Mechanism for avoiding explicit quality of service signaling over radio interface

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to mechanisms for avoiding explicit quality of service signaling over the radio interface. A network device, such as a user equipment (UE) or an evolved NodeB (eNB), can process pre-authorized quality of service (QoS) rules that include one or more QoS parameters or markers for use on a next generation (NextGen) radio access network (RAN) or evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) configured to connect to a NextGen core network. The pre-authorized QoS rules enable the UE to initiate or modify a data radio bearer that supports a traffic flow pre-authorized by one or more pre-authorized QoS rules.

Description

[0001] Cross Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT / US2016 / 054151, International Filing Date, September 28, 2016, entered into the Chinese national phase on October 15, 2018, Chinese National Application No. 201680084636.6, entitled "MECHANISMS FOR AVOIDANCE OF EXPLICIT QUALITY OF SERVICE SIGNALING OVER THE RADIO INTERFACE," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 336,424, entitled "MECHANISMS FOR AVOIDANCE OF EXPLICIT QUALITY OF SERVICE SIGNALING OVER THE RADIO INTERFACE," filed May 13, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0004] The present disclosure relates to Quality of Service (QoS) signaling, and more specifically, to avoiding explicit QoS signaling over the radio interface. BACKGROUND

[0005] In a conventional Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) according to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), for example, various Radio Access Networks (RANs) (e.g., General Packet Radio System Evolution Radio Access Network (GERAN), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), and Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN)) can connect to a common core network and provide various services. For example, a GERAN or UTRAN can provide voice services alone or in part, in contrast to an E-UTRAN, which can provide packet services alone or in part.

[0006] In some instances, multiple applications can be executing simultaneously on a user equipment (UE), where each application has different Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. For example, a UE can be participating in a voice call while browsing a web page or downloading a file. Voice calls have more stringent QoS requirements in terms of delay and delay jitter compared to web browsing or file downloads. To support multiple QoS requirements, different bearers are established within a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Evolved Packet System (EPS), where each bearer is associated with a QoS. The bearers are commonly referred to as EPS bearers. SUMMARY

[0007] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to network devices such as user equipment (UE) or evolved Node B (eNB). The UE or eNB can handle pre-authorized quality of service (QoS) rules that include one or more QoS parameters or markers for use on a next generation (NextGen) radio access network (RAN) or evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) configured to connect to a NextGen core network. The pre-authorized QoS rules enable the UE to initiate or modify a data radio bearer that supports a traffic flow pre-authorized by one or more pre-authorized QoS rules. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile network in accordance with various aspects disclosed.

[0009] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating a block diagram of a mobile network architecture in accordance with various aspects disclosed.

[0010] Figure 3 is a data flow illustrating a QoS signaling procedure in accordance with various aspects disclosed.

[0011] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile network in accordance with various aspects disclosed.

[0012] Figure 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for a circuit switched fallback procedure in accordance with various aspects disclosed.

[0013] Figure 6 is a schematic example of a wireless environment that can operate in accordance with aspects disclosed.

[0014] Figure 7 An example system or network device for operating QoS signaling in accordance with various aspects or embodiments is shown.

[0015] Figure 8 is an illustration of an example wireless network platform for enabling various aspects disclosed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The disclosure will now be described with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout, and wherein the illustrated structure and device are not necessarily drawn to scale. As used herein, the terms "component," "system," "interface," and the like are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, software (e.g., in execution), and / or firmware. For example, a component can be a process running on a processor, a controller, an object, an executable, a program, storage in a storage device, a computer, a tablet PC, and / or a mobile phone with a processing device. By way of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. One or more components can reside within a process and a component can be localized on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. A set of elements or a set of other components can be described herein, in which the term "set" can be interpreted as "one or more" unless otherwise indicated.

[0017] Also, these components can execute from various computer readable storage media having various data structures stored thereon, e.g., with the components implemented as modules, not shown, for example. Such components can execute via local and / or remote processing devices executing over distributed networks, e.g., the Internet, wide area networks, local area networks, or similar types of networks, and / or via in-process communications techniques.

[0018] As another example, a component can be an apparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical parts operated by electric or electronic circuitry, in which the electric or electronic circuitry can be operated by a software application or a firmware application executed by one or more processors. The one or more processors can be internal or external to the apparatus and can execute at least a part of the software or firmware application. As yet another example, a component can be an apparatus that provides specific functionality through electronic components, or a collection of such components, with or without mechanical parts; the electronic component(s) can include one or more processors so executed by a software and / or firmware application(s) at least partially responsible for the functionality of the electronic component(s).

[0019] The use of the terms "example" and "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a concrete form. As used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless specified otherwise, or as is clear from the context, the phrase "X employs A or B" is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, the phrase "X employs A or B" is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean "one or more" unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. Moreover, to the extent that the terms "include", "have", "possess", "contain", "comprise", "comprising", "holding", "including", "possessed with" or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprise".

[0020] SUMMARY

[0021] In view of the above deficiencies of wireless communication systems, various aspects are described for avoiding explicit QoS signaling over the radio interface. By enabling a UE to switch QoS parameters or make QoS requests on a per-packet or per-packet flow basis without having to make an explicitly signaled request to the network or eNB, signaling overhead can be reduced and the goal of minimizing explicit QoS signaling over the radio can be achieved. For example, an eNB or other network device can establish a set of pre-authorized QoS rules or associated parameters / tokens such that as long as a UE or application within the UE is within these pre-authorized QoS rules, the UE can operate with different QoS parameters without first having to establish a new EPS bearer or radio bearer within which. Thus, an application on the UE can decide the QoS of its data packets and operate accordingly without further permission or additional network bearer binding operations in which the packets are bound to a bearer or pipe within the signaling by the network device via layer 3 communication means. The bearer binding can be performed by the UE for uplink (UL) traffic and by a packet data network gateway (PDN) gateway or user plane function for traffic in the downlink (DL).

[0022] In contrast to a bearer-based communication method that utilizes bearer binding, a flow-based method can be used with pre-authorization of QoS rules and related parameters. Here, the transmission utilizes only one big pipe or bearer between the UE and the next generation (NG) (e.g., NG 6) reference point / interface across the radio network or eNB to the core network. For example, the user plane can add a flow priority indicator (FPI) as a marker in the NG encapsulation header on a per-packet or packet flow basis. The FPI marker is operable to indicate to any components along the user plane path the specific QoS treatment to be applied. The UE can initiate use of the QoS immediately if it has been pre-authorized without first obtaining a response or signaling the intent that the QoS is to be served.

[0023] In an aspect, a pre-authorized QoS rule can include a pre-authorized FPI or another parameter, e.g., the UE can implicitly initiate a new radio bearer with a different radio bearer, or operate as if a different radio bearer has been established if the UE expects to transmit data with a different FPI than provided by an existing established radio bearer (RB) at any time. Thus, if the UE wants to transmit data with a different FPI than provided by the existing RB, the UE establishes a different RB. The UE can include the FPI applied in a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) header, a radio link control (RLC) header, or a medium access control (MAC) header of an uplink data unit. The UE can also include an indication of whether "mapped QoS" is expected, or in other words, an indication of whether the UE expects the corresponding DL flow to be handled by the eNB with the same QoS as the UL flow that has been modified or adjusted by the UE to a different FPI parameter. Other aspects and details of the present disclosure are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] Reference Figure 1FIG. 1 shows an example of a mobile network communication system in accordance with various aspects described. In various examples, the mobile network 100 can include an evolved packet core (EPC) network that supports, without limitation, GERAN, UTRAN, and / or E-UTRAN. A UE 102 (mobile station (MS)) is communicatively coupled to an E-UTRAN 106 system via a radio interface 104 (e.g., LTE-Uu). The E-UTRAN 106 can be communicatively coupled to a MME 110 via an S1-MME (mobility management entity) link 108, and to a serving gateway 114 via an S1-U link 112. The MME 110 can be directly connected to the serving gateway 114 via an S11 link 115, and can be connected to a serving general packet radio system support node (SGSN) 118 via an S3 link 116, which itself is connected to the serving gateway 114 via an S4 link 120. The MME 110 can include an internal S10 link 122 and a Sha link 124 to a home subscriber service (HSS) node 126.

[0025] The serving gateway 114 can be connected to one or more UTRAN 130 and GERAN 132 networks via an S12 link 128. The serving gateway 114 can also be connected to a public data network (PDN) gateway 136 via an S5 link 134. The PDN gateway 136 can be connected to a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) node 140 via a link 138 and to an operator's IP services 144, such as an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), via an SGi link 142. The PCRF node 140 can be connected to the operator's IP services 144 via a link 146.

[0026] Figure 2is a block diagram of a mobile network architecture 200 for a NextGen 5G system implementing pre-authorized QoS rules (including associated QoS parameters or markings) according to various aspects herein. The architecture 200 can operate with respect to the mobile network 100, a NextGen core network / radio access network (RAN) based on a 5G radio access technology (RAT) 218 (also referred to as a new radio (NR) access technology in 3GPP TR 38.912), or both in combination. The UE 102 can be communicatively coupled to a RAN cell 202 via a radio interface with the RAN cell 202 and to a control plane (CP) functional component 204 of the 5G network 218 via a reference point or NextGen interface NG1. The RAN 202 is coupled to the CP functional component 204 via a reference point / NextGen interface NG2 and to a user plane (UP) functional component 206 via a reference point NG2. The NextGen core network 218 can be coupled to both a CP partition at the CP functional component 204 and a UP partition at the UP functional component 206 via a reference point NG4. The CP functional component 204 is also coupled to an application function (AF) component 210 and the UP functional component is coupled to a data network (DN) component 208.

