Network slice quality of experience measurement

Abstract

The present disclosure describes methods and systems for configuring, performing, reporting and analyzing user experience quality measurements of virtual network slices in a wireless communication network platform. The measurements are performed by user equipment, thus more accurately reflecting real user experience with respect to network latency, throughput and / or data loss. The measurements are triggered via a messaging procedure involving the core network and the access network of the wireless communication network platform. The measurement results are reported by the user equipment to the network side for optimizing network resource allocation and configuration of virtual network slices, thus improving user experience.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure is directed to measuring and monitoring wireless network performance and user experience quality (QoE). BACKGROUND

[0002] Virtual networks, such as wireless virtual network slices, can be implemented on a common physical network infrastructure. User devices can transparently subscribe to wireless services provided by these virtual wireless networks. Physical or logical communication resources of the underlying network infrastructure can be allocated and adjusted among various network slices according to their communication service quality requirements. SUMMARY

[0003] The present disclosure describes methods and systems for configuring, measuring, reporting, and optimizing user experience quality of virtual networks, such as network slices.

[0004] In one example implementation, a method performed by a network node of a communication network platform is disclosed, the method for measuring performance of network slices implemented in the communication network platform. The method includes receiving a configuration message associated with a measurement task of one or more network slices specifying a set of measurement configuration information, identifying a user device to perform network slice performance measurement according to the configuration message, constructing a measurement request based on the configuration message, and sending the measurement request to the user device to trigger network slice performance measurement of the user device.

[0005] In the above implementation, the communication network platform can include a cellular wireless network, the network node includes a wireless base station, and the performance of the network slice includes user experience quality (QoE).

[0006] In any of the above implementations, the QoE includes at least one of network latency, throughput, or data loss experienced by the user device.

[0007] In any of the above implementations, the set of measurement configuration information includes at least one of: area range information for identifying a network coverage area in which the network slice performance measurement is to be performed; network address information of a QoE collection entity (QCE) configured to collect and analyze the network slice performance measurement; a network slice measurement enable indicator for indicating whether a network slice measurement function is enabled; a network slice identification list for specifying the one or more network slices; a measurement traffic granularity at one or more network levels at which the performance of the one or more network slices is measured; or a task identification of the measurement task associated with the set of measurement configuration information.

[0008] In any of the above embodiments, the one or more network levels include at least one of a dedicated radio bearer (DRB) level, a protocol data unit (PDU) session level, or a quality of service (QoS) flow level.

[0009] In any of the above embodiments, the configuration message is sent from an operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) function of the communication network platform to the network node.

[0010] In any of the above embodiments, the configuration message is sent from the OAM as a minimization of drive tests (MDT) activation message.

[0011] In any of the above embodiments, identifying the user equipment includes selecting, by the network node, the user equipment from a plurality of network devices within a coverage area of the network node in accordance with the set of measurement configuration information.

[0012] In any of the above embodiments, the configuration message is sent from a core network or another base station of the communication network platform to the network node and specifies the user equipment to perform the network slice performance measurements.

[0013] In any of the above embodiments, the measurement request is included in a radio resource control (RRC) message sent from the network node to the user equipment.

[0014] In any of the above embodiments, the measurement request included in the RRC message includes at least one of an indicator indicating whether network slice measurement functionality is enabled; a measurement traffic granularity specifying one or more network levels at which the network slice performance measurements are performed by the user equipment; a task identification of a measurement task associated with the set of measurement configuration information; or a list of network slice identifications specifying one or more network slices.

[0015] In any of the above embodiments, the measurement request causes the user equipment to: perform the network slice performance measurements for a set of network slices when a network slice identification associated with the set of network slices and a network slice measurement enable indicator are specified in the measurement request; and perform the network slice performance measurements according to a network granularity specified in the measurement request when the network slice measurement enable indicator is specified in the measurement request but no network slice identification is included in the measurement request.

[0016] Any of the above embodiments further include receiving a network slice measurement report from the user equipment.

[0017] Any of the above embodiments further include forwarding the network slice measurement report received from the user equipment to a core network or a QCE of the communication network platform when one or more network slice identifiers are present in the network slice measurement report.

[0018] Any of the above embodiments further include forwarding the network slice measurement report received from the user equipment without a network slice identity to a core network or a QCE of the communication network platform, or identifying a set of network slice identifiers associated with the network slice measurement report by one or more traffic identifiers included in the network slice measurement report, and then forwarding the network slice measurement report and the set of network slice identifiers to the core network or the QCE of the communication network platform, when the network slice measurement report does not include any network slice identity. The traffic identifiers include at least one of: one or more DRB identifiers; one or more PDU session identifiers; or one or more QOS flow identifiers.

