Session Management for Edge Computing

Abstract

A Session Management Function (SMF) receives a first message from a wireless device. The first message includes a request for offloading data associated with an application. The SMF then sends a second message to the wireless device. The second message indicates whether the request for offloading the data is accepted or rejected.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 982,507, filed February 27, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Attached Figure Description

[0003] Examples of several embodiments of the various implementations of the invention are described herein with reference to the figures.

[0004] Figure 1 A diagram illustrating an exemplary 5G system architecture according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0005] Figure 2 A diagram illustrating an example 5G system architecture according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0006] Figure 3 This is a system diagram of an example wireless device and network node in a 5G system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0007] Figure 4 A system diagram of an example wireless device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0008] Figure 5A and Figure 5B Two registration management status models in UE 100 and AMF 155 are described, representing aspects of the embodiments according to this disclosure.

[0009] Figure 6A and Figure 6B Two connection management state models in UE 100 and AMF 155 are described, representing aspects of the embodiments according to this disclosure.

[0010] Figure 7 A diagram for classifying and labeling traffic according to aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0011] Figure 8 This is an exemplary invocation process according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0012] Figure 9 This is an exemplary invocation process according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0013] Figure 10 This is an exemplary invocation process according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 11 This is an exemplary invocation process according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 12This is an exemplary invocation process according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0016] Figure 13 This is an exemplary invocation process according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 14 Example of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) state transition aspect according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 15 This illustrates a service-based architecture for a 5G network regarding the interaction between the control plane (CP) and the user plane (UP).

[0019] Figure 16 An implementation scheme for a system including an application server controller is shown.

[0020] Figure 17 This illustrates segmented management between the cellular network domain and the mobile edge computing (MEC) domain.

[0021] Figure 18A This is an example call flow for MEC discovery.

[0022] Figure 18B An example is shown of how the AS controller can influence the traffic routing of application data within the core network.

[0023] Figure 19 An example is shown where the AS controller affects the traffic routing of application data by causing a reconfiguration of the user plane within the core network.

[0024] Figure 20 An example of uninstallation is shown.

[0025] Figure 21 An invocation flow for an uninstallation request and UPF selection according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated.

[0026] Figure 22 The call flow of a load status information reporting program from an application function according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0027] Figure 23 A flowchart of a wireless device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0028] Figure 24 A flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of an SMF according to this disclosure is shown.

[0029] Figure 25 A flowchart of an SMF selection for a UPF according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0030] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention enable enhanced features and functionalities to be implemented in 4G / 5G systems. Embodiments of the technology disclosed herein can be used in the fields of 4G / 5G systems and network slicing for communication systems. More specifically, embodiments of the technology disclosed herein can relate to 5G core networks and 5G systems for network slicing in communication systems. Throughout this disclosure, UEs, wireless devices, and mobile devices are used interchangeably.

[0031] The following abbreviations are used throughout this disclosure:

[0032] 5G (Fifth Generation Mobile Network)

[0033] 5GC 5G Core Network

[0034] 5GS 5G system

[0035] 5G-AN 5G Access Network

[0036] 5QI 5G QoS Indicator

[0037] ACK confirmation

[0038] AF application functions

[0039] AMF Access and Mobility Management Functions

[0040] AN access network

[0041] CDR Fee Data Records

[0042] CCNF Public Control Network Functions

[0043] CIoT Cellular IoT

[0044] CN Core Network

[0045] CP control plane

[0046] DDN Downlink Data Notification

[0047] DL downlink

[0048] DN Data Network

[0049] DNN Data Network Name

[0050] DRX discontinuous reception

[0051] F-TEID Fully Qualified TEID

[0052] gNB Next Generation Node B

[0053] GPSI General Public Subscription Identifier

[0054] GTP GPRS Tunneling Protocol

[0055] GUTI (Globally Unique Temporary Identifier)

[0056] HPLMN Local Public Land Mobile Network

[0057] IMSI International Mobile Subscriber Identity

[0058] LADN Local Area Network Data Network

[0059] LI legitimate interception

[0060] MEI (Mobile Equipment Identifier)

[0061] MICO only initiates connections via mobile.

[0062] MME (Mobility Management Entity)

[0063] MO Mobile Initiation

[0064] MSISDN Mobile Subscriber ISDN

[0065] MT movement terminated

[0066] N3IWF Non-3GPP Interoperability Function

[0067] NAI Network Access Identifier

[0068] NAS Non-Access Layer

[0069] NAS-MM Non-Access Stratum Mobility Management

[0070] NAS-SM Non-Access Stratum Session Management

[0071] NB-IoT Narrowband IoT

[0072] NEF Network Exposure Function

[0073] NF Network Functions

[0074] NGAP Next Generation Application Protocol

[0075] NR New Radio

[0076] NRF Network Repository Functionality

[0077] NSI Network Slicing Example

[0078] NSSAI Network Slice Selection Auxiliary Information

[0079] NSSF Network Slice Selection Function

[0080] OCS Online Payment System

[0081] OFCS Offline Billing System

[0082] PCF policy control function

[0083] PDU (Packet / Protocol Data Unit)

[0084] PEI Permanent Device Identifier

[0085] PLMN Public Land Mobile Network

[0086] PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel)

[0087] PLMN Public Land Mobile Network

[0088] PSA PDU Session Anchor

[0089] RAN (Radio Access Network)

[0090] QFI QoS Stream Identity

[0091] RM Registration Management

[0092] S1-AP S1 Application Protocol

[0093] SBA Service-Based Architecture

[0094] SEA Safety Anchor Function

[0095] SCM Security Context Management

[0096] SI System Information

[0097] SIB System Information Block

[0098] SMF Session Management Function

[0099] SMSF SMS Function

[0100] S-NSSAI Single Network Slice Selection Auxiliary Information

[0101] SSC Session and Service Continuity

[0102] SUCI Service User Relevance ID

[0103] SUPI subscriber permanent identifier

[0104] TEID (Tunnel Endpoint Identifier)

[0105] UDM Unified Data Management

[0106] UER Unified Data Storage

[0107] UDR User Data Storage

[0108] UE User Equipment

[0109] UL uplink

[0110] UL CL Uplink Classifier

[0111] UPF User Plane Functions

[0112] VPLMN access to public terrestrial mobile networks

[0113] Example Figure 1 and Figure 2 A 5G system including an access network and a 5G core network is depicted. An example 5G access network may include an access network connected to the 5G core network. The access network may include NG-RAN 105 and / or non-3GPP AN 165. An example 5G core network may connect to one or more 5G access networks, 5G-AN and / or NG-RAN. The 5G core network may include, as shown in the example... Figure 1 and examples Figure 2 The functional elements or network functions in the system, wherein the interface can be used for communication between functional elements and / or network elements.

[0114] In the example, a network function can be a processing function within a network, which may have functional behaviors and / or interfaces. Network functions can be implemented as network elements on dedicated hardware and / or such as... Figure 3 and Figure 4 The network nodes depicted are either implemented as software instances running on dedicated hardware and / or shared hardware, or as virtual functions instantiated on a suitable platform.

[0115] In the example, the Access and Mobility Management (AMF) 155 may include the following functions (some of the functions of AMF 155 may be supported in a single instance of AMF 155): termination of the RAN 105CP interface (N2), termination of NAS (N1), NAS encryption and integrity protection, registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception (for AMF155 events and interfaces with the LI system), providing transport for session management, SM messages between UE 100 and SMF 160, transparent proxy for routing SM messages, access authentication, access authorization, providing transport for SMS messages between UE 100 and SMSF, security anchor function, SEA, interaction with AMFF 150 and UE 100, receiving intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 100 authentication process, receiving security context management (SCM) keys from the SEA for deriving access network-specific keys, etc.

[0116] In the example, AMF 155 can support non-3GPP access networks through the N2 interface with N3IWF 170, support NAS signaling with UE 100 through N3IWF 170, support authentication, mobility management, and separate security context states for UE 100 connected via non-3GPP access 165 or simultaneously via 3GPP access 105 and non-3GPP access 165, support effective coordination of RM contexts via 3GPP access 105 and non-3GPP access 165, support CM management context for UE 100 for connectivity via non-3GPP access, and so on.

[0117] In the example, an AMF 155 area may include one or more AMF 155 sets. An AMF 155 set may include some AMF 155s serving a given area and / or network slice. In the example, multiple AMF 155 sets may be each AMF 155 area and / or network slice. An application identifier may be an identifier that can be mapped to a specific application traffic detection rule. A configured NSSAI may be an NSSAI that can be provided in UE 100. For DNN, the DN 115 Access Identifier (DNAI) may be an identifier for user plane access to DN 115. Initial registration may be related to UE 100 registration in RM-DEREGISTERED (RM-Deregister) 500, 520 states. An N2AP UE 100 association may be a logical association between a 5G AN node and an AMF 155 based on UE 100. An N2AP UE-TNLA combination may be a combination between an N2AP UE 100 association and a TNL association for a specific transport network layer, for a given UE 100.

[0118] In the example, the session management function SMF 160 may include one or more of the following functions (one or more of the SMF 160 functions may be supported in a single instance of SMF 160): session management (e.g., session establishment, modification, and release, including tunnel maintenance between UPF 110 and AN 105 nodes), UE 100 IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization), selection and control of UP functions, configuring traffic redirection at UPF 110 to route traffic to the appropriate destination, terminating the interface for policy control functions, controlling policy enforcement and a portion of QoS, lawful interception (for SM events and interfaces with LI systems), terminating the SM portion of NAS messages, downlink data notification, initiating AN-specific SM information, sending it to (R)AN 105 via N2 through AMF155, determining the SSC mode of the session, roaming functions, handling local execution to apply QoS SLA (VPLMN), charge data collection and charge interface (VPLMN), lawful interception (in VPLMN, for SM events and interfaces with LI systems), and support for external DN. The interaction of DN 115 is used to transmit signaling for PDU session authorization / authentication by external DN 115, etc.

[0119] In the example, the User Plane Function UPF 110 may include one or more of the following functions (some of the UPF 110 functions may be supported in a single instance of UPF 110): anchor points for movement within / between RATs (if applicable), external PDU session points interconnected to DN115, packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection and user plane portion of policy rule enforcement, lawful interception (UP collection), traffic usage reporting, uplink classifier for routed traffic flows supporting data networks, branch points for multihomed PDU sessions, QoS processing in the user plane, uplink traffic authentication (SDF to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering, downlink data notification triggering, etc.

[0120] In the example, UE 100 IP address management may include the allocation and release of UE 100 IP addresses and / or the updating of allocated IP addresses. UE 100 may set the requested PDU type during the PDU session establishment procedure based on its IP stack capabilities and / or configuration. In the example, SMF 160 may select the PDU type for the PDU session. In the example, if SMF 160 receives a request to set the PDU type to IP, SMF 160 may select the PDU type as IPv4 or IPv6 based on DNN configuration and / or operator policies. In the example, SMF 160 may provide a reason value to UE 100 to indicate whether other IP versions are supported on the DNN. In the example, if SMF 160 receives a request for the PDU type to be IPv4 or IPv6, and the requested IP version is supported by the DNN, SMF 160 may select the requested PDU type.

[0121] In an exemplary implementation, the 5GC element and UE 100 may support the following mechanism: During the PDU session establishment procedure, the SMF 160 may send an IP address to the UE 100 via SM NAS signaling. Once the PDU session can be established, IPv4 address allocation and / or IPv4 parameter configuration can be used via DHCPv4. If IPv6 is supported, IPv6 prefix allocation can be supported via stateless IPv6 autoconfiguration. In the example, the 5GC network element may support IPv6 parameter configuration via stateless DHCPv6.

[0122] 5GC can support the allocation of static IPv4 addresses and / or static IPv6 prefixes based on subscription information in UDM 140 and / or on configurations on a per subscriber, per DNN basis.

[0123] The User Plane Function (UPF 110) can handle the user plane path of PDU sessions. The UPF110, which provides an interface to the data network, can support the function of PDU session anchoring.

[0124] In the example, the policy control function PCF 135 can support a unified policy framework to control network behavior, provide policy rules for control plane functions to enforce policy rules, implement a front-end for accessing subscription information related to policy decisions in the User Data Repository (UDR), and so on.

[0125] The Network Exposure Function (NEF 125) can provide a means to securely expose services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions, switch between information exchanged with AF 145 and information exchanged with internal network functions, receive information from other network functions, and so on.

[0126] In the example, the Network Repository (NRF) 130 can support service discovery functionality that can receive NF discovery requests from NF instances, provide NF instances with information about discovered NF instances (to be discovered), and maintain information about available NF instances and the services they support, etc.

[0127] In the example, NSSF 120 can select a set of network slice instances serving UE 100 and determine the allowed NSSAI. In the example, NSSF 120 can determine the set of AMF 155 to be used to serve UE 100, and / or determine the list of candidate AMF 155 based on configuration by querying NRF 130.

[0128] In the example, the data stored in the UDR may include at least user subscription data, including at least subscription identifiers, security credentials, access and mobility-related subscription data, session-related subscription data, policy data, and so on.

[0129] In the example, AUSF 150 supports authentication server functionality (AUSF 150).

[0130] In the example, Application Function (AF) AF 145 can interact with the 3GPP core network to provide services. In this example, based on operator deployment, the application function can be trusted by the operator to interact directly with the relevant network function. Application functions that the operator does not allow to directly access network functions can interact with the relevant network function using an external exposure framework (e.g., via NEF 125).

[0131] In the example, the control plane interface between (R)AN 105 and the 5G core can support connecting various types of ANs (e.g., 3GPP RAN 105, N3IWF 170 for untrusted access 165) to the 5GC via control plane protocols. In the example, the N2 AP protocol can be used for both 3GPP access 105 and non-3GPP access 165. In the example, the control plane interface between (R)AN 105 and the 5G core can support decoupling between AMF 155 and other functions (such as SMF 160) that may require control over services supported by the AN (e.g., control over UP resources in AN 105 for PDU sessions).

[0132] In the example, 5GC can provide policy information from PCF 135 to UE 100. In the example, policy information may include: access network discovery and selection policy, UE 100 routing selection policy (URSP), SSC mode selection policy (SSCMSP), network slice selection policy (NSSP), DNN selection policy, non-seamless offloading policy, etc.

[0133] In the example, as in Figure 5A and Figure 5B As described, the Registration Management (RM) can be used to register or deregister UE / User 100 in the network and establish user contexts in the network. Connection Management can be used to establish and release signaling connections between UE 100 and AMF 155.

[0134] In the example, UE 100 can register on the network to receive services that require registration. In the example, UE 100 can periodically update its registration on the network to maintain reachability (periodic registration update), or update it while on the move (e.g., mobile registration update), or update its capabilities or renegotiate protocol parameters.

[0135] In the example, as shown in the example Figure 8 and Figure 9 The initial registration procedure described may involve performing network access control functions (e.g., user authentication and access authorization based on subscription profiles in UDM 140). Example Figure 9 yes Figure 8 The initial registration procedure described herein continues. Due to the initial registration procedure, the identity of service AMF 155 can be registered in UDM 140.

[0136] In the example, the registration management RM program can be applied to both 3GPP Access 105 and non-3GPP Access 165.

[0137] Example Figure 5A The RM state of UE 100 as observed by UE 100 and AMF 155 can be depicted. In an exemplary implementation, two RM states reflecting the registration status of UE 100 in the selected PLMN can be employed in UE 100 and AMF 155: RM-DEREGISTERED 500 and RM-REGISTERED (RM-registered) 510. In the example, in RM-DEREGISTERED state 500, UE 100 may not be registered in the network. The UE 100 context in AMF 155 may not maintain valid location or routing information for UE 100, therefore UE 100 may not be reachable via AMF 155. In the example, the UE 100 context may be stored in both UE 100 and AMF 155. In the example, in RM REGISTERED state 510, UE 100 may be registered on the network. In RM-REGISTERED state 510, UE 100 may receive services that may require registration on the network.

[0138] In an exemplary implementation, two RM states that reflect the registration status of UE 100 in the selected PLMN can be adopted for UE 100 in AMF 155: RM-DEREGISTERED 520 and RM-REGISTERED 530.

[0139] As shown in the example Figure 6A and Figure 6B As depicted, the connection management (CM) may include establishing and releasing a signaling connection between UE 100 and AMF 155 via the N1 interface. This signaling connection can be used to implement NAS signaling exchange between UE 100 and the core network. The signaling connection between UE 100 and AMF 155 may include both the AN signaling connection between UE 100 and (R)AN 105 (e.g., an RRC connection via 3GPP access) and the N2 connection between AN and AMF 155 for UE 100. In the example, the signaling connection may be an N1 signaling connection. In the example, the signaling connection may be an N1 NAS signaling connection.

