Network entities generated by analysis in a mobile network

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a new generation of mobile networks, and more particularly to the generation of analysis information in a network. To this end, the present disclosure provides a first network entity for generating analysis information, and provides a second network entity and a third network entity respectively for supporting the analysis generation. The first network entity is configured to obtain past and / or current association information of an area of interest from the second network entity or one or more third network entities. In addition, the first network entity is configured to provide analysis information based on the obtained association information of the area of interest. The past and / or current association information indicates one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that were and / or are respectively mapped to or served the area of interest in the past and / or currently.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a new generation of mobile networks, and more particularly to the generation of analysis information in the network. To this end, this disclosure provides network entities and corresponding methods that support analysis generation. For example, the network entities and methods contribute to collecting information for analysis generation. Background Art

[0002] Figure 1 An example of a possible mobile network architecture is shown, in which embodiments of the present invention can be applied. Figure 1 Specifically shown is a 5G architecture-based mobile network according to 3GPP TS 23.501 specification. Figure 1 The separation between the management plane (MP), control plane (CP), and user plane (UP) is shown. In addition, the separation between the access network (AN), core network (CN), and data network (DN) is also shown.

[0003] Mobile operators can deploy and manage different network slices through the MP. The MP configures and manages resources and entities associated with network slices in both the AN and CN at the same time. Each network slice is associated with CP entities and UP entities, that is, these entities belong to the same network slice. For simplicity, Figure 1 only one network slice is shown, which is identified by single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) #1 and its associated CP entities and UP entities. The CP entities of the mobile operator network manage the connection of the user equipment (UE) from the AN to the DN. Finally, an external CP from an external entity (e.g., an application function (AF)) can also interact with the mobile operator CP entity, while the UP entity is the entity that actually sends data traffic related to the UE and applies the control actions / policies defined by the CP entity.

[0004] The Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) is a network function (NF) in the 5G system that can generate analytics information (e.g., a list of tracking areas (TAs) and / or cell identifications (IDs)) for a specific UE and / or UE group and / or "area of interest". To generate such analytics information, the NWDAF collects information about 5G System (5GS) entities that were and / or are currently associated with the UE and / or the "area of interest" indicated in the analytics information request. Examples of such relationships are as follows: An NF serves a UE (e.g., the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) controls the connection of the UE to the AN); an NF and / or a UE and / or an AF and / or a cell serves or belongs to a given area of interest. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In the current 3GPP specifications TS 23.288, TS 23.501, and TS 23.502, the NWDAF has a minimal mechanism to identify UE x CP NF associations. If the NWDAF requests information about NFs and / or UEs and / or cells, and / or TAs, and / or network slices (e.g., S-NSSAI or network slice instance (NSI)) that served the area of interest currently or in the past (e.g., a month ago), the current mechanism cannot provide such information.

[0006] According to the inventors' analysis, there is already a mechanism in the 5GS to store information about events that an NF can expose in the Unified Data Repository (UDR). This is defined in section 4.15.3.2.4 of TS 23.502, where, according to section 5.2.12.2.1 of TS 23.502, the Network Exposure Function (NEF) is used to subscribe to events from an NF and call the UDR service to store the events. In this case, as defined in section 5.2.12.1 of TS 23.502, the NEF uses the dataset identifier as the "exposed data" to create a record related to access and mobility information in the UDR, as well as session management information including the timestamp of the created record (further defined in section 5.2.12.1 of TS 23.502).

[0007] However, the current limitations in retrieving historical records from the UDR in the 5GS are as follows:

[0008] ● There is no mechanism to search the information stored in the UDR for each "area of interest", which enables the NWDAF to identify all UEs and / or NFs in a given "area of interest" (if the information is available) through a single search, and there is no need to retrieve / subscribe to the information of each UE. Without the above mechanism, the data collection load is significantly increased.

[0009] ● There is no information on which NFs are associated with the events stored in the UDR that involve UEs or protocol data unit (PDU) sessions. This means that when the NWDAF retrieves an event and determines the location of a UE, the NWDAF still has to search for some other entity in the network (e.g., unified data management (UDM)) to determine which NFs serve the UE. This information is incomplete because the UDM only provides the current NFs serving the UE and no historical information. Additionally, using this mechanism will result in a significant increase in data collection.

[0010] ● There is no mechanism to query the dataset identifier (specifically, "open data") based on, for example, the interval of timestamps and the area of interest and / or UE identifier and / or network slice identifier.

[0011] On the other hand, 5GS has the UDM NF that can provide the NFs serving a given UE. However, the UDM NF has the following limitations:

[0012] ● The event openness of the UDM does not provide any information on the changes of the NFs serving the UE (e.g., session management function (SMF), policy control function (PCF), or AMF).

[0013] ● The UE context service only provides the possibility to search the UDM according to "UE ID, NF type, and access type" (as defined in Section 5.2.3.2.4 of TS 23.502).

[0014] Therefore, there is also no mechanism in the UDM to search the stored information for each "area of interest", nor any mechanism to retain the historical information of the 5GS serving the area of interest.

[0015] 3GPP TS 23.288 stipulates in Section 6.2.2.1 a mechanism for defining the NF services that the NWDAF needs to use to determine which NFs serve a UE. However, there is no definition on how the NWDAF can determine the historical (past) and / or actual (current) 5GS entities serving the area of interest.

[0016] The 3GPP specification TS 28 series defines operation, administration and maintenance (OAM) services for collecting provisioning information (current associations between network slice entities), fault information, performance information, and other information. These specifications do not provide any service for collecting historical associations between NFs and UEs, nor do they provide network information for each area of interest.

[0017] In view of the above problems and disadvantages, an object of embodiments of the present invention is to provide an improved mechanism for data collection to generate analysis information.

[0018] The object is to provide network entities and methods that can support analysis generation through enhanced data collection.

[0019] Specifically, the object is to determine past and / or current association information of an area of interest, such as past and / or current 5GS entities serving the area of interest. Therefore, the load of data collection is minimized.

[0020] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a network entity for analysis generation in a mobile network. The first network entity is configured to: obtain past and / or current association information of an area of interest from a second network entity or one or more third network entities, where the past and / or current association information indicates one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that were respectively mapped to or served the area of interest in the past and / or currently; provide analysis information, where the analysis information is based on the obtained association information of the area of interest.

[0021] The network entity of the first aspect can obtain association information to generate analysis information. Specifically, the network entity can obtain association information with reduced signaling, so as to obtain association information with reduced load. Therefore, the network entity supports enhanced analysis generation.

[0022] In one implementation of the first aspect, the first network entity is configured to: send a request for association information of an area of interest to a second network entity or one or more third network entities and / or subscribe to association information of the area of interest; in response to the request and / or according to the subscription, obtain association information of the area of interest and / or an area of interest transaction identifier from the second network entity or from one or more third network entities.

[0023] The first network entity can directly use the association information to generate analysis information from one or more second network entities and / or third network entities. The first network entity can be used to contact different types of second network entities and / or third network entities (e.g., different types of NFs) to obtain the association information. Therefore, the first network entity has great flexibility in obtaining the required association information while maintaining a low network load.

[0024] In one implementation of the first aspect, the request and / or subscription for the association information of the region of interest includes at least one of the following: the target region of interest, which is a spatial region related to the mobile network, and the first network entity requests the past and / or current association information of the target region of interest from the spatial region; the target types of one or more other network entities and / or network attributes, where the target types of the entities and / or attributes describe the types of entities or attributes that should be identified as mapped to or serving the target region of interest; the region of interest transaction identifier; the identifier of the first network entity; the time interval, which is a time window for selecting one or more entities and / or attributes mapped to or serving the target region of interest.

[0025] In one implementation of the first aspect, the region of interest transaction identifier includes at least one of the following: the updated region of interest transaction identifier indicating a change in the association information of the region of interest; the unmodified region of interest transaction identifier indicating that the association information of the region of interest has not changed.

[0026] In one implementation of the first aspect, the target types of the network entity and / or network attributes include at least one of the following: UE type; cell type; TA type; NF type; network slice type; external entity type; application type; session type; quality of service (QoS) profile type; DN type; public land mobile network (PLMN) type.

[0027] In one implementation of the first aspect, the first network entity is used to: send multiple requests for the association information of the region of interest to multiple third network entities and / or subscribe to the association information of the region of interest; obtain the association information of the region of interest from multiple third network entities in response to the multiple requests for the association information of the region of interest and / or according to the subscription to the association information of the region of interest; aggregate the obtained association information; provide analysis information, where the analysis information is based on the aggregated association information.

[0028] In an implementation of the first aspect, the first network entity is configured to: send a request for association information of an area of interest to a second network entity and / or subscribe to the association information of the area of interest; in response to the request for the association information of the area of interest and / or according to the subscription to the association information of the area of interest, obtain the association information of the area of interest and / or the area of interest transaction identifier from the second network entity; provide analysis information, where the analysis information is based on the obtained association information.

[0029] For example, since the second network entity can collect the association information from a third network entity, the first network entity can also obtain the association information from a dedicated network entity (such as an NF), and the dedicated network entity can also be referred to as an intermediate network entity. For the first network entity, this is a very effective option to obtain the association information it needs.

[0030] In an implementation of the first aspect, the first network entity is configured to: determine, from the obtained association information of the area of interest, one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that map to or serve the area of interest; select and / or obtain data from the determined one or more other network entities and / or network attributes; provide analysis information, where the analysis information is based on the selected and / or obtained data.

[0031] In an implementation of the first aspect, the first network entity is a control plane entity, specifically including NWDAF.