[0019] In any of the above embodiments, the network node forwards the network slice measurement report to a core network or a QCE of the communication network platform to enable the core network or the QCE to perform an optimized resource allocation for the one or more network slices according to performance requirements specified in a service level agreement associated with the one or more network slices based on the network slice measurement report.

[0020] Various network nodes are also disclosed. Each of these network nodes includes a processor and a memory, where the processor is configured to read computer code from the memory to implement any of the above methods.

[0021] Computer readable media are also disclosed. Such computer readable media include instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the above methods.

[0022] Other aspects and alternatives of the above described embodiments and implementations thereof are described in more detail in the following drawings, description and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 An exemplary system diagram of a wireless communication network is shown.

[0024] Figure 2 An exemplary logic flow for configuring, measuring, reporting, collecting and analyzing user experience quality information of a network slice is shown.

[0025] Figure 3 Another exemplary logic flow for configuring, measuring, reporting, collecting and analyzing user experience quality information of a network slice is shown.

[0026] Figure 4 Yet another exemplary logic flow for configuring, measuring, reporting, collecting and analyzing slice experience quality information of a network slice is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The techniques and examples of the implementations and / or embodiments in this disclosure can be used to improve the performance of virtual networks in a communication system. The term “exemplary” is used to mean “an example of’ and, unless otherwise noted, is not intended to mean ideal or preferred examples, implementations or embodiments. These implementations can be embodied in various transparencies, so the scope of the disclosure or the claimed subject matter is intended to be construed as not being limited to the embodiments described below. Various implementations can be embodied as methods, apparatus, components, or systems. Accordingly, the examples of the disclosure can be embodied in the form of hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0028] The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for configuring, measuring, reporting, collecting, and analyzing quality of experience (QoE) information from user equipment in a virtual network, and using this information to optimize the performance of the virtual network. With the introduction of network virtualization, one or more virtual networks (alternatively referred to as logical networks) can be independently implemented on a common physical network infrastructure of a communication network system. In a wireless network system, the virtual networks can be implemented as network slices. These network slices share the same underlying physical network infrastructure (including the radio access network and the core network), but provide independent network services to subscribing users. While the following disclosure is provided in the context of a wireless communication system such as a fourth generation (4G) and fifth generation (5G) cellular network, the underlying principles of the disclosure are applicable to other wireless infrastructures, as well as other wired networks that support virtual networks in the form of, including but not limited to, virtual network slices.

[0029] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication network system 100 is shown, which includes a radio access network (RAN) 105 that is backhauled to a core network 101. For example, the RAN 105 can include various radio access network nodes (RANNs) 104, as well as user equipment (UEs) 102, 124, and 126 that access the RANNs 104. Each of the UEs 102, 124, and 126 can include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a vehicle-mounted communication device, a roadside communication device, a sensor device, a smart appliance (such as a television, a refrigerator, and an oven), or other devices capable of wireless communication. The UEs can communicate with each other via the RANNs 104 or indirectly via both the RANNs 104 and the core network 101, or directly via sidelinks between the UEs. As Figure 1As shown, for example, UE 102 may include transceiver circuitry 106 coupled to antenna 108 to enable wireless communication with RANN 104 or another UE such as UE 124 or 126. Transceiver circuitry 106 may also be coupled to processor 110, which may also be coupled to memory 112 or other storage devices. Memory 112 may store computer instructions or code therein that, when read and executed by processor 110, cause processor 110 to implement all or part of each of the various methods described herein.

[0030] Similarly, RANN 104 may include a base station or other wireless network access point capable of wirelessly communicating with one or more UEs. For example, RANN 104 may be implemented as a 4G LTE base station, a 5G NR base station, a 5G centralized unit base station, or a 5G distributed unit base station (various 5G base stations may alternatively be referred to as Next Generation Node B or gNB). Each type of RANN 104 may be configured to perform a corresponding set of wireless network functions. RANN 104 may include transceiver circuitry 114 coupled to antenna 116, which may include various forms of antenna tower 118 to enable wireless communication with UEs 102, 124, and 126. Transceiver circuitry 114 may be coupled to one or more processors 120, which may also be coupled to memory 122 or other storage devices. Memory 122 may store instructions or code that, when read and executed by processor 120, enable processor 120 to perform various network functions. These network functions may include, for example, functions related to the configuration, measurement, reporting, collection, and analysis of user QoE information of the virtual network running in the wireless communication network platform 100.