[0140] As shown in the example Figure 6A and Figure 6B As described, for the NAS signaling connection between UE 100 and AMF 155, two CM states can be used: CM-IDLE (600, 620) and CM-CONNECTED (610, 630). UE 100 in CM-IDLE 600 state can be in RM-REGISTERED 510 state and may not have a NAS signaling connection established with AMF 155 via N1. UE 100 in CM-IDLE 600 state can be in RRC idle state. UE 100 can perform cell selection, cell reselection, PLMN selection, etc. UE 100 in CM-CONNECTED 610 state can have a NAS signaling connection with AMF 155 via N1. In the example, UE 100 in CM-CONNECTED 610 state can be in RRC connected state. A UE 100 in the CM-CONNTECTED 610 state can be in an RRC inactive state. In the example, the CM state in the AMF and the CM state in the UE can differ. This is possible when a local state change occurs without explicit signaling procedures (e.g., UE context release procedures) between the UE and the AMF. Similarly, in the example, the RRC state in the UE (e.g., radio device) and the RRC state in the base station (e.g., gNB, eNB) can differ. This is possible when a local state change occurs without explicit signaling procedures (e.g., RRC release procedures) between the UE and the base station.

[0141] In one exemplary implementation, for UE 100 at AMF 155, two CM states can be adopted, namely CM-IDLE 620 and CM-CONNECTED 630.

[0142] In the example, the RRC inactivity state can be applied to NG-RAN (e.g., it can be applied to NR and E-UTRA connected to a 5G CN). Based on network configuration, AMF 155 can provide auxiliary information to NG RAN 105 to assist NG RAN 105 in determining whether UE 100 can be sent to the RRC inactivity state. When UE 100 is in CM-CONNECTED 610 in the RRC inactivity state, UE 100 can continue the RRC connection as a response to RAN 105 paging due to uplink data pending, mobile-initiated signaling procedures, etc., to notify the network that it has left the RAN 105 notification area, etc.

[0143] In the example, NAS signaling connection management may include establishing and releasing NAS signaling connections. The NAS signaling connection establishment function can be provided by UE 100 and AMF155 to establish a NAS signaling connection for UE 100 in CM-IDLE 600 state. The procedure for releasing the NAS signaling connection can be initiated by the 5G(R)AN 105 node or AMF 155.

[0144] In the example, UE 100's reachability management can detect whether UE 100 is reachable and can provide UE 100's location (e.g., access node) to the network to reach UE 100. Reachability management can be accomplished by paging UE 100 and UE 100 location tracking. UE 100 location tracking can include both UE 100 registration area tracking and UE 100 reachability tracking. During registration and registration update procedures, UE 100 and AMF 155 can negotiate UE 100 reachability characteristics in CM-IDLE 600, 620 states.

[0145] In the example, for CM-IDLE 600 and 620 states, two UE100 reachability categories can be negotiated between UE 100 and AMF 155. 1) When UE 100 is in CM-IDLE 600 mode, UE 100 reachability allows the mobile device to terminate data. 2) Mobile-Initiated Connection Only (MICO) mode. 5GC can support PDU connection services, which provide PDU exchange between UE100 and the data network identified by the DNN. PDU connection services can be supported via PDU sessions established at the request of UE 100.

[0146] In the example, a PDU session can support one or more PDU session types. A PDU session can be established, modified (e.g., based on a request from UE 100), and / or released (e.g., based on a request from both UE 100 and 5GC) using NAS SM signaling exchanged via N1 between UE 100 and SMF160. Upon request from the application server, 5GC can trigger a specific application within UE 100. When a trigger is received, UE 100 can send it to the identified application within UE 100. The identified application within UE 100 can establish a PDU session for a specific DNN.

[0147] In the example, the 5G QoS model can support, as shown in the example. Figure 7 The framework described herein is based on QoS flows. The 5G QoS model can simultaneously support QoS flows that require guaranteed flow bit rates and QoS flows that do not require guaranteed flow bit rates. In the example, the 5G QoS model can support reflection QoS. The QoS model may include flow mapping or packet marking at UPF 110 (CN_UP) 110, AN 105, and / or UE 100. In the example, packets can arrive at and / or be assigned to the application / service layer 730 of UE 100, UPF 110 (CN_UP) 110, and / or AF 145.

[0148] In the example, a QoS flow can be a granularity of QoS differentiation within a PDU session. QoS flow IDs and QFIs can be used to identify QoS flows in a 5G system. In the example, user plane traffic with the same QFI within a PDU session can receive the same traffic forwarding processing. The QFI can be carried in the encapsulation header on N3 and / or N9 (e.g., without changing the end-to-end packet header). In the example, the QFI can be applied to PDUs with different types of payloads. The QFI can be unique within a PDU session.

[0149] In the example, the QoS parameters of the QoS flow can be provided as a QoS profile to (R)AN 105 via N2 during PDU session establishment, QoS flow establishment, or each time the user plane is activated using NG-RAN. In the example, each PDU session may require default QoS rules. SMF 160 can assign QFIs to the QoS flow and can derive QoS parameters from information provided by PCF 135. In the example, SMF 160 can provide the (R)AN 105 with the QFIs and a QoS profile containing the QoS parameters of the QoS flow.

[0150] In the example, a 5G QoS flow can be the granularity of QoS forwarding processing in a 5G system. Traffic mapped to the same 5G QoS flow can receive the same forwarding processing (e.g., scheduling policies, queue management policies, rate setting policies, RLC configuration, etc.). In the example, providing different QoS forwarding processing may require separate 5G QoS flows.

[0151] In the example, the 5G QoS indicator can be a scalar that can be used as a reference for specific QoS forwarding behaviors (e.g., packet loss rate, packet delay budget) to be provided to the 5G QoS flow. In the example, the 5G QoS indicator can be implemented in the access network by 5QI reference node-specific parameters (e.g., scheduling weights, admission thresholds, queue management thresholds, link layer protocol configurations, etc.) that control QoS forwarding processing.

[0152] In the example, edge computing can provide computing and storage resources with sufficient connectivity near the device that generates traffic.

[0153] In the example, 5GC supports edge computing and enables operators and third-party services to be hosted close to the UE's attached access point. The 5G core network can select a UPF 110 close to UE 100 and can perform traffic redirection from UPF 110 to the local data network via the N6 interface. In the example, selection and traffic redirection can be based on UE 100's subscription data, UE 100's location, information from application function AF 145, policies, other relevant traffic rules, etc. In the example, the 5G core network can expose network information and capabilities to edge computing application functions. Edge computing functionality support may include: local routing, where the 5G core network can select UPF 110 to route user traffic to the local data network; traffic redirection, where the 5G core network can select traffic to be routed to applications in the local data network; session and service continuity for UE100 and application mobility; user plane selection and reselection, for example, based on input from application functions; network capability openness, where the 5G core network and application functions can provide information to each other via NEf 125; QoS and charging, where PCF 135 can provide QoS control and charging rules for traffic routed to the local data network; support for LAN data networks, where the 5G core network can provide support for connectivity to LADN in specific areas where applications are deployed; and so on.

[0154] An example 5G system could be a 3GPP system including a 5G access network 105, a 5G core network, and a UE 100. The permitted NSSAI could be an NSSAI provided by the serving PLMN during, for example, the registration process, indicating the network-permitted NSSAI for UE 100 within the serving PLMN of the currently registered area.

[0155] In the example, the PDU connectivity service can provide PDU exchange between UE 100 and the data network. A PDU session can be an association between UE 100 and data network DN 115 that provides the PDU connectivity service. The association type can be IP, Ethernet, and / or unstructured.

[0156] The user plane connection to the data network established via the network slice instance may include the following: executing the RM procedure to select the AMF 155 that supports the required network slice, and the number of one or more PDU sessions established to the required data network via the network slice instance.

[0157] In the example, the network slice set of UE 100 can be changed at any time when UE 100 can register on the network, and can be initiated by the network or UE 100.

[0158] In the example, periodic registration updates could mean that UE 100 re-registers when the periodic registration timer expires. The requested NSSAI could be an NSSAI that UE 100 can provide to the network.

[0159] In the example, a service-based interface can represent a set of services that can be provided / exposed by a given NF.

[0160] In the example, service continuity can refer to an uninterrupted user experience of the service, including situations where the IP address and / or anchor point can change. In the example, session continuity can refer to the continuity of a PDU session. For IP-type PDU sessions, session continuity can imply that the IP address is retained throughout the lifetime of the PDU session. The uplink classifier can be a UPF 110 function, designed to redirect uplink traffic to the data network DN 115 based on filter rules provided by SMF 160.

[0161] In the example, the 5G system architecture can support data connectivity and services, enabling deployments using technologies such as network function virtualization and / or software-defined networking. The 5G system architecture can leverage service-based interactions between identified control plane (CP) network functions. In the 5G system architecture, the separation of user plane (UP) functions from control plane functions can be considered. If needed, the 5G system can enable network functions to interact directly with other NFs.

[0162] In this example, a 5G system can reduce the dependency between the access network (AN) and the core network (CN). The architecture may include an aggregated access-agnostic core network with a common AN-CN interface, which can integrate different 3GPP and non-3GPP access types.

[0163] In the example, the 5G system can support a unified authentication framework, stateless network nodes (NFs) with separate compute and storage resources, open capabilities, and simultaneous access to local and centralized services. To support low-latency services and access to local data networks, the UP (Upload and Activation) function can be deployed close to the access network.

[0164] In the example, the 5G system can support roaming within the visited PLMN using home routing traffic and / or local breakout traffic. The example 5G architecture can be service-based, and the interaction between network functions can be represented in two ways: (1) as a service-based representation (in the example...) Figure 1 (2) As a reference point representation, it shows the interaction between NF services in the network functions described by the point-to-point reference point (e.g., N11) between any two network functions.

[0165] In the example, network slices may include core network control plane and user plane network functions, 5G radio access networks, N3IWF functions for non-3GPP access networks, and so on. Network slices can vary depending on the supported features and network function implementations. Operators can deploy multiple network slice instances that deliver the same features but are used for different groups of UEs, for example, when they deliver different committed services and / or because they can be dedicated to a customer. The NSSF120 can store mapping information between slice instance IDs and NF IDs (or NF addresses).

[0166] In the example, UE 100 can be served simultaneously by one or more network slice instances via 5G-AN. In the example, UE 100 can be served by k network slices at a time (e.g., k=8, 16, etc.). Logically, the AMF155 instance serving UE 100 can belong to the network slice instance serving UE 100.

[0167] In the example, each PLMN can have a PDU session belonging to a specific network slice instance. Different network slice instances may not share PDU sessions. Different slices can have slice-specific PDU sessions using the same DNN.

[0168] S-NSSAI (Single Network Slice Selection Auxiliary Information) identifies network slices. S-NSSAI may include: Slice / Service Type (SST), which may refer to the expected network slice behavior in terms of characteristics and services; and / or Slice Differentiator (SD). The Slice Differentiator may be optional information that supplements the Slice / Service Type to allow further differentiation to select a network slice instance from multiple potential network slice instances conforming to the indicated Slice / Service Type. In the example, the same network slice instance employing different S-NSSAIs can be selected. The CN portion of the network slice instance serving UE 100 can be selected by the CN.

[0169] In the example, subscription data may include the S-NSSAI of the network slice subscribed by UE 100. One or more S-NSSAIs may be marked as the default S-NSSAI. In the example, k S-NSSAIs may be marked as the default S-NSSAI (e.g., k = 8, 16, etc.). In the example, UE 100 may subscribe to more than 8 S-NSSAIs.

[0170] In the example, UE 100 can be configured by an HPLMN, each PLMN being configured with an NSSAI. After successfully completing the UE's registration procedure, UE 100 can obtain the allowed NSSAI for this PLMN from AMF 155, which may include one or more S-NSSAIs.

[0171] In the example, the allowed NSSAI of the PLMN can take precedence over the configured NSSAI. UE 100 can use the S-NSSAI corresponding to the network slice used in the serving PLMN for subsequent network slice selection procedures within the allowed NSSAI.

[0172] In the example, establishing a user plane connection to the data network via a network slice instance may include: executing the RM procedure to select an AMF 155 that supports the required network slice, the number of one or more PDU sessions established to the required data network via the network slice instance, and so on.

[0173] In the example, when UE 100 registers with the PLMN, if UE 100 has a configured NSSAI or an allowed NSSAI for the PLMN, UE 100 can provide the requested NSSAI (which includes the S-NSSAI corresponding to the slice UE 100 is attempting to register for), a temporary user ID (if a temporary user ID is assigned to the UE), etc., to the network and NAS layers in the RRC. The requested NSSAI can be a configured NSSAI, an allowed NSSAI, etc.

[0174] In the example, when UE 100 registers with the PLMN, if UE 100 does not have a configured NSSAI or an allowed NSSAI for the PLMN, then RAN 105 can route NAS signaling from UE 100 to the default AMF 155 / route NAS signaling from the default AMF to the UE.

[0175] In the example, based on local policies, subscription changes, and / or UE 100 mobility, the network can change the set of permitted network slices to which UE 100 is registered. In the example, the network can perform the change during the registration process or use an RM procedure (which can trigger the registration process) to notify UE 100 of the change in supported network slices. The network can provide UE 100 with the new list of allowed NSSAI and tracking areas.

[0176] In the example, during the registration process in the PLMN, if the network determines that UE 100 should be served by a different AMF 155 based on network slicing, the AMF 155 that first receives the registration request can redirect the registration request to another AMF 155 via RAN 105 or via direct signaling between the initial AMF 155 and the target AMF 155.

[0177] In the example, the network operator can provide a network slice selection policy (NSSP) to UE 100. The NSSP may include one or more NSSP rules.

[0178] In the example, if UE 100 has one or more PDU sessions established corresponding to a specific S-NSSAI, UE 100 can route user data for an application within a single PDU session, unless other conditions in UE 100 prevent the use of the PDU session. If the application provides a Data Navigate (DNN), UE 100 can consider the DNN to determine which PDU session to use. In the example, if UE 100 does not have a PDU session established with a specific S-NSSAI, UE 100 can request a new PDU session corresponding to the S-NSSAI and with a DNN that can be provided by the application. In the example, in order for RAN 105 to select appropriate resources to support network slices in RAN 105, RAN 105 can know the network slice used by UE 100.

[0179] In the example, when UE 100 triggers the establishment of a PDU session, AMF 155 can select SMF 160 from the network slice instance based on S-NSSAI, DNN, and / or other information (e.g., UE 100 subscriptions and local operator policies). The selected SMF160 can then establish a PDU session based on S-NSSAI and DNN.

[0180] In the example, to support network control privacy of slice information of slices accessible to UE 100, UE 100 may exclude NSSAI in NAS signaling when UE 100 is aware of or configured to allow privacy considerations to apply to NSSAI, unless UE 100 has a NAS security context and UE 100 may exclude NSSAI in unprotected RRC signaling.

[0181] In the example, for roaming scenarios, network slice-specific network functions (NFs) can be selected in both the VPLMN and HPLMN based on the S-NSSAI provided by the UE 100 during PDU connection establishment. If a standardized S-NSSAI is used, each PLMN can select slice-specific NF instances based on the provided S-NSSAI. In the example, the VPLMN can map the HPLMN's S-NSSAI to the VPLMN's S-NSSAI based on the roaming protocol (e.g., including the default S-NSSAI mapped to the VPLMN). In the example, slice-specific NF instances can be selected in the VPLMN based on the VPLMN's S-NSSAI. In the example, any slice-specific NF instance in the HPLMN can be selected based on the HPLMN's S-NSSAI.

[0182] As shown in the example Figure 8 and Figure 9 As described, the UE 100 can perform a registration procedure to obtain authorization for receiving services, to enable mobility tracking, to achieve accessibility, and so on.

