Apparatus for use in a nef entity and a pre-configuration server

Abstract

The present application relates to an apparatus for use in a network exposure function (NEF) entity and a preconfiguration server, wherein the apparatus for use in the NEF entity comprises a processor circuit configured to cause the NEF entity to: send a subscriber data management (SDM) retrieval request to a unified data management (UDM) entity in a subscription owner-independent non-public network (SO-SNPN), wherein the SDM retrieval request comprises a unique device identifier of a user equipment (UE); and receive a SDM retrieval response from the UDM entity, wherein the SDM retrieval response comprises network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier, the network credentials and configuration data being used to configure the UE onboarding into the SO-SNPN.

Description

[0001] Priority requirements This application is based on and claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 111,438, filed November 9, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0002] Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly to apparatus used in Network Open Functions (NEF) entities and provisioning servers. Background Technology

[0003] 5G wireless communication systems must not only meet the mobile broadband internet service needs of ordinary users, but also penetrate vertical industries and enterprises to accelerate the development of the industrial internet and industrial intelligence. To achieve this goal, non-public network (NPN) technology is beginning to attract attention.

[0004] NPNs can be divided into the following two types: 1) Stand-alone NPN (SNPN), each SNPN is an isolated NPN based on the system architecture of a 5G wireless communication system and does not interact with the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN); 2) Public Network Integrated NPN (PNI-NPN), each PNI-NPN is fully or partially hosted on the infrastructure of the PLMN and depends on some network functions of the PLMN. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An apparatus for use in a Network Open Function (NEF) entity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes processor circuitry configured to cause the NEF entity to: send a Subscriber Data Management (SDM) Acquisition Request to a Unified Data Management (UDM) entity of a Subscriber Owner-Independent Non-Public Network (SO-SNPN), wherein the SDM Acquisition Request includes a unique device identifier of a User Equipment (UE); and receive an SDM Acquisition Response from the UDM entity, wherein the SDM Acquisition Response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier, the network credentials and configuration data being used to configure the UE to join the SO-SNPN; a pre-configuration server is implemented at the NEF entity, or the pre-configuration server is implemented at an Application Function (AF) entity, and the processor circuitry is further configured to cause the NEF entity to: receive a Parameter Pre-configuration Acquisition Request from an AF entity, and send a Parameter Pre-configuration Acquisition Response to the AF entity, wherein the Parameter Pre-configuration Acquisition Request includes a unique device identifier, and the Parameter Pre-configuration Acquisition Response includes network credentials and configuration parameters.

[0006] An apparatus for use in a pre-configuration server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes processor circuitry configured to cause the pre-configuration server to: send a parameter pre-configuration acquisition request to a Network Open Function (NEF) entity, wherein the parameter pre-configuration acquisition request includes a unique device identifier of a user equipment (UE); and receive a parameter pre-configuration acquisition response from the NEF entity, wherein the parameter pre-configuration acquisition response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier, the network credentials and configuration data being used to configure the UE to join a Subscriber Owner-Independent Non-Public Network (SO-SNPN), wherein the pre-configuration server is implemented at an Application Function (AF) entity, and the network credentials and configuration data are provided to the SNEF entity by a Unified Data Management (UDM) entity in the SO-SNPN in an SDM acquisition response in response to a Subscriber Data Management (SDM) acquisition request from the NEF entity, the SDM acquisition request including the unique device identifier, and the SDM acquisition response including the network credentials and configuration data. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Embodiments of this disclosure will be illustrated in the accompanying drawings by way of example rather than limitation, wherein similar reference numerals refer to similar elements.

[0008] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the architecture used for UE configuration for network access in SNPN is shown.

[0009] Figure 2 The timing diagram of the UE configuration and network access process is shown.

[0010] Figure 3 A timing diagram is shown illustrating the process of obtaining network credentials and configuration data for configuring a UE to join the SNPN, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 4a and 4b The NEF entity and AF entity are shown in Figure 3 The flowchart shows the methods executed during the process.

[0012] Figure 5 A timing diagram is shown of another process for obtaining network credentials and configuration data for configuring a UE to join the SNPN, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 6 The NEF entity is shown in Figure 5 The flowchart shows the methods executed during the process.

[0014] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a network according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0015] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a wireless network according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0016] Figure 9 A block diagram is shown of components according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure that are capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the methods discussed herein. Detailed Implementation

[0017] Various aspects of the illustrative embodiments will be described using terminology commonly used by those skilled in the art to convey the essence of this disclosure to them. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many alternative embodiments can be implemented using portions of the described aspects. Specific figures, materials, and configurations are given for illustrative purposes to provide a thorough understanding of the illustrative embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that alternative embodiments can be implemented without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features may be omitted or simplified to avoid obscuring the illustrative embodiments.

[0018] Furthermore, the various operations are described sequentially as a plurality of discrete operations in a manner most conducive to understanding the illustrative embodiments; however, the order of description should not be construed as implying that these operations are necessarily sequentially related. In particular, these operations do not need to be performed in the order presented.

[0019] The phrases “in an embodiment,” “in one embodiment,” and “in some embodiments” are used repeatedly throughout this document. These phrases do not typically refer to the same embodiment; however, they may refer to the same embodiment. Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are synonyms. The phrases “A or B” and “A / B” mean “(A), (B), or (A and B).”

[0020] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates the architecture for UE onboarding within the Onboarding Network-SNPN (ON-SNPN). Figure 1As shown, the architecture for UE configuration and network access in ON-SNPN involves the 5G access network (5G-AN) and 5G core network (5GC) of ON-SNPN, and the UE configuration and network access process involves the following network entities in the 5GC of ON-SNPN: User Plane Function (UPF) entity, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) entity, Session Management Function (SMF) entity, Virtual Policy Control Function (vPCF) entity, Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) entity, Unified Data Management (UDM) entity, and Authentication Server Function (AUSF) entity.

[0021] It should be understood that an ON-SNPN is an SNPN that allows a UE to obtain network access even if the UE does not have any network credentials. The UE configuration process is the process of pre-configuring the network credentials and configuration parameters for configuring the UE to the Subscription Owner-SNPN (SO-SNPN) for network access. An SO-SNPN is an SNPN that the UE has subscribed to.

[0022] Figure 2 A timing diagram of the UE configuration and network access process is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the UE configuration and network access process includes: Step A: UE Pre-configuration. In this step, for example, a default credential is pre-configured for the UE at manufacturing time to allow successful authentication of the UE during the initial access step (i.e., Step B). In other words, at manufacturing time, the UE manufacturer pre-configures the default credential for the UE. This default credential is stored in both the UE and the Default Credential Server (DCS).