[0031] For simplicity and clarity, only one RANN 104 and three UEs 102, 124, and 126 are shown in the radio access network 105. It should be understood that one or more RANNs 104 may exist in the wireless communication network system 100, and each RANN may serve one or more UEs. Although Figure 1 UEs 102, 124 and 126 are shown to be served within a serving cell, but they may alternatively be served by different cells and / or no cell (e.g., when communicating with each other via sidelinks).

[0032] Such as Figure 1Network applications in communication systems like the examples shown can be configured to provide one or more mobile services and applications requiring various levels of mobile coverage, throughput, latency, etc. For example, in the context of 5G mobile networks, a diverse set of mobile services and use cases can be provided by a single physical network infrastructure. In some implementations, the various services and use cases can be virtualized, corresponding to coverage... Figure 1 A set of virtual communication networks is shown on top of a single physical network infrastructure 100. This virtual network can alternatively be referred to as a logical network to distinguish it from the underlying physical network infrastructure. Activating the communication network helps avoid deploying separate physical network infrastructures for different network services and significantly improves the utilization and efficiency of the network infrastructure. Deployed on the same underlying network infrastructure (e.g., Figure 1 A virtual network on a 100-bit network can be implemented as a network slice. Each of the various network slices can be configured to be used independently. Figure 1 The wireless access network 105 and core network 101 shown support end-to-end communication sessions. Network resources can be allocated and adjusted among the network slices according to the communication characteristics and requirements of the network services provided by these virtualized network slices.

[0033] exist Figure 1 The network slicing implemented in the wireless communication network system 100 allows for different network configurations and service processing based on customer needs. RAN 105 can be configured to provide different network slices to serve one or more UEs. Each network slice can be uniquely identified by a network slice identifier (ID) contained in a single slice selection assist information (S-NSSAI). Each UE can subscribe to one or more virtual network services in the form of network slices corresponding to a list of S-NSSAIs (collectively referred to as NSSAIs). When providing services to a UE, each network slice can support one or more communication sessions (referred to as Protocol Data Units (PDUs)). Figure 1 The wireless communication system 100 can implement various network slices through resource scheduling and by providing corresponding layer 1 or layer 2 configurations.

[0034] In some embodiments, when the UE 102 requests a network communication session during a network access procedure, it can provide a list of NSSAI subscription information to the RANN 104 to request a network slice in the network slice corresponding to the NSSAI for supporting the network communication session. Such an access request can be transmitted to the core network 101 via the RANN 104. The core network 101 can then perform a verification by verifying that the UE 102 has the authority to access the network slice. The RANN 104 then sends an initial context setup request message to the core network 101 that includes the list of NSSAI provided by the UE 102. The core network 101 can then select a particular network slice corresponding to the S-NSSAI in the list of network slices corresponding to the NSSAI information from the UE to support the requested network communication session. The core network 101 can then inform the RANN 104 of the selected S-NSSAI for signaling.

[0035] In the above access procedure, the RANN 104 is aware of the S-NSSAI signaled by the core network 101 and can be responsible for allocating the corresponding wireless communication resources for the signaled network slice to the UE 102. However, the UE can not need to be informed and thus is not aware of the identifier of the particular S-NSSAI selected by the core network 101 from the list of NSSAI for the requested communication session.

[0036] Figure 1 The communication system 100 can also be responsible for providing and optimizing network slice configuration and resource allocation to meet network slice performance requirements specified in service level agreements (SLAs) between the provider of the physical network infrastructure and various virtual network service providers. Such resource optimization can be based on various network performance measurements and metrics for a particular network slice.

[0037] While some network performance metrics corresponding to a network slice can be measured and analyzed from the network side (e.g., the RANN 104 and the core network 101), other performance metrics such as the quality of experience (QoE) of a user can need to be measured and reported from the UE side. However, as mentioned above, because the UE can not be aware of the identity of the particular signaled single network slice for the requested communication session, it can not be able to collect and report the QoE measurements for the given network slice.

[0038] In the examples described below, several measurement and reporting mechanisms can be implemented to collect QoE information for various network slices for the purpose of network optimization. In some embodiments, as Figure 1As shown, the communication system 100 can include an additional QoE collection entity (QCE) 103 for managing user experience data collection and / or analysis to optimize performance of network slices. For example, the QCE can be implemented as a centralized collection of distributed servers that communicate with the RAN 105 and the core network 101. Alternatively, the QCE can be implemented as part of the core network 101 or as part of the RAN 105. In some particular example implementations, the QCE can be implemented within an operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) function of the communication network 100.