[0027] The UE 102 includes a wireless transceiver 210, a processor 212, and an electronic memory 214 including registers. The transceiver 210 is configured to communicate with the RAN 202 and the NextGen core network 218 at the CP function 204. The processor 212 is configured to at least partially control the operation of the UE 102 generally and its components 210, 214. The processor 212 can be a microprocessor, a controller, or other specialized hardware known in the art. The electronic memory 214 can be or include registers implemented according to any of various electronic memory or other technology suitable for implementing data registers known in the art.

[0028] The RAN 202 can refer to a 5G RAT or evolved E-UTRA based radio access network connected to a NextGen core network. The network architecture 200 can operate according to different reference point names that interface between different functions / components. NG1 is a reference point between the UE 102 and the CP function 204 of the NextGen core network 218 and is used to carry non-access stratum (NAS) protocols. Access stratum (AS) refers to the term for any communication between the UE 102 and the RAN 202 where a NAS layer is established between the UE 102 and beyond the core network 218 or further. The NG2 reference point is between the RAN 202 and the CP function 204 and the NG3 reference point is between the RAN 202 and the UP function 206 of the NextGen core network 218. The NextGen core network 218 can be divided into the CP function 204 and the UP function 206, where the CP function 204 is similar to those functions of the mobility management entity (MME) (e.g., MME 110) in the 4G architecture that are control nodes for access network signaling. The UP function 206 is similar to the user plane portion of the so-called serving gateway 114 and PDN gateway 136 in the 4G architecture, for example. The NG4 is a reference point between the CP function 204 and the UP function 206. The NG5 reference point is between the CP function 204 and the application (server) function 210. The NG6 reference point is between the UP function 206 and the DN 208, which can be similar to the LGi reference point where the entry point into the IP network is specified in the case of IP-based communication, so the data network in the case of IP communication can be an IP-based network. NG6 is the entry point, so there is some mobile network specific communication between the UE 102 and the NG6, and beyond the NG6 is purely IP-based layer communication.

[0029] The architecture 200 can be different from the architecture 200 such that it is not based on bearers but on flows. In bearer-based signaling, any QoS level in 4G has to be supported by the UE 102 and any NG6 entry point. Layers within the communication are built, which involve EPS bearers, and are similar to small pipes between the UE 102 and the NG6 reference point that correspond to a specific QoS level. If multiple QoS levels need to be supported, multiple QoS bearers or pipes can reach the reference point, with some signaling for NG1, NG2, and NG4. Using NG1 also means signaling over the radio interface, as this reference point at least partially goes over the radio between the UE and the RAN 202.

[0030] In one embodiment, the signaling across the reference points for changing the QoS class or parameter values of non-guaranteed bit rate (GBR) traffic can be based on a pre-authorized QoS rule for a flow via pre-configuration at the eNB at the RAN 202 or external network. GBR traffic requires a guaranteed bit rate, as opposed to non-GBR traffic, which does not require a guaranteed request component (e.g., UE component or application of the UE 102) operation. As such, by operating the architecture 200 based on a flow (or packet) based QoS model, many possibilities can be realized to reduce or minimize this signaling. The terms flow based or packet based are used interchangeably as a QoS network model.

[0031] In another embodiment, the pre-authorized QoS rule can include a set of QoS parameters that can be assumed to be used by the UE 102 or modified therein without any prior or explicit signaling. For example, a flow priority indicator (FPI) can be used as one such parameter having a range or value that is pre-authorized and defines a priority for flow processing in the UP function component 206 and the RAN 202. The FPI corresponds to a scheduling priority and priority handling in case of congestion, which functions similarly to a QoS class indicator (QCI) in EPS. The network equipment can utilize the QCI to establish / modify an EPS bearer (or equivalent in 4G) between the UE 102 and the NG6 reference point. The QCI is associated with a particular QCI class or value, so all packets need to be handled with that particular QCI and sent in a particular pipe or EPS bearer in network communication.

[0032] In particular aspects, the QoS parameter such as the FPI can be similarly used as a QCI for packet based flows in a NextCen network. Rather than a bearer binding function, which involves binding packets to a communication pipe that carries user traffic (e.g., establishing an EPS bearer for a different session) as part of a layer 3 communication means. The bearer binding is performed by the UE for UL traffic and by the PDN gateway or in case of user plane function for all traffic passing in the DL. In contrast, the FPI herein can be used for a flow based model approach that involves a single pipe between the UE and the NG6 reference point. In the UP function component 206, on a per packet basis in the NG encapsulation header (e.g., NG3 and beyond NG6). For example, the FPI can be added as a tag or FPI tag in the header during encapsulation. This tag on a per packet basis indicates to each component along the user plane path that QoS is to be applied to the packet.

[0033] The set of QoS parameters that can be associated with a particular traffic flow can include a flow priority indicator (FPI), a flow descriptor, a maximum flow bit rate (MFB), a guaranteed flow bit rate (GFB), a flow priority level (FPL), or a session bit rate. The FPI defines the priority of each flow treatment at the UP function 206 and the RAN 202. It corresponds to the scheduling priority and priority handling in case of congestion. The FPI also indicates whether a guaranteed flow bit rate or a maximum flow bit rate is required for the traffic or data flow, which functions similar to the QCI or QCI priority / level in EPS. The flow descriptor includes one or more packet filters associated with a particular flow treatment. The MFB can be a UL / DL bit rate value(s) applicable to a single flow or an aggregate of flows. This indicates the maximum bit rate authorized for a data flow, similar to the MBR in EPS. The GFB can be a UL / DL bit rate value(s) applicable to a single flow or an aggregate of flows, and indicates the guaranteed bit rate authorized for a data flow, similar to the GBR in EPS. The FPL defines the relative importance of the traffic for RAN resource access, similar to the Allocation and Retention Priority (ARP) in EPS. The session bit rate can be a UL / DL bit rate value applicable to an established PDU session. It indicates the maximum bit rate authorized for a PDU session, similar to the APN-AMBR in EPS.

[0034] The QoS parameters can be applied / performed according to one embodiment as summarized in Table 1 below (asterisk indicates application and blank cell indicates no application):

[0035] Table 1

[0036]

[0037]

[0038] QoS signaling can operate as a flow-based model for non-GBR traffic and is different from GBR traffic (e.g., as bearer-based) in that traffic requesting GBR implies that a guaranteed bit rate of the bearer will be established upfront, which can be subject to connection or admission control. For example, in case of congestion, the RAN 202 can reject any new requests for GBR. However, for any non-GBR content that is elastic from zero to any bit rate, e.g., like web traffic, the network can use such user plane packet signaling with FPI on a periodic basis. For DL, the network’s processing flow can resolve this issue on a periodic basis by establishing these pipes between the UE and the NG6, but these embodiments can apply to UL traffic as well herein. To perform the bearer binding function, the UE 102 can be provided with packet filters, also referred to as traffic flow templates (TFTs), where these terms can be used interchangeably. For example, the packet filters can include information that enables the UE 102 to identify IP packets that can be provided in the form of IP5 templates. Further, there can be one or more priority lists of EPS bearer IDs. Thus, when the UE 102 receives an uplink packet of an application running in the UE 102, it can go through a matching process to see if there is any packet filter that corresponds to the packet. If there are multiple such packet filters that match the UL packet, it can go through the priority list of EPS bearer IDs and select the EPS bearer ID that is first in the list for the UE to perform bearer binding.

[0039] If the network or associated network device informs the UE 102 how to apply FPI packet traffic in the UL, there will be some signaling, which can be NG1 signaling that is also signaling over the air. To avoid or minimize this type of signaling, the network minimizes signaling over the air, particularly for non-GBR traffic, as detailed in various aspects or embodiments herein.

[0040] Reference Figure 3application function (AF) 210 can be an element or component 210 that provides a packet flow that desires or requests a particular QoS treatment. The AF 210 communicates an AF QoS request (e.g., with packet filters, flow bit rates, etc.) to the CP function component 204 via NG5. The AF component 210 can provide the QoS request to the CP function component 204 with data related to packet filters that allow the system to identify traffic in both UL and DL and associated QoS information or parameter data / values (e.g., FPI, or others). This can be provided as FPI parameters, but can also include other parameters.

[0041] At 306, the CP function component 204 establishes a QoS policy in the UP function component 208 based on operator or UE requirements. The QoS policy includes a list of QoS parameters applicable to control QoS in the relevant NextGen entities (core network (CN) 218, access node (AN) / RAN 202, or UE 102) as described above. The CP function 204 sends a CN QoS policy setup (e.g., DL flow descriptor, flow priority indicator, DL maximum flow bit rate, DL session bit rate, etc.) via the NG4 interface. The DL flow descriptor can be used by the UP function 208 to identify user plane packets on which packet classification and marking is performed with the FPI received within the QoS policy. In addition, the UP function 208 can use the DL maximum flow bit rate and DL session bit rate to apply maximum bit rate control at flow and session level for downlink packets. The FPI can refer to a parameter that is pre-configured at the RAN node 202 or eNB and describes packet treatment.

