Methods and devices performed in a radio access network, RAN, having a distributed RAN architecture

Abstract

Systems and methods relating to quality of experience (QoE) measurement reporting in cellular communication systems having a split-type or distributed radio access network (RAN) architecture are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed in an RAN having a distributed RAN architecture includes: at the control plane portion (CU-CP) of the central unit of a base station in the RAN, sending one or more first messages to the user plane portion (CU-UP) of the central unit to establish or modify one or more bearers, and sending one or more second messages to the distributed unit (DU) of the base station to establish or modify one or more bearers.

Description

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application serial number 63 / 047990, filed on July 3, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to a quality of experience (QoE) measurement report in a cellular communication system. Background Technology

[0004] The overall architecture of the Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) is described in section 6.1.1 of the 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.401 V16.1.0, which will be reproduced below.

[0005] *****Start of 3GPP TS 38.401 V16.1.0, Section 6.1.1*****

[0006] 6.1.1 Overall Architecture of NG-RAN

[0007] [This article is reproduced as] Figure 1 ]

[0008] Figure 6 .1-1: Overall Architecture

[0009] NG-RAN consists of a group of gNBs connected to 5GC via the NG interface.

[0010] Note: As specified in 38.300[2], the NG-RAN may also consist of a group of ng-eNBs, which may consist of ng-eNB-CUs and one or more ng-eNB-DUs. The ng-eNB-CUs and ng-eNB-DUs are connected via the W1 interface. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, the general principles described in this section also apply to the ng-eNBs and the W1 interface.

[0011] gNB can support FDD mode, TDD mode or dual mode operation.

[0012] gNBs can be interconnected via the Xn interface.

[0013] A gNB can consist of a gNB-CU and one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU and gNB-DU are connected via an F1 interface.

[0014] One gNB-DU is connected to only one gNB-CU.

[0015] Note: In the case of sharing a network with multiple cell ID broadcasts, each cell identifier associated with a subset of the PLMN corresponds to a gNB-DU and the gNB-CU connected to it, that is, the corresponding gNB-DUs share the same physical layer cell resources.

[0016] Note: For flexibility, a gNB-DU can be connected to multiple gNB-CUs through appropriate implementation.

[0017] NG, Xn, and F1 are logical interfaces.

[0018] For NG-RAN, the NG and Xn-C interfaces for a gNB consisting of a gNB-CU and a gNB-DU are terminated in the gNB-CU. For EN-DC, the S1-U and X2-C interfaces for a gNB consisting of a gNB-CU and a gNB-DU are terminated in the gNB-CU. The gNB-CU and the connected gNB-DU are only visible to other gNBs and the 5GC acting as a gNB. Possible deployment scenarios are described in Appendix A.

[0019] Nodes hosting the user plane portion of the NR PDCP (e.g., gNB-CU, gNB-CU-UP, and for EN-DC, depending on the bearer partition, MeNB or SgNB) will perform user inactivity monitoring and further notify nodes with C-plane connections toward the core network (e.g., via E1, X2) of their inactivity or (re)activation. Nodes hosting the NR RLC (e.g., gNB-DU) can perform user inactivity monitoring and further notify nodes hosting the control plane (e.g., gNB-CU or gNB-CU-CP) of their inactivity or (re)activation.

[0020] The UL PDCP configuration (i.e., how the UE uses UL at the auxiliary node) is indicated via X2-C (for EN-DC), Xn-C (for NG-RAN), and F1-C. The radio link interruption / restoration of DL and / or UL is indicated via X2-U (for EN-DC), Xn-U (for NG-RAN), and F1-U.

[0021] NG-RAN is layered into the Radio Network Layer (RNL) and the Transport Network Layer (TNL).

[0022] The NG-RAN architecture (i.e., NG-RAN logical nodes and the interfaces between them) is defined as part of the RNL.

[0023] For each NG-RAN interface (NG, Xn, F1), the relevant TNL protocol and functions are specified. TNL provides services for user plane transmission and signaling transmission.