[0039] In various implementations below, various components of the communication network 100, including the QCE 103, the core network 101, the RAN 104, and the UE 102, interact with each other to cooperatively collect QoE information for a particular network slice having a corresponding S-NSSAI to optimize performance of the network slice. While the UE 102 is the entity responsible for performing and reporting QoE measurements, it can or can not be aware of the S-NSSAI. QoE can be defined and quantified at the application level, for example, and thus QoE measurements can be taken at the application layer of the UE. QoE measurements can include, but are not limited to, measurements of network throughput, data loss, and communication latency at the UE 102.

[0040] Figure 2 An exemplary logical flow and procedure 200 for configuring, measuring, reporting, collecting, and analyzing user QoE information for network slices is shown. The procedure can be initiated by the QCE 103 when a need for network slice performance optimization arises. Alternatively, the QCE 103 can initiate the procedure 200 periodically or on any given schedule. The procedure 200 can be implemented in the following steps.

[0041] In step 1, as Figure 2As shown in 202, the QCE 103 initiates the network slice measurement procedure by sending network slice measurement configuration information to one or more RANNs 104. The RANNs 104 receive the network slice measurement configuration information. Such network slice measurement configuration information can be transmitted in any form or communication protocol established between the QCE 103 and the RANNs 104. For example, in some embodiments, the network slice measurement configuration information can be sent as a message in a Minimization of Drive Tests (MDT) messaging framework. Specifically, MDT messaging can be used in addition to UE testing and measurements of wireless network conditions configured at various locations through various routes of travel by the UE. The network slice measurement configuration information can be carried as one or more MDT activation messages or as part of one or more MDT activation messages. The network slice measurement configuration message can be sent by the QCE 103 to a particular RANN 104 that covers a network area for which QoE measurements are needed. Although MDT messages can be sent to multiple RANNs, the other steps of the following procedure 200 focus on a single RANN 104, and these steps apply to any other RANN that covers an area for which network slice QoE measurements are needed.

[0042] For example, the network slice measurement configuration information carried in the one or more MDT activation messages can be used to configure network slice measurement policies for UEs accessing the RANN 104. The network slice measurement configuration information can include at least one of the following: area scope information (ASI), server address information (SAI); slice monitoring indication; a list of S-NSSAIs corresponding to network slices to be measured; measurement traffic granularity; a QoE measurement collection (QMC) identifier (ID); and QoE measurement configuration information.

[0043] For example, the area scope information or ASI can be used to define a service area in which user network slice QoE needs to be measured, as determined by the QCE 103. Such area scope information can be provided in terms of a service cell, a tracking area, a routing area, or a location in which the area for QoE measurement will take place.

[0044] The server address information or SAI can contain information indicating an address of the QCE 103. For example, the SAI can include an IP address of the QCE to which slice measurement reports should be transmitted for analysis and network slice optimization.

[0045] Slice monitoring indicators can be used to indicate whether network slice measurement functionality is enabled. The measurement service granularity included in the network slice measurement configuration information can be used to indicate the network level at which network slice measurements should be performed. This granularity level can include, but is not limited to, Dedicated Radio Bearer (DRB) level, PDU session level, or Network Quality of Service (QoS) flow level. The QMC identifier is used to uniquely identify a specific network slice QoE measurement task. The aforementioned QoE measurement configuration information can be used to indicate and specify the types of QoE measurements required by UE102 (such as network throughput, data loss, and network slice communication latency at UE102).

[0046] In step 2, as Figure 2 As shown in section 204, RANN 104 selects some UEs 102 to perform network slice measurements based on the network slice measurement configuration information received from QCE 103 in step 1. For a specific example, the network slice measurement configuration information may include a region range in the form of a specific serving cell for a specific RANN 104. Therefore, when a specific RANN 104 receives the network slice measurement configuration information, it can select UEs currently accessing the radio network within a specific serving cell to perform and report network slice QoE measurements. For example, RANN 104 can select UEs 102 based on the network quality status measured from the network side by RANN 104 or core network 101.