[0032] A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a second network entity for supporting the generation of analysis in a mobile network. The second network entity is configured to: in response to a first request sent to one or more third network entities and / or according to a first subscription of one or more third network entities, obtain past and / or current association information of an area of interest from the one or more third network entities; where the past and / or current association information indicates one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that respectively mapped to or served the area of interest in the past and / or currently; and / or when there is a change in the lifecycle of one or more network entities and / or network attributes related to the association information provided by one or more third network entities, obtain change information from the one or more third network entities.

[0033] The second network entity supports the generation of analysis by collecting and maintaining the association information. Then, the second network entity can, for example, provide the association information for generating analysis information to the first network entity. Specifically, the second network entity supports data collection for analysis generation, including new information that was not previously available for analysis generation, which significantly reduces the load. The load can be significantly reduced especially when the second network entity obtains change information instead of the complete association information.

[0034] In an implementation of the second aspect, the first request and / or the first subscription sent includes a target region of interest, where the target region of interest is a spatial region related to the mobile network, and the second network entity requests past and / or current association information of the target region of interest from the spatial region.

[0035] In an implementation of the second aspect, the second network entity is configured to: aggregate the obtained association information of the region of interest.

[0036] The second network entity may provide the aggregated association information to the first network entity. Thus, the first network entity that generates the analysis information can perform the generation more efficiently and quickly based on the preprocessed association information.

[0037] In an implementation of the second aspect, the second network entity is further configured to: obtain from the first network entity a second request and / or a second subscription for the association information of the region of interest; in response to the second request and / or according to the second subscription, provide the obtained association information of the region of interest and / or the aggregated association information of the region of interest to the first network entity.

[0038] Thus, the second network entity may provide to the first network entity the association information it has collected from one or more other network entities. Thus, the second network entity may act as an intermediate network entity (e.g., an intermediate NF) between the first network entity and a third network entity or other network entities.

[0039] In an implementation of the second aspect, the second network entity is configured to: obtain or generate a region of interest transaction identifier for the region of interest, and provide the obtained association information of the region of interest and / or the aggregated association information of the region of interest and / or the region of interest transaction identifier to the first network entity.

[0040] In an implementation of the second aspect, the second network entity is further configured to: obtain change information from one or more third network entities, where the change information indicates changes in the life cycles of one or more other network entities and / or network attributes; update the association information according to the change information; and provide the updated association information and / or the aggregated updated association information to the first network entity.

[0041] In an implementation of the second aspect, the second request and / or second subscription for the association information of the region of interest includes at least one of the following: a target region of interest; a target type of one or more other network entities and / or network attributes, where the target type of the entity and / or attribute describes the type of entity or attribute that should be identified as mapped to or serving the target region of interest; a region of interest transaction identifier; an identifier of the first network entity; a time interval, which is a time window for selecting one or more entities and / or attributes mapped to or serving the target region of interest.

[0042] In an implementation of the second aspect, the second network entity is a control plane entity, specifically including a UDM and / or a UDR and / or a NWDAF.

[0043] A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a third network entity for supporting analysis generation. The third network entity is configured to: in response to a request received from the first network entity and / or the second network entity, and / or according to the subscription of the first network entity and / or the second network entity, provide the first network entity and / or the second network entity with past and / or current association information of the region of interest; where the past and / or current association information indicates one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that were and / or are currently mapped to or serving the region of interest; and / or when one or more target elements related to the association information change, provide the association information to the first network entity and / or the second network entity, and the one or more target elements are network entities or network attributes.

[0044] The third network entity can support analysis generation by, for example, providing the association information to the first network entity. Specifically, the third network entity can support data collection for analysis generation based on information that is currently not available for analysis generation.

[0045] In an implementation of the third aspect, the request received from the first network entity and / or the second network entity and / or the subscription of the first network entity and / or the second network entity includes at least one of the following: a target region of interest, which is a spatial region related to the mobile network, and the first network entity requests the past and / or current association information of the target region of interest from the spatial region; a target type of one or more other network entities and / or network attributes, where the target type of the entity and / or attribute describes the type of entity or attribute that should be identified as mapped to or serving the target region of interest; a region of interest transaction identifier; an identifier of the first network entity; a time interval, which is a time window for selecting one or more entities and / or attributes mapped to or serving the target region of interest.

[0046] In an implementation of the third aspect, the third network entity is a control plane NF, specifically including SMF and / or AMF and / or network slice selection function (NSSF) and / or NEF and / or application function (AF) and / or Network Repository Function (NRF).

[0047] The fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides a network entity, where the network entity is the first network entity according to the first aspect, or the second network entity according to the second aspect, or the third network entity according to the third aspect. Among them, the association information of the area of interest and / or the aggregated association information includes at least one of the following: one or more UE identifiers and / or UE group identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest; one or more cell identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest; one or more tracking area identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest; one or more network slice identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest; one or more NF identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest; one or more NF set identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest; one or more external entity identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest; one or more application identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest; one or more session identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest; one or more QoS profile identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest; one or more data network identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest; one or more PLMN identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest.

[0048] The fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for analysis generation for the first network entity, and the method includes: obtaining past and / or current association information of the area of interest from the second network entity or one or more third network entities, where the past and / or current association information indicates one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that were respectively mapped to or served the area of interest in the past and / or currently; providing analysis information, where the analysis information is based on the obtained association information.

[0049] The method of the fifth aspect may have an implementation corresponding to the implementation of the first network entity of the first aspect. Therefore, the method of the fifth aspect and its possible implementations achieve the same advantages and effects as the first network entity of the first aspect and its corresponding implementations.

[0050] The sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for supporting the analysis generation of a second network entity, the method including: obtaining past and / or current association information of an area of interest from one or more third network entities in response to a first request sent to the one or more third network entities and / or according to a first subscription of the one or more third network entities; wherein the past and / or current association information indicates one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that were respectively mapped to or served the area of interest in the past and / or currently; and / or obtaining change information from the one or more third network entities when the life cycle of one or more network entities and / or network attributes related to the association information provided by the one or more third network entities changes.

[0051] The method of the sixth aspect may have an implementation corresponding to the implementation of the second network entity of the second aspect. Therefore, the method of the sixth aspect and its possible implementations achieve the same advantages and effects as the second network entity of the second aspect and its corresponding implementations.

[0052] The seventh aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for supporting the analysis generation of a third network entity, the method including: providing past and / or current association information of an area of interest to a first network entity and / or a second network entity in response to a request received from the first network entity and / or the second network entity and / or according to a subscription of the first network entity and / or the second network entity; wherein the past and / or current association information indicates one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that were respectively mapped to or served the area of interest in the past and / or currently; and / or providing association information to the first network entity and / or the second network entity when one or more target elements related to the association information change, and the one or more target elements are network entities or network attributes.

[0053] The method of the seventh aspect may have an implementation corresponding to the implementation of the third network entity of the third aspect. Therefore, the method of the seventh aspect and its possible implementations achieve the same advantages and effects as the third network entity of the third aspect and its corresponding implementations.

[0054] The eighth aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer program, the computer program including program code that, when executed on a computer, is used to execute the method according to any one of the fifth aspect, the sixth aspect, or the seventh aspect or any of its implementations.

[0055] The ninth aspect of the present disclosure provides a non-transitory storage medium that stores executable program code, and when the executable program code is executed by a processor, it causes the execution of the method according to the fifth aspect, the sixth aspect, or the seventh aspect or any of its implementations.

[0056] Note that all devices, components, units, and modules described in this application can be implemented by software or hardware components or any combination thereof. All steps performed by various entities described in this application and the functions described to be performed by various entities are intended to indicate that the corresponding entities are suitable or used to perform the corresponding steps and functions. Even in the description of the following specific embodiments, the specific functions or steps performed by external entities are not reflected in the description of the specific detailed components of the entity performing the specific steps or functions, but those skilled in the art should be clear that these methods and functions can be implemented by the corresponding hardware or software components or any combination thereof.

[0057] Definition

[0058] Some general definitions of terms used in this document are provided below.

[0059] Region of interest: For example, through any of the following terms, the region of interest defines a spatial and / or location area:

[0060] ● Access network cell (e.g., identified by a cell ID).

[0061] ● Access network TA level (e.g., identified by a list of TA identifiers (TAI) or a range of TAI).

[0062] ● Geodetic uncertainty shape (such as polygon, circle, etc.).

[0063] ● Municipal address (e.g., street, area, etc.).

[0064] ● Data center location.

[0065] ● Network slice location (e.g., regions such as city A and city B of network slice S-NSSAI).

[0066] ● Operator network location (e.g., operator A in country X, operator A in country Y).

[0067] Network entity and / or network attribute (also known as 5GS entity and 5GS attribute): These are entities or attributes (hardware, software, concept) that are part of a mobile network system, i.e., hardware and / or software and / or concept that are part of a mobile operator network and / or mobile network architecture. Examples of the types of network entities and network attributes are as follows:

[0068] ● UE that can be controlled by the operator network.

[0069] ● Cell of the access network, such as NR and / or eNB.

[0070] ● TA, a concept that defines cells classified as belonging to the same group.

[0071] ● Network slice, the only one that defines the network slices deployed by the operator. Examples of how to identify network slices are through network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) and / or S-NSSAI and / or NSI.

[0072] ● NF, which is a processing function in the network, defines the functional behavior and interfaces and / or reference points. Examples of NF are as follows: UDM, AMF, UDR, and AF.

[0073] ● Network function set, which is a set of NFs with the same NF type, and these NFs can be interchanged to support the same services in the network slice.