[0024] In the NG-Flex configuration, each NG-RAN node connects to all AMFs in the AMF set within the AMF region, which supports at least one slice that is also supported by the NG-RAN node. The AMF set and AMF region are defined in 3GPP TS 23.501[3].

[0025] If security protection of control plane and user plane data on the TNL of the NG-RAN interface must be supported, then NDS / IP3GPP TS 33.501

[13] will be applicable.

[0026] *****End of 3GPP TS 38.401, Section V16.1.0, 6.1.1*****

[0027] Section 6.1.2 of 3GPP TS 38.401 V16.1.0 describes the overall architecture for separating the control plane portion (gNB-CU-CP) and the user plane portion (gNB-CU-UP) of the next-generation node B (gNB) central unit (CU) (referred to herein as gNB-CU), which will be reproduced below.

[0028] *****Start of 3GPP TS 38.401 V16.1.0, Section 6.1.2*****

[0029] The overall architecture used to separate gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP is as follows: Figure 6 As shown in .1.2-1.

[0030] [This article is reproduced as] Figure 2 ]

[0031] Figure 6 1.2-1 Overall Architecture for Separating gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP

[0032] - A gNB can be composed of gNB-CU-CP, multiple gNB-CU-UP, and multiple gNB-DU;

[0033] - gNB-CU-CP connects to gNB-DU via F1-C interface;

[0034] - gNB-CU-UP connects to gNB-DU via the F1-U interface;

[0035] - gNB-CU-UP connects to gNB-CU-CP via an E1 interface;

[0036] - One gNB-DU is connected to only one gNB-CU-CP;

[0037] - One gNB-CU-UP connects to only one gNB-CU-CP;

[0038] Note 1: For flexibility, gNB-DU and / or gNB-CU-UP can be connected to multiple gNB-CU-CPs through appropriate implementation.

[0039] - A gNB-DU can be connected to multiple gNB-CU-UPs under the control of the same gNB-CU-CP;

[0040] - A gNB-CU-UP can be connected to multiple DUs under the control of the same gNB-CU-CP;

[0041] Note 2: The connection between gNB-CU-UP and gNB-DU is established by gNB-CU-CP using bearer context management functionality.

[0042] Note 3: gNB-CU-CP selects the appropriate gNB-CU-UP for the UE's requested service. In the case of multiple CU-UPs, they belong to the same security domain as defined in TS33.210

[18] .

[0043] Note 4: During handover within the gNB-CU-CP, data forwarding between gNB-CU-UP can be supported by Xn-U.

[0044] *****End of 3GPP TS 38.401 V16.1.0, Section 6.1.2*****

[0045] Quality of Experience (QoE) measurements have been defined for Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). These application-layer measurements aim to measure the end-user experience when using certain applications. Currently, QoE measurements are supported in LTE for streaming services and Mobile Phone Service (MTSI) for Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem Services.

[0046] The solutions in LTE and UMTS follow a similar general principle. QoE measurement collection enables the configuration of application-layer measurements in the UE and the transmission of QoE measurement result files via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. Application-layer measurement configurations received from Operations & Management (O&M) or the Core Network (CN) are encapsulated in a transparent container, which is forwarded to the User Equipment (UE) in a downlink RRC message. Application-layer measurement results received from higher layers of the UE are encapsulated in a transparent container and sent to the network in an uplink RRC message. The measurement result container is then forwarded to the Tracking Collector Entity (TCE). Figure 3 The diagram shows the RRC signaling flow used for QoE measurement in LTE.

[0047] In 3GPP Release 17, a new research project, "Research on NR QoE Management and Optimization for Different Services," has been approved for New Radio (NR). The aim of this research project is to investigate solutions for QoE management in NR. QoE management in NR will not only collect experience parameters for streaming services but also consider the typical performance requirements of different services, such as Augmented Reality (AR) / Virtual Reality (VR) and Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC). Based on service requirements, the NR research will also include more adaptive QoE management schemes that enable intelligent network optimization to meet the user experience needs of different services.