[0042] At 308, the CP function 204 communicates the QoS settings (e.g., UL flow descriptor, flow priority indicator, FPI, UL maximum flow bit rate, UL and DL GFB, UL session bit rate) message via the NG2 reference node or interface therebetween. The UL flow descriptor can be used by the RAN 202 to identify user plane packets on which packet classification and marking in uplink is performed with the flow priority indicator received within the QoS policy. The UL maximum flow bit rate and UL session bit rate are used by the RAN 202 or eNB to perform maximum bit rate control at session and flow level for uplink user plane data packets based on the received values. For non-GBR traffic, the master QoS information (e.g., FPI) can be received in-band within the user plane on a per-packet basis, thus, 308 is less important for QoS handling of downlink traffic and can be used for policing purposes for UL traffic to monitor or observe any UE operating outside of the pre-authorized policy.

[0043] At 310, the CP function component 204 communicates or sends the QoS control policy (UL flow descriptor, flow priority indicator, UL GFB, etc.) message to the UE 102 via the NG1 reference node or interface therebetween. This includes NAS signaling in which the CP function 204 provides information to the UE 102 and primarily includes UL QoS information to indicate to the UE 102 how to map UL packets or mark them accordingly with FPI information.

[0044] Different embodiments can be used for QoS framework at radio level. For example, at 312, the RAN 202 and UE 102 can manage QoS information per flow, as performed in the core network 218. At 314, the radio bearer concept (from LTE-Uu interface) can be utilized in which the RAN (e.g., or eNB) 202 can perform mapping between flow marking performed in the CN 218 and radio bearers on the radio. These actions 312 and 314 can be controlled by the AS layer within the access network and the UE 102 as access layer information, for example.

[0045] At 316, the RAN 202 can acknowledge the QoS enforcement operation to the CP function by sending a QoS settings acknowledgement (via NG2). At 318, the UP function component acknowledges the QoS enforcement operation to the CP function component 204 by sending a CN QoS settings acknowledgement (via NG4).

[0046] In particular, for DL-only traffic, the flow-based QoS proposal described above in actions 310 and 312 can provide significant advantages over the LTE bearer model, as the signaling of QoS information to the UE can be avoided. In this way, the goal of minimizing explicit QoS signaling over the air can be achieved.

[0047] In one embodiment, the UE 102 can be pre-authorized by the eNB or RAN 202 to use a set of FPI parameters, e.g., within a range or with certain FPI values or other parameter values. Similar to QCI values, there can be various possible grades or values associated with FPI. However, for each QCI value, as with the network 100, e.g., the network can form / establish a dedicated EPS bearer, each EPS bearer associated with a QCI that it can handle. Whenever there is a new or different packet flow, it is added to one of the already established bearers, and signaling is performed to the UE 102 in order to give the UE 102 the packet filter (or TFT) to use for UL packets. Otherwise, the UE would not know how to map UL packets to an EPS bearer, or how to perform the bearer binding of UL packets to an EPS bearer. However, for packet-based flows, the UE 102 can operate different FPIs without the need for explicit signaling or modification at different grades, as the FPIs are part of or defined by the pre-authorized QoS rules. In this way, a separate bearer is not associated with each FPI grade, but rather the pre-authorized QoS rules and related parameters act on packet flows that change within the pre-authorized FPIs.

[0048] For traffic initiated by the UE 102 in a bearer-based signaling model, the UE 102 cannot simply start sending packets with a QCI for which there is no already established EPS bearer. Here, if the UE 102 sees that a new QoS grade is needed for an application or other resource, the UE 102 uses control plane signaling to make a request to the network or eNB 202, which then triggers the network-initiated procedure for distributing the new QCI and packet filter, etc. In one aspect herein, a set of pre-authorized FPIs can be communicated to the UE 102 at connection to the network in order to enable the UE 102 to immediately start using any of these pre-authorized FPIs without having to use explicit control plane signaling on the network, where the UE 102 communicates each time the QoS or QoS parameters (e.g., FPI parameters) are modified.

[0049] The advantage of this embodiment is that the UE 102 does not have to make a QoS request on a per packet basis and can modify its signaling immediately without having to make an explicit QoS request to the network. Thus, the application at the UE 102 itself can decide the QoS required for its data packets and implement the QoS on the packet flow or traffic flow immediately. Since the UE 102 is pre-authorized to use a set of FPIs, the Uu interface or another interface between the UE 102 and the network can be configured such that each time the UE 102 desires to send data with a QoS level for which there is no established bearer, it can start doing so only if it utilizes an FPI to map all the packets it sends in the uplink. This FPI must be pre-authorized, if not, it would have to go through a delay path by using control plane signaling.

[0050] In another embodiment, a radio bearer (RB) can be used on the radio interface that is implicitly initiated. Thus, the RB can be established without using explicit RRC signaling (e.g., without using the RRC reconfiguration request procedure in LTE-Uu). A radio bearer (or RB) can be a part of an EPS bearer, or equivalent in 4G, for communication between the UE and the NG6 reference point. The segment of the EPS bearer across the radio interface (only this segment) is considered a radio bearer, where the network before NextGen (e.g., 4G network) has at least a one-to-one mapping between radio bearers and EPS bearers, which we can still preserve, but beyond the radio, there are no longer bearers but only flows and packets. On the radio interface, we assume that a radio bearer needs to be established to support a certain QoS level. This radio bearer in 4G today requires control plane (CP) signaling, which is called radio resource control (RRC) signaling. This procedure used in the LTE-Uu interface is called RRC configuration request. Thus, the network performs this CP signaling to establish a new radio bearer. However, for a pre-authorized FPI, the UE 102 is able to implicitly initiate a radio bearer without going through explicit RRC signaling. The UE 102 will start sending data with a new radio bearer ID that the UE 102 has not used before without additional or prior signaling. This can be an indication to the RAN 202 or eNB that the UE 102 is requesting a new bearer.

[0051] In one example, the marking or radio bearer ID can be the FPI or FPI modifies itself, or an explicit marking indication in the encapsulation header at session setup, while the UE 102 immediately starts using the new or modified FPI. In another example, the pre-authorized set of FPIs enables the UE to implicitly initiate a new radio bearer at any time. If the UE 102 wants to send data with a different FPI than the one offered by the existing RB, the UE 102 can initiate a new RB. The UE 102 can then include the applied FPI in the PDCP (or RLC or MAC) header of the uplink data unit. This information can then be used by the RAN 202 to copy it to the NG3 reference point towards the core network 218, so it also knows which QoS is requested for a particular packet.

[0052] In another embodiment, the UE 102 can send information with the FPI that includes an indication of whether reflective QoS is needed. The reflective QoS indication can indicate whether the UE 102 expects the corresponding DL flow to be handled with the same QoS as the UE 102 has already used. Reflective QoS means that if the network sends some DL packets to the UE 102, and the UE 102 has not been first explicitly signaled a packet filter to know what to do, the UE 102 will implicitly create a packet filter by taking the DL packet header and creating a mirror packet header. For example, the IP header (e.g., IP5 topple) can include the source and destination ACK addresses, source and destination port numbers, creating a mirror packet header and mirroring the QoS with different flow direction (e.g., UL or DL), which can be swapped between source and destination for both IP address and port number to create a packet filter for the corresponding UL traffic. In this way, the indication of whether reflective QoS is needed can be used in both UL and DL in the user plane. This again means that we assume that there will be one information bit in the PDCP (or RLC or MAC) header, for example, that tells the UE 102 to apply the same QoS for the corresponding traffic in UL.

[0053] In another embodiment, the RAN 102 or eNB can implicitly initiate a RB at any time, even for FPIs not pre-authorized in the UE 102. If the RAN 102 wants to transmit data with a different FPI than the one provided by an existing RB, the RAN 102 can initiate a new RB. The RAN 202 can include the applied FPI in the PDCP (or RLC or MAC) header of the downlink data unit. It also includes an indication whether "mapped QoS" is needed, or in other words, whether the UE 102 should apply the same QoS for the corresponding UL flow.

[0054] In yet another embodiment, the implicit RB initiation can be performed by the eNB or RAN 202 by using a new (currently not used) radio bearer ID (RB ID) in the PDCP (or RLC or MAC) header of the uplink / downlink data unit. For example, the implicitly initiated RB can be terminated based on a timer (e.g., no traffic based on a specific bearer can be considered it terminated) or based on an explicit "release indication" in the PDCP (or RLC or MAC) header.

[0055] In another embodiment, the buffer status reporting (BSR) can be performed by the UE on a per FPI basis, where the BSR message indicates the number of buffered uplink packets on a per FPI basis. If a reduction of the number of bits in the BSR message is needed, the BSR can also be performed on a FPI group basis, e.g., by specifying packets in different queues or FPI group IDs that are grouped in a way corresponding to a specific FPI or FPI group. The BSR can be directly based on the FPI. Too many FPIs can complicate or make the message too large, so FPI groups can be enabled. The FPI groups can be standardized by the network, predetermined or pre-configured instead of being explicitly signaled, e.g., mapping specific buffers or queues to specific FPIs or FPI group IDs associated with a specific FPI value or class.

[0056] Additionally or alternatively, the explicit signaling of the QoS information (i.e., flow descriptors and associated QoS parameters) can still be used, but only performed when needed, e.g., when GBR traffic is requested or used. The explicit signaling can be performed using only AS layer or procedures (e.g., via RRC reconfiguration request), or it can be partly sent as NAS content and partly as AS content. For example, the linkage between the QoS information explicitly signaled and the associated radio bearer is performed with the RB ID signaled as an access layer (e.g., RRC) parameter, or can be performed based on the FPI (which is signaled as a NAS parameter, but also used for the PDCP / RLC / MAC header of the data units).