[0047] In step 3, as Figure 2As shown in 206, after selecting the UE 102 for network slice QoE measurement, the RANN 104 can send a request message to the selected UE 102 to request the UE to perform the network slice QoE measurement. For example, such a request message can be sent as one or more radio resource control (RRC) setup request messages or RRC reconfiguration messages. The request message can contain information including, but not limited to, at least one of the following: a network slice monitoring indication (included in the network slice measurement configuration information sent from the QCE 103 to the RANN 104 to indicate whether the network slice measurement function is enabled at the UE 102); a measurement traffic granularity (included in the network slice measurement configuration information sent from the QCE 103 to the RANN 104 to indicate the network granularity level of the QoE measurement, including, for example, a DRB level, a PDU session level, or a QoS flow level); the above-mentioned QMC identifier for identifying the QoE measurement task associated with the network slice QoE measurement configuration information sent from the QCE 103; and the QoE measurement configuration information. While the RANN 104 can select multiple UEs 102 to perform and report the network slice QoE measurement, the further steps below focus on one UE 102, and these steps apply to any other UE selected by the RANN 104 to perform the network slice QoE measurement.

[0048] In step 4, as shown in 208, the UE 102 selected by the RANN 104 performs the QoE measurement upon receiving the network slice measurement request message from the RANN 104. The QoE measurement, for example, can be performed by an application layer in the UE 102 according to the request message received from the RANN 104 (e.g., in the form of an RRC setup request message or an RRC reconfiguration request message). Figure 2

[0049] In step 5, as shown in 210, the UE 102 sends a measurement report to the RANN 104. The measurement report, for example, can include at least one of the following: the above-mentioned QMC ID for identifying the QoE measurement task associated with the QoE measurement configuration information sent from the QCE 103, the QoE measurement result of the UE 102, and the associated DRB identifier or PDU session identifier or QOS flow ID (depending on the network level at which the network slice QoE measurement is performed). Alternatively, the UE 102 can use any network traffic identifier that is unique in the namespace between the RANN 104 and the UE 102, and include such an identifier in the UE measurement report for identifying the measurement task to the RANN 104. Figure 2

[0050] In step 6, as shown in 212, the RANN 104 sends a measurement report acknowledgment message to the UE 102 to acknowledge the receipt of the measurement report from the UE 102. The measurement report acknowledgment message, for example, can be sent as an RRC setup complete message or an RRC reconfiguration complete message. Figure 2 ​​As shown in 212, RANN 104 determines the identifier of the network slice associated with the QoE result reported by UE 102 based on the service identifier (e.g., DRB ID, QoS flow ID, or PDU session ID) or any other optional network service identifier included in the report.

[0051] In step 7, as Figure 2 As shown in 214 and 216, RANN 104 forwards the measurement report received from UE 102 to core network 101 (e.g., Figure 2 (as shown in 214) or QCE 103 (as shown in 214) Figure 2 (As shown in 216). Alternatively, RANN 104 can be configured to first use the correspondence between the service identifier (DRB ID / QOS flow ID / PDU session ID or any other optional service identifier) ​​associated with the measurement report and various S-NSSAIs to determine the slice identifier (S-NSSAI) associated with the received QoE result / report, and forward the measurement report and the corresponding S-NSSAI to core network 101 or QCE 103.

[0052] In step 8, as Figure 2 As shown in 218 and 220, when the core network 101 or QCE 103 receives a measurement report (or optionally, a measurement report and associated S-NSSAI) from the RANN 104, it can use the received QoE measurement information of the network slice to determine the user experience and optimize network slice resource allocation and configuration to ensure that network slice performance meets the corresponding SLA. Optimization of various network slices can be performed by collectively considering one or more measurement reports from various UEs from various RANNs.

[0053] According to Figure 2In some particular embodiments of the procedure 200, when the list of one or more S-NSSAIs and the network slice measurement enabling indicator are included in the network slice measurement configuration information sent from the RANN 104 to the UE 102 in step 3, then the UE 102 can perform QoE measurements on the network slice associated with the list of one or more S-NSSAIs in step 4, and send a measurement report to the RANN 104 in step 5. The measurement report sent from the UE 102 to the RANN 104 in step 5 can include the QoE measurement results and the corresponding S-NSSAI of the measured network slice. When no S-NSSAI is specified in the network slice measurement configuration information but the network slice measurement enabling indicator is still enabled, the UE 102 can then perform QoE measurements of the network slice according to the traffic granularity information specified in the network slice measurement configuration information in step 4. As mentioned above, such granularity information can be specified at various network levels such as DRB level, PDU session level, and / or QoS flow level. The measurement report sent from the UE 102 to the RANN 104 in step 5 can include the QoE measurement results and the corresponding network granularity or network level information.