[0048] QoE measurements can be initiated toward the Radio Access Network (RAN) in a management-based manner, i.e., from the O&M node in a coordinated manner for a group of UEs, or they can be initiated in a signaling-based manner, i.e., from the CN to the RAN. The configuration of QoE measurements includes the measurement details, which are encapsulated in a container transparent to the RAN.

[0049] When initiated via the CN, the QoE measurement configuration is directed to a specific UE. The “Trace Request” is implemented in LTE as an S1AP message, which carries configuration information for measurement details and information indicating the TCE to which the collected QoE measurements should be sent.

[0050] The RAN is unaware of when a streaming session will occur within the UE, nor when a QoE measurement will be performed. For clients analyzing QoE measurements, measuring the entire session is crucial. When the RAN stops measurement is determined by the implementation. Typically, measurement ends when the UE has moved outside the measurement area.

[0051] Advantageously, if a streaming session exists, the UE will maintain QoE measurements for the entire session, even during handover. It was concluded during 3GPP studies that fragmented QoE reporting is of limited use.

[0052] In LTE, the MeasReportAppLayer message is used to transmit QoE measurement result files. See the following excerpt from the RRC specification TS 36.331 V16.0.0:

[0053] *****This excerpt begins from 3GPP TS 36.331 V16.0.0*****

[0054] -MeasReportAppLayer

[0055] The MeasReportAppLayer message is used to send application-layer measurement reports.

[0056] Signaling radio bearer: SRB4

[0057] RLC-SAP: AM

[0058] Logical Channel: DCCH

[0059] Direction: UE to E-UTRAN

[0060] MeasReportAppLayer message

[0061] -- ASN1START

[0062] MeasReportAppLayer-r15 ::=SEQUENCE {

[0063] criticalExtensionsCHOICE {

[0064] measReportAppLayer-r15MeasReportAppLayer-r15-IEs,

[0065] criticalExtensionsFutureSEQUENCE {}

[0066] }

[0067] }

[0068] MeasReportAppLayer-r15-IEs ::=SEQUENCE {

[0069] measReportAppLayerContainer-r15OCTET STRING (SIZE(1..8000))OPTIONAL,

[0070] serviceType-r15ENUMERATED {qoe, qoemtsi, spare6, spare5, spare4,spare3, spare2, spare1}OPTIONAL,

[0071] nonCriticalExtensionMeasReportAppLayer-v1590-IEsOPTIONAL

[0072] }

[0073] MeasReportAppLayer-v1590-IEs ::=SEQUENCE {

[0074] lateNonCriticalExtensionOCTET STRINGOPTIONAL,

[0075] nonCriticalExtensionSEQUENCE {}OPTIONAL

[0076] }

[0077] -- ASN1STOP

[0078] MeasReportAppLayer field description The measReportAppLayerContainer field contains the container for the application layer measurement, see Appendix L (Paradigm) in TS 26.247

[90] and Clause 16.5 in TS 26.114

[99] . `serviceType` indicates the type of application layer measurement. The value `qoe` indicates the collection of experience quality measurements for streaming services, and the value `qoemtsi` indicates the collection of experience quality measurements for MTSI.

[0079] *****End of excerpt from 3GPP TS 36.331 V16.0.0***** Summary of the Invention

[0080] Systems and methods relating to Quality of Experience (QoE) measurement reporting in cellular communication systems having a split-type or distributed radio access network (RAN) architecture are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed in an RAN having a distributed RAN architecture includes: at the control plane portion (CU-CP) of a base station in the RAN, sending one or more first messages to the user plane portion (CU-UP) of the central unit to establish or modify one or more bearers, and sending one or more second messages to the distributed unit (DU) of the base station to establish or modify one or more bearers. The method further includes receiving one or more first messages from the CU-CP at the CU-UP. The method further includes receiving one or more second messages at the DU and sending one or more QoE measurement reports to the CU-UP via one or more bearers. The method further includes receiving one or more QoE measurement reports from the DU at the CU-UP and forwarding one or more QoE measurement reports to the CU-CP, another network node, or both the CU-CP and another network node.

[0081] In one embodiment, one or more bearers are one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting.