[0183] In the example, UE 100 can send AN message 805 to (R)AN 105 (including AN parameters, RM-NAS registration request (registration type, SUCI or SUPI or 5G-GUTI, last accessed TAI (if available), security parameters, requested NSSAI, mapping of the requested NSSAI, UE 100 5GC capability, PDU session status, PDU session to be reactivated, follow-up requests, MICO mode preference, etc.) etc.). In the example, in the case of NG-RAN, AN parameters may include, for example, SUCI or SUPI or 5G-GUTI, selected PLMN ID, and requested NSSAI, etc. In the example, AN parameters may include establishment reason. The establishment reason can provide the reason for requesting to establish an RRC connection. In the example, the registration type can indicate whether UE 100 is to perform initial registration (i.e., UE 100 is in RM-DEREGISTERED state), mobile registration update (e.g., UE 100 is in RM-REGISTERED state and initiates a registration process due to mobility), periodic registration update (e.g., UE 100 is in RM-REGISTERED state and may initiate a registration process due to the expiration of a periodic registration update timer), or emergency registration (e.g., UE 100 is in a limited service state). In the example, if UE 100 performs initial registration with a PLMN that does not yet have a 5G-GUTI (i.e., UE 100 is in RM-DEREGISTERED state), UE 100 can include its SUCI or SUPI in the registration request. The SUCI can be included if the home network has provided a public key to protect the SUPI in the UE. If UE 100 receives a UE 100 configuration update command indicating that UE 100 needs to re-register and that the 5G-GUTI is invalid, UE 100 can perform initial registration and may include a SUPI in the registration request message. For emergency registration, if UE 100 does not have a valid 5G-GUTI available, a SUPI may be included; when UE 100 has neither a SUPI nor a valid 5G-GUTI, a PEI may be included. In other cases, a 5G-GUTI may be included, and it may indicate the last serving AMF 155. If UE 100 has already registered via non-3GPP access in a new PLMN different from the 3GPP access (e.g., not the registered PLMN or an equivalent PLMN of the registered PLMN), UE 100 may not provide the 5G-GUTI assigned by AMF 155 via 3GPP access during the registration procedure via non-3GPP access.If UE 100 has already registered in a PLMN (e.g., a registered PLMN) that is different from a non-3GPP access PLMN (e.g., not the registered PLMN or an equivalent PLMN of the registered PLMN), then during the registration procedure via 3GPP access, UE 100 may not provide the 5G-GUTI assigned by AMF 155 via non-3GPP access. UE 100 may provide UE usage settings based on its configuration. In the case of initial registration or mobile registration update, UE 100 may include a mapping of requested NSSAIs, which may be a mapping of each S-NSSAI in the requested NSSAIs of the HPLMN to the S-NSSAIs in the configured NSSAIs, to ensure that the network can verify whether the S-NSSAIs in the requested NSSAIs are allowed based on the subscribed S-NSSAIs. If available, the previously accessed TAI may be included to help AMF 155 generate the UE's registration area. In the example, security parameters may be used for authentication and integrity protection. The requested NSSAIs may instruct network slice selection auxiliary information. The PDU session status can indicate previously established PDU sessions in the UE. When UE 100 is connected to two AMF 155s belonging to different PLMNs via 3GPP access and non-3GPP access, the PDU session status can indicate the PDU sessions already established in the UE for the current PLMN. It may include PDU sessions awaiting reactivation to indicate that UE 100 may intend to activate a PDU session for its UP connection. When UE 100 is outside the availability area of ​​the LADN, the PDU session corresponding to the LADN may not be included in the PDU sessions awaiting reactivation. When UE 100 may have pending uplink signaling, and UE 100 may not include PDU sessions awaiting reactivation, it may include follow-up requests, or the registration type may indicate that UE 100 may need to perform emergency registration.

[0184] In the example, if including SUPI or 5G-GUTI does not indicate a valid AMF 155, then (R)AN 105 may select 808 AMF 155 based on (R)AT and the requested NSSAI (if available). If UE 100 is in CM-CONNECTED state, then (R)AN 105 may forward the registration request message to AMF 155 based on the UE's N2 connection. If (R)AN 105 can choose not to select an appropriate AMF 155, then it may forward the registration request to an AMF 155 that has been configured in (R)AN 105 to perform AMF 155 selection 808.

[0185] In the example, (R)AN 105 can send N2 message 810 to the new AMF 155 (including: N2 parameters, RM-NAS registration request (registration type, SUPI or 5G-GUTI, last accessed TAI (if available), security parameters, requested NSSAI, mapping of the requested NSSAI, UE 100 5GC capability, PDU session status, PDU session to be reactivated, follow-up requests, and MICO mode preferences), etc.). In the example, when using NG-RAN, the N2 parameters may include the selected PLMN ID, location information, cell identity, and RAT type related to the cell where UE 100 is located. In the example, when using NG-RAN, the N2 parameters may include the establishment reason.

[0186] In the example, the new AMF 155 can send Namf_Communication_UEContextTransfer (Full Registration Request) 815 to the old AMF 155. In the example, if the UE's 5G-GUTI is included in the registration request and the serving AMF 155 has changed since the last registration procedure, the new AMF 155 can invoke the Namf_Communication_UEContextTransfer service operation 815 (including the integrity-protected full registration request IE) on the old AMF 155 to request the UE's SUPI and MM context. The old AMF 155 can use the integrity-protected full registration request IE to verify that the context transfer service operation call corresponds to the requesting UE 100. In the example, the old AMF 155 can transfer event subscription information for the UE for each NF consumer to the new AMF 155. In the example, if UE 100 identifies itself with a PEI, the SUPI request can be skipped.

[0187] In the example, the old AMF 155 can send a Namf_Communication_UEContextTransfer response 815 (SUPI, MM context, SMF 160 information, PCF ID) to the new AMF 155. In the example, the old AMF 155 can respond to the Namf_Communication_UEContextTransfer call with the new AMF 155 including the UE's SUPI and MM context. In the example, if the old AMF 155 maintains information about the established PDU session, it can include SMF 160 information, including S-NSSAI, SMF 160 identity, and PDU session ID. In the example, if the old AMF 155 maintains information about the active NGAP UE-TNLA to the N3IWF, it can include information about the NGAP UE-TNLA binding.

[0188] In the example, if the SUCI is not provided by UE 100 or retrieved from the old AMF 155, the identity request procedure 820 can be initiated by the AMF 155 sending an identity request message to the UE 100 that requests the SUCI.

[0189] In the example, UE 100 can respond with an identity response message 820 that includes the SUCI. UE 100 can derive the SUCI using the public key of the provided HPLMN.

[0190] In the example, AMF 155 may decide to initiate UE 100 authentication 825 by calling AUSF 150. AMF 155 may select AUSF 150 based on SUPI or SUCI. In the example, if AMF 155 is configured to support emergency registration for unauthenticated SUPI and emergency registration of the registration type indicated by UE 100, AMF 155 may skip authentication and security settings, or AMF 155 may accept that authentication may fail and continue the registration procedure.

[0191] In the example, authentication 830 can be performed by the Nudm_UEAuthenticate_Get operation. AUSF 150 can discover UDM 140. If AMF 155 provides SUCI to AUSF 150, AUSF 150 can return SUPI to AMF 155 after successful authentication. In the example, if network slicing is used, AMF 155 can decide whether to reroute the registration request if the initial AMF 155 references AMF 155. In the example, AMF 155 can initiate NAS security functions. In the example, upon completing NAS security function settings, AMF 155 can initiate NGAP procedures so that 5G-AN can use them to protect procedures with the UE. In the example, 5G-AN can store security contexts and can acknowledge them to AMF 155. 5G-AN can use security contexts to protect messages exchanged with the UE.

[0192] In the example, the new AMF 155 can send a Namf_Communication_RegistrationCompleteNotify 835 to the old AMF 155. If the AMF 155 has changed, the new AMF 155 can notify the old AMF 155 that UE100 can complete its registration in the new AMF 155 by calling the Namf_Communication_RegistrationCompleteNotify service operation. If the authentication / security procedure fails, registration can be refused, and the new AMF 155 can call the Namf_Communication_RegistrationCompleteNotify service operation, with the refusal indication reason code directed to the old AMF 155. The old AMF 155 can continue as if it never received the UE 100 context transport service operation. If one or more of the S-NSSAIs used in the old registration area cannot be served in the target registration area, the new AMF 155 can determine which PDU sessions may not be supported in the new registration area. The new AMF 155 can invoke the Namf_Communication_RegistrationCompleteNotify service operation to the old AMF 155, including the rejected PDU session ID and the reason for rejection (e.g., S-NSSAI becomes unavailable). The new AMF 155 can modify the PDU session state accordingly. The old AMF 155 can notify the corresponding SMF 160 to release the UE's SM context locally by invoking the Nsmf_PDUSession_ReleaseSMContext service operation.

[0193] In the example, the new AMF 155 can send an Identity Request / Response 840 (e.g., PEI) to UE 100. If the PEI is not provided by UE 100 or retrieved from the old AMF 155, the Identity Request procedure can be initiated by sending an Identity Request message to UE 100 via AMF 155 to retrieve the PEI. Unless UE 100 performs emergency registration, the PEI may be transmitted encrypted and may not be authenticated. For emergency registration, UE 100 may have already included the PEI in the registration request.

[0194] In the example, the new AMF 155 can initiate an ME identity check 845 by calling the N5g-eir_EquipmentIdentityCheck_Get service operation 845.

[0195] In the example, based on SUPI, the new AMF 155 can be selected as a 905UDM 140. UDM 140 can be selected as a UDR instance. In the example, AMF 155 can be selected as a UDM 140.

[0196] In the example, if AMF 155 has changed since the last registration procedure, or if UE 100 provides a SUPI that may not reference a valid context in AMF 155, or if UE 100 is registered to the same AMF 155 but has already registered to a non-3GPP access (e.g., UE 100 registered via a non-3GPP access and can initiate a registration procedure to add 3GPP access), the new AMF 155 can register with UDM 140 using Nudm_UECM_Registration 910 and can subscribe to be notified by UDM 140 when AMF 155 registration can be cancelled. UDM 140 can store the AMF 155 identifier associated with the access type and may not delete the AMF 155 identifier associated with another access type. UDM 140 can store information provided by Nudr_UDM_Update during registration in the UDR. In the example, AMF 155 can retrieve access and mobile subscription data and SMF 160 select subscription data using Nudm_SDM_Get 915. UDM 140 can retrieve this information (access and mobile subscription data) from the UDR via Nudr_UDM_Query. After receiving a successful response, AMF 155 can subscribe to be notified when the requested data can be modified using Nudm_SDM_Subscribe 920. UDM 140 can subscribe to the UDR via Nudr_UDM_Subscribe. If the GPSI is available in the UE 100 subscription data, it can be provided from UDM 140 to AMF 155 in the subscription data. In the example, the new AMF 155 can provide its access type for UE 100 to UDM 140, and this access type can be set to 3GPP access. UDM 140 can store the associated access type in the UDR along with the serving AMF 155 via Nudr_UDM_Update. The new AMF 155 can create an MM context for UE 100 after obtaining mobile subscription data from UDM 140. In the example, when UDM 140 stores the associated access type along with the serving AMF 155, UDM 140 can initiate Nudm_UECM_DeregistrationNotification921 to the old AMF 155 corresponding to the 3GPP access. The old AMF 155 can then remove the UE's MM context. If the reason for service NF deletion indicated by UDM 140 is initial registration, the old AMF 155 can call the Namf_EventExposure_Notify service operation to all associated SMFs 160 of UE 100 to notify UE 100 to deregister from the old AMF 155. SMF 160 can release the PDU session upon receiving this notification.In the example, the old AMF 155 can use Nudm_SDM_unsubscribe 922 to unsubscribe from UDM 140 for subscription data.

[0197] In the example, if AMF 155 decides to initiate PCF 135 communication, for example, if AMF 155 has not yet obtained the access and mobility policy of UE 100, or if the access and mobility policy in AMF 155 is no longer valid, AMF 155 can choose 925PCF 135. If the new AMF 155 receives a PCF ID from the old AMF 155 and successfully contacts the PCF 135 identified by the PCF ID, then AMF 155 can choose the (V-)PCF identified by the PCF ID. If the PCF 135 identified by the PCF ID may not be used (e.g., there is no response from PCF 135), or if a PCF ID has not been received from the old AMF 155, then AMF 155 can choose 925PCF 135.

[0198] In the example, the new AMF 155 can perform policy association establishment 930 during the registration procedure. If the new AMF 155 contacts the PCF 135 identified by the (V-)PCF ID received during movement between AMFs 155, the new AMF 155 can include the PCF-ID in the Npcf_AMPolicyControl Get operation. If the AMF 155 notifies the PCF 135 of movement restrictions (e.g., UE 100 location) for adjustment, or if the PCF 135 updates its own movement restrictions due to certain conditions (e.g., application in use, time and date), the PCF 135 can provide the updated movement restrictions to the AMF 155.

[0199] In the example, PCF 135 can invoke Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation 935 for UE 100 event subscription.

[0200] In the example, AMF 155 can send Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext 936 to SMF 160. In the example, if the PDU session to be reactivated is included in the registration request, AMF 155 can invoke Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext. AMF 155 can send the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request to the SMF 160 associated with the PDU session to activate the user plane connection of the PDU session. SMF 160 can decide to trigger, for example, intermediate UPF 110 insertion, removal, or PSA modification. In the case of performing intermediate UPF 110 insertion, removal, or relocation for a PDU session not included in the PDU session to be reactivated, the procedure can be executed without N11 and N2 interaction to update the N3 user plane between (R)AN 105 and 5GC. The AMF 155 can invoke the Nsmf_PDUSession_ReleaseSMContext service operation to the SMF 160 when any PDU session state indicates that it has been released at UE 100. The AMF 155 can invoke the Nsmf_PDUSession_ReleaseSMContext service operation to the SMF 160 to release any network resources associated with the PDU session.

[0201] In the example, the new AMF 155 can send an N2 AMF 155 Mobility Request 940 to the N3IWF. If the AMF 155 has changed, the new AMF 155 can create an NGAP UE 100 association for the N3IWF connected to UE 100. In the example, the N3IWF can respond to the new AMF 155 with an N2 AMF 155 Mobility Response 940.

[0202] In the example, the new AMF 155 can send a Registration Acceptance 955 to UE 100 (including: 5G-GUTI, registration area, mobility restrictions, PDU session state, allowed NSSAI, [mapping of allowed NSSAI], periodic registration update timer, LADN information and accepted MICO mode, indication of IMS voice support via PS session, emergency service support indicator, etc.). In the example, AMF 155 can send a Registration Acceptance message to UE 100 indicating that the registration request has been accepted. If AMF 155 has assigned a new 5G-GUTI, it can include the 5G-GUTI. If AMF 155 has assigned a new registration area, it can send the registration area to UE 100 via the Registration Acceptance message 955. If the registration acceptance message does not include the registration area, UE 100 may consider the old registration area valid. In the example, mobility restrictions can be included if they apply to UE 100 and the registration type may not be emergency registration. AMF 155 can indicate the established PDU session to UE 100 in the PDU session state. UE 100 can locally remove any internal resources associated with a PDU session not marked as established in the received PDU session state. In the example, when UE 100 is connected to two AMF 155s belonging to different PLMNs via 3GPP access and non-3GPP access, UE 100 can locally remove any internal resources associated with the current PLMN's PDU session that are not marked as established in the received PDU session state. If PDU session state information is in the registration request, AMF 155 can indicate the PDU session state to the UE. The mapping of allowed NSSAIs can be a mapping of each S-NSSAI in the allowed NSSAIs of the HPLMN to an S-NSSAI in the configured NSSAIs. AMF 155 can include LADN information of the LADN in the registration acceptance message 955, the LADN being available in the registration area determined by AMF 155 for the UE. If UE100 includes MICO mode in its request, AMF155 can respond to whether MICO mode can be used. AMF155 can set an indication to support IMS voice via PS session. In the example, to set the indication to support IMS voice via PS session, AMF155 can execute a UE / RAN radio information and compatibility request procedure to check the compatibility of UE 100 and RAN radio capabilities related to IMS voice via PS. In the example, an emergency service support indicator can notify UE 100 to support emergency services; for example, UE 100 can request emergency services via a PDU session. In the example, the handover restriction list and UE-AMBR can be provided to the NG-RAN by AMF155.

[0203] In the example, UE 100 can send a registration complete 960 message to the new AMF 155. In the example, UE 100 can send the registration complete message 960 to AMF 155 to confirm that a new 5G-GUTI can be allocated. In the example, when information about the PDU session to be reactivated is not included in the registration request, AMF 155 can release the signaling connection with UE 100. In the example, when a subsequent request is included in the registration request, AMF 155 may not release the signaling connection after the registration procedure is completed. In the example, if AMF 155 realizes that some signaling is pending in AMF 155 or between UE 100 and 5GC, AMF 155 may not release the signaling connection after the registration procedure is completed.

[0204] As exemplary Figure 10 and Figure 11 As described, a service request procedure (e.g., a service request procedure triggered by UE 100) can be used by UE 100 in CM-IDLE state to request the establishment of a secure connection to AMF 155. Figure 11 It describes the service request procedure. Figure 10 The following diagram continues. The service request procedure can be used to activate user plane connectivity for established PDU sessions. The service request procedure can be triggered by UE 100 or 5GC, and can be used when UE 100 is in CM-IDLE and / or CM-CONNECTED, and can allow selective activation of user plane connectivity for some established PDU sessions.

[0205] In the example, UE 100, in CM IDLE state, can initiate a service request procedure to send uplink signaling messages, user data, etc., in response to a network paging request, and so on. In the example, after receiving the service request message, AMF 155 can perform authentication. In the example, after establishing a signaling connection to AMF 155, UE 100 or the network can send signaling messages such as PDU session establishment messages from UE 100 to SMF 160 via AMF 155.