[0074] ● External AF: Defines an AF that the mobile operator does not trust. For example, a third-party AF is an external AF.

[0075] ● Application: Defines certain specific types of traffic, which can be defined by the application ID (which can be mapped to specific application traffic detection rules).

[0076] ● Session: It is the association between the UE and the DN, used to transmit data traffic with the UE, thus achieving service connectivity.

[0077] ● QoS profile: Defines the quality of service attributes of UE communication.

[0078] ● DN: It is a network outside the mobile operator's network, to which UE traffic is sent and / or from which UE traffic is sent:

[0079] ● PLMN, which includes the unique identifier of the mobile operator that provides communication services in the mobile communication network.

[0080] Network entity or network attribute serving the area of interest: The term "serves" defines the relationship between the network entity and / or network attribute and the area of interest (e.g., a 5GS entity mapped to the area of interest). For example, if the network entity or network attribute belongs to the following types:

[0081] ● UE: Then the term "serves" means the UE located in the area of interest.

[0082] ● Cell: Then the term "serves" means the cell belonging to the area of interest.

[0083] ● TA: Then the term "serves" means the TA belonging to the area of interest.

[0084] ● Network slice: The term "serving" means a network slice (e.g., S-NSSAI, NSI, NSSAI) that is available (i.e., can be used by the UE) in the area of interest.

[0085] ● NF: The term "serving" means an NF related to UE activities (e.g., mobility, session establishment, data transmission) and / or CP activities (e.g., storing information, providing analysis, managing subscription information, handling information openness, supporting NF discovery) in the area of interest. For example, the AMF controls UE mobility, the SMF controls session management, the PCF controls policies, the AF affects traffic, the BSF controls the mapping of the UE to the PCF, the UPF transports data traffic to and / or from the UE, etc.

[0086] ● NF set: The term "serving" means an NF set located in the area of interest.

[0087] ● External AF: The term "serving" means an AF related to the UE in the area of interest (e.g., an AF that communicates with the UE through a non-IP data transmission model, an external AF that affects UE traffic).

[0088] ● Application: The term "serving" means an application used in the mobile network in the area of interest.

[0089] ● Session: The term "serving" means one or more sessions located in the area of interest. The 5GS entity session types can be further typed according to their PDU session types (e.g., IPv4, IPv6, IPv4v6, Ethernet, and unstructured) and / or SSC types (session and service continuity, e.g., as defined in 3GPP TS 23.501, SSC mode 1, SSC mode 2, SSC mode 3).

[0090] ● QoS profile: The term "serving" means one or more QoS profiles used for the UE's data traffic communication (e.g., in the UE's PDU session), where the UE is located in the area of interest.

[0091] ● Data network: The term "serving" means one or more data networks used for UL and / or DL data traffic and / or control plane traffic between the mobile operator network and a data network external to the mobile operator network. For example, the data network serving the area of interest is all DNNs that receive and / or send UL and / or DL traffic related to the UE and / or receive traffic from or send traffic to the CP NF, where the UE and / or NF is located in the target area of interest.

[0092] ● PLMN: The term "serving" means one or more PLMNs associated with the data traffic from and / or to the UE and / or the traffic between NFs, where the UE and / or the NFs are located in the target area of interest.

[0093] Information about network entities and / or network attributes serving the area of interest: It is a list of actual values and / or values (or instances) of a given type of network entity and / or network attribute related to / serving / mapped to the area of interest. For example, if the type of the network entity or network attribute belongs to the types listed below, the information about the network entity or network attribute serving the area of interest is as follows:

[0094] ● For UE types of 5GS entities: One or more UE identifiers (e.g., Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI), Generic Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI), 5G-Globally Unique Temporary Identity (5G-GUTI), UE IP address, etc.) and / or UE group identifiers (e.g., internal group identifier, external group identifier).

[0095] ● For cell types of 5GS entities: One or more cell identifiers (e.g., cell ID, Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node ID).

[0096] ● TA types of 5GS entities: One or more TAIs (e.g., 3GPP TAI, non-3GPP TAI)

[0097] ● For network slice types of 5GS entities: One or more network slice identifiers (e.g., NSSAI and / or S-NSSAI and / or NSI).

[0098] ● For NF types of 5GS entities: One or more NF identifiers (e.g., NF ID).

[0099] ● Network Function (NF) set: One or more NF set identifiers.

[0100] ● For external AF types of 5GS entities: One or more external AF identifiers (e.g., AF ID).

[0101] ● For application types of 5GS entities: Application identifier (e.g., application ID, AF transaction internal ID, originator identity, background data transfer reference ID).

[0102] ● For the session type of 5GS entities: one or more PDU session IDs and / or PDU session types, and / or SSC mode.

[0103] ● For the QoS profile type of 5GS entities: one or more identifiers of the QoS profile (e.g., 5G QoS Identifier (5G QoS Identifier), 5QI).

[0104] ● For the data network type of 5GS entities: one or more DNNs and / or DNAIs

[0105] ● For the PLMN information type of 5GS entities: one or more identifiers of the PLMN (e.g., home or visited PLMN ID).

[0106] Analysis function: An NF that receives requests and / or subscriptions for analysis information from consumers and can perform the generation of analysis information. An example of an analysis function is the NWDAF of the 3GPP 5G architecture defined in TS 23.501.

[0107] Analysis information: The output of the analysis function, such as the analysis IDs defined in 3GPP TS 23.288, e.g., the analysis IDs listed in Sections 6.4 to 6.9 of TS23.288 V16.1.0.

[0108] Enhanced NF that aggregates information about 5GS entities (also known as network entities and / or network attributes) serving the area of interest: Capable of providing information about 5GS entities serving the area of interest for any and / or all types of 5GS entities.

[0109] Entity that detects 5GS entities (also known as network entities and / or network attributes) serving the area of interest: Capable of providing information about 5GS entities serving the area of interest for a dedicated type of 5GS entity and / or a subset type of 5GS entity.

[0110] Data collection source: A 5GS entity that is capable of providing the raw data for the generation of analysis information.

[0111] Determined data collection source: A 5GS entity that is related to the information about 5GS entities serving the area of interest, e.g., a 5GS entity that is included in the list of information about 5GS entities serving the area of interest (e.g., an NF instance), e.g., the information list is as follows: ({TA1: NF#a, NF#b}, {TA2: NF#c}, {TA3: NF#d, NF#e}). In this sense, each NF instance included in this list is a determined data collection source.

[0112] Original data: It is in the form of measurements, metrics, events, data files, monitoring information, logs, etc. of data that can be retrieved.

[0113] Analysis information generation: It is the process in which the analysis function uses the original data to perform calculations, and / or apply statistical analysis, and / or apply ML / AI techniques (such as regression models, neural networks, etc.) to generate analysis information.

[0114] Search conditions: They are parameters used to describe the specific characteristics of the data that needs to be queried / retrieved / provided, and this data is related to information about 5GS entities serving the area of interest. Examples of the specific characteristics of search conditions are any of the following:

[0115] ● Temporal aspects (e.g., time intervals associated with historical records).

[0116] ● Quantitative aspects (e.g., number of results, such as the most recent 20 historical storage information).

[0117] Control of the 5GS entity lifecycle: It is related to the ability to change a 5GS entity from one phase and / or configuration to another phase and / or configuration. For example, the phase can be when a 5GS entity is deployed (e.g., in the case of a network slice), or instantiated (e.g., in the case of an NF), or established (e.g., in the case of a session), or connected (e.g., in the case of a UE, an application, or a data network). An entity with the ability to change the phase of a 5GS entity (e.g., disconnect a UE by logging out the UE from the network) is an entity that can control this 5GS entity lifecycle. In the case of configuration, for example, an example of the ability to change the configuration is: The PDU session is configured with a QoE profile 5QI 1 and then changed to 5QI 2.

[0118] Lifecycle changes of 5GS entities (e.g., network entities and / or network attributes): It is information related to the lifecycle changes of 5GS entities and / or attributes. Examples of lifecycle changes of 5GS entities and / or attributes are as follows:

[0119] ● Changes in UE context, which can be caused by changes in UE location; established sessions; types of established sessions; the established session is using a new data network; in the example of UE context, the lifecycle change of the UE 5GS entity is the change of UE location information from one area of interest to another area of interest.

[0120] ● Changes in NF profiles, which can reflect new NFs and / or network slices added to the area of interest, or NFs and / or network slices removed from the area of interest.

[0121] ● Changes to the DNN for a UE session can reflect the data network added to or removed from the area of interest.

[0122] Area of interest transaction identifier: Uniquely identifies a set of 5GS entities (also known as network entities and / or network attributes) that serve the area of interest within a time interval. This transaction identifier ensures that information about the 5GS entities serving the area of interest that has not changed due to changes in the 5GS entity lifecycle will not be exchanged between the entities of the present invention. This guarantees that only information about the 5GS entities serving the area of interest that has not been obtained by the analysis function, or information that has changed since the analysis function last obtained this information, will actually be transmitted between the entities of the present invention. Using this information can reduce the load of data collection.

[0123] Data set identifier: Follows the same definition in section 5.2.12.2.1 of TS 23.501: "Uniquely identifies the data set in CP NF#2". Examples of data set identifiers are subscription data, policy data, application data, open data. Another example of the description of the data set identifier is provided in the definition of the data types used by the UDM in TS 23.502 (such as the data types mentioned in Table 5.2.3.3.1-3 of TS 23.502), where the subscription data type is an example of a list of uniquely identified data sets, such as access and mobility subscription data, SMF selection subscription data, session management subscription data. In these cases listed in the UDM, the data set identifier may be the exact name of the data set.