[0057] The embodiments discussed above can be applied to the LTE-Uu interface by making the same changes in the PDCP (or RLC or MAC) header, in the RRC Reconfiguration Request message, or in the NAS message content.

[0058] Reference is now made to Figure 4 , which shows an example network configured to implement legacy network devices and NextGen network devices (e.g., UEs) in the same network based on a set of pre-authorized QoS rules, in accordance with various aspects and embodiments described herein. Network system 400 is an example of an interworking architecture for possible interworking between a legacy network (e.g., EPC 404 in LTE on the left-hand side) and a NextGen core 406 with 5G radios (e.g., RAN 410 based on 5G RAT on the right-hand side), each or both of which can be a separate eNB or component of an eNB as RAN 408 and 410, which can be configured to connect to or include both the Evolved Packet Core 404 and the NextGen Core 406. Thus, UE signaling handling or operation can determine whether a communication flow is to be directed to the EPC core 404 or the NextGen core 406 based on whether the UE is 5G capable. For example, UE 412 can be a legacy UE with bearer-based operation handling, while UEs 414 or 416 can be 5G UEs with flow operation based on pre-authorization of QoS rules for non-GBR traffic and other related embodiments described herein.

[0059] On the left side, legacy UE 412 and 5G UE 414 can connect to an LTE eNB with RAN based on LTE 408, and legacy UE 412 has traffic handled to EPC 404 over the S1 interface, while 5G UE 414 can have communications directed to NextGen core 406 over NG2 / NG3 interface(s). Thus, QoS handling can be different for different UEs, such that flow-based handling of QoS can be enabled for 5G UE 414 with pre-authorization of QoS rules, and QoS handling for UE 412 can be bearer-based.

[0060] To support QoS flow-based handling for 5G UEs 414, the PDCP / RLC / MAC protocols in LTE can include information that configures the PDCP layer (or RLC or MAC) to carry FPI markings and "mapped QoS" indications. Further, the RRC reconfiguration request message can carry flow level QoS parameters to be fully as AS level information, or partially as partially NAS level layer operations and partially AS level. Additionally, BSR can be performed on a per FPI (or FPI group) basis, and the UE and eNB can implicitly initiate a new RB from an existing RB corresponding to another QoS class or set of QoS values. Based on UE capabilities, the eNB can know whether to apply a new or legacy PDCP / RLC / MAC protocol stack, and the appropriate operational protocol for directing communications and utilizing different flow-based (bearer-less) or fully bearer-based protocols.

[0061] Components of the LTE 408 based RAN can be used in or as eNBs 408 configured to generate and manage cell coverage areas / regions 420, while another eNB 410 controls 5G based cell areas 422. Although depicted as multiple coverage areas, this is merely one example architecture and is not limited to any one or more cell coverage areas as shown on the right and left sides of system 400.

[0062] For example, one embodiment involves QoS pre-authorization in the UE 414 or 416. Upon establishing a PDU session, the UE 414, 416 can receive from the network a set of pre-authorized QoS markings including a set of FPIs. The meaning of FPIs can be defined in TR 23.799 clause 6.2.2 and is similar to the operation of QCI in EPS. The set of authorized FPIs for the UE 414, 416 can be stored in the home subscriber store (HSS) 402, possibly on a per access point name (APN) basis, so that nodes or eNBs can pre-authorize different FPIs depending on the network deployment scenario.

[0063] Additionally or alternatively, other mechanisms for pre-authorizing UE QoS, such as operator configured subscription identity module (SIM) parameters, are stored externally or internally in storage. For example, pre-authorization can be signaled in real-time or stored in the SIM memory. Additionally or alternatively, these parameter values can also be maintained and stored in the HSS. This signaling can be performed at the time of establishing a packet data network (PDU) connection, or at the time of performing PDU session establishment in a NextGen system.

[0064] In roaming scenarios where the UE 414 or 416 is roaming without a connection to the network 420 or 422, the set of pre-authorized FPIs can be modified by the CP function component 204 in the visited PLMN. In roaming, certain FPIs that the UE 414 or 416 can use in the home network can not be reported in any policies read on the visited network, the FPIs can be modified and then signaled to the UE 414 or 416.

[0065] As mentioned above, the set of pre-authorized FPIs can be used by an application running in the UE 414 or 416 for transmitting uplink packets without having to make an explicit QoS request to the network. For example, the application can provide a QoS marking to a "lower layer" in the UE 414 or 416 along with each uplink packet. The QoS marking provided by the application can then be internally mapped in the UE 414 or 416 to one of the pre-authorized FPIs and transmitted in the uplink according to the QoS treatment (QoS class(es) or values and parameters related / associated with the class) associated with that FPI.

[0066] The mapping between the QoS marking provided by the application of the UE 414, 416 and the FPIs can be based on a long-term configuration in the UE and thus does not need to be signaled every time the UE 414, 416 connects to a new PLMN or eNB of a different network. These different markings or QoS classes can correspond to different types of applications with different data, e.g., for emergency public services, voice, video, etc. For example, mission critical communications can have one FPI for basic walkie-talkie chat or device-to-device communications. For emergency situations, there would be another FPI and even for imminent danger there would be another FPI. All three FPIs or QoS classes for the same application (D2D, emergency call, imminent danger) can be pre-authorized for a particular application and the mapping of how the application can use the FPIs comes from a long-term configuration in the UE 414, 416, thus, signaling of the configuration or mapping is not necessary in every connection session with the network. This can be how a particular traffic is handled when a packet or transmission is sent to a lower layer (MAC layer or modem). Some classes can also be signaled dynamically. The network or eNB 408 or 410 can further verify that the UE 414, 416 has not violated its authorized FPIs. This can be done by the RAN or core network user plane function component 206 acting as a P-GW upon receiving a data packet.

[0067] In other embodiments, implicit signaling of QoS information related to pre- authorized QoS rules that makes different QoS levels freely available to the UE 414 or 416 can be facilitated by the eNB (e.g., 408 or 410) and the UE at the UL or DL. The network device (e.g., UE or eNB) can immediately start using the new values or QoS levels / values without signaling the change, which would be automatically considered as a request for a new bearer by detecting such usage or modification. In addition, a radio bearer ID can be implemented to indicate such a change, which can be the FPI change itself or designated within the encapsulation header at PDU session establishment, for example. All traffic requesting / requiring the same QoS treatment can be placed on the same FPI, and in this case, the radio bearer ID can be the FPI itself. If the radio bearer ID is not the FPI or FPI marker (e.g., FPI value or level corresponding to a particular type of data (e.g., GBR, non-GBR, voice, video, gaming, emergency, etc.) itself, the FPI or FPI marker can be provided within the PDCP (or RLC or MAC) header that can be available for different functions.

[0068] In one function, the header with the radio bearer ID can indicate to the RAN 408 or 410 the QoS for a particular packet or traffic flow, so that the RAN 408 / 410 can then copy the FPI marker or parameter value to the NG3 interface towards the core network 406 and further, which further operates to verify whether the UE has correctly used the FPI or whether within the parameters of the pre-authorized QoS rules. In another function, the radio bearer ID allows the UP function 206 in the core network 218 (in particular, the UP function connected to the data network through the NG6) to verify whether the UE 414 or 411 has used the FPI marker according to the pre-authorized policy. This can also enable the UP function component 206 to determine the FPI that will be applied in the downlink direction for the corresponding packet flow. In another function, the radio bearer ID can enable the RAN 408 / 410 to perform the same verification function, so that, in terms of UL packets, the policing function can be performed by the RAN or the core network, and it is based on the FPI associated with the packet.

[0069] Additionally or alternatively, a mapped QoS indication can be used in both DL and UL directions. When used in the DL direction, this should be understood as a command in the sense that the UE 414, 416 should create an implicit packet filter, e.g., by swapping source and destination addresses, to map the meaning of the QoS or FPI level of the DL. In the DL direction, the indication can be understood as a command, and in the UL direction, the UE has set the bits for mapped QoS so that mapped QoS is the expected behavior (as an implicit request) when utilizing the QoS or FPI it has selected within the pre-authorized QoS parameters. However, the network has a better knowledge of what to do or how to manage the network communication, and therefore, in the UL, the UE 414, 416 can provide a request indication / mapped QoS indication that the network applies likewise, and in the DL, the eNB can provide a mapped QoS indication as a command.

[0070] The UE 414, 416 can also include an indication of whether "mapped QoS" is expected; whether the UE 414, 416 wishes to treat the corresponding DL flow with the same QoS. This indication can be carried in the PDCP (or RLC or MAC) header over the radio interface and can also be replicated by the RAN in the NG3 encapsulation header.

[0071] The RAN 408 or 410 can implicitly initiate a RB at any time, even for an FPI that is not configured in the UE 414 or 416 to be pre-authorized for that UE 414, 416. The mechanisms for implicitly initiating and terminating a RB are the same as described for the UE 414, 416. The RAN 408 or 410 can include the FPI marker (either locally determined or received from the NG3 encapsulation header) in the PDCP (or RLC or MAC) header of the downlink data unit session or establishment. The included FPI marker can be used by the UE 414, 416, for example, in case it is used as a UE-to-network relay, to determine the QoS to be applied between other UEs and the UE 414, 416 on the UE-to-UE interface.

[0072] The RAN 408 or 410 can also include an indication of whether "mapped QoS" is needed, indicating whether the UE should apply the same QoS for the corresponding UL flow. This indication (either locally determined or received from the NG3 encapsulation header) is carried in the PDCP (or RLC or MAC) header over the radio interface.