[0206] In the example, for any service request, the AMF 155 can respond with a service accept message to synchronize the PDU session state between UE100 and the network. If the service request may not be accepted by the network, the AMF 155 can respond to UE100 with a service deny message. The service deny message may include an instruction or reason code requesting UE100 to perform a registration update procedure. In the example, for a service request arising from user data, if user plane connection activation may fail, the network can take further action. In the example... Figure 10 and Figure 11In this context, more than one UPF may be involved, such as the old UPF110-2 and PDU session anchor PSA UPF 110-3.

[0207] In the example, UE 100 can send an AN message to (R)AN 105, which includes AN parameters, mobility management, MM NAS service request 1005 (e.g., a list of PDU sessions to be activated, a list of allowed PDU sessions, security parameters, PDU session status, etc.), etc. In the example, when UE 100 can reactivate a PDU session, UE 100 can provide a list of PDU sessions to be activated. When the service request can be a response to a paging or NAS notification, the list of allowed PDU sessions can be provided by UE 100, and can identify the access that can be transmitted to or the PDU session that can be associated with said access. In the example, for the NG-RAN case, AN parameters can include the selected PLMN ID and establishment reason. The establishment reason can provide the reason for requesting to establish an RRC connection. UE 100 can send a NAS service request message to RAN 105 for AMF 155 encapsulated in an RRC message.

[0208] In the example, if a service request can be triggered for user data, UE 100 can use a list of PDU sessions to be activated to identify the PDU sessions for which an UP connection will be activated in the NAS service request message. If a service request can be triggered by signaling, UE 100 may not be able to identify any PDU sessions. If this procedure can be triggered by a paging response, and / or UE 100 can simultaneously have user data to be transmitted, UE 100 can use a list of PDU sessions to be activated to identify the PDU sessions for which its UP connection can be activated in the MM NAS service request message.

[0209] In the example, if a service request for 3GPP access can be triggered in response to a paging indicating non-3GPP access, the NAS service request message can identify a list of PDU sessions associated with non-3GPP access that can be reactivated through 3GPP in the list of allowed PDU sessions. In the example, the PDU session status can indicate the PDU sessions available in UE 100. In the example, when UE 100 is outside the availability area of ​​the LADN, UE 100 may not trigger a service request procedure for the PDU session corresponding to the LADN. If a service request can be triggered for other reasons, UE 100 may not be able to identify such PDU sessions in the list of PDU sessions to be activated.

[0210] In the example, (R)AN 105 can send an N2 message 1010 (e.g., a service request) to AMF 155, including N2 parameters, MM NAS service requests, etc. If AMF 155 may not be able to process the service request, it can reject the N2 message. In the example, if NG-RAN is available, the N2 parameters may include 5G-GUTI, the selected PLMN ID, location information, RAT type, establishment reason, etc. In the example, the 5G-GUTI can be obtained in the RRC procedure, and (R)AN 105 can select AMF 155 based on the 5G-GUTI. In the example, the location information and RAT type may relate to the cell where UE 100 can camp. In the example, based on the PDU session state, AMF 155 can initiate a PDU session release procedure in the network for PDU sessions whose PDU session IDs can be indicated as unavailable by UE 100.

[0211] In the example, if the service request is not sent with integrity protection or integrity protection verification fails, the AMF155 can initiate NAS authentication / security procedure 1015.

[0212] In the example, if UE 100 triggers a service request to establish a signaling connection, then after the signaling connection is successfully established, UE 100 and the network can exchange NAS signaling.

[0213] In the example, AMF 155 can send a PDU session update context request 1020 to SMF 160, such as an Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request including PDU session ID, reason, UE 100 location information, access type, etc.

[0214] In the example, if UE 100 can identify the PDU session to be activated in the NAS service request message, the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request can be invoked by AMF 155. In the example, the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request can be triggered by SMF 160, where the PDU session identified by UE 100 can be associated with a different PDU session ID than the one that triggered the procedure. In the example, the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request can be triggered by SMF 160, where the current UE 100 location can be outside the valid area of ​​the N2 information provided by SMF 160 during the network-triggered service request procedure. AMF 155 may choose not to send the N2 information provided by SMF 160 during the network-triggered service request procedure.

[0215] In the example, AMF 155 can identify the PDU session to be activated and can send an Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request to the SMF160 associated with the PDU session, where the reason is set to indicate the establishment of user plane resources for the PDU session.

[0216] In the example, if the procedure can be triggered in response to a paging indicating non-3GPP access, and the list of allowed PDU sessions provided by UE 100 may not include PDU sessions that have been paged for UE 100, then AMF 155 may notify SMF 160 that the user plane of the PDU session may not be reactivated. The service request procedure may succeed without reactivating the user plane of any PDU session, and AMF 155 may notify UE 100.

[0217] In the example, if the PDU session ID corresponds to an LADN, and SMF 160 determines that UE 100 may be outside the availability zone of the LADN based on the UE 100 location reported from AMF 155, then SMF 160 may decide (based on local policy) to maintain the PDU session, may refuse to activate the user plane connection for the PDU session, and may notify AMF 155. In the example, if the procedure can be triggered by a network-triggered service request, then SMF 160 may notify the UPF 110 initiating the data notification to abandon downlink data for the PDU session and / or not provide additional data notification messages. SMF 160 may respond to AMF 155 with an appropriate rejection reason and may stop user plane activation of the PDU session.

[0218] In the example, if the PDU session ID corresponds to an LADN, and the SMF 160 can determine that UE 100 may be outside the availability zone of the LADN based on the UE 100 location reported from the AMF 155, then the SMF 160 can decide (based on local policy) to release the PDU session. The SMF 160 can release the PDU session locally and can notify the AMF 155 that the PDU session can be released. The SMF 160 can respond to the AMF 155 with an appropriate rejection reason and can stop user plane activation of the PDU session.

[0219] In the example, if SMF 160 can accept UP activation for a PDU session, then based on the location information received from AMF 155, SMF 160 can check the UPF 110 selection criteria (e.g., slice isolation requirements, slice coexistence requirements, UPF 110 dynamic load, relative static capacity of UPF 110 among UPFs supporting the same DNN, UPF 110 location available at SMF 160, UE 100 location information, UPF 110 capabilities, and the features required for a specific UE 100 session). In the example, the appropriate UPF 110 can be determined by matching the features and characteristics required by UE 100, DNN, PDU session type (e.g., IPv4, IPv6, Ethernet type, or unstructured type), and (if applicable) static IP address / prefix, SSC mode selected for the PDU session, UE 100 subscription profile in UDM 140, including DNAI in PCC rules, local operator policies, S-NSSAI, and other factors by the UE. The UE 100 may select (the access technology used, the logical topology of UPF 110, etc.) and may determine to perform one or more of the following: continue to use the current UPF; if the UE 100 has moved out of the service area of ​​the UPF 110 previously connected to (R)AN 105, while maintaining the UPF acting as the PDU session anchor, a new intermediate UPF 110 may be selected (or an intermediate UPF 110 may be added / removed); a PDU session re-establishment may be triggered to perform the relocation / reassignment of the UPF 110 acting as the PDU session anchor, for example, if the UE 100 has moved out of the service area of ​​the anchor UPF 110 connected to RAN 105.

[0220] In the example, SMF 160 can send an N4 session establishment request 1030 to UPF 110 (e.g., a new intermediate UPF 110). In this example, if SMF 160 can choose the new UPF 110 to act as the intermediate UPF 110-2 for a PDU session, or if SMF 160 can choose to insert an intermediate UPF 110 for a PDU session that may not have an intermediate UPF 110-2, it can send an N4 session establishment request 1030 message to the new UPF 110, thereby providing packet inspection, data forwarding, enforcement, and reporting rules to be installed on the new intermediate UPF. The PDU session anchor addressing information (on N9) for this PDU session can be provided to the intermediate UPF 110-2.

[0221] In the example, if SMF 160 selects the new UPF 110 to replace the old (intermediate) UPF 110-2, SMF 160 may include a data forwarding indication. The data forwarding indication may instruct UPF 110 to reserve a second tunnel endpoint for buffered DL data from the old I-UPF.

[0222] In the example, the new UPF 110 (intermediate) can send an N4 session establishment response message 1030 to the SMF 160. If the UPF 110 can allocate CN tunnel information, it can provide the SMF 160 with the DL CN tunnel information and UL CN tunnel information (e.g., CN N3 tunnel information) of the UPF 110 used as the PDU session anchor. If a data forwarding indication is received, the new (intermediate) UPF 110, acting as the N3 endpoint, can send the DL CN tunnel information of the old (intermediate) UPF 110-2 to the SMF 160. The SMF 160 can start a timer to release resources in the old intermediate UPF 110-2.

[0223] In the example, if SMF 160 can select a new intermediate UPF 110 for the PDU session, or can remove the old I-UPF 110-2, then SMF 160 can send an N4 session modification request message 1035 to the PDU session anchor PSA UPF 110-3, thereby providing data forwarding instructions and DL tunnel information from the new intermediate UPF 110.

[0224] In the example, if a new intermediate UPF 110 can be added to the PDU session, then (PSA)UPF 110-3 can begin sending DL data to the new I-UPF 110, as indicated by the DL tunnel information.

[0225] In the example, if the service request can be triggered by the network, and the SMF 160 can remove the old I-UPF 110-2 without replacing it with a new I-UPF 110, then the SMF 160 can include a data forwarding indication in the request. The data forwarding indication can tell the (PSA)UPF 110-3 that a second tunnel endpoint can be reserved for buffered DL data from the old I-UPF 110-2. In this case, the PSAUPF 110-3 can begin buffering DL data that it may simultaneously receive from the N6 interface.

[0226] In the example, PSA UPF 110-3 (PSA) can send an N4 session modification response 1035 to SMF 160. In this example, if a data forwarding indication is received, PSA UPF 110-3 can become an N3 endpoint and can send CN DL tunnel information for the old (intermediate) UPF 110-2 to SMF 160. SMF 160 can start a timer to release any resources in the old intermediate UPF 110-2.

[0227] In the example, SMF 160 can send an N4 session modification request 1045 to the old UPF 110-2 (e.g., it may include the new UPF 110 address, the new UPF 110DL tunnel ID, etc.). In the example, if the service request can be triggered by the network, and / or SMF 160 can remove the old (intermediate) UPF 110-2, then SMF 160 can send an N4 session modification request message to the old (intermediate) UPF 110-2 and can provide DL tunnel information for buffered DL data. If SMF 160 can allocate a new I-UPF 110, the DL tunnel information comes from the new (intermediate) UPF 110, which can be used as the N3 endpoint. If SMF 160 does not allocate a new I-UPF 110, the DL tunnel information can come from the new UPF 110 (PSA) 110-3, which can be used as the N3 endpoint. SMF 160 can start a timer to monitor the forwarding tunnel. In the example, the old (intermediate) UPF 110-2 can send an N4 session modification response message to the SMF 160.

[0228] In the example, if I-UPF 110-2 can be relocated and a forwarding tunnel is established to the new I-UPF 110, then the old (intermediate) UPF 110-2 can forward its buffered data to the new (intermediate) UPF 110, which will serve as the N3 endpoint. In the example, if the old I-UPF 110-2 may be removed, and the new I-UPF 110 may not be allocated for a PDU session, and a forwarding tunnel may be established to UPF 110(PSA)110-3, then the old (intermediate) UPF 110-2 can forward its buffered data to UPF 110(PSA)110-3, which will serve as the N3 endpoint.

[0229] In the example, upon receiving an Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request with a reason (including, for example, the establishment of user plane resources), SMF 160 can send an N11 message 1060 to AMF 155, such as an Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext response (including N1 SM container (PDU session ID, PDU session re-establishment indication), N2 SM information (PDU session ID, QoS profile, CN N3 tunnel information, S-NSSAI), and reason). SMF 160 can determine whether UPF110 reallocation can be performed based on UE 100 location information, UPF 110 service area, and operator policy. In the example, for a PDU session that can be determined to be served by the current UPF 110 (e.g., PDU session anchor or intermediate UPF) serving SMF 160, SMF 160 can generate N2 SM information and can send an Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext response 1060 to AMF 155 to establish a user plane. The N2 SM information may contain information that AMF155 can provide to RAN 105. In the example, for a PDU session that SMF 160 determines requires UPF 110 to relocate the PDU session anchor UPF, SMF 160 can refuse to activate the UP for the PDU session by sending an Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext response containing an N1 SM container to UE 100 via AMF 155. The N1 SM container may include the corresponding PDU session ID and a PDU session re-establishment indication.

[0230] Upon receiving a Namf_EventExposure_Notify from AMF 155 to SMF 160 indicating that UE 100 is reachable, if SMF 160 can have pending DL data, SMF 160 can invoke the Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer service operation to AMF 155 to establish a user plane for a PDU session. In the example, in the case of DL data, SMF 160 can continue sending DL data notifications to AMF 155.

[0231] In the example, if the PDU session corresponds to an LADN and UE 100 may be outside the availability zone of the LADN, or if AMF 155 can notify SMF 160 that UE 100 is reachable for regulated priority services and the PDU session to be activated may not be used for regulated priority services; or if SMF 160 may decide to perform PSA UPF 110-3 relocation for the requested PDU session, then SMF 160 can send a message to AMF 155 to refuse the UP activation of the PDU session by including a reason in the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext response.

[0232] In the example, AMF 155 can send an N2 request message 1065 to (R)AN 105 (e.g., N2 SM information received from SMF 160, security context, AMF 155 signaling connection ID, handover restriction list, MM NAS service acceptance, and a list of recommended cell / TA / NG-RAN node identifiers). In the example, RAN 105 can store the security context, AMF 155 signaling connection ID, QoS information for the QoS flow of the PDU session that can be activated, and the N3 tunnel ID in the UE 100 RAN 105 context. In the example, the MM NAS service acceptance can include the PDU session state in AMF 155. If SMF 160 might refuse to activate the UP of the PDU session, the MM NAS service acceptance can include the PDU session ID and the reason why the user plane resource might not be activated (e.g., LADN is unavailable). Local PDU session release during the session request procedure can be indicated to UE 100 via the session state.

[0233] In the example, if there are a number of PDU sessions that may involve multiple SMF 160s, the AMF 155 may not wait for responses from all SMF 160s before it can send N2 SM information to the UE 100. The AMF 155 may wait for all responses from the SMF 160s before it can send an MM NAS service accept message to the UE 100.

[0234] In the example, if a procedure can be triggered for PDU session user plane activation, the AMF 155 may include at least one N2 SM information from the SMF 160. The AMF 155 may send additional N2 SM information from the SMF 160 in a separate N2 message (e.g., an N2 tunnel setup request, if present). Alternatively, if multiple SMFs 160s may be involved, the AMF 155 may send an N2 request message to the (R)AN 105 after receiving all Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext response service operations from all SMFs 160s associated with the UE 100. In this case, the N2 request message may include the N2 SM information received in each Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext response and the PDU session ID, enabling the AMF 155 to associate the response with the relevant SMF 160.

[0235] In the example, if the RAN 105 (e.g., NG RAN) node can provide a list of recommended cell / TA / NG-RAN node identifiers during the AN release procedure, the AMF 155 can include information from that list in the N2 request. RAN 105 can use this information to allocate RAN 105 notification areas when it may decide to enable RRC inactivity for UE 100.

[0236] If AMF 155 can receive from SMF 160 during the PDU session establishment procedure an indication that UE 100 may be using a PDU session related to a latency-sensitive service for any PDU session established for UE 100, and AMF 155 has received from UE 100 an indication that CM-CONNECTED can be supported in an RRC inactivity state, then AMF 155 may include the UE's RRC inactivity auxiliary information. In the example, AMF 155 based on network configuration may include the UE's RRC inactivity auxiliary information.

[0237] In the example, (R)AN 105 can send a message to UE 100 to perform an RRC connection reconfiguration 1070 with UE 100, depending on the QoS information of all QoS flows of the PDU session for which the UP connection can be activated, as well as the data radio bearer. In the example, user plane security can be established.

[0238] In the example, if the N2 request could include an MM NAS service acceptance message, RAN 105 could forward the MM NAS service acceptance to UE 100. UE 100 could then locally delete the context of a PDU session that might not be available in 5GC.

[0239] In the example, if N1 SM information can be transmitted to UE 100 and indicates that some PDU sessions can be re-established, then UE 100 can initiate PDU session re-establishment for PDU sessions that can be re-established after the service request procedure may be completed.

[0240] In the example, after the user plane radio resources can be configured, uplink data from UE 100 can be forwarded to RAN 105. RAN 105 (e.g., NG-RAN) can then send the uplink data to the provided UPF 110 address and tunnel ID.