[0082] In one embodiment, one or more bearers are not dedicated to QoE measurement reporting. In one embodiment, receiving one or more QoE measurement reports at the CU-UP includes receiving one or more QoE measurement reports at the CU-UP via one or more PDUs of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) type dedicated to QoE measurement reporting. In another embodiment, receiving one or more QoE measurement reports at the CU-UP includes receiving one or more QoE measurement reports at the CU-UP via one or more PDUs of a PDU type not dedicated to QoE measurement reporting. In one embodiment, the one or more PDUs include an indication that the one or more PDUs include one or more QoE measurement reports.

[0083] In one embodiment, one or more PDUs include instructions on how the CU-UP will process one or more QoE measurement reports.

[0084] In one embodiment, one or more PDUs include an indication of whether the CU-UP wants to forward one or more QoE measurement reports to the CU-CP, another network node, or both the CU-CP and another network node.

[0085] An embodiment of a method performed by the CU-CP of a base station in a RAN with a distributed RAN architecture is also disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes sending one or more first messages to the CU-UP to establish or modify one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting.

[0086] In one embodiment, one or more first messages include a bearer establishment message or a bearer modification message for a respective bearer in one or more bearers, the bearer establishment message or bearer modification message including: (a) an indication that the respective bearer will be used for QoE measurement reporting; (b) an indication that the respective bearer will be used to carry QoE measurement reports for a specific QoE measurement session; (c) an indication that the respective bearer will be used to carry QoE measurement reports for multiple QoE measurement sessions; (d) an indication of whether the respective bearer can be used to carry QoE measurement reports for one or more QoE measurement sessions identified in a QoE measurement session identifier (ID) list; (e) (a) Configuration for one or more Quality of Service (QoS) attributes defined for transmitting QoE reports via the user plane; (f) One or more attributes controlling the behavior of the CU-UP when data for the corresponding bearer for QoE measurement reports is received; (g) One or more attributes controlling the behavior of the CU-UP when the corresponding bearer for QoE measurement reports is interrupted; (h) One or more attributes controlling the behavior of the CU-UP to forward data for the corresponding bearer for QoE measurement reports to another CU-UP controlled by the same CU-CP when needed; or (j) Any two or more combinations of (a)-(h).

[0087] In one embodiment, the method further includes sending one or more second messages to the DU of the base station to establish or modify one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting. In one embodiment, one or more second messages include a bearer establishment message or a bearer modification message for a corresponding bearer in one or more bearers, the bearer establishment message or bearer modification message including: (i) an indication that the corresponding bearer will be used for QoE measurement reporting; (ii) an indication that the corresponding bearer will be used to carry QoE measurement reports for a specific QoE measurement session; (iii) an indication that the corresponding bearer will be used to carry QoE measurement reports for multiple QoE measurement sessions; (iv) an indication that the corresponding bearer will be used to carry QoE measurement reports for one or more QoE measurement sessions identified in a QoE measurement session ID list; (v) a configuration for one or more QoS attributes defined for transmitting QoE reports over the user plane; (vi) one or more attributes controlling the behavior of the DU when data is received on the corresponding bearer for QoE measurement reporting; (vii) one or more attributes controlling the behavior of the DU when the corresponding bearer for QoE measurement reporting is interrupted; (viii) one or more attributes controlling the behavior of the DU to forward data on the corresponding bearer for QoE measurement reporting to another CU-UP controlled by the same CU-CP when needed; (ix) any two or more combinations of (i)-(viii).

[0088] In one embodiment, one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting include two or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting for a specific wireless communication device. In one embodiment, these two or more bearers are associated with different QoE measurement reporting types. In one embodiment, different processing is applied to different QoE reporting types.

[0089] In one embodiment, the method further includes detecting a triggering factor for establishing one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting. Furthermore, sending one or more first messages to the CU-UP includes: in response to detecting the triggering factor, sending one or more first messages to the CU-UP to establish one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting. In one embodiment, the triggering factor is: (a) forwarding the corresponding QoE measurement configuration to the corresponding wireless communication device; (b) selecting a wireless communication device for a received managed QoE measurement configuration; (c) receiving a QoE measurement configuration for the corresponding wireless communication device from an OAM or core network node; (d) receiving an indication from the corresponding wireless communication device that a QoE report is ready to be transmitted; or (e) receiving a report availability indication carried via the user plane from the corresponding wireless communication device.