[0124] Data subset identifier: Follows the same definition in section 5.2.12.2.1 of TS 23.501: "Uniquely identifies the data subset within the data set". For example, if considering the organization of data in the UDR, examples of subset data identifiers are: access and mobility subscription data, policy set entry data, background data transfer data, access and mobility information, UE context in SMF data.

[0125] Dataset key and data sub - key: Information used to identify and distinguish values of a specific dataset and / or data subset. Follow the same example in Table 5.2.12.2.1 - 1 of TS 23.502; the information type defined as SUPI (i.e., UE unique identifier) can be used as the dataset key for the dataset "subscription data" identified by the dataset; the information type "PDU session ID" can be used as the data sub - key to further specialize / filter the data subset of "UE context in SMF data" within "subscription data". An example of the use of the dataset key and / or data sub - key is: when a consumer uses this information to filter a specific UE with a specific PDU session ID in a query to a CP NF enhanced by history. Another example of the use of the dataset key and / or data subset key is related to the UDM, where a request for the data type (i.e., dataset) of the UDM can be filtered using the data key and / or data sub - key as described in Table 5.2.3.3.1 - 3 of TS 23.502. For example, a request sent to the UDM to query information about the dataset identifier (i.e., data type) "UE context in SMF data" can also contain the dataset key and sub - key: SUPI and S - NSSAI respectively.

[0126] Information type or field (recorded): A data field to be stored in a CP entity. Examples of data stored in a CP entity are as follows: SM policy data (defined in detail in TS 29.519), AMF subscription data (defined in detail in TS 29.505). Generally, the information description:

[0127] ● UE - related data: For example, UE#1 has subscription information #A, UE#1 has session information #B (e.g., PDU sessions a, b, c) and mobility policies, location information (UE#1 is located in cells x, y, z).

[0128] ● And / or network slice - related data: For example, mapping the S - NSSAI to TAs and corresponding cells at a given point in time.

[0129] The information type has a relationship with the dataset identifier and / or data subset identifier.

[0130] Information value: The actual value associated with the information type.

[0131] Record: An instance / occurrence that uniquely defines a tuple (dataset identifier, data subset identifier, information value) for a given dataset key and / or data sub - key. Description of the Drawings

[0132] In combination with the accompanying drawings, the above - mentioned aspects and implementation manners are elaborated in the following description of specific embodiments.

[0133] Figure 1 Shows an example of a mobile network following the 5G architecture defined by 3GPP.

[0134] Figure 2 Shows a first network entity for analysis generation, a second network entity for supporting analysis generation, and a third network entity for supporting analysis generation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0135] Figure 3 Shows a second network entity for supporting analysis generation, a third network entity for supporting analysis generation, and a first network entity for analysis generation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0136] Figure 4 Shows a second network entity for supporting analysis generation, a third network entity for supporting analysis generation, and a first network entity for analysis generation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0137] Figure 5 Shows a diagram of a method capable of retrieving past and / or current association information of 5GS entities serving an area of interest for analysis generation.

[0138] Figure 6 Shows a diagram of a method capable of retrieving past and / or current association information of 5GS entities serving an area of interest for analysis generation.

[0139] Figure 7 Shows a diagram of a first alternative method of a first operation mode based on UDM and NWDAF interaction.

[0140] Figure 8 Shows a diagram of a second alternative method of a first operation mode based on UDM, UDR, and NWDAF interaction.

[0141] Figure 9 Shows a diagram of a method of a second operation mode based on UDM, NRF, and NWDAF interaction following the principles of the event open framework.

[0142] Figure 10 Shows a method for a first network entity provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0143] Figure 11 Shows a method for a second network entity provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0144] Figure 12 Shows a method for a third network entity provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Description

[0145] Embodiments of the present invention provide a network entity and a method. Specifically, data structures and services of a CP network entity for enhancing a mobile network (with a particular focus on the 5G mobile network architecture) are provided to determine past (historical) and / or current (actual) association information of other network entities and / or network attributes that were and / or are currently mapped to or serving an area of interest (e.g., network attributes mapped to the area of interest and / or 5GS entities serving the area of interest). At the same time, embodiments of the present invention minimize the load of collecting such information. The aim is to support, for example, the analysis function of a mobile operator to further collect specialized data from the identified network entities and / or network attributes in the area of interest for analysis generation.

[0146] Figure 2 Fig. 4 shows a first network entity 200, a second network entity 210, and a third network entity 220 according to embodiments of the present invention, respectively. The first network entity 200 may be a CP entity, specifically may be or include an NWDAF. The first network entity 200 may implement an analysis function. The second network entity 210 may be a CP entity, specifically may be or include a UDM and / or a UDR and / or an NWDAF. The third network entity 220 may be a CP entity, specifically may be or include an SMF and / or an AMF and / or an NSSF and / or an NEF and / or an AF and / or an NRF.

[0147] The first network entity 200 is configured to obtain past and / or current association information 201 of an area of interest from the second network entity 210 and / or one or more third network entities 220. The past and / or current association information 201 indicates one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that were and / or are currently mapped to or serving the area of interest, respectively.

[0148] The first network entity 200 is further configured to provide analysis information 202, where the analysis information 202 is based on the obtained association information 201 of the area of interest. That is, the first network entity 200 may generate the analysis information 202 based on the association information 201. The network entity 200 may also disclose and / or send the analysis information 202 and / or the association information 201 to another network entity (e.g., to the second network entity 210 and / or the third network entity 220), respectively.

[0149] Figure 3 Fig. 5 shows a first network entity 300, a second network entity 310, and a third network entity 320 according to embodiments of the present invention, respectively. The first network entity 300 may be Figure 2 the first network entity 200 as shown, and the second network entity 310 may be Figure 2 the second network entity 210 as shown, and / or the third network entity 320 may be Figure 2 the third network entity 220 as shown.

[0150] Figure 3 It shows that in response to a first request 311 sent to a third network entity 320 and / or according to a first subscription of the third network entity 320, a second network entity 310 obtains past and / or current association information 201 of an area of interest from one or more third network entities 320 (only one third network entity 320 is shown here). That is, the third network entity 320 may receive the first request 311 from the second network entity 310 and, in response, may provide the association information 201 to the second network entity 310. Additionally or alternatively, when there are life cycle changes in one or more network entities and / or network attributes related to the association information 201 (such as that provided by the third network entity 320), the second network entity 310 obtains change information 321 from one or more third network entities 320. That is, the third network entity 320 can be used to monitor the life cycle in one or more network entities and / or network attributes, and if a life cycle change is detected, it can provide the change information 321 to the second network entity 310. The change information 321 may indicate one or more changes relative to the previously provided association information 201.

[0151] Figure 3 It is further shown (represented by a dashed line) that the second network entity 310 can be used to obtain a second request 301 and / or a second subscription for the association information 201 of the area of interest from the first network entity 300. Therefore, the first network entity 300 can be used to send the second request 301 and / or the second subscription to the second network entity 310. Then, in response to the second request 301 and / or according to the second subscription, the second network entity 310 can be used to provide the obtained association information 201 of the area of interest (e.g., obtained from the third network entity 320) and / or the aggregated association information 201 of the area of interest (e.g., the aggregated association information 201 obtained from more than one third network entity 320) to the first network entity 300.

[0152] Figure 4 It shows a first network entity 400, a second network entity 410, and a third network entity 420 according to embodiments of the present invention respectively. The first network entity 400 may be Figure 2 and Figure 3 the first network entity 200 and / or 300 as shown, the second network entity 410 may be Figure 2 and Figure 3 the second network entity 210 and / or 310 as shown, and the third network entity 420 may be Figure 2 and Figure 3 the third network entity 220 and / or 320 as shown.

[0153] In response to a request 401 received from a first network entity 400 and / or according to a subscription of the first network entity 400, a third network entity 420 is configured to provide past and / or current association information 201 of an area of interest to the first network entity 400. Additionally (alternatively or in addition), in response to a request 411 received from a second network entity 410 and / or according to a subscription of the second network entity 410, the third network entity 420 is configured to provide past and / or current association information 201 to the second network entity 410. Alternatively or additionally, when one or more target elements related to the association information 201 change, the third network entity 420 is configured to provide the association information 201 to the first network entity 400 and / or the second network entity 410, where the one or more target elements are network entities or network attributes.

[0154] Figures 2 to 4 Each of the network entities shown in Figures 2 to 4 may respectively include a processing circuit (not shown), which is configured to perform, conduct, or initiate various operations of the network entities described herein. The processing circuit may include hardware and software. The hardware may include analog circuits or digital circuits, or both analog and digital circuits. The digital circuit may include components such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), or a general-purpose processor. In one embodiment, the processing circuit includes one or more processors and a non-transitory memory connected to the one or more processors. The non-transitory memory may carry executable program code, and when the one or more processors execute the executable program code, it causes the network entity to perform, conduct, or initiate the operations or methods described herein.

[0155] Figure 5 A diagram of a method is shown that is capable of retrieving past and / or current association information 201 specifically regarding 5GS entities serving an area of interest for analysis generation. Figure 5 Network entities 200, 210, and 220 involved in solving this problem are shown in Figures 2 to 4 . It should be noted that in the following description of the embodiments, the reference numerals 200, 210, and 220 (as Figure 2 used in Figures 2 to 4 ) are used to label the first network entity, the second network entity, and the third network entity. However, these network entities may equally be network entities 300, 310, and 320 ( Figure 3 shown) or 400, 410, and 420 ( Figure 4 shown). In Figure 5In this context, the "analysis function" is or includes the first network entity 200, the "NF enhanced by 5GS entities that centrally serve the area of interest" is or includes the second network entity 210, and the "entity that detects the area of interest of 5GS entities" is or includes the third network entity 220.