[0241] In the example, (R)AN 105 can send an N2 request acknowledgment 1105 to AMF 155 (e.g., N2 SM information including: AN tunnel information, a list of accepted QoS flows for PDU sessions with UP connections active, and a list of rejected QoS flows for PDU sessions with UP connections active)). In the example, the N2 request message may include N2 SM information, such as AN tunnel information. RAN 105 can respond to the N2 SM information with a separate N2 message (e.g., an N2 tunnel setup response). In the example, if multiple N2 SM information items are included in the N2 request message, the N2 request acknowledgment may include multiple N2 SM information items and information that enables AMF 155 to associate the response with the relevant SMF 160.

[0242] In the example, AMF 155 can send an Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request 1110 (N2 SM information (AN tunnel information), RAT type) per PDU session to SMF 160. If AMF 155 can receive N2 SM information (one or more) from RAN 105, AMF 155 can forward the N2 SM information to the relevant SMF 160. If the UE 100 timezone may have changed compared to the last reported UE 100 timezone, AMF 155 can include the UE 100 timezone IE in the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request message.

[0243] In the example, if a dynamic PCC is deployed, the SMF 160 can notify the PCF 135 of new location information (if subscribed) by invoking an event exposure notification operation (e.g., the Nsmf_EventExposure_Notify service operation). The PCF 135 can provide updated policies by invoking the policy control update notification message 1115 (e.g., the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify operation).

[0244] In the example, if SMF 160 can select the new I-UPF 110 as the intermediate I-UPF 110 for the PDU session, then SMF 160 can initiate an N4 session modification procedure 1120 to the new I-UPF 110 and can provide AN tunnel information. Downlink data from the new I-UPF 110 can be forwarded to RAN 105 and UE 100. In the example, UPF 110 can send an N4 session modification response 1120 to SMF 160. In the example, SMF 160 can send an Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext response 1140 to AMF 155.

[0245] In the example, if a forwarding tunnel to the new I-UPF 110 can be established, and if the timer set for the forwarding tunnel, SMF 160, may expire, SMF 160 can send an N4 session modification request 1145 to the new (intermediate) UPF 110, which serves as the N3 termination point, to release the forwarding tunnel. In the example, the new (intermediate) UPF 110 can send an N4 session modification response 1145 to SMF 160. In the example, SMF 160 can send an N4 session modification request 1150 or an N4 session release request to PSA UPF 110-3. In the example, if SMF 160 can continue using the old UPF 110-2, SMF 160 can send an N4 session modification request 1155, thereby providing AN tunnel information. In the example, if SMF 160 can select the new UPF110 as the intermediate UPF 110, and the old UPF 110-2 may not be PSA UPF 110-3, then SMF 160 can initiate resource release by sending an N4 session release request (release reason) to the old intermediate UPF 110-2 after the timer expires.

[0246] In the example, the old intermediate UPF 110-2 can send an N4 session modification response or an N4 session release response 1155 to the SMF 160. The old UPF 110-2 can use the N4 session modification response or N4 session release response message to acknowledge the modification or release of the resource. The AMF 155 can invoke the Namf_EventExposure_Notify service operation to notify the NFs that may have subscribed to the event of the move-related event after this procedure may complete. In the example, if SMF 160 has subscribed to UE 100 moving into or out of its region of interest and if the UE's current location indicates that it may be moving into or out of its subscribed region of interest, or if SMF 160 has subscribed to LADN DNN and if UE 100 may be moving into or out of an area where LADN is available, or if UE 100 may be in MICO mode and AMF 155 has notified UE 100 that SMF 160 is unreachable and SMF 160 may not send DL data notifications to AMF 155, and AMF 155 can notify SMF 160 that UE 100 is reachable, then AMF 155 can call Namf_EventExposure_Notify on SMF 160. Alternatively, if SMF 160 has subscribed to UE 100's reachability status, then AMF 155 can notify UE 100 of its reachability.

[0247] exist Figure 12 and Figure 13The document describes an example PDU session establishment procedure. In one exemplary implementation, when a PDU session establishment procedure is available, UE 100 may send a NAS message 1205 (or an SM NAS message) to AMF 155. This NAS message includes NSSAI, S-NSSAI (e.g., requested S-NSSAI, allowed S-NSSAI, subscribed S-NSSAI, etc.), DNN, PDU session ID, request type, old PDU session ID, N1 SM container (PDU session establishment request), etc. In the example, UE 100 may generate a new PDU session ID to establish a new PDU session. In the example, when emergency service may be required and an emergency PDU session may not yet be established, UE 100 may initiate a UE 100-requested PDU session establishment procedure, where the request type indicates an emergency request. In the example, UE 100 may initiate a UE 100-requested PDU session establishment procedure by transmitting a NAS message containing a PDU session establishment request within the N1 SM container. PDU session establishment requests may include PDU type, SSC mode, protocol configuration options, etc. In the example, if the PDU session establishment is a request to establish a new PDU session, the request type may indicate an initial request, and if the request involves an existing PDU session between 3GPP access and non-3GPP access or an existing PDN connection in an EPC, the request type may indicate an existing PDU session. In the example, if the PDU session establishment is a request to establish a PDU session for emergency services, the request type may indicate an emergency request. If the request involves an existing PDU session for emergency services between 3GPP access and non-3GPP access, the request type may indicate an existing emergency PDU session. In the example, a NAS message sent by UE 100 may be encapsulated in an AN within an N2 message sent to AMF 155, which may include user location information and access technology type information. In the example, the PDU session establishment request message may contain an SM PDUDN request container containing information about external DN authorization for the PDU session. In the example, if the procedure can be triggered for SSC Mode 3 operation, then UE 100 can include the old PDU session ID in the NAS message, which can indicate the PDU session ID of the ongoing PDU session to be released. The old PDU session ID can be an optional parameter that can be included in this case. In the example, AMF 155 can receive NAS messages (e.g., NAS SM messages) and user location information (e.g., cell ID in the case of RAN 105) from AN. In the example, when UE 100 is outside the availability area of ​​LADN, UE 100 may not trigger PDU session establishment corresponding to the PDU session of LADN.

[0248] In the example, AMF 155 can determine whether a NAS message or an SM NAS message corresponds to a request for a new PDU session based on the request type indicating an initial request and the PDU session ID not being used for any existing PDU session of UE100. If the NAS message does not contain an S-NSSAI, AMF 155 can determine the default S-NSSAI for the requested PDU session based on UE 100 subscriptions (if it can contain only one default S-NSSAI) or based on operator policies. In the example, AMF 155 can perform SMF 160 selection 1210 and select SMF 160. If the request type indicates an initial request or the request can be attributed to a handover from EPS, AMF 155 can store the association of the S-NSSAI, the PDU session ID, and the SMF 160 ID. In the example, if the request type is an initial request, and if the old PDU session ID indicating an existing PDU session can be included in the message, the AMF 155 can select the SMF 160 and can store the association between the new PDU session ID and the selected SMF 160 ID.

[0249] In the example, AMF 155 can send N11 message 1215 to SMF 160, such as Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext request (including: SUPI or PEI, DNN, S-NSSAI, PDU session ID, AMF 155ID, request type, N1 SM container (PDU session establishment request), user location information, access type, PEI, GPSI), or Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request (SUPI, DNN, S-NSSAI, PDU session ID, AMF 155ID, request type, N1 SM container (PDU session establishment request), user location information, access type, RAT type, PEI). In the example, if AMF 155 may not be associated with SMF 160 of the PDU session ID provided by UE 100 (e.g., when the request type indicates an initial request), AMF 155 can invoke the Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext request. However, if AMF 155 is already associated with SMF 160 of the PDU session ID provided by UE 100 (e.g., when the request type indicates an existing PDU session), AMF 155 can invoke the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request. In the example, AMF 155ID can be the UE's GUAMI, which uniquely identifies the AMF 155 serving UE 100. AMF 155 can forward the PDU session ID along with the N1 SM container containing the PDU session establishment request received from UE 100. When UE 100 registers for emergency services without providing SUPI, AMF 155 can provide PEI instead of SUPI. If UE 100 has registered for emergency services but has not yet been certified, AMF 155 can indicate that SUPI has not yet been certified.

[0250] In the example, if the request type may not indicate an urgent request or an existing urgent PDU session, and if SMF160 has not yet registered and subscription data may be unavailable, SMF 160 may register with UDM 140 and may retrieve subscription data 1225 and be notified when subscription data can be modified. In the example, if the request type may indicate an existing PDU session or an existing urgent PDU session, SMF 160 may determine that the request is attributable to a handover between 3GPP access and non-3GPP access, or to a handover from EPS. SMF 160 may identify an existing PDU session based on the PDU session ID. SMF 160 may update an existing SM context instead of creating a new SM context, and may provide an updated representation of the SM context to AMF155 in the response. If the request type may be an initial request, and if the old PDU session ID can be included in the Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext request, SMF 160 may identify the existing PDU session to be released based on the old PDU session ID.

[0251] In the example, SMF 160 can send N11 message response 1220 to AMF 155, such as a PDU session creation / update response, Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext response 1220 (reason, SM context ID or N1 SM container (PDU session rejected (reason))) or Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext response.

[0252] In the example, if SMF 160 can perform secondary authorization / authentication 1230 during the PDU session establishment by the DN-AAA server, then SMF 160 can choose UPF 110 and can trigger PDU session establishment authentication / authorization.

[0253] In the example, if the request type indicates an initial request, the SMF 160 can select the SSC mode for the PDU session. The SMF 160 can select one or more UPFs as needed. In the case of an IPv4 or IPv6 PDU, the SMF 160 can assign an IP address / prefix to the PDU session. In the case of an IPv6 PDU, the SMF 160 can assign an interface identifier to the UE100 so that the UE100 can build its link-local address. For unstructured PDU types, the SMF 160 can assign an IPv6 prefix to the PDU session and the N6 point-to-point tunnel (based on UDP / IPv6).

[0254] In the example, if a dynamic PCC is deployed, the SMF 160 can perform PCF 135 selection 1235. If the request type indicates an existing PDU session or an existing emergency PDU session, the SMF 160 can use PCF 135 already selected for the PDU session. If a dynamic PCC is not deployed, the SMF 160 can apply a local policy.

[0255] In the example, SMF 160 can execute Session Management Policy Establishment Procedure 1240 to establish a PDU session with PCF 135 and obtain the default PCC rules for the PDU session. GPSI can be included if available at SMF 160. If the request type in 1215 indicates an existing PDU session, SMF 160 can notify of events previously subscribed to by PCF 135 via the Session Management Policy Modification Procedure, and PCF 135 can update the policy information in SMF 160. PCF 135 can provide SMF 160 with an authorized session—AMBR—and authorized 5QI and ARP. PCF 135 can subscribe to IP allocation / release events in SMF 160 (and can subscribe to other events).

[0256] In the example, PCF 135, based on the Emergency DNN, can set the ARP of the PCC rule to a value that can be reserved for emergency services.

[0257] In the example, if the request type in 1215 indicates an initial request, the SMF 160 can select the SSC mode for the PDU session. The SMF 160 can select one or more UPFs in 1245 as needed. In the case of an IPv4 or IPv6 PDU, the SMF 160 can assign an IP address / prefix to the PDU session. In the case of an IPv6 PDU, the SMF 160 can assign an interface identifier to the UE100 so that the UE100 can build its link-local address. For unstructured PDU types, the SMF 160 can assign an IPv6 prefix (e.g., based on UDP / IPv6) to the PDU session and the N6 point-to-point tunnel. In the example, for a PDU session of the Ethernet PDU type, the SMF 160 cannot assign either a MAC address or an IP address to the UE100 for this PDU session.

[0258] In the example, if the request type in 1215 is an existing PDU session, then SMF 160 can maintain the same IP address / prefix that can be assigned to UE 100 in the source network.

[0259] In the example, if the request type in 1215 indicates an existing PDU session involving movement between 3GPP access and non-3GPP access, then SMF 160 can maintain the SSC mode of the PDU session, such as the current PDU session anchor and IP address. In the example, SMF 160 can trigger, for example, the insertion of a new intermediate UPF 110 or the allocation of a new UPF 110. In the example, if the request type indicates an urgent request, then SMF 160 can select 1245 UPF 110 and can select SSC mode 1.

[0260] In the example, the SMF 160 can execute a session management policy modification procedure 1250 to report certain events to a previously subscribed PCF 135. If the request type is an initial request, a dynamic PCC is deployed, and the PDU type is IPv4 or IPv6, the SMF 160 can notify the (previously subscribed) PCF 135 of the UE's assigned 100 IP address / prefix.

[0261] In the example, PCF 135 can provide updated policies to SMF 160. PCF 135 can provide authorized sessions - AMBR and authorized 5QI and ARP to SMF 160.

[0262] In the example, if the request type indicates an initial request, SMF 160 can initiate an N4 session establishment procedure 1255 with the selected UPF 110. SMF 160 can also initiate an N4 session modification procedure with the selected UPF 110. In the example, SMF 160 can send an N4 session establishment / modification request 1255 to UPF 110 and can provide packet detection, execution, reporting rules, etc., to be installed on UPF 110 for this PDU session. If CN tunneling information is allocated by SMF 160, it can be provided to UPF 110. If this PDU session requires selective user plane deactivation, SMF 160 can determine an inactive timer and provide it to UPF 110. In the example, UPF 110 can acknowledge this by sending an N4 session establishment / modification response 1255. If CN tunneling information is allocated by the UPF, it can be provided to SMF 160. In the example, if multiple UPFs are selected for a PDU session, then the SMF 160 can initiate an N4 session establishment / modification procedure 1255 with each UPF 110 of the PDU session.

[0263] In the example, SMF 160 can send the Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer1305 message to AMF 155 (including PDU session ID, access type, N2 SM information (PDU session ID, QFI, QoS profile, CN tunnel information, S-NSSAI, session-AMBR, PDU session type, etc.) and N1 SM container (PDU session establishment acceptance (QoS rules, selected SSC mode, S-NSSAI, assigned IPv4 address, interface identifier, session-AMBR, selected PDU session type, etc.))). In cases where multiple UPFs are used for a PDU session, the CN tunnel information may include tunnel information related to the UPF 110 terminating N3. In the example, the N2 SM information may carry information that the AMF 155 can forward to the (R)AN 105 (e.g., CN tunnel information corresponding to the core network address of the N3 tunnel corresponding to the PDU session, one or more QoS profiles and corresponding QFIs may be provided to the (R)AN 105, the PDU session ID may indicate the association between AN resources and the PDU session for UE 100 via AN signaling with UE 100, etc.). In the example, the PDU session may be associated with S-NSSAI and DNN. In the example, the N1 SM container may contain PDU session establishment acceptance that the AMF 155 can provide to UE 100. In the example, multiple QoS rules and QoS profiles may be included in the PDU session establishment acceptance within the N1 SM and the N2 SM information. In the example, Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer 1305 may also include the PDU session ID and information that allows the AMF 155 to know which access is used for UE 100.

[0264] In the example, AMF 155 can send an N2 PDU session request 1310 to (R)AN 105 (including N2 SM information, NAS message (PDU session ID, N1 SM container (PDU session establishment acceptance, etc.))). In the example, AMF 155 can send a NAS message 1310 to (R)AN 105, which may include a PDU session ID and a PDU session establishment acceptance for UE 100, as well as the N2 SM information received from SMF 160 within the N2 PDU session request 1310.

[0265] In the example, (R)AN 105 can issue an AN-specific signaling exchange 1315 with UE 100, which can be related to information received from SMF 160. In the example, in the case of 3GPP RAN 105, an RRC connection reconfiguration procedure can be performed with UE 100 to establish the necessary RAN105 resources related to the QoS rules of PDU session request 1310. In the example, (R)AN 105 can allocate (R)AN 105N3 tunnel information for the PDU session. In the dual-connectivity case, the primary RAN105 node can assign some (zero or more) QFIs to be configured to the primary RAN105 node and assign other QFIs to the secondary RAN105 node. The AN tunnel information can include the tunnel endpoints of each involved RAN105 node and the QFIs assigned to each tunnel endpoint. QFIs can be assigned to either the primary or secondary RAN105 node. In the example, (R)AN105 can forward NAS message 1310 (PDU session ID, N1 SM container (PDU session establishment accepted)) to UE 100. If the necessary RAN 105 resources are established and (R)AN 105 tunnel information is successfully allocated, (R)AN 105 can provide the NAS message to UE 100.

[0266] In the example, the N2 PDU session response 1320 may include the PDU session ID, reason, N2 SM information (PDU session ID, AN tunnel information, list of accepted / rejected QFIs), etc. In the example, the AN tunnel information may correspond to the access network address of the N3 tunnel corresponding to the PDU session.

[0267] In the example, AMF 155 can forward the N2 SM information received from (R)AN 105 to SMF 160 via Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request 1330 (which includes N2 SM information, request type, etc.). In the example, if the list of rejected QFIs is included in the N2 SM information, SMF 160 can release the QoS profile associated with the rejected QFIs.