[0090] In one embodiment, one or more first messages include one or more bearers that will be used to carry an indication of a QoE measurement report.

[0091] In one embodiment, one or more first messages include an indication that QoE measurement report transmission via at least one of one or more bearers will be paused or resumed.

[0092] In one embodiment, one or more first messages include indications of one or more attributes related to the transmission of a QoE measurement report via at least one of one or more bearers. In one embodiment, one or more attributes related to the QoE measurement transmission include priority, preemption capability, and / or preemptibility.

[0093] In one embodiment, one or more first messages include an indication of whether a QoE measurement report received via at least one of one or more bearers will be forwarded to the CU-CP or another network entity.

[0094] In one embodiment, the CU-CP instructs the CU-UP where to forward the QoE measurement report during the interface establishment between the CU-CP and CU-UP.

[0095] In one embodiment, during the interface establishment between CU-CP and CU-UP, CU-CP receives information indicating that one or more QoE measurement reports supported by CU-UP are forwarded as alternatives.

[0096] A corresponding embodiment of a RAN node implementing a CU-CP of a base station with a distributed RAN architecture is also disclosed. In one embodiment, the RAN node is adapted to send one or more first messages to the CU-UP to establish or modify one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting.

[0097] In another embodiment, the RAN node of the CU-CP of a base station implementing a RAN with a distributed RAN architecture includes a communication interface and processing circuitry associated with the communication interface. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the RAN node to send one or more first messages to the CU-UP to establish or modify one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting.

[0098] An embodiment of a method performed by a CU-UP of a base station in a RAN with a distributed RAN architecture is also disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving one or more first messages from a CU-CP to establish or modify one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting.

[0099] In one embodiment, one or more first messages include a bearer establishment message or a bearer modification message for a respective bearer in one or more bearers, the bearer establishment message or bearer modification message including: (a) an indication that the respective bearer will be used for QoE measurement reporting; (b) an indication that the respective bearer will be used to carry QoE measurement reports for a specific QoE measurement session; (c) an indication that the respective bearer will be used to carry QoE measurement reports for multiple QoE measurement sessions; (d) an indication of whether the respective bearer can be used to carry QoE measurement reports for one or more QoE measurement sessions identified in a QoE measurement session ID list; (e) configuration for transmitting QoE reports via the user plane; (f) one or more attributes controlling the behavior of the CU-UP when data for the corresponding bearer for QoE measurement reports is received; (g) one or more attributes controlling the behavior of the CU-UP when the corresponding bearer for QoE measurement reports is interrupted; (h) one or more attributes controlling the behavior of the CU-UP to forward data for the corresponding bearer for QoE measurement reports to another CU-UP controlled by the same CU-CP when needed; or any combination of two or more of (i) (a)-(h).

[0100] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving one or more QoE measurement reports from a DU at a base station via at least one of one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting, and forwarding the one or more QoE measurement reports to a CU-CP, another network node, or both a CU-CP and another network node. In one embodiment, forwarding the one or more QoE measurement reports includes forwarding the one or more QoE measurement reports via one or more wireless communication device association messages or via one or more non-wireless communication device association messages, wherein each non-wireless communication device association message includes a list of identifiers distinguishing QoE measurement reports from different wireless communication devices and / or a list of measurement session identifiers distinguishing QoE measurement reports from the same wireless communication device. In one embodiment, a CU-UP stores one or more QoE measurement reports, and forwarding one or more QoE measurement reports includes forwarding the one or more QoE measurement reports to the CU-CP in response to a request from the CU-CP.

[0101] In one embodiment, one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting include two or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting for a specific wireless communication device. In one embodiment, these two or more bearers are associated with different QoE measurement reporting types. In one embodiment, different processing is applied to different QoE reporting types.