[0156] The conditions under which the first network entity 200 may request the association information 201 regarding 5GS entities serving the area of interest may be related to any of the following situations:

[0157] ● Receiving a request to generate analysis information 202 for a given area of interest without indicating any specific UE and / or NF instance in the request.

[0158] ● Being configured (e.g., subscribing to requests for analysis information) to generate analysis information 202 periodically, and thus the 5GS entities serving the area of interest must be updated periodically.

[0159] ● Being configured (e.g., via scripts, configuration files) to periodically collect the association information 201 regarding 5GS entities serving the area of interest to support the generation of analysis information 202.

[0160] In the present disclosure, two ways are provided for the first network entity 200 to obtain the association information 201, specifically, the association information 201 regarding 5GS entities serving one or more areas of interest.

[0161] Operating mode 1 (centralized acquisition): The first network entity 200 interacts with the second network entity 210 to obtain the association information 201 from the second network entity 210. In this operating mode 1, the second network entity 210 is capable of detecting one or more other network entities (here, 5GS entities) serving the area of interest and providing and / or maintaining the association information 201 for any type of such 5GS entities. The second network entity 210 may implicitly obtain the association information 201 regarding 5GS entities serving the area of interest from one or more third network entities 220 that detect 5GS entities serving the area of interest. One or more third network entities 220 may implicitly provide 5GS entity data, for example, due to changes in the lifecycle of these 5GS entities. A description of how the second network entity 210 further obtains the association information 201 for different types of 5GS entities serving the area of interest will be provided in detail in the following Figure 6 for detailed description.

[0162] Operation Mode 2: (Distributed Acquisition): The first network entity 200 interacts with one or more third network entities 220 and obtains the associated information 201 from such third network entities 220. In this operation mode 2, there may be different third network entities 220, so as to provide different types of associated information 201 for different types of other network entities or network attributes. For example, one third network entity 220 may only provide the UE types of 5GS entities serving the area of interest; while another third network entity 220 may only provide TA, cell, and the network slice identification types of 5GS entities serving the area of interest. In this operation mode 2, the first network entity 200 is also responsible for centrally storing / updating the associated information 201 (such as records), such as the associated information 201 of 5GS entities serving the area of interest. When the first network entity 200 obtains such information from one or more third network entities 220, the first network entity 200 may aggregate these partial information into a single data structure, in which it has an overall mapping of all 5GS entities in each area of interest.

[0163] Figure 5 Steps of "Part A" of the method provided according to an embodiment of the present invention are shown (operation modes 1 and 2 respectively). In this method, Figure 5 Steps 2 and 3 described therein are common to operation modes 1 and 2.

[0164] Steps of operation mode 1 may be as follows:

[0165] 1a. The second network entity 210 interacts with one or more third network entities 220 to obtain information about 5GS entities serving one or more areas of interest according to the supported 5GS entity types that the third network entities 220 can provide. Possible alternatives for such interaction are described in detail below with reference to Figure 6 in detail.

[0166] 1b. The first network entity 200 needs information about 5GS entities serving the area of interest and interacts with the second network entity 210. An example of the possible way this interaction may occur is through the request 301 and response and / or subscription-notification communication mode.

[0167] An example of a request-response based interaction model is as follows:

[0168] ● The first network entity 200 invokes the service from the second network entity 210 serving the area of interest.

[0169] ● The first network entity 200 invokes such a service, which includes the area of interest it requests (e.g., in terms of a cell, the TA) and the 5GS entity type of the 5GS entity that should be determined to serve the requested area of interest (e.g., UE, application, NF, etc.).

[0170] If this is the first time the first network entity 200 interacts with the second network entity 210 serving the area of interest, the first network entity 200 may not include an area of interest transaction identifier in the interaction.

[0171] ● Based on the parameters used by the first network entity 200 in the invoked service, the second network entity 210 determines a list of 5GS entities serving the area of interest that match the received input parameters (e.g., the requested area of interest and the type of 5GS entity and / or the area of interest transaction identifier).

[0172] Then, the second network entity 210 checks whether the area of interest transaction ID is provided by the first network entity 200.

[0173] – If not (e.g., in the case of the first interaction between these entities), the second network entity 210 also generates an area of interest transaction identifier, includes such a transaction identifier in the information, and includes all the determined 5GS entities serving the area of interest in the response returned to the first network entity 200. The second network entity 210 maintains a mapping between the determined 5GS entities serving the area of interest, the first network entity 200 (analysis function) identifier, and the area of interest transaction identifier generated for such an analysis function identifier.

[0174] – If the first network entity 200 also provides an area of interest transaction identifier in the input parameters, the second network entity 210 determines a record set of 5GS entities serving the area of interest in the intersection between the currently determined 5GS entities serving the area of interest and the 5GS entities serving the area of interest mapped to the transaction identifier (the two terms area of interest transaction identifier or transaction identifier are synonyms).

[0175] When there is no empty record set of 5GS entities serving the area of interest in the intersection between the currently determined 5GS entities serving the area of interest and the previous 5GS entities serving the area of interest mapped to the provided transaction identifier, the second network entity 210 includes the record set of 5GS entities serving the area of interest in the intersection in the return to the first network entity 200, generates a new transaction identifier, updates the mapping between the currently determined 5GS entities serving the area of interest, the analysis function identifier, and the area of interest transaction identifier generated for such an analysis function identifier. The second network entity 210 may also retain the history of the previous mapping.

[0176] It should be noted that how the second network entity 210 determines possible alternatives for the current 5GS entity serving the area of interest is described in detail in Figure 6 and the embodiments described below.

[0177] The steps of operation mode 2 can be as follows:

[0178] 1c. One or more third network entities 220 are able to control the life cycle of 5GS entities and / or network attributes. For example:

[0179] The UE registers to the network and the UE session is established; NFs configured in the area of interest. One or more third network entities 220 map the controlled 5GS entities to the area of interest. When the life cycle of the 5GS entity changes (for example, the UE location changes, so the UE serving the area of interest may change), one or more third network entities 220 update the mapping and keep a record of the previous mapping and the current new mapping.

[0180] 1d. The first network entity 200 needs information about the 5GS entities serving one or more areas of interest and interacts with one or more third network entities 220 serving the area of interest. Examples of ways in which such interaction may occur are through request-response and / or subscription-notification communication modes.

[0181] The first network entity 200 invokes services from different third network entities 220 serving the area of interest, including at least the area of interest it needs (for example, in terms of a cell, the TA). It may also include the types of 5GS entities and / or attributes related to retrieval and / or transaction identification.

[0182] The description of step 1b relates to the interaction and how the transaction identification regulates the output from one or more third network entities 220 serving the area of interest to the first network entity 200.

[0183] The difference between operation mode 2 and operation mode 1 is that in operation mode 2, the first network entity 200 can also aggregate the information obtained about the 5GS entities serving the area of interest to create a mapping of all types of 5GS entities serving the area of interest.

[0184] 1e. When the first network entity 200 receives 5GS entities serving the area of interest from one or more third network entities 220 serving the area of interest, it aggregates the different information obtained into a data structure that can be used for the mapping of the area of interest, each 5GS entity type, and the dataset key and / or sub-key for each 5GS entity type. The mapping also includes a transaction identifier and / or a time interval of the obtained information, and the obtained information includes the current mapping of the 5GS entities serving the area of interest.

[0185] The same principle described in step 1b regarding how to identify the current and previous mappings between 5GS entities serving the area of interest also applies to how the first network entity 200 maintains such a mapping.

[0186] Irrespective of the different interaction methods that the first network entity 200 may use to obtain information about 5GS entities serving the area of interest, such services from the second network entity 210 and / or one or more third network entities 220 serving the area of interest may include further search conditions, such as time or quantity aspects related to the information of 5GS entities serving the area of interest.

[0187] 2. The first network entity 200 retrieves data related to the area of interest and can determine which 5GS entities are the data collection sources for the requested area of interest. Based on the information about 5GS entities serving the area of interest obtained from the second network entity 210 and / or one or more third network entities 220, the first network entity 200 determines such data collection sources 500.

[0188] For example, if the first network entity 200 has to identify NF instances and / or NF sets (e.g., NF types of 5GS entities) serving the area of interest (e.g., a list of TAs), then in step 1, the first network entity 200 obtains information about NF instances serving the area of interest (e.g., {TA1, TA2, TA3}), which is, for example, a list of all NF instances for each TA: ({TA1: NF#a, NF#b}, {TA2:

[0189] NF#c}, {TA3: NF#d, NF#e}). In this example, the first network entity 200 determines that the data collection sources for TA1, TA2, TA3 (i.e., the area of interest) are the NF instances: NF#a, NF#b, NF#c, NF#d,

[0190] NF#e.

[0191] 3. Based on the determined data collection sources 500, the first network entity 200 selects and / or retrieves data from the determined data collection sources 500 and generates analysis information 202.

[0192] Figure 6 Shows the steps of "Part B" of the method provided according to an embodiment of the present invention (operation mode 1). Specifically, there are two alternatives regarding how the second network entity 210 serving the area of interest can implement the concentration of information about the 5GS entity serving one or more areas of interest. The alternatives and the method steps for each alternative are described as follows:

[0193] Alternative 1: One or more second network entities 210 serving the area of interest implicitly obtain information about the 5GS entity serving the area of interest from one or more third network entities 220 serving the area of interest.