[0268] In the example, SMF 160 can initiate an N4 session modification procedure 1335 with UPF 110. SMF 160 can provide UPF 110 with AN tunnel information and corresponding forwarding rules. In the example, UPF 110 can provide an N4 session modification response 1335 to SMF 160.

[0269] In the example, SMF 160 can send an Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext response 1340 (reason) to AMF 155. Following this step, SMF 160 can subscribe to UE 100 mobility event notifications (e.g., location reports, UE 100 moving into or out of the region of interest) from AMF 155 by invoking the Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation. For LADN, SMF 160 can subscribe to UE 100 moving into or out of the LADN service area event notification by providing the LADN DNN as an indicator of the region of interest. AMF 155 can forward relevant events subscribed to by SMF 160.

[0270] In the example, SMF 160 can send Nsmf_PDUSession_SMContextStatusNotify(release) 1345 to AMF 155. In this example, if at any point during this procedure, the SMF 160 can notify the AMF 155 by calling Nsmf_PDUSession_SMContextStatusNotify(release) 1345. SMF 160 can release any created N4 sessions, any PDU session addresses (if assigned) (e.g., IP addresses), and can release the association with PCF 135.

[0271] In the example, with the PDU type being IPv6, the SMF 160 can generate an IPv6 router advertisement 1350, which can be sent to the UE 100 via the N4 and UPF 110.

[0272] In the example, if a PDU session might not be established, the SMF 160 can use Nudm_SDM_Unsubscribe(SUPI, DNN, S-NSSAI) to unsubscribe from the modifications made by 1360 to the corresponding (SUPI, DNN, S-NSSAI) session management subscription data when the SMF 160 no longer processes the PDU session for this UE 100 (DNN, S-NSSAI). In the example, if a PDU session might not be established, the SMF 160 can use Nudm_UECM_Deregistration(SUPI, DNN, PDU session ID) to unregister 1360 for a given PDU session.

[0273] Figure 15This diagram illustrates a service-based architecture for a 5G network involving interaction between the control plane (CP) and user plane (UP). The diagram depicts the logical connections between nodes and functions, and these connections should not be interpreted as direct physical connections. Radio devices can form radio access network (RAN) connections with a base station connected to a user plane (UP) function (UPF) via a network interface that provides defined interfaces, such as the N3 interface. The UPF can provide logical connections to the data network (DN) via network interfaces such as the N6 interface. The RAN connection between the radio device and the base station can be referred to as a data radio bearer (DRB).

[0274] A DN can be a data network used to provide operator services, third-party services such as the Internet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR). In some implementations, a DN can represent an edge computing network or resource, such as a Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) network.

[0275] The wireless device also connects to the AMF via a logical N1 connection. The AMF can handle authentication and authorization of access requests, as well as mobility management functions. The AMF can perform other roles and functions. From a service-based perspective, the AMF can communicate with other core network control plane functions through a service-based interface represented as Namf.

[0276] SMF (Service-Based Function) is a network function responsible for allocating and managing IP addresses assigned to wireless devices, and selecting a UPF (User-Defined Function) for traffic associated with a specific session of a wireless device. Multiple SMFs typically exist in a network, each associated with a corresponding group of wireless devices, base stations, or UPFs. From a service-based perspective, SMFs can communicate with other core network functions through a service-based interface, represented as Nsmf. SMFs can also connect to UPFs via logical interfaces such as network interface N4.

[0277] The Authentication Server Function (AUSF) can provide authentication services to other network functions via a service-based NAUSF interface. Network Exposure Functions (NEFs) can be deployed within a network to allow servers, functions, and other entities, such as those outside the trusted domain (carrier network), to expose services and capabilities within the network. In one such example, the NEF can act as a proxy between an external Application Server (AS) outside the illustrated network and network functions such as PCF, SMF, UDM, and AMF. The external AS can provide information that can be used in the settings of parameters associated with data sessions. The NEF can communicate with other network functions via a service-based NNEF network interface. The NEF can have interfaces to non-3GPP functions.

[0278] Network repository functions (NRFs) provide network service discovery capabilities. NRFs can be specific to their associated Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) or network operator. Service discovery allows network functions and wireless devices connected to the network to determine where and how to access existing network functions.

[0279] The PCF can communicate with other network functions via a service-based NPCF interface and can be used to provide policies and rules to other network functions, including those within the control plane. The enforcement and application of these policies and rules may not be the responsibility of the PCF. The responsibility for the PCF to transmit policies to the functions it serves can fall to either the AMF or the SMF. In one such example, the PCF could transmit policies associated with session management to the SMF. This can be used to allow for a unified policy framework that can be used to manage network behavior.

[0280] The UDM can provide a service-based Nudm interface to communicate with other network functions. The UDM can provide data storage facilities to other network functions. A unified data store allows for a consistent view of network information, ensuring that the most relevant information is available to different network functions from a single resource. This can make it easier to implement other network functions, as they may not need to determine where specific types of data are stored within the network. The UDM can connect to the UDR using an interface such as Nudr. The PCF can be associated with the UDM.

[0281] The PCF can have a direct interface to the UDR, or it can connect to the UDR using a Nudr interface. The UDM can receive requests to retrieve content stored in the UDR, or requests to store content in the UDR. The UDM can handle functions such as credential processing, location management, and subscription management. The UDR can also support authentication credential processing, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management, subscription management, and Short Message Service (SMS) management. The UDR can be responsible for storing data provided by the UDM. The stored data is associated with policy profile information (which may be provided by the PCF) that manages access permissions to the stored data. In some implementations, the UDR can store policy data as well as user subscription data, which may include any or all of subscription identifiers, security credentials, access and mobility-related subscription data, and session-related data.

[0282] An Application Function (AF) can represent a non-data plane (also known as a non-user plane) function of an application deployed within a network operator's domain and a 3GPP-compliant network. AFs reside within an internal Application Server (AS). AFs can interact with other core network functions via a service-based Naf interface and can access network capability exposure information, as well as provide application information for use in decisions such as traffic routing. AFs can also interact with functions such as the PCF to provide application-specific input to policy and policy enforcement decisions. In many cases, an AF may not provide network services to other network functions. AFs can often be considered consumers or users of services provided by other network functions. Applications (application servers) outside the trust domain (operator network) can perform many of the same functions as AFs by using NEFs.

[0283] Wireless devices can communicate with network functions in the Core Network Control Plane (CN-UP) and Core Network User Plane (CN-CP). UPF and Data Network (DN) are part of CN-UP. DN may be outside the Core Network Domain (Cellular Network Domain). (See the diagram.) Figure 15 The base station is located on the CP-UP side. The base station can provide connectivity for both CN-CP and CN-UP. AMF, SMF, AUSF, NEF, NRF, PCF, and UDM can be functions residing within CN-CP 328 and are commonly referred to as control plane functions. If the AF resides in the trusted domain, it can communicate directly with other functions within CN-CP via the service-based Naf interface. If the AF resides outside the trusted domain, the AM can communicate indirectly with other functions within CN-CP via NEF.

[0284] Figures 16 to 20 Edge computing is involved. Edge computing (also known as mobile edge computing or MEC) is an evolution of cloud computing that moves application hosting from centralized data centers to the network edge. The network edge is closer to the end user and closer to the data generated by the end user's applications. Edge computing can be considered one of the key performance indicators for meeting the high demands of 5G, particularly low latency and bandwidth efficiency. 5G networks are likely to be a key future target environment for MEC deployment. Applications using high data volumes and / or requiring short response times (e.g., virtual reality (VR) games, real-time facial recognition, video surveillance, etc.) are particularly well-suited for edge computing.

[0285] As will be discussed in more detail below, 5G systems can support edge computing by allowing MEC systems and 5G systems to collaborate and interact for traffic routing and policy control purposes. In the example, an application can operate as an MEC system with an MEC controller and multiple application servers. The MEC controller can be an application function (AF) that interacts with network functions of the 5G system (e.g., Network Exposure Function (NEF), Policy Charging Function (PCF), Session Management Function (SMF), etc.) to influence traffic redirection between the application and the wireless device. The wireless device can obtain MEC services associated with the application by connecting to the MEC system via the 5G system. The 5G system and the MEC system can collaborate to facilitate connections from the wireless device to one or more suitable application servers. One or more application servers can be a central application server, located, for example, in a data center and accessible via the Internet. One or more application servers can be edge application servers located, for example, at the network edge. Edge application servers can be closer to the wireless device. The location of the edge application servers (relative to the location of the central application server) can make the edge application servers more suitable for certain tasks. For example, in some scenarios, wireless devices may be able to offload computing tasks to edge application servers, where the central application server is too far away for offloading.

[0286] Figure 16 An implementation of a system including an application server controller is shown. Wireless devices connect to the core network via a base station. The wireless devices can connect to the core network control plane (CN-CP) via interface N1 and / or interface N2. The wireless devices can connect to the core network user plane (CN-UP) via interface N3.

[0287] CN-UP may include one or more User Plane Functions (UPFs). One or more of these UPFs can be used to connect wireless devices to an Application Server (AS) network. An AS network may include multiple application servers. These application servers may have different locations, such as geographical distribution. For example, there may be a central application server within the AS network and / or one or more application servers located at different edges of the AS network. The AS network may be controlled by an AS controller. The AS controller may be implemented as an Application Function (AF) connected to the core network (e.g., CN CP). The AS controller may also be referred to as an MEC controller and / or an AF controller. The AS controller may be responsible for managing the AS and for locating, relocating, selecting, or reselecting ASs within the AS network. Part of the management performed by the AS controller can influence traffic redirection within the core network.

[0288] Figure 17 This illustrates segmented management between the cellular network domain and the mobile edge computing (MEC) domain. The Core Network Control Plane (CN-CP) and the Core Network User Plane (CN-UP) can belong to the cellular network domain. A CN-UP can include multiple UPFs, such as UPF{A}, UPF{B}, UPF{C}, UPF{D}, and UPF{E}. The CN-CP can manage the CN-UP. The AS controller and one or more data networks (DNs) can belong to the MEC domain. A DN can be referred to as a data center. As shown, the AS controller can manage multiple application servers, such as application server #1 and application server #2. Application servers can be hosted on different DNs, such as local DN #1 and local DN #2. Optionally, the NEF can manage the link between the cellular network domain and the MEC domain. Although illustrated separately, the NEF can belong to the CN-CP.

[0289] In the example, the location of the application server can be indicated by a DN Access Identifier (DNAI). A DNAI can be interpreted as an index pointing to a specific access to one or more DNs. DNAI values ​​can be defined by the operator based on core network deployment and / or configuration characteristics. The AS controller can use DNAIs (e.g., DNAI-1, DNAI-2, DNAI-3) to interact with the CN-CP. In this diagram, DNAI-1 can indicate one or more areas of the CN-UP corresponding to application server #1. The area of ​​the CN-UP corresponding to application server #1 can include UPF{A} and UPF{B}. In this diagram, DNAI-2 can indicate one or more areas of the CN-UP corresponding to application server #2. The area of ​​the CN-UP corresponding to application server #2 can include UPF{D}. DNAI-3 can also indicate the area of ​​the CN-UP corresponding to application server #2, and it includes UPF{E}. UPF{C} may not correspond to a specific application server.

[0290] In the example, the operator can internally define regions associated with a specific DNAI. The operator can define regions arbitrarily. As an example, all UPFs linked to a specific application server can share a DNAI (similar to DNAI-1 in the diagram). For example, a DNAI corresponds to a set of UPFs, and multiple DNAIs can correspond to specific application servers (similar to DNAI-2 and DNAI-3 in the diagram).

[0291] In the example, if the wireless device is in the first area, the CN-CP can determine to route the wireless device's application-related traffic to local DN#1 via UPF{B}. This can be based on the determination that the route via UPF{B} is more efficient than other possible routes. If the wireless device moves to a second area, the AS controller and / or core network can determine to reroute the wireless device's application-related traffic to local DN#1 via UPF{D}. DNAI enables cellular network domains and / or MEC domains to map specific application servers to specific areas and vice versa. As an example, DNAI enables a cellular network domain to manage traffic between wireless devices and one or more application servers. As an example, DNAI is known to the AS controller and can be used to facilitate AS management by the AS controller. Using DNAI, the AS controller can communicate with the CN-CP to influence, for example, the routing of application-related traffic.

[0292] Figure 18A This is an exemplary call flow for MEC discovery. A wireless device can discover MEC applications by sending an MEC discovery request to the CN-CP function. For example, the request may include the data network name (DNN) of the local DN, requesting the discovery of MEC applications hosted within the specified local DN. In some implementations, the absence of a local DN name may indicate a request to discover all MEC applications. For example, the request may include an application identifier. The CN-CP function can determine the discovery result. This discovery may be based on registration data of MEC applications hosted by various data networks. The CN-CP function may cross-reference a specific MEC application to a specific data network, and vice versa. The CN-CP can respond to the wireless device with the discovery result. The discovery result may include a list of one or more application identifiers and / or one or more application addresses (e.g., corresponding to a specific DN). In some implementations, the discovery result may be limited to those MEC applications available to the wireless device. In some implementations, the discovery result may be limited to those MEC applications that the wireless device is authorized to use. One or more application addresses may be used by the wireless device to communicate with upper layers (e.g., the TCP layer) of the MEC application.

[0293] In the example, the discovery request procedure for the MEC application can be integrated with the registration procedure between the wireless device and the CN-CP function (e.g., AMF). The CN-CP function can notify the wireless device of changes in discovery results, such as changes in application addresses, via NAS messages. The wireless device can request a dedicated PDU session to handle traffic associated with the MEC application. Such a dedicated PDU session can be used for a single edge computing application or shared by multiple edge computing applications.

[0294] Figure 18B This example illustrates how the AS controller can influence traffic routing for application data within the core network. The AS controller can send an AF request to the PCF. In this example, the AF can send the AF request message to the PCF via the NEF. If the AF request message is sent via the NEF, the NEF can map the external identifier provided by the AF to an internal identifier known to the 5G system (e.g., UE ID, SUPI, etc.). In this example, the AF can also send the AF request message directly to the PCF. For example, if the AF is in a trusted domain and / or deployed by the core network operator, the AF request can be sent directly to the PCF.

[0295] An AF request may include any information suitable for influencing traffic routing. Depending on the implementation and / or capabilities of the AS controller, an AF request may contain a range of information. For example, an AF request may include a general request from the core network to attempt to optimize user plane configuration, specific information that the core network can use to facilitate user plane configuration, and / or specific instructions for user plane configuration. An AF request may include traffic descriptors (IP filters and / or application identifiers) describing the application traffic covered by the AF request message. An AF request may include the location of one or more applications and / or application servers, such as a DNAI list. An AF request may include identifiers of the target radio devices, such as a General Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI) or a User Equipment (UE) group identifier. An AF request may include N6 routing information indicating how traffic should be forwarded via the N6 interface, such as the target IP address (and / or port) in the DN to which the application traffic is requested to be tunneled. An AF request may include spatial and temporal validity conditions indicating when and / or where one or more time intervals and / or geographic areas are applied to the AF request message.

[0296] Based on the AF request message, the PCF can create Policy and Charging Control (PCC) rules and / or other relevant information, such as the requested Session and Service Continuity (SSC) mode, local UPF information, or any other relevant information. The PCF can send a Session Management Policy Update message to the SMF. The Session Management Policy Update message can indicate the PCC rules and / or relevant information. The SMF can then act on the relevant information. In the example, this is done by configuring or reconfiguring the user plane. In the example, the SMF can insert an Uplink Classifier (UL CL) UPF into the user plane based on this information. In the example, the SMF can use an SSC mode 2 or 3 procedure to trigger the relocation of the PDU Session Anchor (PSA) UPF. As shown, the SMF can send a Session Management Policy Update response to the PCF. This response can be sent before or after the user plane reconfiguration. In the example, the response can include confirmation that the Session Management Policy Update message has been received. In the example, the response can inform the PCF about whether and / or how the user plane has been reconfigured.

[0297] An AF request can instruct the SMF to notify the AF when a UPF-related event occurs. For example, the SMF can notify the AF when to insert the UL CL UPF into the user plane, when to trigger an SSC mode 2 or mode 3 procedure, and / or when to reposition the PSA UPF. The AF can request to be notified before and / or after the event occurs. Based on this notification, the AF can take application-layer actions, such as repositioning the application state to handle UE IP address changes.

[0298] Figure 19 An example is shown where an AS controller influences traffic routing for application data by causing a reconfiguration of the user plane within the core network. As described above, the AS controller can be implemented as an AF. The application or an aspect thereof can be accessed in three different data networks. The data networks can include a central network, a first local data network, and a second local data network. The central network has DNAI=0 and includes a central application server. In this example, the central application server is accessible via the Internet. The first local data network has DNAI=1 and includes a first edge application server. The second local data network has DNAI=2 and includes a second edge application server. The first local data network is associated with one or more UPFs including UPF{1}. The second local data network is associated with one or more UPFs including UPF{2}.

