SUPIs, and one or more corresponding PDU session IDs, a subscription request message (e.g., Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe Response) for subscribing to event notification information indicating when a UE has been newly assigned to an NSINsmf_EventExposure_Subscribe) may include "eventID", "(multiple) NSI ID allocation" and "any UE" indication, QoE analysis information may include one or more SUPIs and one or more corresponding MOSs, QoE analysis information may also include S-NSSAI and one or more NSI IDs, and a subscription request message for subscribing to QoE analysis information may include S-NSSAI and "any UE" indication, and a subscription request message for subscribing to QoE analysis information may also include one or more NSI IDs. ,

[0315] In some examples, the UE may filter based on an area of ​​interest.

[0316] Certain examples of the present disclosure provide a network comprising a first entity, a second entity and a third entity, the network being configured to perform a method according to any of the aforementioned examples.

[0317] Certain examples of the present disclosure provide a computer program comprising instructions, which, when the program is executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method according to any of the aforementioned examples.

[0318] Certain examples of the present disclosure provide a computer-readable data carrier having stored thereon a computer program according to the aforementioned examples.

[0319] While the present disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method performed by a network data analysis function (NWDAF) entity in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: receiving, from a consumer entity, a request for analysis information associated with a service experience of a network slice, wherein the request comprises analysis filter information, the analysis filter information comprising information of an area of ​​interest and single network slice selection assistance information S-NSSAI for identifying the network slice, the request indicating a target for the analysis to include; In a case where the target of the analysis report is set to any user equipment UE, for sending information for subscribing to events about UE mobility to an access and mobility management function AMF entity by using an event identifier ID indicating that the UE moves into or out of an area of ​​interest and one or more event filters corresponding to the event ID, wherein the one or more event filters indicate the area of ​​interest, S-NSSAI and network slice instance NSIID; receiving, in response to the information for subscribing to an event, information associated with one or more UE IDs matching one or more event filters from the AMF entity; Data that collects analytical information associated with your experience with the Services; Based on the data, determining analytical information associated with a service experience of the network slice; as well as Sending analytical information associated with the service experience of the network slice to the consumer entity.

2. The method according to claim 1, in, The analysis filter information also includes application ID information and information associated with the NSI ID.

3. The method according to claim 2, in, The NSI ID is used in case multiple network slice instances of the same network slice are deployed. Wherein, determining the analysis information includes: determining slice instance service experience information for each of a plurality of network slice instances, and Among them, determining the slice instance service experience information includes: Determine the service experience across applications on a network slice instance based on the average or variance.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Determining the analysis information includes: The service experience across applications on the network slice is determined based on the average or variance calculation of the service experience information received from multiple application functions AF.

5. The method according to claim 4, in, The service experience information includes mean opinion score (MOS) information, and The information for subscribing to an event includes an immediate reporting flag as event reporting information.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The information of the area of ​​interest includes a list of tracking area identifiers TAI.

7. A network data analysis function NWDAF entity in a wireless communication system, the NWDAF entity comprising: Transceiver; and At least one processor is coupled to the transceiver and is configured to: receiving, via the transceiver, from a consumer entity a request for analysis information associated with a service experience of the network slice, wherein the request comprises analysis filter information, the analysis filter information comprising information of an area of ​​interest and single network slice selection assistance information S-NSSAI for identifying the network slice, the request indicating a target for the analysis to include; In a case where the target of the analysis report is set to any user equipment UE, for sending information for subscribing to events about UE mobility to an access and mobility management function AMF entity by using an event identifier ID indicating that the UE moves into or out of an area of ​​interest and one or more event filters corresponding to the event ID, wherein the one or more event filters indicate the area of ​​interest, S-NSSAI and network slice instance NSIID; receiving, in response to the information for subscribing to an event, information associated with one or more UE IDs matching one or more event filters from the AMF entity; Data that collects analytical information associated with your experience with the Services; Based on the data, determining analytical information associated with a service experience of the network slice; as well as Sending analytical information associated with the service experience of the network slice to the consumer entity.

8. The NWDAF entity according to claim 7, in, The analysis filter information also includes: application ID information and information associated with the NSI ID.

9. The NWDAF entity according to claim 7, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: Determine the cross-application service experience on the network slice based on the average or variance calculation of the service experience information received from multiple application functions AF, The service experience information includes mean opinion score (MOS) information.

10. The NWDAF entity according to claim 7, in, The information for subscribing to an event also includes an immediate report flag as event report information.

11. The NWDAF entity according to claim 7, in, The information of the area of ​​interest includes a list of tracking area identifiers TAI.

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