[0023] Step B: Initial Access. In this step, the UE discovers and selects the ON-SNPN based on the broadcast information it receives. The UE recognizes that it does not have a subscription to access the ON-SNPN. The UE registers with the ON-SNPN by providing it with, for example, its Permanent Device Identifier (PEI) and default credentials, and also provides the ON-SNPN with additional information such as application identifiers and / or service provider identifiers.

[0024] Step C: Configuration Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Session Establishment. In this step, the UE establishes a configuration PDU session with the ON-SNPN's 5GC. The UE includes the DCS identity used to authenticate the UE (i.e., the DCS that stores the UE's default credentials) in the configuration PDU session establishment request message sent by the UE to the ON-SNPN's 5GC to establish the configuration PDU session.

[0025] Step C1: Optional UE Assisted Authentication. In this step, the UE assisted authentication process is initiated by the SMF entity in the ON-SNPN to the DCS based on the DCS identity sent by the UE to the SMF entity in the ON-SNPN in step C.

[0026] Step D1: The pre-configuration server performs UE authentication. In this step, the pre-configuration server uses the UE's default credentials to authenticate the UE to the DCS, establishing a security association between the UE and the DCS.

[0027] Step D2: The pre-configuration server obtains UE credentials and configuration. In this step, the pre-configuration server extracts network credentials and configuration data from the SO-SNPN used to configure the UE to join the network within the SO-SNPN.

[0028] Step D3: UE Pre-configuration. In this step, the pre-configuration server will push the network credentials and configuration data configured for network access in the SO-SNPN to the UE.

[0029] Step E: Cancel Registration. In this step, after successfully completing the UE pre-configuration in step D3, the UE releases the configuration PDU session and cancels registration from the ON-SNPN.

[0030] Step F: Normal Service. In this step, after successfully deregistering in Step E, the UE initiates a normal procedure, including selecting SO-SNPN, registering with SO-SNPN using pre-configured network credentials, and establishing a PDU session.

[0031] In this disclosure, a process is proposed for a pre-configuration server to obtain network credentials and configuration data for configuring a UE into the SO-SNPN (assuming that the network credentials and configuration data for configuring a UE into the SO-SNPN are stored in the SO-SNPN's UDM entity or Unified Data Repository (UDR) entity).

[0032] For SO-SNPN, the pre-configured server can act as: 1) Application Function (AF) entity; or 2) Network Open Function (NEF) entity.

[0033] Figure 3 A timing diagram illustrating the process of obtaining network credentials and configuration data for configuring a UE into an SO-SNPN, according to some embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 3 In the process shown, the AF entity acts as a pre-configured server (i.e., the pre-configured server is implemented in the AF entity), and the process includes: S302, the AF entity sends a parameter provision_getRequest to the NEF entity, wherein the parameter provision_getRequest includes the UE's unique device identifier; S304, if the NEF entity determines that the AF entity is allowed to request network credentials and configuration data for configuring the UE to join the SO-SNPN, the NEF entity sends a Subscriber Data Management (SDM) Get Request (SDM_Get Request) to the UDM entity of the SO-SNPN, wherein the SDM Get Request includes the UE's unique device identifier; S306, the UDM entity of SO-SNPN sends an SDM_Get Response to the NEF entity. The SDM_Get Response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the UE's unique device identifier and used to configure the UE to join the SO-SNPN network. S308, the NEF entity sends a parameter provision_getResponse to the AF entity. The parameter provision_getResponse includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the UE's unique device identifier and used to configure the UE to join the SO-SNPN.

[0034] Figure 4a The NEF entity is shown in Figure 3 The flowchart shown illustrates the execution of method 400a during the process. (See attached flowchart.) Figure 4a As shown, method 400a includes: S402a, receiving a parameter pre-configuration acquisition request from an AF entity, wherein the parameter pre-configuration acquisition request includes a unique device identifier of the UE; S404a, sending an SDM acquisition request to the UDM entity of the SO-SNPN, wherein the SDM acquisition request includes a unique device identifier of the UE; S406a, receiving an SDM acquisition response from the UDM entity of the SO-SNPN, wherein the SDM acquisition response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier of the UE, the network credentials and configuration data being used to configure the UE to join the SO-SNPN; and S408a, sending a parameter pre-configuration acquisition response to an AF entity, wherein the parameter pre-configuration acquisition response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier of the UE, the network credentials and configuration data being used to configure the UE to join the SO-SNPN.

[0035] Figure 4b The AF entity is shown in Figure 3 The flowchart shown illustrates the execution of method 400b during the process. (See attached flowchart.) Figure 4bAs shown, method 400b includes: S402b, sending a parameter preconfiguration acquisition request to the NEF entity, wherein the parameter preconfiguration acquisition request includes the UE's unique device identifier; and S404b, receiving a parameter preconfiguration acquisition response from the NEF entity, wherein the parameter preconfiguration acquisition response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the UE's unique device identifier, the network credentials and configuration data being used to configure the UE to join the SO-SNPN.

[0036] Figure 5 A timing diagram is shown illustrating another process for obtaining network credentials and configuration data for configuring a UE into an SO-SNPN, according to some embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 5 In the process shown, the NEF entity is used as a pre-configuration server (i.e., the pre-configuration server is implemented in the NEF entity), and the process includes: S502, the NEF entity sends an SDM acquisition request to the UDM entity of SO-SNPN, wherein the SDM acquisition request includes the UE's unique device identifier; and S504, the UDM entity of SO-SNPN sends an SDM acquisition response to the NEF entity, wherein the SDM acquisition response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the UE's unique device identifier and used to configure the UE to join the SO-SNPN.

[0037] Figure 6 The NEF entity is shown in Figure 5 The flowchart shown illustrates the execution of method 600 during the process. (See attached flowchart.) Figure 6 As shown, method 600 includes: S602, sending an SDM acquisition request to the UDM entity of SO-SNPN, wherein the SDM acquisition request includes a unique device identifier of the UE; and S604, receiving an SDM acquisition response from the UDM entity of SO-SNPN, wherein the SDM acquisition response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier of the UE and used to configure the UE to join the network in SO-SNPN.

[0038] In some embodiments, the network credentials and configuration data used to configure the UE to join the SO-SNPN are stored in the UDM entity of the SO-SNPN. In this case, the UDM entity retrieves the network credentials and configuration data used to configure the UE to join the SO-SNPN from its local storage device and provides them to the NEF entity in the SDM acquisition response.