[0073] In another aspect, as mentioned above, buffer status reporting or BSR can be performed on a per FPI basis while avoiding any explicit QoS signaling. The BSR can be performed by the UE 414 or 416 on a per FPI basis where the BSR message indicates the number of buffered uplink packets per FPI or for each FPI value that is pre-authorized according to the pre-authorized QoS rules. If it is necessary to reduce the number of bits in the BSR message, the BSR can also be performed based on FPI groups. Thus, there is no explicit signaling to tell the UE 414 or 411 how to map the logical channel ID, FPI ID, or FPI group ID to a logical channel group as this can be performed on a per FPI or predetermined FPI group basis.

[0074] When the 5G UE 414 or 416 is handled via the pre-authorized QoS rules by the processing flow or packet flow signaling such that all data is handled completely as AS data for flow level QoS parameters (e.g., FPI, FPL, GFB, MFB, etc.), the UE 412 can operate according to bearer-based signaling with information being signaled as part NAS and part AS data. For bearer-based signaling in EPS, the NAS information is signaled for QCI, and any guaranteed bit rate and packet filter (TFT). The NAS container includes the EPS bearer ID, TFT, and some QoS parameters (e.g., GBR and MBR). The AS information is signaled as radio access network level QoS parameters called priority bit rate (PBR) and radio bearer priority (RBP). However, the packet filter that is provided today as NAS can be provided as AS information. The AS information includes the radio bearer ID, logical channel ID, EPS bearer ID, and RAN level QoS parameters (PBR and RBP).

[0075] In an embodiment, the QoS related information that is signaled explicitly can be conveyed as AS information only, or for example, remain the same as in 4G with part AS and part NAS. In the former case, the flow QoS parameters (e.g., FPI, FPL, GFB, and MFB) can be signaled as access layer parameters along with the RB ID of the associated radio bearer that will be used for the flow. In the latter case, the flow descriptor and associated per-flow QoS information (FPI, GFB, MFB, ARP) is signaled as NAS information, in which case the linkage between the NAS level QoS information and the associated radio bearer is performed based on the FPI carried in the PDCP / RLC / MAC header.

[0076] By making the same changes to the PDCP, RLC, or MAC header in the RRC Reconfiguration Request message or in the NAS message content, embodiments herein can be applied to the LTE-Uu interface.

[0077] While the methods described in this disclosure are shown and described herein as a series of acts or events, it will be understood that the illustrated ordering of these acts or events should not be construed as a limitation unless expressly specified otherwise. For example, some acts can occur in different orders and / or concurrently with other acts or events apart from those shown and described herein. In addition, not all illustrated acts can be required to implement one or more aspects or embodiments described herein. Additionally, one or more of the acts depicted herein can be implemented in one or more separate acts and / or phases.

[0078] With reference to Figure 5 , an example method 500 for implementing packet flow and minimizing explicit QoS signaling over a NextGen RAN is shown. At 502, the method includes processing one or more pre-authorized QoS rules from a NextGen core network for use on a NexGen RAN or E-UTRA configured to connect to a NextGen core network. At 504, the method includes providing the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules to a user equipment (“UE”) to enable the UE to initiate a data radio bearer to support a traffic flow pre-authorized by the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules.

[0079] The method 500 can further include generating mapped QoS via the RAN by mapping the QoS to a DL traffic flow corresponding to a UL traffic flow or triggering the mapping of the QoS of the DL traffic flow to the UL traffic flow by providing an indication of the mapping of the QoS of the DL traffic flow within a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) header, a radio link control (RLC) header, or a MAC header.

[0080] The method 500 can further include initiating or terminating a radio bearer to support a service data flow corresponding to a non-guaranteed bit rate initiated or terminated outside of a PDU session establishment without control plane signaling with the NextGen core network. In another aspect, the set of QoS parameters associated with a GBR traffic flow or a non-GBR related traffic flow can be generated and provided to the UE by including the flow descriptor, the associated per-flow QoS information, and the radio bearer identifier entirely as hierarchical information in radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0081] By further describing one or more non-limiting environments with respect to facilitating QoS signaling operations in accordance with aspects and embodiments described herein, Figure 6is a schematic example wireless environment 600. In particular, the example wireless environment 600 illustrates a set of wireless network macrocells. Three coverage macrocells 602, 604, and 606 comprise the illustrative wireless environment; however, it should be noted that a wireless cellular network deployment can contain any number of macrocells. The coverage macrocells 602, 604, and 606 are shown as hexagons; however, the coverage cells can take other geometric shapes as generally dictated by the deployment configuration or floor plan, the geographic area to be covered, etc. Each macrocell 602, 604, and 606 is sectored with a 2π / 3 configuration, where each macrocell includes three sectors, in Figure 6 which are divided in dashed lines. Note that other sectorizations are possible and can utilize aspects or features of the disclosed subject matter regardless of the type of sectorization. The macrocells 602, 604, and 606 are served by base stations or eNodeBs 608, 610, and 612, respectively. Any two eNodeBs can be considered an eNodeB site pair. Note that the radio(s) are functionally coupled to a set of one or more antennas (not shown) that transmit and receive wireless signals through links such as cables (e.g., RF and microwave coaxial lines), ports, switches, connectors, etc. Note that a radio network controller (not shown) that can be part of the mobile network platform 614 and a set of base stations (e.g., eNodeBs 608, 610, and 612) that serve a set of macrocells; electronic circuitry or components related to the base stations in the set of base stations; a set of corresponding wireless links (e.g., links 616, 618, and 620) that operate according to a radio technology by the base stations form a macro radio access network. It should also be noted that the radio controller can be distributed among the set of base stations or associated radio equipment based on network features. In an aspect, for a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System based network, the wireless links 616, 618, and 620 embody the Uu interface (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System air interface).

[0082] The mobile network platform 614 enables packet- switched communication, circuit- switched communication or both, as well as bearer and IP traffic generation in order to user and receive communications within wireless network 620. Moreover, the mobile network platform 614 can provide a mechanism for for the implementation of innovating features such as location-based games and queries, advanced directory assistance, and push- to-talk services, among others. Depending upon the nature of wireless network 620, the mobile network platform 614 can be further enabled to manage communications to and from one or more mobile devices 612 via the wireless network 620. As such, the mobile network platform 614 can also include a statistics engine and database to store information on the usage of the wireless network 620, such as data transfer volumes, user access times, etc.

[0083] In addition, the wireless backhaul link(s) 624 can include wired link components, such as Tl / E1 telephone lines, T3 / DS3 lines, synchronous or asynchronous digital subscriber lines; asymmetric digital subscriber lines; fiber optic backbones; coaxial cables, etc., as well as wireless link components, such as line-of-sight or non-line-of-sight links that can include terrestrial air interfaces or deep space links (e.g., satellite communication links for navigation). In one aspect, for a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System-based network, the wireless backhaul link(s) 624 embody the luB interface.

[0084] Note that although an exemplary wireless environment 600 is illustrated for macrocells and macro base stations, aspects, features and advantages of the disclosed subject matter can be implemented in microcells, picocells, femtocells, etc., where base stations are embodied in home-based devices associated with a visited network.

[0085] As used herein, the term "circuitry" can refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), and / or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and / or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, circuitry can be implemented in, or functions associated with circuitry can be implemented by, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, circuitry can include logic

[0086] Embodiments described herein can be implemented in an electronic device using a suitably configured hardware and / or software. Figure 7 Example components of an electronic device 700 are shown for one embodiment. In embodiments, the electronic device 700 can be, implement, incorporate, or otherwise be a part of a user equipment (UE), an evolved Node B (eNB), a server, implemented as part of a core network element, or some other suitable electronic device. In some embodiments, the electronic device 700 can include application circuitry 702, baseband circuitry 704, radio frequency (RF) circuitry 706, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 708, and one or more antennas 710 coupled together, as shown in the example of Figure 7.

[0087] The application circuitry 702 can include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuitry 702 can include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) can include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processors can be coupled with, and / or can include memory / storage and can be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage to enable various applications and / or operating systems to run on the system.

[0088] The baseband circuitry 704 can include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 704 can include one or more baseband processors and / or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 706 and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 706. The baseband processing circuitry 704 can interface with the application circuitry 702 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for control of the RF circuitry 706. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 can comprise second generation (2G) baseband processor(s) 704a, third generation (3G) baseband processor(s) 704b, fourth generation (4G) baseband processor(s) 704c, and / or other baseband processor(s) 704d for other existing generations, generations in development or future generations (e.g., fifth generation (5G), 6G, etc.) of communication standards. The baseband circuitry 704 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 704a-d) can handle various radio control functions

[0089] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 can include elements of a protocol stack such as, for example, elements of an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) protocol including, for example, physical (PHY), media access control (MAC), radio link control (RLC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and / or radio resource control (RRC) elements. A central processing unit (CPU) 704e of the baseband circuitry 704 can be configured to execute instructions stored in memory 704f to enable the baseband circuitry 704 to perform various functions, such as switching between multiple communication standards.

[0090] The baseband circuitry 704 can further include memory / storage 704g. The memory / storage 704g can be used to load and store data and / or instructions that are executed by processors of the baseband circuitry 704. Memory / storage 704g of an embodiment can include any combination of suitable volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. The memory / storage 704g can include any combination of various levels of memory / storage including, without limitation, non-removable memory, removable memory and / or embedded memory. The memory / storage 704g can include, without limitation, read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), flash memory, cache memory, buffer, and / or the like. The memory / storage 704g can be shared among various processors or dedicated to particular processors.