[0194] 1. One or more third network entities 220 serving the area of interest are capable of controlling the life cycle of 5GS entities and / or attributes. For example: UE registers to the network, UE session is established; NFs configured in the area of interest. When there is a change in the 5GS entity life cycle (UE location changes, session is modified, new NF instances are included in the network slice), the third network entity 220 serving one or more areas of interest sends 5GS entity data related to the change in the life cycle (e.g., updated UE SMF context, or UE AMF context) to one or more second network entities 210 serving the area of interest, without explicitly indicating the information about the 5GS entity serving the area of interest.

[0195] 2. According to the obtained 5GS entity data, one or more second network entities 210 serving the area of interest identify the context dataset key area, one or more 5GS entity types related to the 5GS entity data, and the 5GS entity data key and / or data sub-key for each 5GS entity type.

[0196] 3. One or more second network entities 210 serving the area of interest update the mapping of the current 5GS entity serving the area of interest and store the previous records of the 5GS entity serving the area of interest to enable searching for historical information.

[0197] Alternative 2: One or more second network entities 210 serving the area of interest explicitly obtain the information record about the 5GS entity serving the area of interest from one or more third network entities 210 serving the area of interest.

[0198] 1. One or more third network entities 210 serving the area of interest have a mapping between the controlled 5GS entity lifecycle changes and the information of such 5GS entities serving the area of interest. When there are 5GS entity lifecycle changes (UE location change, session modification, new NF instance included in a network slice), one or more third network entities 220 serving the area of interest update their mapping of the 5GS entities serving the area of interest.

[0199] 2. One or more second network entities 210 serving the area of interest interact with one or more third network entities 220 serving the area of interest in order to obtain information about the 5GS entities serving the area of interest, for the type of 5GS entities controlled by such entities detecting the 5GS entities serving the area of interest. Examples of ways in which such interaction may occur are through request - response and / or subscription - notification communication patterns.

[0200] One or more second network entities 210 serving the area of interest invoke services from different third network entities 220 serving the area of interest, at least including the area of interest they request (e.g., in terms of a cell, the TA). It may also include the type of 5GS entities and / or attributes related to retrieval and / or transaction identification.

[0201] One or more third network entities 220 serving the area of interest provide one or more records of the 5GS entities serving the area of interest.

[0202] 3. One or more second network entities 210 serving the area of interest update the mapping of the current 5GS entities serving the area of interest and store the previous records of the 5GS entities serving the area of interest to enable searching for historical information.

[0203] The following details are common to all operation modes:

[0204] One issue that the first network entity 200 needs to consider is that the generation (and / or update) of the analysis information 202 is actually performed according to the 5GS entities serving the area of interest. This generation (and / or update) of the analysis information 202 according to the 5GS entities serving the area of interest has different possibilities, applicable to all operation modes of the embodiments of the present invention. For example, the first network entity 200 may use one or more of the following alternatives:

[0205] ● When the obtained 5GS entities serving the area of interest are new 5GS entities and / or have changed, the first network entity 200 can be used to trigger and / or perform an update of the generation of the analysis information 202.

[0206] ● The first network entity 200 can be used to periodically trigger and / or perform updates to the analytics generation. Thus, all changes to the 5GS entities serving the area of interest obtained by the first network entity 200 will be queued for use only when a new analytics generation (and / or update) cycle expires.

[0207] ● The first network entity 200 can be configured with a queue that stores changes to the 5GS entities serving the area of interest over a period of time. When the queue is full and / or the time period is approaching, the first network entity 200 triggers and / or performs the generation and / or update of analytics information.

[0208] ● The first network entity 200 can be configured with different levels of urgency for triggering the generation and / or update of analytics information 202 based on the information obtained regarding the 5GS entities serving the area of interest. For example, changes to a specific type of 5GS entity serving the area of interest or a specific area of interest immediately trigger and / or perform the generation and / or update of analytics information 202 based on the changes to the 5GS entities serving the area of interest, while other types of 5GS entities serving the area of interest and / or a specific area of interest can operate using the queue mode described previously.

[0209] ● When the first network entity 200 receives a request and / or subscription to analytics information (e.g., an analytics ID as defined in TS 23.288), the first network entity 200 can trigger and / or perform the generation of analytics information 202 based on the 5GS entities serving the area of interest, which requires the first network entity 200 to identify which are the 5GS entities serving the area of interest to determine the entities for which data is to be collected and / or used for analytics calculations (i.e., generation).

[0210] The main advantages of the embodiments of the present invention are as follows:

[0211] ● Reduces the signaling associated with data collection (for determining the 5GS entities serving the area of interest) with the first network entity 200 (e.g., NWDAF), as the first network entity 200 can obtain such information from a centralized entity.

[0212] ● Reuses the existing messages already exchanged between 5G NFs to derive information about the 5GS entities serving the area of interest, thereby reducing the data collection load for analytics generation.

[0213] ● Controls the amount of data exchanged between the first network entity 200 and other NFs (e.g., UDM, UDR), which ensures that only the portion of information about the 5GS entities serving the area of interest that is not available at the first network entity 200 is sent.

[0214] The following describes exemplary specific embodiments of the present invention for a 5G mobile network based on the architecture defined in 3GPP TS 23.501. In the 5GS, there are different alternatives for these exemplary embodiments.

[0215] Now describe a first embodiment based on operating mode 1 with alternative 1. Specifically, this first embodiment is based on the UDM providing current and / or historical 5GS entities and / or attributes (associated information 201) serving one or more areas of interest. In this first embodiment, the network entities according to the embodiments of the present invention are mapped as follows:

[0216] ● The NWDAF is the first network entity 200 (e.g., an analysis function)

[0217] ● The AMF is the third network entity 220, capable of detecting: UE, cell, TAI, network slice, and / or the AMF NF type serving the area of interest

[0218] ● The SMF is the third network entity 220, and capable of detecting: session, application, data network name (DNN), data network access identifier (DNAI), network slice, and / or the SMF NF type serving the area of interest

[0219] ● The UDM is the second network entity 210 serving the area of interest, and is enhanced by:

[0220] ■ The data set "Area of Interest Context", where the associated information 201 of the 5GS entities serving the area of interest is stored and maintained. The fields and information in this data set can be defined as shown in Table 1.

[0221] Table 1: Entities serving the area of interest, 5GS entity types, and keys

[0222]

[0223]

[0224] ■ The service "Nudm_AoICM", enabling a consumer (e.g., the NWDAF) to invoke these services to retrieve information on the 5GS entities serving the area of interest maintained by the UDM. In this embodiment, this information is maintained by the "Area of Interest Context" data set at the UDM. Table 2 details the service operations, input, and output parameters for each operation of the Nudm_AoICM service.

[0225] Table 2: New UDM services related to 5GS entities serving the area of interest

[0226]

[0227] This embodiment focuses on the use of the service operation Nudm_AoICM_Get to support the NWDAF 200 in retrieving 5GS entities serving the area of interest. The Nudm_AoICM_Get service operation enables consumers of such an operation to access the current and historical 5GS entities serving the area of interest.

[0228] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the UDM 210 is configured (e.g., via an operator policy) with a list of 5GS entity types and a list of areas of interest that will be mapped by the UDM 120 and stored in the area of interest (AoI) dataset.

[0229] An important aspect highlighted in this embodiment is how to use the existing signaling defined in TS 23.502 in 5GS entities (which are embodiments of entities relevant to the present invention) so that the UDM 210 can obtain the mapping of 5GS entities without using a new type of signaling or additional information sent in the existing signaling. This embodiment represents operation mode 1 with alternative 1 for implicitly obtaining 5GS entities serving the area of interest. Figure 7 Embodiments of the present invention based on UDM-NWDAF interaction are described in.

[0230] Figure 7 Steps 1 to 3 in are Figure 5 an embodiment of step 1a shown in. Figure 6 Embodiments of steps 1 and 2 in are respectively detailed in Figure 7 steps 1 (1a to 1d) and 2 (2a to 2c) of. More specifically, Figure 7 steps 2a to 2c in show the aggregation of association information. These steps show how this embodiment utilizes the existing signaling at the AMF 220 and SMF 220 to provide 5GS entity data (e.g., AMF-related UE context, SMF-related UE context, UE location) related to the lifecycle changes of 5GS entities controlled by the SMF 220 and AMF 220. Based on the 5GS entity data obtained by the UDM 210 from the SMF 220 and AMF 220 (which implicitly includes support for determining 5GS entities serving the area of interest), the UDM 210 can aggregate association information, for example, extract the mapping of 5GS entities to areas of interest, which has been used to track and create records for each area of interest in the AoI context dataset. Figure 6 The embodiment of step 3 in is detailed in Figure 7 step 3 in.

[0231] As shown Figure 7 in , steps 1 to 3 can occur in parallel multiple times.

[0232] Figure 5 The embodiment of step 1b in Figure 7 is described in detail in steps 5a and 5b in Figure 5 . Figure 7 The embodiments of steps 5a and 5b in Figure 5 are described in detail in steps 6 and 7 in Figure 7 . Figure 5 The embodiments of steps 2 and 3 in Figure 7 are described in detail in steps 6 and 7 in Figure 7 . Figure 7 The embodiments of steps 6 and 7 in Figure 7 are described in detail in steps 6 and 7 in Figure 7 .

[0233] Figure 7 One possibility of how to trigger NWDAF 200 to obtain 5GS entities serving the area of interest and how the information obtained from UDM 210 is reflected in the output of NWDAF 200 is shown in steps 4 and 8 in , respectively.