[0039] In some embodiments, the network credentials and configuration data used to configure the UE to join the SO-SNPN are stored in the UDR entity of the SO-SNPN. In this case, the UDM entity extracts the network credentials and configuration data used to configure the UE to join the SO-SNPN from the UDR entity and provides them to the NEF entity in the SDM acquisition response.

[0040] In some embodiments, the SDM acquisition request further includes configuration access subscription data, which indicates that network credentials and configuration data for the UE to configure access to the SO-SNPN are requested.

[0041] In some embodiments, the network credentials used by the UE to configure network access to the SO-SNPN include a unique user identifier associated with the UE's unique device identifier and a security credential, and the security credential may be a pre-shared key or a digital certificate.

[0042] In some embodiments, the pre-configuration server (i.e., the AF entity or the NEF entity) can pre-configure network credentials and configuration data for the UE to configure its network access to the SO-SNPN based on the user plane or control plane of the ON-SNPN.

[0043] In some embodiments, Figure 3 The process shown can be implemented by extending the existing NEF parameter provisioning service (Nnef_ParameterProvision Service) or through a dedicated NEF service (Nnef service), and Figure 5 The process shown can be implemented by extending an existing UDM-dependent SDM service (Nudm_SDM service) or by using a dedicated UDM-dependent SDM service.

[0044] In some embodiments, the pre-configuration server (i.e., the AF entity or the NEF entity) may select the SO-SNPN as follows: if the UE is pre-configured with an SO-SNPN identity, the UE provides that identity to the pre-configuration server via the user plane (in the case of user plane pre-configuration) or via the AMF entity (in the case of control plane pre-configuration); otherwise, the pre-configuration server determines the SO-SNPN by comparing the UE's identity with the configured network access list.

[0045] Figure 7-8 Various systems, devices, and components are shown that can implement multiple aspects of the disclosed embodiments.

[0046] Figure 7Schematic diagrams of a network 700 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. The network 700 can operate in a manner consistent with the 3GPP technical specifications of LTE or 5G / NR systems. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited in this respect, and the described embodiments can be applied to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein, such as future 3GPP systems, etc.

[0047] Network 700 may include UE 702, which may include any mobile or non-mobile computing device designed to communicate with Radio Access Network (RAN) 704 via an over-the-air connection. UE 702 may be, but is not limited to, smartphones, tablets, wearable computing devices, desktop computers, laptops, in-vehicle infotainment devices, in-vehicle entertainment devices, dashboards, head-up displays, in-vehicle diagnostic devices, dashboard mobile devices, mobile data terminals, electronic engine management systems, electronic / engine control units, electronic / engine control modules, embedded systems, sensors, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management systems, networked devices, machine-to-machine (M2M) or device-to-device (D2D) devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc.

[0048] In some embodiments, network 700 may include multiple UEs that are directly coupled to each other via a secondary link interface. The UE may be an M2M / D2D device that communicates using physical secondary link channels (e.g., but not limited to physical secondary link broadcast channel (PSBCH), physical secondary link discovery channel (PSDCH), physical secondary link shared channel (PSSCH), physical secondary link control channel (PSCCH), physical secondary link basic channel (PSFCH), etc.).

[0049] In some embodiments, UE 702 can also communicate with access point (AP) 706 via an over-the-air connection. AP 706 can manage wireless local area network (WLAN) connections and can be used to offload some / all network traffic from RAN 704. The connection between UE 702 and AP 706 can be consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, where AP 706 can be a Wi-Fi® router. In some embodiments, UE 702, RAN 704, and AP 706 can utilize cellular WLAN aggregation (e.g., LTE-WLAN aggregation (LWA) / Lightweight IP (LWIP)). Cellular WLAN aggregation may involve UE 702, configured by RAN 704, utilizing both cellular radio resources and WLAN resources.

[0050] RAN 704 may include one or more Access Nodes (ANs), such as AN 708. AN 708 can terminate the air interface protocol of UE 702 by providing access layer protocols including Radio Resource Control (RRC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), and L1 protocol. In this way, AN 708 enables data / voice connectivity between the core network (CN) 720 and UE 702. In some embodiments, AN 708 may be implemented in discrete devices or as one or more software entities running on a server computer (as part of, for example, a virtual network, which may be referred to as a distributed RAN (CRAN) or a virtual baseband unit pool). AN 708 may be referred to as a base station (BS), next-generation base station (gNB), RAN node, evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ngeNB), Node B (NodeB), roadside unit (RSU), TRxP, transmit / receive point (TRP), etc. AN 708 can be a macro cell base station or a low-power base station, which is used to provide microcells, picocells, or other similar cells with smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells.

[0051] In embodiments where RAN 704 includes multiple ANs, they can be coupled to each other via an X2 interface (if RAN 704 is an LTE RAN) or an Xn interface (if RAN 704 is a 5G RAN). In some embodiments, the X2 / Xn interfaces, which can be separated into control / user plane interfaces, can allow ANs to transmit and handover, data / context transfer, mobility, load management, interference coordination, and other related information.

[0052] The AN of RAN 704 can manage one or more cells, cell groups, component carriers, etc., to provide an air interface for network access to UE 702. UE 702 can simultaneously connect to multiple cells provided by the same or different ANs of RAN 704. For example, UE 702 and RAN 704 can use carrier aggregation to allow UE 702 to connect to multiple component carriers, each component carrier corresponding to a primary cell (Pcell) or a secondary cell (Scell). In a dual-connectivity scenario, the first AN can be the primary node providing the primary cell group (MCG), and the second AN can be the secondary node providing the secondary cell group (SCG). The first / second AN can be any combination of eNB, gNB, ng eNB, etc.

[0053] RAN 704 can provide an air interface on both licensed and unlicensed spectrum. For operation in unlicensed spectrum, nodes can utilize Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), enhanced LAA (eLAA), and / or further enhanced LAA (feLAA) mechanisms based on PCell / Scell ​​carrier aggregation (CA) technology. Prior to accessing unlicensed spectrum, nodes can perform medium / carrier sensing operations based on, for example, a Listen-Before-Speak (LBT) protocol.