[0091] In some embodiments, components of the baseband circuitry can be combined on a single chip, in a single package, and / or disposed on a same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 704 and the application circuitry 702 can be implemented together in a system on a chip (SoC).

[0092] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 can provide for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 can support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) and / or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), and / or wireless personal area networks (WPANs). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 704 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol can be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0093] The RF circuitry 706 can enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 706 can include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 706 can include a receive signal path, which can include circuitry to down-convert and filter received RF signals to generate a baseband signal that can be provided to the baseband circuitry 704. RF circuitry 706 can also include a transmit signal path, which can include circuitry to up-convert and filter baseband signals to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 708 for transmission through the antenna(s).

[0094] In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 706 can include receive signal path and transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the RF circuitry 706 can include mixer circuitry 706a, amplifier circuitry 706b and filter circuitry 706c. The transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 706 can include filter circuitry 706c and mixer circuitry 706a. The RF circuitry 706 can also include synthesizer circuitry 706d for synthesizing frequencies

[0095] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path can be configured to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 708 based on the synthesized frequencies provided by synthesizer circuitry 706d. The amplifier circuitry 706b can be configured to amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry 706c can be configured to remove unwanted signals from the amplified signals to generate output baseband signals. The output baseband signals can be provided to the baseband circuitry 704 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals can be zero-frequency baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0096] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path can include two or more mixers and can be arranged for quadrature downconversion and / or upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path can include two or more mixers and can be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path can be arranged for direct downconversion and / or direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path can be configured for superheterodye operation.

[0097] In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals can be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals can be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the RF circuitry 706 can include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 704 can include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 706.

[0098] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio ICs can be provided for processing signals for the each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0099] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 706d can be a fractional N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+7 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers can be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 706d can be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0100] The synthesizer circuitry 706d can be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 706a of the RF circuitry 706 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 706d can be a fractional N / N+7 synthesizer.

[0101] In some embodiments, the frequency input can be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), but this is not a requirement. Divider control input can be provided by the baseband circuitry 704 or the application processor 702 based on a desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) can be determined from a look-up table based on a channel indicated by the application processor 702.

[0102] Synthesizer circuitry 706d of the RF circuitry 706 can include a divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider can be a dual modulus divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator can be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD can be configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+7 (e.g., based on a carry out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL can include a set of cascaded, tunable, delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements can be configured to break a VCO period up into Nd equal phase components, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help assure that the total delay in the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0103] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 706d can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as an output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency can be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and divider circuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases with respect to each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency can be a LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 706 can include an IQ / polar converter.

[0104] FEM circuitry 708 can include a receive signal path, which can include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 710, amplify the received signals, and provide the amplified versions of the received signals as an output (for example, to the RF circuitry 706 for further processing). FEM circuitry 708 can also include a transmit signal path, which can include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided as an input (for example, from RF circuitry 706), and provide the amplified signals as an output (for example, to one or more of the one or more antennas 710).

[0105] In some embodiments, FEM circuitry 708 can include a TX / RX switch, to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry can include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry can include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) to amplify received RF signals, and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (for example, to the RF circuitry 706). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 708 can include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify signals for transmission provided as an input (for example, from the RF circuitry 706), and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (for example, by one or more of the one or more antennas 710).

[0106] In some embodiments, electronic device 700 can include additional elements such as, for example, memory / storage, display, camera, sensor, and / or input / output (I / O) interface. In embodiments where electronic device 700 is implemented in an eNB or a server that functions as a core network element, the electronic device can also include network interface circuitry configured to transmit and receive data over a wired connection in accordance with one or more wired communication protocols.

[0107] In some embodiments, Figure 7 An electronic device as described herein can be configured to perform one or more processes, techniques, and / or methods as described herein, or portions thereof.

[0108] To provide further context for various aspects of the disclosed subject matter, Figure 8A block diagram illustrating an embodiment of an access device and / or software 800 associated with network access (e.g., base stations, wireless access points, femtocell access points, etc.) capable of implementing and / or utilizing features or aspects disclosed herein is shown.

[0109] The access device, UE, and / or software 800 associated with network access can receive and transmit signal(s) from and to wireless devices, wireless ports, wireless routers, etc. via segments 8028-802 B (B is a positive integer) via segments 8028-802 B The segments 8028-802

[0110] In an aspect, the communication platform 808 includes a receiver / transmitter 810, which can convert analog signals to digital signals upon reception and can convert digital signals to analog signals upon transmission. Further, the receiver / transmitter 810 can split a single data stream into multiple parallel data streams, or perform the reciprocal operation. Coupled to the receiver / transmitter 810 can be a multiplexer / demultiplexer 812, which can facilitate manipulation of signals in time and frequency space. The multiplexer / demultiplexer 812 can multiplex information (data / traffic and control / signaling) according to various multiplexing schemes, e.g., time-division multiplexing, frequency-division multiplexing, orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing, code-division multiplexing, space-division multiplexing. Further, the multiplexer / demultiplexer component 812 can scramble and spread information (e.g., according to codes substantially any known in the art, e.g., Hadamard-Walsh codes, Baker codes, Kasami codes, polyphase codes, etc.).

[0111] A modulator / demodulator 814 is also part of the communication platform 808 and can modulate information according to a plurality of modulation techniques, e.g., frequency modulation, amplitude modulation (e.g., M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation, where M is a positive integer); phase-shift keying, etc.

[0112] The access device and / or software 800 related to network access also includes a processor 816 configured to at least partially impart functionality to substantially any electronic component in the access device and / or software 800. In particular, the processor 816 can facilitate the configuration of the access device and / or software 800 by, for example, the monitor component 804, the antenna component 806, and one or more components therein. Further, the access device and / or software 800 can include a display interface 818, which can display functionality that controls the functionality of the access device and / or software 800, or display operational conditions thereof. Further, the display interface 818 can include a screen for communicating information to an end user. In an aspect, the display interface 818 can be a liquid crystal display, a plasma panel, an electrochromic display based on monolithic thin film, or the like. Further, the display interface 818 can include components that facilitate the communication of audible indicia (e.g., a speaker), which can also be used in conjunction with messages that convey operational instructions to the end user. The display interface 818 can also facilitate data input (e.g., through a linked keyboard or through touch gestures), which can enable the access device and / or software 800 to receive external commands (e.g., a reboot operation).

[0113] A broadband network interface 820 facilitates connecting the access device and / or software 800 to a service provider network (not shown), which can include one or more cellular technologies (e.g., Third Generation Partnership Project Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, Global System for Mobile Communications, etc.), through implementation of a backhaul link(s) (not shown) for incoming and outgoing data streams. The broadband network interface 820 can be internal or external to the access device and / or software 800 and can utilize the display interface 818 for end user interaction and status information transfer.

[0114] The processor 816 can be functionally connected to the communication platform 808 and can facilitate operations on data (e.g., symbols, bits, or chips) for multiplexing / demultiplexing, such as implementing direct and inverse fast Fourier transforms, selecting modulation rates, selecting data packet formats, inter-packet times, etc. Further, the processor 816 can be functionally connected to the display interface 818 and the broadband network interface 820 through a data, system, or address bus 822 to at least partially impart functionality for each such component.

[0115] In the access device and / or software 800, the memory 824 can retain a list of locations and / or coverage areas (e.g., macro sectors, identifier(s)) authorized for access through the access device and / or software 800 to wireless coverage, sector intelligence that can include an ordering of coverage areas in a wireless environment of the access device and / or software 800, radio link quality and strength associated therewith, etc. The memory 824 can also store data structures, code instructions, and program modules, system or device information, code sequences for scrambling, spreading, and pilot transmission, access point configurations, etc. The processor 816 can be coupled to the memory 824 (e.g., via a memory bus) in order to store and retrieve information used to operate components, platforms, and interfaces residing within the access device and / or software 800 and / or to impart functionality thereto.

[0116] As employed in this specification, the term "processor" can refer to substantially any computing processing unit or device, including, but not limited to: single-core processors; single- core processors with software multithread execution capability; multi-core processors; multi-core processors with software multithread execution capability; multi-core processors with hardware multithread technology; parallel platforms; and parallel platforms with distributed shared memory. Additionally, a processor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a field programmable gate array, a programmable logic controller, a complex programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions and / or processes described herein. A processor can utilize nano- scale architectures such as, but not limited to, molecular and quantum-dot based transistors, switches and gates, to optimize space usage or enhance performance of mobile devices. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.

[0117] In this specification, terms such as "store," "data store," "data storage," "database," and "repository" and substantially any other information storage component relevant to operation and functionality of a component and / or process, refer to "memory components," or entities embodied in a "memory," or components including the memory. Note that the memory components described herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory.

[0118] By way of illustration, and not limitation, non-volatile memory can be included in memory 824, non-volatile memory (see below), disk storage (see below), and memory storage devices (see below). Further, non-volatile memory can be included in read only memory, programmable read only memory, electrically programmable read only memory, electrically erasable programmable read only memory, or flash memory. Volatile memory can include random access memory, which acts as external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, random access memory can be available in many forms such as synchronous random access memory, dynamic random access memory, synchronous dynamic random access memory, double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory, enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory, Synchlink dynamic random access memory, and direct Rambus dynamic random access memory. Moreover, memory components of the systems or methods disclosed herein are intended to include, without being limited to including, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0119] Examples can include subject matter such as a method, means for performing acts or blocks of the method, at least one machine-readable medium including instructions that, when performed, cause a machine to perform acts of the method, or of an apparatus or system for concurrent communication using multiple communication technologies according to embodiments and examples described herein.