[0234] The second specific embodiment is based on operation mode 1 with alternative 2. Specifically, this second specific embodiment is based on UDM and UDR providing past 5GS entities and / or attributes serving the area of interest. In this embodiment, the network entities according to the embodiments of the present invention are mapped as follows:

[0235] ● NWDAF is the first network entity 200 (e.g., analysis function).

[0236] ● AMF is the third network entity 220, capable of detecting: UE, cell, TAI, network slice, and / or AMF NF type serving one or more areas of interest.

[0237] ● SMF is the third network entity 220, and capable of detecting: session, application, DNN, DNAI, network slice, and / or SMF NF type serving the area of interest.

[0238] ● UDM is the second network entity 210, and capable of creating 5GS entities serving the area of interest, which combines the information from SMF 220 and AMF 220 into a single record. However, UDM 210 is not the entity that stores such records to support storing past association information 201 about 5GS entities serving the area of interest.

[0239] ● UDR is an embodiment of the second network entity 210, enhanced by:

[0240] ■ Dataset area of interest context, where the information of 5GS entities serving the area of interest is stored and maintained, and the fields and information in this dataset are defined in Table 3.

[0241] Table 3: Entities serving the area of interest, 5GS entity types, and keys

[0242]

[0243]

[0244] Table 4: Enhanced UDR Service for Supporting Retrieval of 5GS Entities Serving the Area of Interest

[0245]

[0246] This embodiment focuses on the embodiment of providing all existing 5GS architecture services defined in TS 23.502. The enhancement is an extension of the functions of the NF, the new data type structure, and the existing service operations. In addition, this embodiment supports the separation of concerns between the roles of the UDM 210 and the UDR 210, and is compatible with the current 3GPP 5GS architecture, where the UDM 210 does not act as the entity for unified data, while the UDR 210 acts as the entity for storing data.

[0247] Figure 8 Describes an embodiment of operation mode 1 with alternative 2 based on the interaction of UDM, UDR, and NWDAF. Figure 8 Steps 1 to 4 in are Figure 5 The embodiment of step 1a in. Figure 8 Steps 6a and 6b in are Figure 5 The embodiment of step 1b in. Figure 8 In steps 5 and 9 of, a possibility of how to trigger the NWDAF 200 to obtain 5GS entities serving the area of interest is also shown respectively, and how the information obtained from the URM 210 is reflected in the output of the NWDAF 200.

[0248] Figure 8 Steps 1 to 3 in are Figure 6 The embodiment of step 1 in. Figure 8 Step 4 in is Figure 6 The embodiment of steps 2 and 3 in. In addition, Figure 8 Steps 2a to 2c in show the aggregation of association information.

[0249] The third specific embodiment is based on operation mode 2 and provides current and / or past 5GS entities and / or attributes (following the event open framework model) serving the area of interest based on the NRF and the UDM. In this embodiment, the network entities according to the embodiments of the present invention are mapped as follows:

[0250] ● The AMF is the third network entity 220, capable of detecting: the UE, the cell, the TAI, the network slice, and / or the AMF NF type serving one or more areas of interest.

[0251] ● The SMF is the third network entity 220 and is capable of detecting: sessions, applications, DNNs, DNAIs, network slices, and / or the SMF NF type serving the area of interest.

[0252] ● The NRF is the third network entity 220 and is capable of detecting: all types of NFs serving the area of interest.

[0253] ● The UDM is the third network entity 220 and is capable of creating a 5GS entity serving the area of interest, which combines information from the SMF 220 and the AMF 220 into a single record. However, the UDM 220 is not the entity that stores such a record to support storing historical information about the 5GS entity serving the area of interest.

[0254] ● The NWDAF is the first network entity 200 (e.g., an analytics function) and is the second network entity 210 serving the area of interest, enhanced by:

[0255] ■ A dataset AoI context, where information about the 5GS entity serving the area of interest is stored and maintained, and the fields and information in this dataset are defined in Table 5.

[0256] Table 5: Entities serving the area of interest, 5GS entity types, and keys

[0257]

[0258] There are different alternatives for how the services of NFs with enhanced capabilities of the entities defined in the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented. Some possible service extensions are introduced below.

[0259] A possible embodiment of how the UDM 210 provides the detected 5GS entity serving the area of interest is as follows.

[0260] In this embodiment, for the service of the UDM 210, the event opening framework defined in Section 4.15 of TS 23.502 is followed. In this case, as detailed in Table 6, new monitoring events are defined to be detected by the UDM 210.

[0261] Table 6: List of monitoring capability events

[0262]

[0263] In addition, the UDM service for opening new types of events must also be extended as defined in Table 7.

[0264] Table 7: UDM enhanced event opening service to provide the detected 5GS entity serving the area of interest

[0265]

[0266]

[0267] Possible embodiments of how the NRF 210 provides the detected 5GS entities serving the area of interest are as follows.

[0268] Table 8: NRF enhanced services to provide the detected 5GS entities serving the area of interest

[0269]

[0270]

[0271] This embodiment focuses on providing an embodiment of an event-based open framework. In this case, the NWDAF 200 is the entity responsible for centralizing and storing the mapping of all 5GS entities (types) serving the area of interest. The NWDAF 200 obtains this information based on subscriptions to events related to 5GS entities serving the area of interest from the UDM 210 and the NRF 210.

[0272] Additionally, in this embodiment, the NWDAF 200 can also provide information about the 5GS entities serving the area of interest centralized by the NWDAF 200. For example, Figure 9 The interaction between two different NWDAFs 200 (200a / 200b) is shown. In this case, the NWDAF 200 serving the area of interest is enhanced by the exact same service (i.e., the area of interest context management (AoICM) service) defined in Table 2. In this case, the NWDAF service will be enhanced by a new service (i.e., the Nnwdaf_AoICM service).

[0273] Figure 9 Further details of the operation mode 2 and an embodiment of the interaction among the UDM, NRF, and NWDAF are shown.

[0274] In this embodiment, Figure 9 Step 0 of Figure 5An example of step 1d, as indicated by the arrow, shows a first network entity 200 (i.e., NWDAF 200) enhanced by the concentration (e.g., aggregation of associated information) of 5GS entities serving the area of interest sending a request to a third network entity 220 (i.e., UDM and NRF). In this embodiment, the request follows the subscription notification model of communication. Thus, NWDAF 200 subscribes to UDM 220 and NRF 220 events related to 5GS entities serving the area of interest controlled by these NFs. Figure 9 Steps 1 to 3 and step 5 in Figure 2 show an example of step 1c in Figure 9 Steps 4 and 6 in Figure 5 show an example of step 1d. From the perspective of the UDM, the NRF sends a response to the changes of 5GS entities in the requested (e.g., subscribed) area of interest. Figure 9 Step 7 in Figure 5 is an example of step 1e in Figure 9 Steps 9 and 10 in Figure 5 are examples of steps 2 and 3 in Figure 9 Steps 8 and 11 in

[0275] Finally, Figure 9 Steps 12a and 12b in

[0276] Figure 10 show how a method 1000 for the first network entity 200. Method 100 is used to generate an analysis. Method 1000 includes step 1001 of obtaining past and / or current associated information 201 of the area of interest from a second network entity 210 or one or more third network entities 220. Additionally or alternatively, method 1000 includes step 1002 of providing analysis information 202, where the analysis information 202 is based on the obtained associated information 201.

[0277] Figure 11Method 1100 for a second network entity 210 is shown. Method 1100 is for supporting analytics generation. Method 1100 includes step 1101 of obtaining past and / or current association information 201 of a region of interest from one or more third network entities 220 in response to a first request 311 sent to the one or more third network entities 220 and / or according to a first subscription of the one or more third network entities 220. Alternatively or additionally, method 1100 includes step 1102 of obtaining change information 321 from the one or more third network entities 220 when a lifecycle of one or more target elements related to the association information 201 provided by the one or more third network entities 220 changes, the one or more target elements being network entities or network attributes.

[0278] Figure 12 Method 1200 for a third network entity 220 is shown. Method 1200 is for supporting analytics generation. Method 1200 includes step 1201 of providing past and / or current association information 201 of a region of interest to a first network entity 200 and / or a second network entity 210 in response to requests 401, 411 received from the first network entity 200 and / or the second network entity 210 and / or according to a subscription of the first network entity 200 and / or the second network entity 210. Alternatively or additionally, method 1200 includes step 1202 of providing the association information 201 to the first network entity 200 and / or the second network entity 210 when one or more target elements related to the association information 201 change, the one or more target elements being network entities or network attributes.

[0279] The invention has been described in connection with various embodiments and implementations by way of example. However, upon study of the drawings and the present disclosure, other variations can be understood and achieved by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention. In the specification, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and "a" does not exclude a plurality.

Claims

1. A first network entity (200, 300, 400) for analyzing generation in a mobile network, characterized in that, The first network entity (200, 300, 400) is configured to: Send multiple requests (401) for association information (201) of an area of interest to multiple third network entities (220, 320, 420) and / or subscribe to the association information (201) of the area of interest; In response to the multiple requests (401) for the association information (201) of the area of interest and / or according to the subscription to the association information (201) of the area of interest, obtain past association information (201) of the area of interest from a second network entity (210, 310, 410) or the multiple third network entities (220, 320, 420), where the past association information (201) indicates one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that were respectively mapped to or served the area of interest in the past; Aggregate the past association information (201); Provide analysis information (202) based on the aggregated past association information (201).