[0054] In a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) scenario, UE 702 or AN 708 can be or act as a roadside unit (RSU), which can refer to any transportation infrastructure entity used for V2X communication. An RSU can be implemented in or by a suitable AN or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE. An RSU implemented in or by a UE can be referred to as a "UE-type RSU"; an RSU implemented in or by an eNB can be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU"; an RSU implemented in or by a next-generation NodeB (gNB) can be referred to as a "gNB-type RSU," and so on. In one example, the RSU is a computing device coupled to radio frequency circuitry located on the roadside, providing connectivity support to passing vehicle UEs. The RSU may also include internal data storage circuitry for storing intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, and applications / software for sensing and controlling ongoing vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The RSU can provide very low-latency communication required for high-speed events such as collision avoidance, traffic warnings, etc. Alternatively or additionally, the RSU can provide other cellular / WLAN communication services. RSU components can be enclosed in a weatherproof enclosure suitable for outdoor installation and may include a network interface controller to provide wired connectivity (e.g., Ethernet) to traffic signal controllers or backhaul networks.

[0055] In some embodiments, RAN 704 may be LTE RAN 710, which includes an evolved Node B (eNB), such as eNB 712. LTE RAN 710 can provide an LTE air interface with the following characteristics: a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS); a single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) waveform for uplink (UL) and a cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) waveform for downlink (DL); turbo codes for data and TBCC for control, etc. The LTE air interface may rely on Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) for CSI acquisition and beam management; rely on Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) / Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) for PDSCH / PDCCH demodulation; and rely on Cell Reference Signal (CRS) for cell search and initial acquisition, channel quality measurement, and channel estimation, and rely on channel estimation for coherent demodulation / detection at the UE. The LTE air interface can operate on a 6 GHz subband.

[0056] In some embodiments, RAN 704 may be a next-generation (NG) RAN 714 with a gNB (e.g., gNB 716) or a gn-eNB (e.g., ng-eNB 718). gNB 716 can connect to a 5G-enabled UE using a 5G NR interface. gNB 716 can connect to the 5G core via an NG interface, which may include an N2 interface or an N3 interface. ng-eNB 718 can also connect to the 5G core via an NG interface, but can connect to the UE via an LTE air interface. gNB 716 and ng-eNB 718 can connect to each other via an Xn interface.

[0057] In some embodiments, the NG interface can be divided into two parts: the NG user plane (NG-U) interface and the NG control plane (NG-C) interface. The former carries traffic data between the nodes of UPF 748 and NG-RAN 714 (e.g., the N3 interface), while the latter is the signaling interface between the nodes of AMF 744 and NG-RAN 714 (e.g., the N2 interface).

[0058] NG-RAN 714 can provide a 5G-NR air interface with the following features: variable SCS; CP-OFDM for DL, CP-OFDM and DFT-s-OFDM for UL; polarity, repetition, simplex, and Reed-Muller codes for control, and low-density parity-check codes (LDPC) for data. Similar to the LTE air interface, the 5G-NR air interface can rely on CSI-RS, PDSCH / PDCCH DMRS. The 5G-NR air interface can operate without CRS, but can use the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) demodulation reference signal (DMRS) for PBCH demodulation; the phase tracking reference signal (PTRS) for PDSCH phase tracking; and the tracking reference signal for time tracking. The 5G-NR air interface can operate on the FR1 band, including the 6 GHz sub-band, or the FR2 band, including the 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz band. The 5G-NR air interface may include a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), which is an area of ​​the downlink resource grid that includes the Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), and PBCH.

[0059] In some embodiments, the 5G-NR air interface can use the bandwidth portion (BWP) for various purposes. For example, the BWP can be used for dynamic adaptation of the SCS. For instance, UE 702 can be configured with multiple BWPs, each configured with a different SCS. When a BWP is indicated to UE 702 for a change, the transmitted SCS also changes. Another use case for BWPs relates to power saving. Specifically, multiple BWPs with different numbers of frequency resources (e.g., PRBs) can be configured for UE 702 to support data transmission under different traffic load scenarios. A BWP containing fewer PRBs can be used for data transmission with lower traffic loads, while allowing power saving at UE 702 and, in some cases, gNB 716. A BWP containing more PRBs can be used for scenarios with higher traffic loads.

[0060] RAN 704 is communicatively coupled to CN 720, which includes network elements, to provide various functions supporting data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 702). Components of CN 720 can be implemented in a single physical node or in different physical nodes. In some embodiments, Network Function Virtualization (NFV) can be used to virtualize any or all of the functions provided by the network elements of CN 720 onto physical computing / storage resources such as servers, switches, etc. A logical instance of CN 720 can be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instance of a portion of CN 720 can be referred to as a network subslice.

[0061] In some embodiments, CN 720 may be a 5G core network (5GC) 740. 5GC 740 may include Authentication Server Function (AUSF) 742, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 744, Session Management Function (SMF) 746, User Plane Function (UPF) 748, Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) 750, Network Open Function (NEF) 752, NF Storage Function (NRF) 754, Policy Control Function (PCF) 756, Unified Data Management (UDM) 758, and Application Function (AF) 760, as shown in the figure. These functions are coupled to each other through interfaces (or "reference points"). The functions of the components of 5GC 740 can be briefly described below.

[0062] The AUSF 742 can store data for UE 702 authentication and handle authentication-related functions. The AUSF 742 facilitates a common authentication framework for various access types. In addition to communicating with other components of the 5GC 740 via a reference point, as shown in the figure, the AUSF 742 can also present an interface based on Nausf services.

[0063] The AMF 744 allows the 5GC 740 to communicate with UE 702 and RAN 704 for other functions and subscribe to notifications about mobility events for UE 702. The AMF 744 can handle registration management (e.g., registering UE 702), connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception of AMF-related events, and access authentication and authorization. The AMF 744 can provide the transmission of Session Management (SM) messages between UE 702 and SMF 746 and acts as a transparent broker for routing SM messages. The AMF 744 can also provide the transmission of SMS messages between UE 702 and the SMSF. The AMF 744 can interact with the AMFF 742 and UE 702 to perform various security anchoring and context management functions. Furthermore, the AMF 744 can be the termination point of the RAN CP interface, which may include or be the N2 reference point between RAN 704 and AMF 744; the AMF 744 can serve as the termination point for NAS (N1) signaling and perform NAS encryption and integrity protection. The AMF 744 can also support NAS signaling with the UE 702 via the N3 IWF interface.

[0064] SMF 746 can be responsible for SM (e.g., tunnel management and session establishment between UPF 748 and AN 708); UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); selection and control of UP functions; configuring flow control at UPF 748 to route traffic to appropriate destinations; termination of interfaces to policy control functions; control of policy enforcement, charging, and QoS as a part; lawful interception (for SM events and interfaces to the LI system); termination of the SM portion of NAS messages; downlink data notification; initiating AN-specific SM information (sent to AN 708 on N2 via AMF 744); and determining the SSC mode of the session. SM can refer to the management of PDU sessions, and a PDU session or "session" can refer to the PDU connectivity service that provides or enables PDU exchange between UE 702 and data network 736.