[0054] In some further particular embodiments of the procedure 200 according to Figure 2 When the measurement report sent from the UE 102 to the RANN 104 in step 5 contains one or more S-NSSAIs, the RANN 104 can then forward such measurement report to the core network 101 or the QCE 103 in step 7. When the measurement report sent from the UE 102 to the RANN 104 in step 5 does not contain any S-NSSAI, the RANN 104 can then determine the S-NSSAI corresponding to the measurement report based on the traffic granularity information included in the measurement report in step 6, and then forward the measurement report and the S-NSSAI determined by the RANN 104 to the core network 101 or the QCE 103 in step 7.

[0055] Figure 3 Another exemplary logical flow and procedure 300 for configuring, measuring, reporting, collecting, and analyzing user QoE information of network slices is shown. Compared to the embodiments 200 of Figure 2 The procedure 300 in Figure 3 may be initiated by the core network 101 instead of the QCE 103. Specifically, the core network 101 can initiate the procedure 300 when the need for network slice performance optimization arises. Alternatively, the core network 101 can initiate the procedure 300 periodically or on any given schedule. The procedure 300 can be implemented in the following steps.

[0056] In step 1, asFigure 3 As shown in 302, the core network 101 initiates the network slice measurement procedure by sending network slice measurement configuration information to one or more RANs 104. The RAN 104 receives the network slice measurement configuration information. This network slice measurement configuration information can be transmitted in any form or communication protocol established between the core network 101 and the RAN 104. For example, the core network can send the network slice measurement configuration information to the RAN 104 via an initial context setup request message, a handover request message, or a trace start message associated with a particular UE 102 to request the particular UE 102 to perform and report network slice QoE measurements. Alternatively, the RAN 104 can receive a handover request message or a trace start message associated with the particular UE 102 from another RAN, and these messages can include the network slice measurement configuration information to request the particular UE 102 to perform and report network slice QoE measurements. The network slice measurement configuration information contains network slice measurement policies for the particular UE 102 to access the RAN 104.

[0057] As described in more detail above with respect to step 1 of Figure 2 The network slice measurement configuration information carried in, for example, one or more initial context setup messages, handover messages, or trace start messages from the core network 101 (or another RAN) described in step 1 can include at least one of the following: an ASI, a SAI, a slice monitoring indication, a list of S-NSSAIs, a measurement traffic granularity, a QMC ID, and a QoE measurement configuration, as described in more detail above with respect to step 1 of

[0058] In step 2, as shown in 306 of Figure 2 The RAN 104 sends the network slice measurement configuration information to the corresponding UE 102 as one or more network slice measurement request messages in the form of, for example, an RRC setup request message or an RRC reconfiguration request message to request the UE 102 to perform network slice QoE measurements according to the sent network slice measurement configuration information upon receiving the network slice measurement configuration information from the core network 101 or another RAN. The one or more network slice measurement request messages sent by the RAN 104 to the UE 102 can contain information including, but not limited to, at least one of the following: an indication indicating whether slice monitoring of a slice measurement function is enabled at the UE 102; a measurement traffic granularity, a QMC ID; and a QoE measurement configuration, as described in more detail above.

[0059] Steps 3-7 corresponding to 308, 310, 312, 314 / 316, and 318 / 320 of Figure 3 are similar to steps 4-8 of Figure 2 As described in more detail above with respect to Figure 2More details of these steps are described.

[0060] In some specific embodiments of the procedure 300 according to Figure 3 When in step 2, the list of one or more S-NSSAIs and the network slice measurement enabling indicator are included in the network slice measurement configuration information sent from the RANN 104 to the UE 102, the UE 102 can then perform QoE measurements on the network slice associated with the list of one or more S-NSSAIs in step 3, and send the measurement report to the RANN 104 in step 4. The measurement report sent from the UE 102 to the RANN 104 in step 4 can include the QoE measurement results and the corresponding S-NSSAI of the measured network slice. When no S-NSSAI is specified in the network slice measurement configuration information but the network slice measurement enabling indicator is still enabled, the UE 102 can then perform QoE measurements on the network slice according to the traffic granularity information specified in the network slice measurement configuration information in step 3. As mentioned above, such granularity information can be specified at various network levels such as DRB level, PDU session level, and / or QoS flow level. The measurement report sent from the UE 102 to the RANN 104 in step 4 can include the QoE measurement results and the corresponding network granularity or network level information.

[0061] In some further specific embodiments of the procedure 300 according to Figure 3 When the measurement report sent from the UE 102 to the RANN 104 in step 4 contains one or more S-NSSAIs, the RANN 104 can then forward the measurement report to the core network 101 or the QCE 103 in step 6. When the measurement report sent from the UE 102 to the RANN 104 in step 4 does not contain any S-NSSAI, the RANN 104 can then determine the S-NSSAI corresponding to the measurement report based on the traffic granularity information included in the measurement report in step 5, and then forward the measurement report and the S-NSSAI determined by the RANN 104 to the core network 101 or the QCE 103 in step 6.