[0102] In one embodiment, one or more first messages include one or more bearers that will be used to carry an indication of a QoE measurement report.

[0103] In one embodiment, one or more first messages include an indication that QoE measurement report transmission via at least one of one or more bearers will be paused or resumed.

[0104] In one embodiment, one or more first messages include indications of one or more attributes related to the transmission of a QoE measurement report via at least one of one or more bearers. In one embodiment, one or more attributes related to the QoE measurement transmission include priority, preemption capability, and / or preemptibility.

[0105] In one embodiment, one or more first messages include an indication of whether a QoE measurement report received via at least one of one or more bearers will be forwarded to the CU-CP or another network entity.

[0106] In one embodiment, the CU-UP receives instructions from the CU-CP regarding where to forward the QoE measurement report, which are received during the interface establishment between the CU-CP and the CU-UP.

[0107] In one embodiment, during the interface establishment between CU-CP and CU-UP, CU-UP sends information to CU-CP instructing one or more QoE measurement report forwarding alternatives supported by CU-UP.

[0108] In one embodiment, CU-UP provides different processing for different types of QoE measurement report data.

[0109] A corresponding embodiment of a RAN node for a CU-UP of a base station implementing a RAN with a distributed RAN architecture is also disclosed. In one embodiment, the RAN node is adapted to receive one or more first messages from the CU-CP to establish or modify one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting.

[0110] In another embodiment, the RAN node of the CU-UP of a base station implementing a RAN with a distributed RAN architecture includes a communication interface and processing circuitry associated with the communication interface. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the RAN node to receive one or more first messages from the CU-CP to establish or modify one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting.

[0111] In another embodiment, a method performed by the CU-CP of a base station with a distributed RAN architecture includes: sending one or more first messages to the CU-UP to establish or modify one or more bearers; and sending one or more second messages to the DU of the base station to establish or modify one or more bearers. QoE measurement reports are transmitted on one or more bearers using either of the following methods: (a) a PDU with a PDU type dedicated to QoE measurement reports; or (b) a PDU with a PDU type that includes an indicator indicating that the PDU carries a QoE measurement report.

[0112] In one embodiment, the PDU also includes an indicator of how the CU-UP will process the QoE measurement report carried by the PDU.

[0113] A corresponding embodiment of a RAN node implementing a CU-CP of a base station with a distributed RAN architecture is also disclosed. In one embodiment, the RAN node is adapted to send one or more first messages to the CU-UP to establish or modify one or more bearers, and to send one or more second messages to the DU of the base station to establish or modify one or more bearers. QoE measurement reports are transmitted on one or more bearers using either of the following methods: (a) a PDU with a PDU type dedicated to QoE measurement reports; or (b) a PDU with a PDU type that includes an indicator indicating that the PDU carries a QoE measurement report.

[0114] In one embodiment, the PDU also includes an indicator of how the CU-UP (602-n) will process the QoE measurement report carried by the PDU.

[0115] In another embodiment, the RAN node implementing the CU-CP of a base station with a distributed RAN architecture includes a communication interface and processing circuitry associated with the communication interface. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the RAN node to send one or more first messages to the CU-UP to establish or modify one or more bearers, and to send one or more second messages to the DU of the base station to establish or modify one or more bearers. QoE measurement reports are transmitted on one or more bearers using either of the following methods: (a) a PDU with a PDU type dedicated to QoE measurement reports; or (b) a PDU with a PDU type that includes an indicator indicating that the PDU carries a QoE measurement report.

[0116] In one embodiment, the PDU also includes an indicator of how the CU-UP will process the QoE measurement report carried by the PDU.

[0117] In one embodiment, a method performed by a CU-UP of a base station of a RAN having a distributed RAN architecture includes: receiving one or more first messages from a CU-CP to establish or modify one or more bearers; and receiving one or more QoE measurement reports from a DU of the base station via one or more bearers, the one or more QoE measurement reports being carried in either of the following ways: (a) one or more PDUs having a PDU type dedicated to QoE measurement reports; or (b) one or more PDUs having a PDU type including an indicator indicating that the one or more PDUs carry one or more QoE measurement reports.