[0065] The UPF 748 can be used as an anchor point for mobility within and between RATs, an external PDU session point interconnecting with the data network 736, and a branch point supporting multi-homed PDU sessions. The UPF 748 can also perform packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane portion of policy rules, lawful packet interception (UP collection), traffic usage reporting, QoS processing for the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement), uplink traffic authentication (e.g., SDF-to-QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in uplink and downlink, and downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. The UPF 748 may include an uplink classifier to support traffic flow routing to the data network.

[0066] The NSSF 750 can select a set of network slice instances to serve UE 702. If needed, the NSSF 750 can also determine the allowed network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) and the mapping to the subscribed individual NSSAI (S-NSSAI). The NSSF 750 can also determine the set of AMFs to be used to serve UE 702 based on appropriate configuration and possibly by querying the NRF 754, or determine a list of candidate AMFs. The selection of a set of network slice instances for UE 702 can be triggered by the AMF 744 (to which UE 702 registers by interacting with the NSSF 750), which results in a change of AMF. The NSSF 750 can interact with the AMF 744 via the N22 reference point; and can communicate with another NSSF in the access network via the N31 reference point (not shown). Furthermore, the NSSF 750 can have an interface based on NNSSF services.

[0067] The NEF 752 can securely expose services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions to third parties, internal exposure / re-exposure, AFs (e.g., AF 760), edge computing, or fog computing systems. In these embodiments, the NEF 752 can authenticate, authorize, or restrict AFs. The NEF 752 can also translate information exchanged with the AF 760 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, the NEF 752 can translate between AF service identifiers and internal 5GC information. The NEF 752 can also receive information from other NFs based on their exposed capabilities. This information can be stored as structured data at the NEF 752 or stored at a data storage NF using a standardized interface. The NEF 752 can then re-expose the stored information to other NFs and AFs, or use it for other purposes such as analytics. Additionally, the NEF 752 can have an interface based on Nnef services.

[0068] NRF 754 can support service discovery, receiving NF discovery requests from NF instances and providing information about discovered NF instances to the NF instances. NRF 754 also maintains information about available NF instances and the services they support. As used herein, the terms "instantiation," "instance," etc., can refer to the creation of an instance, and an "instance" can refer to the concrete occurrence of an object, such as during program code execution. Furthermore, NRF 754 can have interfaces based on Nnrf services.

[0069] The PCF 756 can provide policy rules to control plane functions to execute them, and can also support a unified policy framework to manage network behavior. The PCF 756 can also implement a front-end to access subscription information related to policy decisions in the UDR of the UDM 758. In addition to communicating with functions via reference points as shown in the figure, the PCF 756 also has an interface based on Npcf services.

[0070] UDM 758 can process subscription-related information to support network entities in handling communication sessions and can store subscription data for UE 702. For example, subscription data can be transmitted via the N8 reference point between UDM 758 and AMF 744. UDM 758 can include two parts: an application front-end and a User Data Record (UDR). The UDR can store policy data and subscription data for UDM 758 and PCF 756, and / or structured data and application data for exposure (including PFDs for application detection and application request information for multiple UE 702) for NEF 752. UDR 221 can expose a Nudr service-based interface to allow UDM 758, PCF 756, and NEF 752 to access specific sets of stored data, as well as read, update (e.g., add, modify), delete, and subscribe to notifications of relevant data changes in the UDR. UDM may include UDM-FE (UDM front-end), which is responsible for handling credentials, location management, subscription management, etc. Several different front-ends can provide services to the same user in different services. The UDM-FE accesses subscription information stored in the UDR and performs authentication credential processing, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management, and subscription management. In addition to communicating with other NFs via reference points as shown in the figure, the UDM 758 can also present an interface based on Nudm services.

[0071] The AF 760 can provide application impact on traffic routing, provide access to NEF, and interact with the policy framework for policy control.

[0072] In some embodiments, the 5GC 740 can enable edge computing by selecting an operator / third-party service that is geographically close to the point where the UE 702 connects to the network. This can reduce latency and load on the network. To provide edge computing implementation, the 5GC 740 can select a UPF 748 close to the UE 702 and perform traffic routing from the UPF 748 to the data network 736 via the N6 interface. This can be based on UE subscription data, UE location, and information provided by the AF 760. In this way, the AF 760 can influence UPF (re)selection and service routing. Based on operator deployment, when the AF 760 is considered a trusted entity, the network operator can allow the AF 760 to interact directly with the relevant NF. In addition, the AF 760 can expose an interface based on Naf services.

[0073] Data network 736 can represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third-party services that can be provided by one or more servers (including, for example, application / content server 738).

[0074] Figure 8A wireless network 800 according to various embodiments is illustrated schematically. The wireless network 800 may include a UE 802 that communicates wirelessly with an AN 804. The UE 802 and the AN 804 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with components of the same name described elsewhere herein.

[0075] UE 802 can be communicatively coupled to AN 804 via connection 806. Connection 806 is shown as an air interface to enable communication coupling and can be consistent with cellular communication protocols operating in millimeter wave or 6 GHz sub-frequencys, such as LTE or 5G NR protocols.

[0076] UE 802 may include a host platform 808 coupled to a modem platform 810. Host platform 808 may include application processing circuitry 812, which may be coupled to protocol processing circuitry 814 of the modem platform 810. Application processing circuitry 812 may run various applications for UE 802 to provide / receive application data. Application processing circuitry 812 may also implement one or more layer operations to send / receive application data to / from a data network. These layer operations may include transport (e.g., UDP) and Internet (e.g., IP) operations.

[0077] Protocol processing circuitry 814 can implement one or more layer operations to facilitate the transmission or reception of data via connection 806. Layer operations implemented by protocol processing circuitry 814 may include, for example, Media Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), RRC, and Non-Access Stratum (NAS) operations.

[0078] The modem platform 810 may further include digital baseband circuitry 816, which can implement one or more layer operations "below" the layer operations performed by the protocol processing circuitry 814 in the network protocol stack. These operations may include, for example, one or more of the following PHY operations: HARQ-ACK function, scrambling / descrambling, encoding / decoding, layer mapping / demapping, modulation symbol mapping, received symbol / bit metric determination, multi-antenna port precoding / decoding. These functions may include one or more of the following: space-time, space-frequency, or spatial coding, reference signal generation / detection, preamble sequence generation and / or decoding, synchronization sequence generation / detection, blind decoding of control channel signals, and other related functions.