[0299] Initially (before the AF request), the user plane path between the wireless device and the application is via a central UPF (dashed and dotted lines in the diagram) associated with a central network. The location of the central UPF may be remote from the location of the wireless device. Based on the AF request, the SMF can insert a local UPF within the user plane path of the wireless device. In the example, the AF request message may indicate the DNAI of the requested area (DNAI = 1). Based on the DNAI indicated by the AF request message, the SMG can select the UPF associated with the first local data network (i.e., UPF{1}).

[0300] Following an AF request, the SMF can reconfigure the user plane path. Specifically, the wireless device can have user plane paths to an edge application server within the first local area network and to a central application server (solid lines in the figure). Because the first edge application server is closer to the wireless device than the central application server, it will be understood that the communication latency associated with the first edge application server can be less than the communication latency associated with the central application server. Therefore, in some scenarios, the new user plane path (i.e., the path requested by the AS controller) can reduce the latency associated with tasks related to unloading certain applications.

[0301] Figure 20 An example of uninstallation is shown. The application can operate on a wireless device and can request the wireless device to perform tasks. The wireless device can determine to uninstall the task to an application server associated with the application. The application server can be an edge application server. The application server can be located in a data network. The data network can be a local area network. The data network can be a cloud computing data center. The wireless device can send raw data and / or processing tasks to the application server.

[0302] An application operating on a wireless device can obtain raw data from the wireless device. This raw data can be referred to as unprocessed data. The raw data can be collected and / or generated by the wireless device. In this exemplary diagram, the wireless device is shown as a vehicle. The vehicle is running, for example, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) autonomous driving application. This application can cause the wireless device to take photos of the front, right, left, and rear of the vehicle. These photos can be raw data. The application operating on the wireless device can process the raw data to obtain a result. This result can be referred to as processed data. In this example, the result could be driving direction. Alternatively, the wireless device can determine to offload the task to an application server associated with the application. To offload, the wireless device can transmit the raw data to the application server. The application server can process the raw data (e.g., photos) to obtain a result (e.g., driving direction). The application can transmit the result to the wireless device. The wireless device can obtain the result by receiving it from the application server.

[0303] In the unloading example shown in the figure, raw data is transmitted and a complete result is obtained. However, it will be understood that processing the raw data to obtain a result may include multiple processing tasks, and unloading can be defined as occurring when the application server performs any number of these tasks. In the example, the wireless device may perform one or more first processing tasks on the raw data and transmit an incomplete result to the application server. The application server may perform one or more second processing tasks on the partial (incomplete) result to obtain a complete result and transmit the complete result to the wireless device. Alternatively, the wireless device may transmit the raw data before transmitting the partial (incomplete) result to the wireless device, and the application server may perform one or more first processing tasks. The wireless device may perform one or more second processing tasks on the incomplete result to obtain a complete result. In this disclosure, the term unprocessed data may refer to data that has not been fully processed to obtain a result, including raw data or partially processed data.

[0304] In existing technologies, communication networks (e.g., 5G 3GPP systems) can support edge computing by allowing MEC systems and 5G systems to collaborate and interact to route traffic. The MEC system can instruct changes to user plane paths from a central application server to a local application server. The MEC system can redirect user plane paths from a central User Plane Function (UPF) to a local UPF. In some scenarios, user plane path latency can be reduced by redirecting user plane paths to application servers closer to the wireless device's location. By offloading processing tasks, wireless devices can potentially reduce their computational burden and / or save resources. Wireless devices can use an application layer transparent to the 5G system to offload processing tasks to application servers. The 5G system may not support collaborative interaction with the MEC system to offload processing tasks. Existing technologies may not effectively utilize offloading processes performed by wireless devices and applications. In examples, the wireless device's battery resources and / or computational resources may be limited. To conserve resources, the wireless device may prefer to connect to an application server that provides offloading capabilities. To enable wireless devices to be served within an MEC environment, improved methods are needed for session management processing to control offloading, thereby increasing resource utilization efficiency, battery utilization, and ensuring the quality of service for wireless devices.

[0305] In the prior art, wireless devices can benefit from application data offloading. Offloading can be performed using edge computing. Edge computing can be performed by an application server associated with the application. The implementation of edge computing may require managing one or more user plane paths within a communication network (e.g., user plane paths between the wireless device and the edge computing application server and / or between the wireless device and the central application server). The benefits of edge computing may be diminished if user plane paths cannot be deployed and / or configured quickly and efficiently. In the prior art, application servers associated with applications (e.g., edge computing application servers and / or central application servers located near the wireless device) may lack efficient signaling procedures for deploying and / or configuring user plane paths. For example, the application server may lack information about whether offloading is suitable for the wireless device and / or requested by the wireless device. For example, user plane paths may be within the communication network, and the application server may attempt to manage user plane paths from outside the network. For example, the wireless device may attempt to notify the application server of the offloading request via an inefficient user plane path within the network, and the application server may attempt to deploy a more suitable user plane path from outside the network. Therefore, offloading may be delayed and / or rejected, and / or inefficient user plane paths may be established. In such a situation, the computational load on wireless devices can increase, and the user experience may be negatively affected.

[0306] In the example, the wireless device can send a session control message for the PDU session to the SMF, requesting unloading processing for the application. Unloading can refer to unloading one or more processing tasks and can be referred to as compute unloading, task unloading, and / or processing unloading. The wireless device can receive a session control response message for the PDU session from the SMF, indicating whether unloading is available. Based on the indication that unloading is available, the wireless device can determine to send data that the application has not processed. Unprocessed data can be raw data or data that has been partially processed to obtain a partial / incomplete result. Based on the indication that unloading is unavailable, the wireless device can determine to send data that has been processed by the application.

[0307] In the example, the wireless device can determine to send a request to the SMF for offloading application data. This request can be included in a first message containing Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI). The S-NSSAI can identify the slice of the PDU session associated with the application. The first message can be, for example, a PDU session establishment request. The first message can also be, for example, a PDU session modification request. Based on the first message, the SMF can determine whether to reject or accept the request for offloading. The SMF can send a second message to the wireless device indicating whether to reject or accept the request for offloading data. With S-NSSAI already provided, the SMF can quickly and efficiently deploy a suitable user plane path between the wireless device and the edge computing application server. For example, the determined user plane path may be suitable for the network slice indicated by S-NSSAI. Therefore, the wireless device can quickly realize the benefits of edge computing.

[0308] In the example, the wireless device can determine to send a request to the SMF for offloading application data. This request can be included in a first message containing a PDU session identifier. The PDU session identifier identifies the PDU session associated with the application. The first message can be, for example, a PDU session establishment request. The first message can also be, for example, a PDU session modification request. Based on the first message, the SMF can determine whether to reject or accept the request for offloading. The SMF can then send a second message to the wireless device indicating whether to reject or accept the request for offloading data. With the PDU session identifier already provided, the SMF can quickly and efficiently establish a user plane path between the wireless device and the edge computing application server. Therefore, the wireless device can quickly realize the benefits of edge computing.

[0309] In the example, the wireless device can determine to send a request to the SMF for offloading application data. This request can be included in a PDU session establishment request. Based on the PDU session establishment request, the SMF can determine whether to reject or accept the request for offloading. The SMF can send a second message to the wireless device indicating whether to reject or accept the request for offloading data. With the request for offloading application data already provided, the SMF can quickly and efficiently establish a user plane path between the wireless device and the edge computing application server. Additional signaling between, for example, the wireless device and the application server (e.g., a central application server and / or an edge computing application server) can be avoided. For example, the wireless device can avoid establishing a PDU session (through which it communicates with the application server), then using the established PDU session to send the request for offloading to the application server, and then modifying the existing PDU session (or establishing a new PDU session) to make it suitable for offloading. Therefore, signaling overhead in the network can be reduced, and the wireless device can quickly realize the benefits of edge computing.

[0310] In the example, the wireless device can determine to send a request to the SMF for offloading application data. This request can be included in a first message, for example, a PDU session establishment request. This request can also be included in a first message, for example, a PDU session modification request. The SMF can select one or more UPFs to serve the PDU session based on the request for data offloading. Having been notified of the request for data offloading, the SMF can potentially quickly and efficiently deploy user plane paths suitable for edge computing. Therefore, the wireless device can rapidly realize the benefits of edge computing.

[0311] In the example, the wireless device can determine to send a request to the SMF for offloading application data. This request can be included in a first message, for example, a PDU session establishment request. This request can also be included in a first message, for example, a PDU session modification request. The SMF can select one or more UPFs to serve the PDU session based on the request for offloading data. With S-NSSAI already provided, the SMF can quickly and efficiently deploy a suitable user plane path between the wireless device and the edge computing application server. For example, the determined user plane path may be suitable for a network slice indicated by S=NSSAI. Therefore, the wireless device can quickly realize the benefits of edge computing.

[0312] In the example, the impact of AF on traffic routing is amplified to cover the exchange of compute capacity / load for each application server of the application. The application's application functions can send messages to the Session Management Function (SMF) containing one or more load status information for one or more application servers of the application. The application functions can send messages via the Policy Control Function (PCF) and / or Network Exposure Function (NEF). The SMF can store one or more load status information entries. The SMF can use one or more load status information entries and request offloading of the application for User Plane Function (UPF) selection for the Packet Data Unit (PDU) session associated with the application. In the above, the SMF can determine whether offloading is available based on the UPF selection. In the example, if the SMF selects a UPF with high load capacity, the SMF can determine that offloading is available.

[0313] Figure 21 The diagram illustrates the call flow for offloading determination and UPF selection according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure. The diagram shows a wireless device, a UPF, and several core network control plane functions (SMF, PCF, and UDR). The wireless device may use a specific application. This application may be employed in an MEC environment. The wireless device may determine which application to use and request the establishment of a PDU session associated with that application. The wireless device may determine to offload processing tasks associated with the application and / or the PDU session. The wireless device may send a session control message for the PDU session to the SMF. The session control message may include an offloading request. The offloading request may be a request to offload computation and / or processing tasks to an application server. For example, the session control message may request the offloading of processing associated with the application and / or the PDU session.

[0314] In the example, the wireless device may request offloading based on at least one of the following: the wireless device's battery power level, the wireless device's computing resources, the computing resources of the wireless device's application, the radio quality of the serving base station, the wireless device's capabilities, etc.

[0315] In the example, the offloading request can be based on the power level of the wireless device. As an example, the power level of the wireless device's battery may be below a power level threshold (e.g., 20%), and the wireless device may determine to offload one or more processing tasks to the application server. The power level threshold may be determined by, for example, the wireless device's operating system or the wireless device's MEC layer. As an example, a user may activate a power-saving mode on the wireless device and / or an application, and the wireless device may determine to offload one or more processing tasks to the application server.

[0316] In the example, the request to offload can be based on the computing resources of the wireless device. As an example, the utilization rate of the wireless device's computing power may rise above a utilization threshold (e.g., 50%), and the wireless device may determine to offload one or more processing tasks to an application server. As an example, utilization can be a percentage of available computing resources associated with, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU). As an example, the wireless device or its components (CPU, GPU, etc.) may be capable of a specific number of million instructions per second (MIPS), and the utilization rate can correspond to the number of available MIPS. As an example, utilization can reflect the amount of computing resources allocated to processing tasks associated with an application. As an example, utilization can be a ratio of the amount of computing resources allocated to processing tasks associated with an application to the amount of unused computing resources and / or the amount of computing resources allocated to other processing tasks of the wireless device.

[0317] In the example, the request for offloading can be based on the radio quality of the serving base station. As an example, the radio quality may be higher than a radio quality threshold, and the wireless device may determine to offload one or more processing tasks to the application server. The radio quality of the serving base station can be measured as the serving base station's RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality) and / or RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power). For example, the serving base station's RSRQ may be higher than -3 dB, and the wireless device may determine to offload one or more processing tasks to the application server. For example, the serving base station's RSRP may be higher than -44 dB, and the wireless device may determine to offload one or more processing tasks to the application server. The radio quality threshold may be pre-configured by the wireless device or provided by the wireless device's MEC layer. The wireless device can receive the radio quality threshold from the serving base station. The serving base station may broadcast the radio quality threshold for offloading, or it may send it to the wireless device via a message (e.g., an RRC message).

[0318] In the example, the request to offload can be based on the computing power of the wireless device. The wireless device could be a simple display without sufficient computing power for the application. In the example, the wireless device could include a display and a simple CPU, thus potentially lacking the computational power required for application processing. The need for offloading can be based on the capabilities of the wireless device. In the example, the need for offloading could be based on the wireless device being a display used to interact with the MEC application. In the example, the need for offloading could be based on the wireless device being a low-complexity wireless device. The wireless device can determine whether to offload application-related processing or storage / caching tasks.

[0319] In the example, the network can determine an offloading scheme based on the wireless device's status, network load, etc. The offloading scheme can be transmitted to the wireless device to instruct it to process, store / cache, transmit (e.g., determine the preferred access type) running applications.

[0320] In the example, session control messages can be PDU session establishment request messages, PDU session modification request messages, service request messages, etc. Session control messages can include the application's DNN and / or the application's S-NSSAI. Session control messages can include information for requesting offloading, facilitating offloading, determining whether offloading is feasible, and / or determining whether offloading is valid. Session control messages can include the power level of the wireless device, computing resources associated with the wireless device (used by the wireless device, not used by the wireless device, used by the application, available to the wireless device, etc.), radio quality (RSRQ, RSRP, etc. of the serving base station), wireless device capabilities, the number of applications, and the types of applications running on the wireless device, etc.

[0321] SMF can receive session control messages requesting uninstallation. SMF can use a UDR to check the authorization of the wireless device. In the example, SMF can check whether the application is authorized for use by the wireless device. SMF can use a UDR to check whether the application is authorized to use uninstallation and / or the application's uninstallation level. In the example, uninstallation can be authorized for the wireless device based on UDR subscription information, local policies, etc. In the example, the uninstallation level of the application or wireless device can include no uninstallation, partial uninstallation (corresponding to uninstallation of a specific processing task and / or a portion of all processing tasks), full uninstallation, etc. SMF can check the authorization of uninstallation and the uninstallation level based on pre-configured and / or local policies. If the wireless device is authorized to uninstall, SMF can determine the uninstallation of the wireless device based on a request from the wireless device.

[0322] In the example, the SMF can establish a session policy association with the PCF. The SMF can receive QoS parameters for the radio device based on DNN, S-NSSAI, etc. QoS parameters can include at least one of the following: 5G QoS Identifier (5QI), application and reservation priorities, reflection QoS attributes, flow bit rate, maximum packet loss rate, aggregate bit rate, etc. In the example, the SMF can select a UPF for the PDU session.

[0323] In response to receiving a session control message, the SMF can select a serving UPF for the PDU session. The SMF can select a serving UPF based on at least one of the following: DNN, S-NSSAI, location of the radio device, serving base station, load status information of the UPF, load status information of one or more application functions, offload requests, calculated authorization results, etc. Although only a single UPF is shown, it should be understood that UPF selection can include the selection of a user plane path to a specific application server (application function). User plane paths can include any number of UPFs. Any number of UPFs can communicate with each other using the N9 interface.

[0324] In the example, the authorization result for uninstallation can indicate that uninstallation is not allowed for the wireless device and / or application. In response to uninstallation being disallowed, the SMF can select a UPF based on the DNN, S-NSSAI, and the location of the wireless device. In response to uninstallation being disallowed, the SMF can select a UPF based on the available resources of the UPF, information about the path performance between the UPF and the wireless device (e.g., latency, hop count, etc.). In the example, if the wireless device location corresponds to a specific DNAI, the SMF can select a UPF associated with that DNAI. The association information between the DNAI and the UPF can be configured by the AF (e.g., the AS controller mentioned above) that influences traffic routing.

[0325] In the example, the authorization result of the offloading can indicate that offloading is permitted for the wireless device and / or the application. In the example, the SMF can determine to offload the computation of the wireless device to the application server based on an offloading request received from the wireless device. In the example, the SMF can determine to offload the computation of the wireless device to the application server based on the offloading request received from the wireless device and an indication that the wireless device is permitted to offload. In response to determining to offload the computation of the wireless device, the SMF can select the UPF based on DNN, S-NSSAI, the location of the wireless device, the serving base station, load state information of one or more application functions, etc. In the example, the SMF can select the UPF based on the location of the wireless device (e.g., a region associated with DNAI). The SMF can additionally consider the load state information of one or more application functions used for UPF selection.

[0326] In the example, UPF 1 and UPF 2 can be associated with DNAI-1, which is the location of the wireless device. In the example, the load status of the application function associated with UPF 1 can indicate that offloading is not possible. In the example, the load status of the application function associated with UPF 2 can indicate that offloading is possible. In response to the possibility of offloading, the SMF can select UPF 2.