[0062] Figure 4 Another exemplary logical flow and procedure 400 for configuring, measuring, reporting, collecting, and analyzing network slice user QoE information of network slices is shown. Compared with the embodiments 200 and 300 of Figure 2 and Figure 3 The procedure 400 in Figure 4 is implemented in the context that the UE requesting to perform network slice QoE measurements is informed of the S-NSSAI of the network slice to be measured.

[0063] In step 1, as Figure 4 As shown in section 406, RANN 104 can directly send one or more network slice measurement request messages to a specific UE 102 to request UE 102 to perform and report QoE measurements of a specific network slice. Such request messages can be sent, for example, in the form of RRC messages during connection establishment or UE resource modification procedures. The network slice measurement request message may contain information including, but not limited to, at least one of the following: a slice monitoring indication indicating whether the slice measurement function is enabled at UE 102; a QMC ID uniquely identifying the requested QoE measurement task; an S-NSSAI list indicating one or more S-NSSAIs of the network slice for which a PDU session is configured for UE 102, requesting network slice QoE measurements for that UE 102; and as described above regarding... Figure 1 and Figure 2 The QoE measurement configuration described above.

[0064] In step 2, as Figure 4 As shown in section 408, UE 102 performs QoE measurements on network slices indicated in the S-NSSAI list included in the network slice measurement request message received by UE 102 from RANN 104, through its application layer. Further details are provided above regarding... Figure 2 and Figure 3 Provided in the descriptions of 208 and 308.

[0065] Steps 3, 4, and 5, as shown in 410, 414 / 416, and 418 / 420, are similar to... Figure 3 310, 314 / 316, 318 / 320 or Figure 2 210, 214 / 216, and 218 / 220. Because the network slice identification information is known to both UE 102 and RANN 104, RANN 104 does not need to perform specific steps to identify the network slice associated with the QoE measurement report received from UE 102, which is consistent with... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The processes 200 and 300 are different (e.g., in...). Figure 4 In the process of 400, with Figure 2 and Figure 3 The steps corresponding to 212 and 312 are not required.

[0066] The above description and drawings provide specific examples and implementations of the described subject matter. However, the described subject matter can be practiced in a variety of ways, and the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting as to a specific embodiment of the described subject matter. It is to be understood that the claimed or described subject matter is not limited in scope to the embodiments described herein. Rather, it is contemplated that the claimed or described subject matter will include all changes and modifications that fall within the spirit and scope of the claimed or described subject matter. Among other things, the subject matter can be embodied in methods, devices, components, systems, or non-transitory computer readable media storing computer code. Thus, embodiments can take the form of hardware, software, firmware, storage media or any combination thereof. For example, the above method embodiments can be implemented by a component, device or system including a memory and a processor, by executing computer code stored in the memory.

[0067] Throughout the specification and claims, the term "comprising" or variations such as "comprise" or "comprises" is not necessarily limited to the inclusion of the recited elements or steps. Likewise, the term "comprising" or variations such as "comprise" or "comprises" as used herein does not necessarily exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Also, the use of "including" or "comprising" or "having" or "containing" or variations thereof does not limit the subject matter to the recited components or steps, but rather, means that the subject matter includes, but is not limited to, the recited components or steps. Furthermore, the term "or" as used herein is not exclusive, and is used in the sense that it is intended to mean "and / or". Also, the term "coupled" as used herein means the joining of two members together for the purposes of working with one another or in cooperation with one another.

[0068] In general, the terms used can be understood, at least in part, from usage in context. For example, terms such as "and", "or", or "and / or" as used herein can include a variety of meanings that can depend, at least in part, upon the context in which such terms are used. Typically, "or" if used to associate a list, such as A, B or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C, here used in the inclusive sense, as well as A, B or C, here used in the exclusive sense. In addition, the term "one or more" as used herein, at least in part depending on context, can be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular sense or can be used to describe combinations of features, structures or characteristics in a plural sense. Similarly, terms such as "a", "an" or "the" again, used in the context of examples, can be understood in the singular sense or in the plural sense, depending at least in part upon the context in which such terms are used. Furthermore, the term "based on" can be understood as not necessarily intended to convey an exclusive set of factors, but, at least in part, allow for existence of other factors not necessarily expressly described, again, at least in part, depending on context.