[0079] The modem platform 810 may further include transmitting circuitry 818, receiving circuitry 820, RF circuitry 822, and RF front-end (RFFE) circuitry 824, which may include or be connected to one or more antenna panels 826. In short, transmitting circuitry 818 may include a digital-to-analog converter, mixer, intermediate frequency (IF) component, etc.; receiving circuitry 820 may include an analog-to-digital converter, mixer, IF component, etc.; RF circuitry 822 may include a low-noise amplifier, power amplifier, power point tracking component, etc.; RFFE circuitry 824 may include filters (e.g., surface acoustic wave filters), switches, antenna tuners, beamforming components (e.g., phased array antenna components), etc. The selection and arrangement of components of transmitting circuitry 818, receiving circuitry 820, RF circuitry 822, RFFE circuitry 824, and antenna panels 826 (collectively, the "transmit / receive assembly") may be specific to implementation details, such as whether the communication is time-division multiplexing (TDM) or frequency-division multiplexing (FDM), at mmWave or 6 GHz sub-frequency, etc. In some embodiments, the transmit / receive components may be arranged in multiple parallel transmit / receive chains and may be arranged in the same or different chips / modules, etc.

[0080] In some embodiments, the protocol processing circuitry 814 may include one or more instances of control circuitry (not shown) to provide control functions for the transmitting / receiving components.

[0081] UE reception can be established via and through antenna panel 826, RFFE circuit 824, RF circuit 822, receiving circuit 820, digital baseband circuit 816, and protocol processing circuit 814. In some embodiments, antenna panel 826 can receive transmissions from AN 804 by receiving beamforming signals received by a plurality of antennas / antenna elements of one or more antenna panels 826.

[0082] UE transmission can be established via and through protocol processing circuitry 814, digital baseband circuitry 816, transmission circuitry 818, RF circuitry 822, RFFE circuitry 824, and antenna panel 826. In some embodiments, the transmission component of UE 802 can apply spatial filtering to the data to be transmitted to form a transmission beam emitted by the antenna elements of antenna panel 826.

[0083] Similar to UE 802, AN 804 may include a host platform 828 coupled to a modem platform 830. Host platform 828 may include application processing circuitry 832 coupled to protocol processing circuitry 834 of modem platform 830. The modem platform may also include digital baseband circuitry 836, transmit circuitry 838, receive circuitry 840, RF circuitry 842, RFFE circuitry 844, and antenna panel 846. Components of AN 804 may be similar to their namesake components in UE 802 and are substantially interchangeable with those in UE 802. In addition to performing data transmission / reception as described above, components of AN 804 may perform various logical functions, including, for example, Radio Network Controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management, and packet scheduling.

[0084] Figure 9 This is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any or more methods discussed herein, according to some example embodiments. Specifically, Figure 9 A schematic diagram of hardware resource 900 is shown, which includes one or more processors (or processor cores) 910, one or more memory / storage devices 920, and one or more communication resources 930, wherein each of these processors, memory / storage devices, and communication resources can be communicatively coupled via bus 940 or other interface circuitry. For embodiments utilizing node virtualization (e.g., Network Functions Virtualization (NFV)), a hypervisor 902 can be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / subslices to utilize hardware resource 900.

[0085] Processor 910 may include, for example, processor 912 and processor 914. Processor 910 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) such as a baseband processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor (including those discussed herein), or any suitable combination thereof.

[0086] The memory / storage device 920 may include main memory, disk storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 920 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile, non-volatile, or semi-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state memory, etc.

[0087] Communication resource 930 may include interconnect or network interface controllers, components, or other suitable devices for communicating with one or more peripheral devices 904 or one or more databases 906 or other network elements via network 908. For example, communication resource 930 may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via USB, Ethernet, etc.), cellular communication components, near field communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth® (or Bluetooth® Low Energy) components, Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components.

[0088] Instruction 950 may include software, a program, application program, applet, or other executable code for causing at least any one of the processors 910 to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. Instruction 950 may reside wholly or partially within processor 910 (e.g., in the processor's cache), memory / storage device 920, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of instruction 950 may be transferred from any combination of peripheral device 904 or database 906 to hardware resource 900. Therefore, the memory of processor 910, memory / storage device 920, peripheral device 904, and database 906 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0089] The following paragraphs describe examples of various embodiments.

[0090] Example 1 includes an apparatus for use in a Network Open Function (NEF) entity, comprising processor circuitry configured to cause the NEF entity to: send a Subscriber Data Management (SDM) Acquisition Request to a Unified Data Management (UDM) entity of a Subscriber Owner-Independent Non-Public Network (SO-SNPN), wherein the SDM Acquisition Request includes a unique device identifier of a User Equipment (UE); and receive an SDM Acquisition Response from the UDM entity, wherein the SDM Acquisition Response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier, the network credentials and the configuration data being used to configure the UE to join the SO-SNPN.

[0091] Example 2 includes the apparatus described in Example 1, wherein a pre-configured server is implemented at the NEF entity.

[0092] Example 3 includes the apparatus described in Example 1, wherein the network credentials and the configuration data are stored in the UDM entity of the SO-SNPN.

[0093] Example 4 includes the apparatus described in Example 1, wherein the network credentials and the configuration data are stored in the Unified Data Repository (UDR) entity of the SO-SNPN and are retrieved from the UDR entity by the UDM entity.

[0094] Example 5 includes the apparatus described in Example 1, wherein the SDM acquisition request further includes configuration network access subscription data, the configuration network access subscription data indicating that network credentials and configuration data for the UE to configure network access to the SO-SNPN are requested.

[0095] Example 6 includes the apparatus described in Example 1, wherein the network credentials include a unique user identifier and a unique security credential associated with the unique device identifier.

[0096] Example 7 includes the apparatus described in Example 6, wherein the unique security credential is a pre-shared key or a digital certificate.

[0097] Example 8 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to cause the NEF entity to: receive a parameter preconfiguration acquisition request from an Application Function (AF) entity, wherein the parameter preconfiguration acquisition request includes the unique device identifier; and send a parameter preconfiguration acquisition response to the AF entity, wherein the parameter preconfiguration acquisition response includes the network credentials and the configuration parameters.

[0098] Example 9 includes the apparatus described in Example 8, wherein a pre-configured server is implemented at the AF entity.

[0099] Example 10 includes the apparatus of Example 9, wherein the processor circuitry is further configured such that the NEF entity: after receiving the parameter preconfiguration acquisition request from the AF entity, sends the SDM acquisition request to the UDM entity; and after receiving the SDM acquisition response from the UDM entity, sends the parameter preconfiguration acquisition response to the AF entity.