[0120] Example 1 is an apparatus configured for use in a network device, comprising: one or more processors configured to: process, via a NextGen core network, one or more pre- granted quality of service (QoS) rules for use on a radio access network (RAN) based on 5G radio access technology (RAT) or evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) connected to the NextGen core network; and provide the one or more pre-granted QoS rules to a user equipment (UE).

[0121] Example 2 includes the subject matter of Example 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide QoS parameters or QoS markings of the one or more pre- granted QoS rules to the UE at protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment.

[0122] Example 3 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-2, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more pre-granted QoS rules comprise QoS markings for use within an encapsulation header on a user plane interface between the 5G RAT based RAN and the NextGen core network.

[0123] Example 4 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-3, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to apply mapping QoS via a radio access network (RAN) by mapping QoS of uplink ("UL") traffic to downlink ("DL") traffic, or triggering mapping of QoS of the DL traffic to the UL traffic.

[0124] Example 5 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-4, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to initiate or terminate a radio bearer to support a service data flow with a non-guaranteed bit rate initiated or terminated outside of a PDU session establishment without using control plane signaling with a NextGen core network.

[0125] Example 6 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-5, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide QoS information of the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules as access stratum ("AS") information at a PDU session establishment.

[0126] Example 7 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-6, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to initiate a radio bearer based on a QoS marking or a flow priority indicator ("FPI") received in an encapsulation header related to a user plane interface between a 5G RAT based RAN and a NextGen core network.

[0127] Example 8 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-7, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to initiate a radio bearer for a traffic flow corresponding to a non-guaranteed bit rate by including a radio bearer identifier ("ID") in a packet data convergence protocol ("PDCP") header, a radio link control ("RLC") header, or a medium access control ("MAC") header, and including a QoS marking related to QoS parameters of the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules in the PDCP header, the RLC header, or the MAC header.

[0128] Example 9 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-8, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to terminate the radio bearer based on expiration of a timer, or by generating a release indication in the PDCP header, the RLC header, or the MAC header.

[0129] Example 10 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-9, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate a detection of a QoS marking received in a PDCP header, an RLC header, or a MAC header in the UL traffic, and in response to the detection, verify that the QoS is pre-authorized based on the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules, or determine a QoS level to apply to the DL traffic flow.

[0130] Example 11 is an apparatus configured for use in a user equipment (“UE”), comprising: one or more processors configured to: process one or more pre-authorized quality of service (“QoS”) rules configured for a radio access network (“RAN”) based on a 5G radio access technology (“RAT”) or evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access (“E-UTRA”) connected to a NextGen core network; and generate a request for QoS handling of an uplink (“UL”) traffic flow based on the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules.

[0131] Example 12 includes the subject matter of Example 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide an indication of mapped QoS in a packet data convergence protocol (“PDCP”) header, a radio link control (“RLC”) header, or a medium access control (“MAC”) header via a radio access network (“RAN”) to request a mapping of a QoS in the UL traffic flow to a DL traffic flow, and in response to receiving the indication and the QoS marking within the PDCP header, the RLC header, or the MAC header, process the indication of mapped QoS from the DL traffic flow and request the same QoS in the UL traffic flow.

[0132] Example 13 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-12, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules include a QoS marking related to a QoS level associated with the UL traffic flow or the DL traffic flow, and the one or more processors are further configured to apply the QoS marking in response to processing an application request for an application component.

[0133] Example 14 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-13, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive one or more QoS parameters associated with one or more QoS parameters of a GBR traffic flow or a non-GBR related traffic flow and include a flow descriptor, associated per-flow QoS information, and a radio bearer identifier within radio resource control (“RRC”) signaling entirely as access stratum level information.

[0134] Example 15 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-14, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to initiate the radio bearer by including a radio bearer identifier in a PDCP header, an RLC header, or a MAC header.

[0135] Example 16 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-15, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the QoS parameter or QoS marker includes a flow priority indicator ("FPI") for a QoS class or a value associated with the FPI, and the one or more processors are further configured to include the FPI or the value associated with the FPI in a PDCP header, an RLC header, or a MAC header.

[0136] Example 17 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-16, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to process the QoS marker received in a PDCP header, an RLC header, or a MAC header to determine QoS on a direct interface including a device-to-device ("D2D") interface, and to relay the DL traffic flow via the D2D interface.

[0137] Example 18 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 11-17, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate a requested buffer status report for one or more UL transmission grants based on the QoS marker or the group of QoS markers related to the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules, wherein the buffer status report includes a number of UL packets or data bytes for different FPIs or different groups of FPIs, respectively.

[0138] Example 19 is a computer-readable medium storing executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause one or more processors of an evolved NodeB ("eNB") to perform operations including: processing one or more pre-authorized quality of service ("QoS") rules for use on a Next Generation ("NextGen") Radio Access Network ("RAN") or Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access ("E-UTRA") configured to connect to a NextGen core network from a NextGen core network; and providing the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules to a user equipment ("UE") to enable the UE to initiate a data radio bearer to support a traffic flow pre-authorized by the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules.

[0139] Example 20 includes the subject matter of Example 19, the operations further comprising generating mapped QoS via the RAN by mapping QoS to a downlink ("DL") traffic flow corresponding to an uplink ("UL") traffic flow, or by providing an indication of a mapping of QoS of the DL traffic flow to the UL traffic flow within a packet data convergence protocol ("PDCP") header, a radio link control ("RLC") header, or a medium access control ("MAC") header.

[0140] Example 21 includes the subject matter of Example 20, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the operations further comprise initiating or terminating a radio bearer to support a service data flow that is initiated or terminated outside of a protocol data unit ("PDU") session establishment and corresponds to a non-guaranteed bit rate without control plane signaling with the NextGen core network.

[0141] Example 22 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-21, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the radio bearer identifier comprises a flow priority indicator ("FPI").

[0142] Example 23 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 20-22, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the operations further comprise generating a set of QoS parameters associated with a GBR traffic flow or a non-GBR related traffic flow, and providing the set of QoS parameters to the UE by including a flow descriptor, associated per-flow QoS information, and a radio bearer identifier entirely as access stratum level information within radio resource control ("RRC") signaling.

[0143] Example 24 is an apparatus of an evolved NodeB ("eNB") for performing operations, comprising: means for processing one or more pre-authorized quality of service ("QoS") rules for use on a NextGen radio access network ("RAN") or evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access ("E-UTRA") configured to connect to a NextGen core network from a NextGen core network; and means for providing the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules to a user equipment ("UE") to enable the UE to initiate a data radio bearer to support a traffic flow pre-authorized by the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules.

[0144] Example 25 includes the subject matter of Example 24, wherein the operations further comprise means for generating the mapped QoS via the RAN by mapping the QoS to a downlink ("DL") traffic flow corresponding to an uplink ("UL") traffic flow, or by providing an indication of the mapping of the QoS of the DL traffic flow to the UL traffic flow within a packet data convergence protocol ("PDCP") header, a radio link control ("RLC") header, or a medium access control ("MAC") header.

[0145] Example 26 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 24-25, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the operations further comprise means for initiating or terminating a radio bearer to support a service data flow that is initiated or terminated outside of a protocol data unit ("PDU") session establishment and corresponds to a non-guaranteed bit rate without control plane signaling with a NextGen core network.

[0146] Example 27 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 24-26, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the radio bearer identifier comprises a flow priority indicator ("FPI").

[0147] Example 28 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 24-26, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the operations further comprise generating a set of QoS parameters associated with a GBR traffic flow or a non-GBR related traffic flow, and providing the set of QoS parameters to the UE by including a flow descriptor, associated per-flow QoS information, and a radio bearer identifier entirely as access stratum level information within radio resource control ("RRC") signaling.

[0148] Example 29 is a system configured for use in a network device, comprising: one or more processors configured to: process one or more pre-authorized quality of service ("QoS") rules for use on a radio access network ("RAN") based on a 5G radio access technology ("RAT") or evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access ("E-UTRA") configured to connect to a NextGen core network via a NextGen ("NextGen") core network; and provide the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules to a user equipment ("UE").

[0149] Example 30 includes the subject matter of Example 29, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide QoS parameters or QoS markings of the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules to the UE at a protocol data unit ("PDU") session establishment.

[0150] It should be appreciated that the aspects described herein can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the functions can be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media or computer readable storage device (e.g., memory 824) can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible and / or non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired information or executable instructions. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray® disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0151] The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field

[0152] For software implementations, the techniques described herein can be implemented with modules {e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. The software codes can be stored in memory units and executed by processors. The memory unit can be implemented within the processor or external to the processor, in which case it can be communicatively coupled to the processor through various means as is known in the art. Further, at least one processor can include one or more modules operable to perform the functions described herein.

[0153] The techniques described herein can be used for various wireless communication systems such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably. A CDMA system can implement a radio technology such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), CDMA2000, and so on. UTRA includes Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) and other variants of CDMA. Further, CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. A TDMA system can implement a radio technology such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA system can implement a radio technology such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.18, Flash-OFDM, and so on. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA, which employs OFDMA on the downlink and SC-FDMA on the uplink. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, and GSM are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). Additionally, CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). Further, such wireless communication systems can additionally include peer-to-peer (e.g., mobile-to-mobile) ad hoc network systems often using unpaired unlicensed frequencies, 802. xx wireless LAN, Bluetooth, and any other short- or long- range, wireless communication techniques.