[0069] Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not mean that all of those features and advantages in connection with the solution can be achieved in any single implementation or embodiment. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the solution. Thus, discussions of features and advantages, and similar language, throughout the specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

[0070] Moreover, in one or more embodiments, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the present solution can be combined in any suitable manner. Those skilled in the relevant art, having the benefit of the present description, will appreciate that the present solution can be practiced without one or more of the described features or advantages. In other instances, additional features and advantages can be recognized in certain embodiments that can not be present in all embodiments of the present solution.

Claims

1. A method performed by a network node of a communication network platform, the method for measuring performance of network slices implemented in the communication network platform, the method comprising: receiving a configuration message associated with a quality of experience, QoE, measurement task of one or more network slices, the configuration message specifying a set of measurement configuration information, wherein the set of measurement configuration information includes a QoE measurement collection, QMC, identifier, ID, for identifying the QoE measurement task; identifying a user equipment to perform network slice QoE measurement according to the configuration message; constructing a measurement request based on the configuration message; and sending the measurement request to the user equipment to trigger the network slice QoE measurement of the user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: the communication network platform comprises a cellular wireless network and the network node comprises a wireless base station; and the performance of a network slice comprises quality of experience, QoE.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, the QoE includes at least one of network latency, throughput, or data loss experienced by the user equipment.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, the set of measurement configuration information further includes at least one of: network coverage area range information for identifying a network slice QoE measurement to be performed therein; network address information of a QoE collection entity, QCE, configured to collect and analyze network slice QoE measurement; or a list of network slice identifiers for specifying one or more network slices.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein, the configuration message is sent to the network node from an operation, administration, and maintenance, OAM, function of the communication network platform.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, the configuration message is sent from the OAM as a minimization of drive tests, MDT, activation message.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, identifying the user equipment includes selecting, by the network node, the user equipment among a plurality of network devices within a coverage area of the network node according to the set of measurement configuration information.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein, the configuration message is sent to the network node from a core network or another base station of the communication network platform and specifies the user equipment to perform the network slice QoE measurement.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein, the measurement request is included in a radio resource control, RRC, message sent from the network node to the user equipment.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, the measurement request included in the RRC message includes at least one of: an indicator for indicating that network slice measurement function is enabled; a measurement traffic granularity at one or more network levels at which the network slice QoE measurement is performed by the user equipment; a task identification of the measurement task associated with the set of measurement configuration information; or a list of network slice identifiers for specifying one or more network slices.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein, the measurement request causes the user equipment to: perform the network slice QoE measurement on a set of network slices when network slice identifiers associated with the set of network slices and network slice measurement enablement indicators are specified in the measurement request; and ​ when the network slice measurement enabler indicator is specified in the measurement request but no network slice identity is included in the measurement request, performing the network slice QoE measurement according to a network granularity specified in the measurement request.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The network granularity comprises one or more network levels, the one or more network levels comprising at least one of a DRB level, a PDU session level, or a QoS flow level.

13. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a network slice measurement report from the user equipment.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising one or more network slice identifiers being present in the network slice measurement report, and forwarding the network slice measurement report received from the user equipment to a core network or a QCE of the communication network platform.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising, when the network slice measurement report does not include any network slice identity: forwarding the network slice measurement report received from the user equipment without a network slice identity to a core network or a QCE of the communication network platform; or identifying a set of network slice identifiers associated with the network slice measurement report by one or more traffic identifiers included in the network slice measurement report, the traffic identifiers comprising at least one of: one or more DRB identifiers; one or more PDU session identifiers; or one or more QOS flow identifiers.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein, and forwarding the network slice measurement report and the set of network slice identifiers to a core network or a QCE of the communication network platform, for the core network or the QCE to perform optimized resource allocation for the one or more network slices according to performance requirements specified in service level agreements associated with the one or more network slices.

17. A method performed by a base station of a wireless communication network platform, the method for measuring performance of a network slice implemented in the wireless communication network platform, the method comprising: identifying a user equipment within a coverage area of the base station to perform network slice user experience quality (QoE) performance measurement; determining a set of measurement configuration information associated with the network slice QoE performance measurement, wherein the set of measurement configuration information contains a QoE measurement collection (QMC) identifier (ID) for identifying the QoE measurement task; constructing a measurement request comprising the set of measurement configuration information; and sending the measurement request as a radio resource control (RRC) message to the user equipment to trigger the network slice QoE performance measurement of the user equipment.

18. A network node comprising a processor and a memory, wherein, The processor is configured to read computer code from the memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-17.

19. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable program medium having computer code stored thereon, the computer code, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-17.

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