[0100] Example 11 includes a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: control a communication interface to send a Subscriber Data Management (SDM) Acquisition Request to a Unified Data Management (UDM) entity of a Subscriber Owner-Independent Non-Public Network (SO-SNPN), wherein the SDM Acquisition Request includes a unique device identifier of a User Equipment (UE); and receive an SDM Acquisition Response from the UDM entity, wherein the SDM Acquisition Response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier, the network credentials and the configuration data being used to configure the UE to join the SO-SNPN.

[0101] Example 12 includes the computer-readable storage medium described in Example 11, wherein the network credentials and the configuration data are stored in the UDM entity of the SO-SNPN.

[0102] Example 13 includes the computer-readable storage medium described in Example 11, wherein the network credentials and the configuration data are stored in the Unified Data Repository (UDR) entity of the SO-SNPN and are retrieved from the UDR entity by the UDM entity.

[0103] Example 14 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 11, wherein the SDM acquisition request further includes configuration network access subscription data, the configuration network access subscription data indicating that network credentials and configuration data for the UE to configure network access to the SO-SNPN are requested.

[0104] Example 15 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 11, wherein the network credentials include a unique user identifier and a unique security credential associated with the unique device identifier.

[0105] Example 16 includes the computer-readable storage medium described in Example 15, wherein the unique security credential is a pre-shared key or a digital certificate.

[0106] Example 17 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 11, wherein, when executed by the one or more processors, the instructions further cause the one or more processors to: receive a parameter preconfiguration acquisition request from an application function (AF) entity, wherein the parameter preconfiguration acquisition request includes the unique device identifier; and control the communication interface to send a parameter preconfiguration acquisition response to the AF entity, wherein the parameter preconfiguration acquisition response includes the network credentials and the configuration parameters.

[0107] Example 18 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to: control the communication interface to send the SDM acquisition request to the UDM entity after receiving the parameter preconfiguration acquisition request from the AF entity; and control the communication interface to send the parameter preconfiguration acquisition response to the AF entity after receiving the SDM acquisition response from the UDM entity.

[0108] Example 19 includes an apparatus for use in a pre-configuration server, including processor circuitry configured to cause the pre-configuration server to: send a parameter pre-configuration acquisition request to a Network Open Function (NEF) entity, wherein the parameter pre-configuration acquisition request includes a unique device identifier of a user equipment (UE); and receive a parameter pre-configuration acquisition response from the NEF entity, wherein the parameter pre-configuration acquisition response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier, the network credentials and the configuration data being used to configure the UE to join a Subscription Owner-Independent Non-Public Network (SO-SNPN).

[0109] Example 20 includes the apparatus described in Example 19, wherein the network credentials include a unique user identifier and a unique security credential associated with the unique device identifier.

[0110] Example 21 includes the apparatus described in Example 20, wherein the unique security credential is a pre-shared key or a digital certificate.

[0111] Example 22 includes the apparatus described in Example 19, wherein the pre-configured server is implemented at the application function (AF) entity.

[0112] Example 23 includes a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: control a communication interface to send a parameter preconfiguration acquisition request to a Network Open Function (NEF) entity, wherein the parameter preconfiguration acquisition request includes a unique device identifier of a user equipment (UE); and receive a parameter preconfiguration acquisition response from the NEF entity, wherein the parameter preconfiguration acquisition response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier, the network credentials and the configuration data being used to configure the UE to join a Subscription Owner-Independent Non-Public Network (SO-SNPN).

[0113] Example 24 includes the computer-readable storage medium described in Example 23, wherein the network credentials include a unique user identifier and a unique security credential associated with the unique device identifier.

[0114] Example 25 includes the computer-readable storage medium described in Example 23, wherein the unique security credential is a pre-shared key or a digital certificate.

[0115] Example 26 includes a method for use in a Network Open Function (NEF) entity, comprising: sending a Subscriber Data Management (SDM) Acquisition Request to a Unified Data Management (UDM) entity of a Subscriber Owner-Independent Non-Public Network (SO-SNPN), wherein the SDM Acquisition Request includes a unique device identifier of a User Equipment (UE); and receiving an SDM Acquisition Response from the UDM entity, wherein the SDM Acquisition Response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier, the network credentials and the configuration data being used to configure the UE to join the SO-SNPN.

[0116] Example 27 includes the method described in Example 26, wherein a pre-configured server is implemented at the NEF entity.

[0117] Example 28 includes the method described in Example 26, wherein the network credentials and the configuration data are stored in the UDM entity of the SO-SNPN.

[0118] Example 29 includes the method described in Example 26, wherein the network credentials and the configuration data are stored in the Unified Data Repository (UDR) entity of the SO-SNPN and are retrieved from the UDR entity by the UDM entity.

[0119] Example 30 includes the method described in Example 26, wherein the SDM acquisition request further includes configuring network access subscription data, the configuration network access subscription data indicating that network credentials and configuration data for the UE to configure network access to the SO-SNPN are requested.

[0120] Example 31 includes the method of Example 26, wherein the network credentials include a unique user identifier and a unique security credential associated with the unique device identifier.

[0121] Example 32 includes the method described in Example 31, wherein the unique security credential is a pre-shared key or a digital certificate.

[0122] Example 33 includes the method of Example 26, further comprising: receiving a parameter preconfiguration acquisition request from an Application Function (AF) entity, wherein the parameter preconfiguration acquisition request includes the unique device identifier; and sending a parameter preconfiguration acquisition response to the AF entity, wherein the parameter preconfiguration acquisition response includes the network credentials and the configuration parameters.

[0123] Example 34 includes the method described in Example 33, wherein a pre-configured server is implemented at the AF entity.

[0124] Example 35 includes the method of Example 34, further comprising: after receiving the parameter preconfiguration acquisition request from the AF entity, sending the SDM acquisition request to the UDM entity; and after receiving the SDM acquisition response from the UDM entity, sending the parameter preconfiguration acquisition response to the AF entity.

[0125] Example 36 includes a method for use in a pre-configuration server, comprising: sending a parameter pre-configuration acquisition request to a Network Open Function (NEF) entity, wherein the parameter pre-configuration acquisition request includes a unique device identifier of a user equipment (UE); and receiving a parameter pre-configuration acquisition response from the NEF entity, wherein the parameter pre-configuration acquisition response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier, the network credentials and the configuration data being used to configure the UE to join a Subscription Owner-Independent Non-Public Network (SO-SNPN).

[0126] Example 37 includes the method of Example 36, wherein the network credentials include a unique user identifier and a unique security credential associated with the unique device identifier.