2. The first network entity (200, 300, 400) according to claim 1, characterized in that configured to: Send a request (301, 401) for the association information (201) of the area of interest to the second network entity (210, 310, 410) or the multiple third network entities (220, 320, 420) and / or subscribe to the association information (201) of the area of interest; In response to the request (301, 401) and / or according to the subscription, obtain past association information (201) of the area of interest and / or an area of interest transaction identifier from the second network entity (210, 310, 410) or from the multiple third network entities (220, 320, 420).

3. The first network entity (200, 300, 400) according to claim 2, wherein: The request (301, 401) for the association information (201) of the area of interest and / or the subscription includes at least one of the following: – A target area of interest, which is a spatial area related to the mobile network, and the first network entity (200, 300, 400) requests past association information (201) of the target area of interest from the spatial area, – A target type of the one or more other network entities and / or network attributes, where the target type of the entity and / or attribute describes the type of entity or attribute that should be identified as being mapped to or serving the target area of interest, – An area of interest transaction identifier, – An identifier of the first network entity (200, 300, 400), – A time interval, which is a time window for selecting one or more entities and / or attributes that are mapped to or serve the target area of interest.

4. The first network entity (200, 300, 400) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that configured to: Send a request (301) for the association information (201) of the area of interest to the second network entity (210, 310, 410) and / or subscribe to the association information (201) of the area of interest; In response to the request (301) for the association information (201) of the area of interest and / or according to the subscription for the association information (201) of the area of interest, obtain the past association information (201) of the area of interest and / or the area of interest transaction identifier from the second network entity (210, 310, 410). Provide analysis information (202), where the analysis information (202) is based on the obtained past association information (201).

5. The first network entity (200, 300, 400) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, For: Determine, from the obtained past association information (201) of the area of interest, one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that map to or serve the area of interest. Select and / or obtain data from the determined one or more other network entities and / or network attributes. Provide analysis information (202), where the analysis information (202) is based on the selected and / or obtained data.

6. The first network entity (200, 300, 400) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first network entity (200, 300, 400) is a control plane entity, and the first network entity (200, 300, 400) specifically includes a Network Data Analytics Function NWDAF.

7. A second network entity (210, 310, 410) for supporting the analysis generation of a mobile network, characterized in that, The second network entity (210, 310, 410) is used for: In response to a first request (311) sent to a plurality of third network entities (220, 320, 420) and / or according to a first subscription of the plurality of third network entities (220, 320, 420), obtain the past association information (201) of the area of interest from the plurality of third network entities (220, 320, 420). Wherein, the past association information (201) indicates one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that have respectively mapped to or served the area of interest in the past; and / or When the lifecycle of one or more network entities and / or network attributes related to the past association information (201) provided by the plurality of third network entities (220, 320, 420) changes, obtain change information (321) from the plurality of third network entities (220, 320, 420). Aggregate the past association information (201).

8. The second network entity (210, 310, 410) according to claim 7, characterized in that The sent first request (311) and / or the first subscription include a target area of interest, which is a spatial area related to the mobile network, and the second network entity (210, 310, 410) requests the past association information (201) of the target area of interest from the spatial area.

9. The second network entity (210, 310, 410) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, Is also used for: Obtain a second request (301) and / or a second subscription for the association information (201) of the area of interest from the first network entity (200, 300, 400). In response to the second request (301) and / or according to the second subscription, provide the first network entity (200, 300, 400) with the past association information (201) of the obtained region of interest and / or the past association information (201) of the aggregated region of interest.

10. The second network entity (210, 310, 410) according to claim 9, characterized in that For: Obtain or generate a region of interest transaction identifier for the region of interest, Provide the first network entity (200, 300, 400) with the past association information (201) of the obtained region of interest and / or the past association information (201) of the aggregated region of interest and / or the region of interest transaction identifier.

11. The second network entity (210, 310, 410) according to claim 9, characterized in that, Also for: Obtain change information (321) from the plurality of third network entities (220, 320, 420), where the change information (321) indicates changes in the life cycle of the one or more other network entities and / or network attributes; Update the past association information (201) according to the change information (321); Provide the first network entity (200, 300, 400) with the updated past association information (201) and / or the aggregated updated past association information (201).

12. The second network entity (210, 310, 410) according to claim 9, characterized in that: The second request (301) and / or the second subscription for the association information (201) of the region of interest includes at least one of the following: – Target region of interest, – Target types of the one or more other network entities and / or network attributes, where the target types of the entities and / or attributes describe the types of entities or attributes that should be identified as mapped to or serving the target region of interest, – Region of interest transaction identifier, – Identifier of the first network entity (200, 300, 400), – Time interval, which is a time window for selecting one or more entities and / or attributes mapped to or serving the target region of interest.

13. The second network entity (210, 310, 410) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The second network entity (210, 310, 410) is a control plane entity, specifically including a Unified Data Management UDM and / or a Unified Data Repository UDR and / or a Network Data Analytics Function NWDAF.

14. A third network entity (220, 320, 420) for supporting analysis generation, characterized in that, The third network entity (220, 320, 420) is used for: In response to a request (401, 411) received from the first network entity (200, 300, 400) and / or the second network entity (210, 310, 410), and / or according to the subscription of the first network entity (200, 300, 400) and / or the second network entity (210, 310, 410), provide the first network entity (200, 300, 400) and / or the second network entity (210, 310, 410) with the past association information (201) of the region of interest; wherein, the past association information (201) indicates one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that were respectively mapped to or served the region of interest in the past; and / or when one or more target elements related to the past association information (201) change, provide the past association information (201) to the first network entity (200, 300, 400) and / or the second network entity (210, 310, 410), where the one or more target elements are network entities or network attributes.

15. The third network entity (220, 320, 420) according to claim 14, characterized in that the request (401, 411) received from the first network entity (200, 300, 400) and / or the second network entity (210, 310, 410) and / or the subscription of the first network entity (200, 300, 400) and / or the second network entity (210, 310, 410) includes at least one of the following: – a target region of interest, which is a spatial region related to the mobile network, and the first network entity (200, 300, 400) requests the past association information (201) of the target region of interest from the spatial region, – a target type of the one or more other network entities and / or network attributes, where the target type of the entity and / or attribute describes the type of entity or attribute that should be identified as being mapped to or serving the target region of interest, – an identifier of a region of interest transaction, – an identifier of the first network entity, – a time interval, which is a time window for selecting one or more entities and / or attributes that are mapped to or serve the target region of interest.

16. The third network entity (220, 320, 420) according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that: the third network entity (220, 320, 420) is a control plane NF, specifically including a session management function SMF and / or an access and mobility management function AMF and / or a network slice selection function NSSF and / or a network exposure function NEF and / or an application function AF and / or a network repository function NRF.

17. A network entity (200, 210, 220, 300, 310, 320, 400, 410, 420), characterized in that, The network entity is the first network entity (200, 300, 400) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or the second network entity (210, 310, 410) according to any one of claims 7 to 13, or the third network entity (220, 320, 420) according to any one of claims 14 to 16, where: the association information (201) of the region of interest and / or the aggregated association information (201) includes at least one of the following: – one or more user equipment UE identifiers and / or UE group identifiers that are mapped to or serve the region of interest, – one or more cell identifiers that are mapped to or serve the region of interest, – one or more tracking area identifiers that are mapped to or serve the region of interest, – One or more network slice identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest, – One or more network function NF identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest, – One or more NF set identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest, – One or more external entity identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest, – One or more application identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest, – One or more session identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest, – One or more quality of service QoS profile identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest, – One or more data network identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest, – One or more public land mobile network PLMN identifiers mapped to or serving the area of interest.

18. A method (1000) for analytical generation for a first network entity (200, 300, 400), characterized in that, The method (1000) includes: Sending multiple requests (401) for association information (201) of the area of interest to multiple third network entities (220, 320, 420) and / or subscribing to the association information (201) of the area of interest; Obtaining (1001) past association information (201) of the area of interest from a second network entity (210, 310, 410) or the multiple third network entities (220, 320, 420) in response to the multiple requests (401) for association information (201) of the area of interest and / or according to the subscription to the association information (201) of the area of interest, wherein the past association information (201) indicates one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that were respectively mapped to or served the area of interest in the past; Aggregating the past association information (201); Providing (1002) analysis information (202) based on the aggregated past association information (201).

19. A method (1100) for supporting the analysis generation of a second network entity (210, 310, 410), characterized in that, The method (1100) includes: Obtaining (1101) past association information (201) of the area of interest from the multiple third network entities (220, 320, 420) in response to a first request (311) sent to the multiple third network entities (220, 320, 420) and / or according to a first subscription of the multiple third network entities (220, 320, 420); wherein the past association information (201) indicates one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that were respectively mapped to or served the area of interest in the past; and / or When a lifecycle change occurs for one or more network entities and / or network attributes related to the past association information (201) provided by the multiple third network entities (220, 320, 420), obtaining (1102) change information (321) from the multiple third network entities (220, 320, 420); Aggregating the past association information (201).

20. A method (1200) for supporting the analysis generation of a third network entity (220, 320, 420), characterized in that, The method (1200) includes: In response to a request (401, 411) received from the first network entity (200, 300, 400) and / or the second network entity (210, 310, 410), and / or according to a subscription of the first network entity (200, 300, 400) and / or the second network entity (210, 310, 410), provide (1201) past association information (201) of the region of interest to the first network entity (200, 300, 400) and / or the second network entity (210, 310, 410); wherein the past association information (201) indicates one or more other network entities and / or network attributes that were respectively mapped to or served the region of interest in the past; and / or When one or more target elements related to the past association information (201) change, provide (1202) the past association information (201) to the first network entity (200, 300, 400) and / or the second network entity (210, 310, 410), where the one or more target elements are network entities or network attributes.

Images