[0154] Single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), which utilizes single carrier modulation and frequency domain equalization is a technique that can be utilized with the disclosed aspects. SC-FDMA has similar performance and essentially a similar overall complexity as OFDMA system. SC-FDMA signal has lower peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) due to its inherent single carrier structure. SC-FDMA can be used in uplink communications where lower PAPR is beneficial in sendee power efficiency.

[0155] Furthermore, various aspects or features described herein can be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" as used herein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media. For example, computer-readable media can include but are not limited to magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., EPROM, card, stick, key drive, etc.). Additionally, various storage media described herein can represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine- readable medium" can include, without being limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instruction(s) and / or data. Additionally, a computer program product can include a computer readable medium having stored thereon, one or more instructions or codes executable by a computer to perform the functions described herein.

[0156] Communication media can embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery or transport media. The term "modulated data signal" or signals refers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media.

[0157] Further, the actions of a method or algorithm described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module can reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium can be coupled to the processor, such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium can be integral to the processor. Further, in some aspects, the processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC can reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium can reside as discrete components in a user terminal. Additionally, in some aspects, the steps and / or actions of a method or algorithm can reside as one or any combination or set of codes and / or instructions on a machine readable medium and / or computer readable medium, which can be incorporated in a computer program product.

[0158] The above description of the disclosed embodiments of the subject technology, including that in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. While specific embodiments and examples are described herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications are possible within the scope of the various embodiments and examples, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize.

[0159] In this regard, although the disclosed subject matter has been described in connection with various embodiments and corresponding figures, it will be understood that other similar embodiments can be used or modifications and additions can be made to the described embodiments for performing the same, similar, alternative, or substitute functions of the disclosed subject matter without deviating from the spirit of the disclosed subject matter. Therefore, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather should be given the widest scope and liberal interpretation in accordance with the following claims.

[0160] In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the above-described components (assemblies, devices, circuits, systems, etc.), terms used in connection with describing these components, including references to "means," are intended to correspond to any component or structure that functions according to the given description (e.g., in a functional equivalent manner), unless otherwise stated, even if the structure is not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure that performs the function in the exemplary implementations shown herein of the present disclosure. Moreover, although a particular feature can have been disclosed in only one of several implementations, such feature can be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations, as can be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.

Claims

1. An apparatus configured for use in a user equipment (UE), comprising: One or more processors are configured as follows: Process one or more pre-authorized Quality of Service (QoS) rules on the radio access network RAN ​​configured to connect to the NextGen core network for 5G Radio Access Technology (RAT) or Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) based on the NextGen core network; and Process the mapped QoS indication from the downlink traffic stream, and in response to receiving the indication and the QoS flag in the header of the downlink data unit, apply the same QoS from the uplink UL traffic stream.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more processors are further configured to provide an indication of mapped QoS in the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) header, Radio Link Control (RLC) header, or Media Access Control (MAC) header via the Radio Access Network (RAN) to request QoS mapping from the UL traffic stream to the DL traffic stream, and in response to receiving the indication and QoS flag in the PDCP header, RLC header, or MAC header, process the indication of mapped QoS from the DL traffic stream and apply the same QoS in the UL traffic stream.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more pre-authorized QoS rules include QoS tags associated with the QoS level of the UL traffic stream or DL ​​traffic stream, and the one or more processors are also configured to apply the QoS tags in response to processing an application request for an application component.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more processors are also configured to receive one or more QoS parameters associated with a GBR traffic flow or a non-GBR-related traffic flow and included in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling as access stratum information, including a flow descriptor, associated flow-by-flow QoS information, and a radio bearer identifier.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more processors are also configured to initiate a radio bearer by including a radio bearer identifier in a PDCP header, RLC header, or MAC header.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, The QoS tag includes a Flow Priority Indicator (FPI) for a QoS level or a value associated with the FPI, and one or more processors are further configured to include the FPI or the value associated with the FPI in the PDCP header, the RLC header, or the MAC header.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more processors are also configured to process QoS tags received in the PDCP header, RLC header, or MAC header to determine the QoS on a direct interface including a device-to-device (D2D) interface and to relay DL traffic streams via the D2D interface.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein, The one or more processors are further configured to generate a buffer status report for a request for one or more UL transport licenses based on QoS tags or QoS tag groups associated with the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules, wherein the buffer status report includes the number of UL packets or data bytes corresponding to different FPIs or different FPI groups, respectively.

9. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; as well as One or more processors, coupled to the memory, are configured to, when executing instructions stored in the memory: Process one or more pre-authorized Quality of Service (QoS) rules on the radio access network RAN ​​configured to connect to the NextGen core network for 5G Radio Access Technology (RAT) or Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) based on the NextGen core network; and Process the mapped QoS indication from the downlink traffic stream, and in response to receiving the indication and the QoS flag in the header of the downlink data unit, apply the same QoS from the uplink UL traffic stream.

10. The UE according to claim 9, wherein, The one or more processors are further configured to provide an indication of mapped QoS in the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) header, Radio Link Control (RLC) header, or Media Access Control (MAC) header via the Radio Access Network (RAN) to request QoS mapping from the UL traffic stream to the DL traffic stream, and in response to receiving the indication and QoS flag in the PDCP header, RLC header, or MAC header, process the indication of mapped QoS from the DL traffic stream and apply the same QoS in the UL traffic stream.

11. The UE according to claim 9, wherein, The one or more pre-authorized QoS rules include QoS tags associated with the QoS level of the UL traffic stream or DL ​​traffic stream, and the one or more processors are also configured to apply the QoS tags in response to processing an application request for an application component.

12. The UE according to claim 9, wherein, The one or more processors are also configured to receive one or more QoS parameters associated with a GBR traffic flow or a non-GBR-related traffic flow and included in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling as access stratum information, including a flow descriptor, associated flow-by-flow QoS information, and a radio bearer identifier.

13. The UE according to claim 9, wherein, The one or more processors are also configured to initiate a radio bearer by including a radio bearer identifier in a PDCP header, RLC header, or MAC header.

14. The UE according to claim 13, wherein, The QoS tag includes a Flow Priority Indicator (FPI) for a QoS level or a value associated with the FPI, and one or more processors are further configured to include the FPI or the value associated with the FPI in the PDCP header, the RLC header, or the MAC header.

15. The UE according to claim 9, wherein, The one or more processors are also configured to process QoS tags received in the PDCP header, RLC header, or MAC header to determine the QoS on a direct interface including a device-to-device (D2D) interface and to relay DL traffic streams via the D2D interface.

16. The UE according to any one of claims 9-15, wherein, The one or more processors are further configured to generate a buffer status report for a request for one or more UL transport licenses based on QoS tags or QoS tag groups associated with the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules, wherein the buffer status report includes the number of UL packets or data bytes corresponding to different FPIs or different FPI groups, respectively.

17. A baseband processor configured to perform operations, the operations including: Process one or more pre-authorized Quality of Service (QoS) rules on the radio access network RAN ​​configured to connect to the NextGen core network for 5G Radio Access Technology (RAT) or Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) based on the NextGen core network; and Process the mapped QoS indication from the downlink traffic stream, and in response to receiving the indication and the QoS flag in the header of the downlink data unit, apply the same QoS from the uplink UL traffic stream.

18. The baseband processor according to claim 17, wherein, The operation further includes: providing an indication of mapped QoS in the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) header, Radio Link Control (RLC) header, or Medium Access Control (MAC) header via the Radio Access Network (RAN) to request mapping of QoS from the UL traffic stream to the DL traffic stream; and in response to receiving the indication and QoS flag in the PDCP header, RLC header, or MAC header, processing the indication of mapped QoS from the DL traffic stream and applying the same QoS in the UL traffic stream.

19. The baseband processor according to claim 17, wherein, The one or more pre-authorized QoS rules include QoS tags associated with the QoS level of the UL traffic stream or DL ​​traffic stream, and the one or more processors are also configured to apply the QoS tags in response to processing an application request for an application component.

20. The baseband processor according to claim 17, wherein, The operation further includes receiving one or more QoS parameters associated with a GBR traffic flow or a non-GBR-related traffic flow and including a flow descriptor, associated flow-by-flow QoS information, and a radio bearer identifier within the Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling to serve entirely as access stratum information.

21. The baseband processor according to claim 17, wherein, The operation also includes initiating a radio bearer by including the radio bearer identifier in the PDCP header, RLC header, or MAC header.

22. The baseband processor according to claim 21, wherein, The QoS parameter or the QoS tag includes a Flow Priority Indicator (FPI) for a QoS level or a value associated with the FPI, and one or more processors are further configured to include the FPI or the value associated with the FPI in the PDCP header, the RLC header, or the MAC header.

23. The baseband processor of claim 22, wherein the operation further comprises: Process the QoS tag received in the PDCP header, RLC header, or MAC header to determine the QoS on the direct interface including the device-to-device (D2D) interface, and relay the DL traffic stream via the D2D interface.

24. The baseband processor according to any one of claims 17-23, wherein, The operation further includes generating a buffer status report for a request for one or more UL transmission licenses based on QoS tags or QoS tag groups associated with the one or more pre-authorized QoS rules, wherein the buffer status report includes the number of UL packets or data bytes corresponding to different FPIs or different FPI groups, respectively.

Images