[0127] Example 38 includes the method described in Example 37, wherein the unique security credential is a pre-shared key or a digital certificate.

[0128] Example 39 includes the method described in Example 36, wherein the pre-configured server is implemented at the application function (AF) entity.

[0129] Example 40 includes a Network Open Function (NEF) entity comprising: one or more processors; and a memory storing instructions, wherein, when executed by the one or more processors, the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform the method described in any one of Examples 26 to 35.

[0130] Example 41 includes a pre-configured server comprising: one or more processors; and a memory storing instructions, wherein, when executed by the one or more processors, the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform the method described in any one of Examples 36 to 39.

[0131] While certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for purposes of description, various alternative and / or equivalent embodiments or implementations that achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the illustrated and described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, the embodiments described herein are clearly limited only by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use in a Network Open Function (NEF) entity, comprising processor circuitry configured to cause the NEF entity to: Send a Subscriber Data Management (SDM) Acquisition Request to the Unified Data Management (UDM) entity of the subscriber owner - Independent Non-Public Network (SO-SNPN), whereby... The SDM acquisition request includes a unique device identifier for the user equipment (UE); and The system receives an SDM acquisition response from the UDM entity, wherein the SDM acquisition response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier, the network credentials and the configuration data being used to configure the UE to join the network in the SO-SNPN. The pre-configured server is implemented at the NEF entity, or The pre-configuration server is implemented at the Application Function (AF) entity, and the processor circuitry is further configured such that the NEF entity: receives a parameter pre-configuration retrieval request from the AF entity and sends a parameter pre-configuration retrieval response to the AF entity, wherein the parameter pre-configuration retrieval request includes the unique device identifier, and the parameter pre-configuration retrieval response includes the network credentials and configuration data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The network credentials and the configuration data are stored in the UDM entity of the SO-SNPN.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The network credentials and the configuration data are stored in the Unified Data Repository (UDR) entity of the SO-SNPN and are retrieved from the UDR entity by the UDM entity.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The SDM acquisition request further includes configuring network access subscription data, which indicates that network credentials and configuration data for the UE to configure network access to the SO-SNPN are requested.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The network credentials include a unique user identifier and a unique security credential associated with the unique device identifier.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, The unique security credential is a pre-shared key or digital certificate.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, In the case where the pre-configured server is implemented at the AF entity, the processor circuitry is further configured such that the NEF entity: After receiving the parameter pre-configuration acquisition request from the AF entity, the SDM acquisition request is sent to the UDM entity; and After receiving the SDM acquisition response from the UDM entity, the parameter preconfiguration acquisition response is sent to the AF entity.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors of a Network Open Functions (NEF) entity, causing the one or more processors to: The control communication interface sends a Subscriber Data Management (SDM) retrieval request to the Unified Data Management (UDM) entity of the subscriber owner - Independent Non-Public Network (SO-SNPN), whereby... The SDM acquisition request includes a unique device identifier for the user equipment (UE); and The system receives an SDM acquisition response from the UDM entity, wherein the SDM acquisition response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier, the network credentials and the configuration data being used to configure the UE to join the network in the SO-SNPN. The pre-configured server is implemented at the NEF entity, or The pre-configuration server is implemented at the Application Function (AF) entity, and the processor circuitry is further configured such that the NEF entity: receives a parameter pre-configuration retrieval request from the AF entity and sends a parameter pre-configuration retrieval response to the AF entity, wherein the parameter pre-configuration retrieval request includes the unique device identifier, and the parameter pre-configuration retrieval response includes the network credentials and configuration data.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein, The network credentials and the configuration data are stored in the UDM entity of the SO-SNPN.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein, The network credentials and the configuration data are stored in the Unified Data Repository (UDR) entity of the SO-SNPN and are retrieved from the UDR entity by the UDM entity.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein, The SDM acquisition request further includes configuring network access subscription data, which indicates that network credentials and configuration data for the UE to configure network access to the SO-SNPN are requested.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein, The network credentials include a unique user identifier and a unique security credential associated with the unique device identifier.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein, The unique security credential is a pre-shared key or digital certificate.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein, When the pre-configured server is implemented at the AF entity, the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to: After receiving the parameter preconfiguration acquisition request from the AF entity, the control interface sends the SDM acquisition request to the UDM entity; as well as After receiving the SDM acquisition response from the UDM entity, the control interface sends the parameter preconfiguration acquisition response to the AF entity.

15. An apparatus for use in a pre-configured server, comprising processor circuitry configured to cause the pre-configured server to: Send a parameter preconfiguration retrieval request to the Network Open Functions (NEF) entity, wherein, The parameter pre-configuration acquisition request includes a unique device identifier for the user equipment (UE); and The parameter pre-configuration acquisition response is received from the NEF entity, wherein the parameter pre-configuration acquisition response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier, the network credentials and the configuration data being used to configure the UE to join the Subscription Owner-Independent Non-Public Network (SO-SNPN). The pre-configured server is implemented at the Application Function (AF) entity, and the network credentials and the configuration data are provided to the NEF entity by the Unified Data Management (UDM) entity in the SO-SNPN in an SDM acquisition response in response to a Subscriber Data Management (SDM) Acquisition request from the NEF entity. The SDM acquisition request includes the unique device identifier, and the SDM acquisition response includes the network credentials and the configuration data.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, The network credentials include a unique user identifier and a unique security credential associated with the unique device identifier.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein, The unique security credential is a pre-shared key or digital certificate.

18. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors of a pre-configured server, causing the one or more processors to: The control communication interface sends a parameter preconfiguration retrieval request to the Network Open Functions (NEF) entity, wherein... The parameter pre-configuration acquisition request includes a unique device identifier for the user equipment (UE); and The parameter pre-configuration acquisition response is received from the NEF entity, wherein the parameter pre-configuration acquisition response includes network credentials and configuration data associated with the unique device identifier, the network credentials and the configuration data being used to configure the UE to join the Subscription Owner-Independent Non-Public Network (SO-SNPN). The pre-configured server is implemented at the Application Function (AF) entity, and the network credentials and the configuration data are provided to the NEF entity by the Unified Data Management (UDM) entity in the SO-SNPN in an SDM acquisition response in response to a Subscriber Data Management (SDM) Acquisition request from the NEF entity. The SDM acquisition request includes the unique device identifier, and the SDM acquisition response includes the network credentials and the configuration data.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein, The network credentials include a unique user identifier and a unique security credential associated with the unique device identifier.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein, The unique security credential is a pre-shared key or digital certificate.

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