[0327] In the example, UPF 1 and UPF 2 can be associated with DNAI-1, which is the location of the wireless device. In the example, the load status of the application function associated with UPF 1 can indicate that 70% of the computing power is being used. In the example, the load status of the application function associated with UPF 2 can indicate that 50% of the computing power is being used. In response to the possibility of offloading, the SMF can select UPF 2.

[0328] In the example, UPF 1 can be associated with DNAI-1, and UPF 2 can be associated with DNAI-2, and the wireless device can be located near DNAI-1. The load status of the first application function associated with DNAI-1 can indicate that offloading is not possible. The load status of the second application function associated with DNAI-2 can indicate that offloading is possible. The user plane path from the wireless device to UPF 2 may provide a longer latency than the user plane path from the wireless device to UPF 1. Based on the offloading request, and in response to the possibility of offloading the second application associated with UPF 2, the SMF can select UPF 2 for the PDU session.

[0329] In the example, the SMF can determine whether offloading of a PDU session for a wireless device is available. The SMF can determine offloading availability based on at least one of the following: DNN, S-NSSAI, location of the wireless device, serving base station, load status information of one or more application functions, offloading request, offloading authorization result, and selected UPF.

[0330] If the uninstallation authorization result indicates that uninstallation is not allowed for the wireless device and / or application, the SMF may determine that uninstallation is unavailable for the wireless device. If the application associated with the selected UPF (e.g., application functionality, application system, application server) does not support uninstallation (e.g., based on load status information) or cannot be uninstalled, the SMF may determine that uninstallation is unavailable for the PDU session.

[0331] If the uninstallation authorization result indicates that uninstallation is permitted for the wireless device and / or application, the SMF can determine that uninstallation is available for the wireless device. If the application associated with the selected UPF (e.g., application function, application system, application server) supports uninstallation (e.g., based on load status information) or is capable of uninstallation, the SMF can determine that uninstallation is available for the PDU session. If the SMF selects a UPF for a local data network (e.g., a local area network), the SMF can determine that uninstallation is available.

[0332] In the example, the SMF can send a session control response message to the wireless device for a PDU session, indicating whether offloading is available. The SMF can send the session control response message based on the confirmation of offloading. The session control response message can be a PDU session establishment accept message, a PDU session modification message, a PDU session modification response message, etc.

[0333] In the example, the wireless device can receive a session control response message from the SMF for a PDU session, indicating whether offloading is available. If the session control response message indicates that offloading is available, the wireless device can determine to offload the computation of the application associated with the PDU session to the application functionality in the data center. The wireless device can determine whether to offload the computation completely or partially. If the session control response message indicates that offloading is available, the wireless device can determine to send data that the wireless device's application has not processed. If the wireless device sends the application's unprocessed data to the application in the data center via a 5G system (e.g., base station to UPF), the application in the data center can process the data.

[0334] In the example, a session control response message could indicate that offloading is unavailable. If offloading is unavailable, the wireless device can determine not to offload the computation of the application associated with the PDU session to the application in the data center. The wireless device can determine local computation without offloading the application to the data center. If the session control response message indicates that offloading is unavailable, the wireless device can determine the data being processed by the application that sent the wireless device.

[0335] In the example, the session control response message can further indicate the application's uninstallation level. Uninstallation levels can include full uninstallation, partial uninstallation, partial uninstallation, etc. If the uninstallation level indicates partial uninstallation or partial uninstallation, the wireless device can determine that it is partially uninstalling. If the wireless device determines that it is partially uninstalling, it can send both unprocessed and processed data.

[0336] In the example, the session control response message can further indicate the location of the application server. The location of the application server can include a central data network, a local data network, an edge data network, etc. The wireless device can transmit unprocessed data based on whether the application server's location is a local data network or an edge data network. The wireless device can determine offloading computation (e.g., computing power) based on whether the application server's location is a local data network or an edge data network.

[0337] Figure 22The diagram illustrates the call flow of a load status information reporting procedure performed by an AS controller according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure. The diagram shows the UPF, several core network control plane functions (SMF, PCF, and UDR), and two application functions (AF1, AF2). In this example, each application function can be an AS controller.

[0338] Application functions can send AF requests to the SMF. AF requests can include a DNAI address, application function address, load status information, etc. In the example, load status information can be offload capability. Load status information can indicate the availability of offloaded resources from the application. Load status information can include, for example, the percentage of computational resources used by the application function (50%, 70%). Load status information can indicate full offload, partial offload, no offload, etc. Load status information can indicate the application's idle resources. The SMF can receive first load status information from application function 1. The SMF can receive second load status information from application function 2. The SMF can internally store the first and second load status information.

[0339] In the example, the wireless device requests the establishment of a PDU session for which offloading is requested. In response to the request, the SMF can determine the UPF selection for the PDU session based on first load status information and second load status information. If the load status of application function 1 indicates complete offloading and the load status of application function 2 indicates partial offloading, the SMF can select the UPF associated with application function 1.

[0340] Figure 23 A flowchart of a wireless device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In the example, the wireless device may send a session control message to the SMF requesting the uninstallation of an application. In response to sending the session control message, the wireless device may receive a session control response message. The session control response message may indicate whether uninstallation is available. If uninstallation is available, the wireless device may determine whether to perform a partial or full uninstallation. In response to uninstallation being available, the wireless device may send data that the application has not processed. In this disclosure, the term "unprocessed data" may refer to data that has not been fully processed to obtain a result, including raw data or partially processed data. If uninstallation is unavailable, the wireless device may determine local computation. In response to uninstallation being unavailable, the wireless device may send data that has been processed by the application.

[0341] Figure 24A flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of an SMF according to this disclosure is shown. In the example, the SMF can receive a session control message from a wireless device requesting the uninstallation of an application. The SMF can determine whether uninstallation is available. If uninstallation is available based on this determination, the SMF can send a session control response message indicating that uninstallation is available. If uninstallation is unavailable based on this determination, the SMF can send a session control response message indicating that uninstallation is unavailable.

[0342] Figure 25 A flowchart of an SMF regarding UPF selection according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown. In the example, the SMF may receive one or more load status information from one or more application servers of an application from a network function. The SMF may select one or more UPFs based on one or more load status information. The network function may be an application function (e.g., an application function of MEC, MEC controller, etc.).

[0343] In the example, the wireless device can send a session control message for a Packet Data Unit (PDU) session to the Session Management Function (SMF) requesting the uninstallation of the wireless device's application. The wireless device can receive a session control response message for the PDU session from the SMF, indicating that uninstallation is available. Based on the indication that uninstallation is available, the wireless device can send any unprocessed data from the wireless device's application.

[0344] In the example, uninstallation can refer to uninstalling one or more processing tasks, and can be referred to as compute uninstallation, task uninstallation, and / or processing uninstallation.

[0345] In the example, the wireless device can send a session control message for a Packet Data Unit (PDU) session to the Session Management Function (SMF), where the session control message requests the uninstallation of the wireless device's application. The wireless device can receive a session control response message for the PDU session from the SMF, indicating whether uninstallation is available. Based on the indication that uninstallation is available, the wireless device can send data that has not been processed by the wireless device's application. In the example, based on the indication that uninstallation is unavailable, the wireless device can send data that has been processed by the wireless device's application. In the example, uninstallation can be uninstallation itself.

[0346] In the example, a wireless device can request offloading based on at least one of the following: battery power level, computing resources, application computing resources, radio quality of the serving base station, and wireless device capabilities. The wireless device's battery power level may be below a power threshold. The wireless device's computing resources may be below a computing resource threshold. The serving base station's radio quality may be above a radio quality threshold. The wireless device may be a low-complexity wireless device. The wireless device may be authorized to offload.

[0347] In the example, the session control response message can further indicate the application's uninstallation level, whether it's a full uninstallation or a partial / partial uninstallation. Sending unprocessed data can be further based on the uninstallation level. The session control response message can further indicate the application server's location, whether it's located at the center or edge of the network. Sending unprocessed data can be further based on the application server's location.

[0348] In the example, the Session Management Function (SMF) can receive a session control message for a Packet Data Unit (PDU) session from the radio device, in which the session control message requests the uninstallation of an application from the radio device. The SMF can determine whether uninstallation is available. Based on this determination, the SMF can send a session control response message for the PDU session to the radio device, indicating whether uninstallation is available.

[0349] In the example, the SMF can select a UPF for a PDU session based on an offload request. The SMF can receive a first message indicating a first compute load state of the first application server (AS) associated with the application. The SMF can receive a second message indicating a second compute load state of the second AS associated with the application. The SMF can select a UPF based on the first and second compute load states. In the example, in response to a first offload state being higher than a second offload state, the SMF can select a User Plane Function (UPF) associated with the first application. In the example, the first message may include at least one of the first compute load state, one or more Data Network Access Identifiers (DNAIs) associated with the first AS, etc.

[0350] In the example, the session control message of the PDU session may also include at least one of the following: the computing power of the wireless device, power consumption information, etc.

[0351] In the example, the determination may be further based on at least one of the following: the remaining battery power of the wireless device, the amount of unprocessed data, etc.

[0352] In the example, the session control response message may also include the location of the wireless device's AS. The location of the AS may indicate at least one of the following: the center of the network, the edge of the network, a local area network, etc.

[0353] In response to remote calculations in the AS of the application selected by the wireless device, the wireless device can determine to send unprocessed data.

[0354] AS can be located in the edge network of wireless devices.

[0355] In response to the wireless device selecting local calculations within the wireless device, the wireless device can determine which processed data to send.

[0356] A wireless device can send a session modification message to the SMF to request modifications to the application's Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. Sending the session modification message can be based on this determination.

[0357] In the example, the Session Management Function (SMF) can receive a first message from a first application function (AF) of the application, indicating a first load state of the first AF, wherein the first message includes a first offload capability of the first AF. The SMF can receive a second message from a second application function (AF) of the application, indicating a second load state of the second AF, wherein the second message includes a second offload capability of the second AF. The SMF can receive a third message from the radio device requesting packet data unit (PDU) session settings for the application. The SMF can determine and select a first user data function (UPF) associated with the first AF based on the first and second messages.

[0358] In the example, the Session Management Function (SMF) can receive messages from the application's Application Function (AF), including at least one of a first load state of the application associated with a first Data Network Access Identifier (DNAI), a second load state of the application associated with a second DNAI, etc. The SMF can receive a third message from the radio device requesting packet data unit (PDU) session settings for the application. The SMF can determine and select a first User Data Function (UPF) associated with the first DNAI based on the first and second load states.

[0359] In the example, the first load state can indicate higher computing power than the second load state.

[0360] In this specification, "a" (a and an) and similar phrases will be interpreted as "at least one" and "one or more". In this specification, the term "may" is interpreted, for example, "may". In other words, the term "may" indicates that the phrase following the term "may" is an example of one of many suitable possibilities that may or may not be used in one or more embodiments across various implementations. If A and B are sets, and every element of A is also an element of B, then A is called a subset of B. In this specification, only non-empty sets and subsets are considered. For example, possible subsets of B = {cell1, cell2} are: {cell1}, {cell2}, and {cell1, cell2}.

[0361] In this specification, a parameter (information element: IE) may include one or more objects, and each of those objects may include one or more other objects. For example, if parameter (IE)N includes parameter (IE)M, and parameter (IE)M includes parameter (IE)K, and parameter (IE)K includes parameter (information element)J, then, for example, N includes K, and N includes J. In an exemplary embodiment, when one or more messages include multiple parameters, this means that a parameter among the multiple parameters is present in at least one of the one or more messages, but not necessarily in each of the one or more messages.

[0362] Many elements described in the disclosed embodiments can be implemented as modules. A module is defined herein as a separable element that performs a defined function and has a defined interface to other elements. Modules described in this disclosure can be implemented as hardware, software combined with hardware, firmware, wet hardware (i.e., hardware with biological elements), or a combination thereof, all of which may be behaviorally equivalent. For example, a module can be implemented as software routines written in a computer language configured to be executed by a hardware machine (e.g., C, C++, Fortran, Java, Basic, Matlab, etc.) or a modeling / simulation program (e.g., Simulink, Stateflow, GNU Octave, or LabVIEW MathScript). Alternatively, it is possible to implement modules using physical hardware incorporating discrete or programmable analog, digital, and / or quantum hardware. Examples of programmable hardware include: computers; microcontrollers; microprocessors; application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs); field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs); and complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs). Computers, microcontrollers, and microprocessors are programmed using languages ​​such as assembly, C, and C++. FPGAs, ASICs, and CPLDs are frequently programmed using Hardware Description Languages ​​(HDLs), such as VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) or Verilog. These languages ​​configure connections between relatively few internal hardware modules on a programmable device. Finally, it is important to emphasize that the above techniques are often used in combination to achieve the result of functional modules.

[0363] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented using various physical and / or virtual network elements, software-defined networks, and virtual network functions.

[0364] The disclosure of this patent document incorporates copyrighted material. The copyright holder does not object to anyone making an exact copy of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office's patent documents or records for limited purposes required by law, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights.

[0365] Although various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented by way of example rather than limitation. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Indeed, after reading the above description, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art how to implement alternative embodiments. Therefore, the current embodiments should not be limited to any of the exemplary embodiments described above. In particular, it should be noted that, for illustrative purposes, the above explanation has focused on examples using 5G AN. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments of the invention can also be implemented in systems including one or more legacy systems or LTE. The disclosed methods and systems can be implemented in wireless or wired systems. Features of the various embodiments proposed in this invention can be combined. One or more features (methods or systems) of one embodiment can be implemented in other embodiments. A limited number of example combinations are shown to indicate to those skilled in the art the possibility of combining features in various embodiments to create enhanced transmission and reception systems and methods.

[0366] Furthermore, it should be understood that any diagrams highlighting features and benefits are presented for illustrative purposes only. The disclosed architecture is flexible and configurable enough that it can be utilized in ways other than those shown. For example, the actions listed in any flowchart can be reordered or optionally used in certain implementations.

[0367] Furthermore, the purpose of this abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the general public, especially scientists, engineers, and practitioners unfamiliar with patent or legal terminology, to quickly determine the nature and substance of the technical disclosure of this application through a cursory examination. This abstract is not intended to limit the scope in any way.

[0368] Finally, the applicant's intention is that only claims including the phrases "apparatus for..." or "steps for..." should be interpreted according to 35 U.SC 112. Claims that do not explicitly include the phrases "apparatus for..." or "steps for..." should not be interpreted according to 35 U.SC 112.

Claims

1. A session management method, comprising: The Session Management Function (SMF) receives a Packet Data Unit (PDU) Session Establishment Request message from the radio device. The PDU Session Establishment Request message requests: Establish a PDU session associated with the application; as well as Data is offloaded from the wireless device to an application server associated with the application. as well as A response message is sent to the wireless device, the response message indicating whether to reject or accept the offloading process of the data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the SMF selecting a User Plane Function (UPF) to serve the PDU session.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the UPF is associated with at least one data network access identifier that links the UPF to the application server associated with the application.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving load status information of the application server from the application server associated with the application.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the UPF is selected based on the load status information of the application server.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the response message indicates one or more of the following: The unloading process for the data is rejected; The partial unloading of the unloading process that accepts the data; and The uninstallation process that accepts the data is a complete uninstallation.

7. A session management network element comprising one or more processors and a memory storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the session management function to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A session management method, comprising: The wireless device sends a Packet Data Unit (PDU) session establishment request message to the Session Management Function (SMF), the PDU session establishment request message requesting: Establish a PDU session associated with the application; as well as Data is offloaded from the wireless device to an application server associated with the application. as well as A response message is received from the SMF, indicating whether the offloading process for the data is rejected or accepted.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The PDU session establishment request message is a non-access stratum (NAS) message.

11. The method of any one of claims 9 to 10, wherein the request for unloading the data is based on at least one of the following: The power level of the wireless device is lower than the power level threshold. The computing power utilization rate of the wireless device is higher than the computing power utilization threshold; and The radio quality associated with the communication of the wireless device is higher than the radio quality threshold.

12. The method of any one of claims 9 to 10, wherein the response message indicates one or more of the following: The unloading process for the data is rejected; The partial unloading of the unloading process that accepts the data; and The uninstallation process that accepts the data is a complete uninstallation.

13. A wireless device comprising one or more processors and a memory storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, causing the wireless device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 9 to 12.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method as described in any one of claims 9 to 12.

15. A session management system, comprising: Session management functionality, comprising: one or more processors and a memory storing instructions, the instructions causing the session management functionality to: Receive a Packet Data Unit (PDU) Session Establishment Request message from the wireless device, the PDU Session Establishment Request message requesting: Establish a PDU session associated with the application; and Data is offloaded from the wireless device to an application server associated with the application; and Send a response message indicating whether to reject or accept the offloading process for the data; A wireless device, comprising one or more processors and a memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the wireless device to: Send the PDU session establishment request message; and Receive the response message.

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