[0118] In one embodiment, the method further includes forwarding one or more QoE measurement reports to the CU-CP, another network node, or both the CU-CP and another network node.

[0119] In one embodiment, one or more PDUs also include an indicator of how the CU-UP will process the QoE measurement report carried by the PDU. In one embodiment, the method further includes forwarding one or more QoE measurement reports to the CU-CP, another network node, or both the CU-CP and another network node, based on the indicator of how the CU-UP will process the QoE measurement report carried by the PDU.

[0120] A corresponding embodiment of a RAN node implementing a CU-UP of a base station with a distributed RAN architecture is also disclosed. In one embodiment, the RAN node is adapted to receive one or more first messages from a CU-CP to establish or modify one or more bearers, and to receive one or more QoE measurement reports from a DU of the base station via one or more bearers, the one or more QoE measurement reports being carried in either of the following ways: (a) one or more PDUs having a PDU type dedicated to QoE measurement reports; or (b) one or more PDUs having a PDU type including an indicator indicating that the one or more PDUs carry one or more QoE measurement reports.

[0121] In another embodiment, the RAN node of the CU-UP of a base station implementing a RAN with a distributed RAN architecture includes a communication interface and processing circuitry associated with the communication interface. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the RAN node to receive one or more first messages from the CU-CP to establish or modify one or more bearers, and to receive one or more QoE measurement reports from the DU of the base station via the one or more bearers, the one or more QoE measurement reports being carried in either of the following ways: (a) one or more PDUs having a PDU type dedicated to QoE measurement reports; or (b) one or more PDUs having a PDU type including an indicator indicating that the one or more PDUs carry one or more QoE measurement reports. Attached Figure Description

[0122] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this application, illustrate several aspects of this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0123] Figure 1 It comes from 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.401 V16.1.0. Figure 6 Reproduction of .1-1;

[0124] Figure 2 It comes from 3GPP TS 38.401 V16.1.0. Figure 6 Reproduction of .1.2-1;

[0125] Figure 3 The radio resource control (RRC) signaling flow used for quality of experience (QoE) measurement in Long Term Evolution (LTE) is shown;

[0126] Figure 4 An example of a cellular communication system that can implement embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0127] Figure 5 and Figure 6 This illustrates the split architecture of the 3GPP New Radio (NR) Radio Access Network (RAN);

[0128] Figure 7 The operation of the next-generation node B (gNB) central unit (CU) control plane (CP) portion (i.e., gNB-CU-CP), gNB CU user plane (UP) portion (i.e., gNB-CU-UP), and gNB distributed unit (DU) (i.e., gNB-DU) according to an embodiment related to the first aspect of this disclosure is illustrated.

[0129] Figure 8Operation of gNB-CU-CP, gNB-CU-UP, and gNB-DU according to embodiments related to the second aspect of this disclosure is illustrated;

[0130] Figure 9 , Figure 10 and Figure 11 This is a schematic block diagram of a RAN node according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0131] The embodiments described below represent information enabling those skilled in the art to practice these embodiments, and illustrate the best mode for practicing these embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of this disclosure by reading the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and will recognize the application of these concepts not specifically discussed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0132] Some embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, other embodiments are also included within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, and the disclosed subject matter should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0133] Generally, all terms used herein will be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant art, unless a different meaning is clearly given and / or implied from the context of their use. Unless otherwise expressly stated, all references to elements, devices, components, elements, steps, etc., will be openly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of an element, device, component, element, step, etc. The steps of any method disclosed herein need not be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless the steps are explicitly described as following or preceding another step and / or implied therein that a step must follow or precede another step. Any feature of any embodiment disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, as appropriate. Similarly, any advantage of any embodiment may be applied to any other embodiment, and vice versa. Other objects, features, and advantages of the appended embodiments will become apparent from the following description.

[0134] Radio node: As used in this article, a “radio node” is a radio access node or wireless communication device.

[0135] Radio Access Node: As used herein, a “radio access node” or “radio network node” or “radio access network node” is any node in the radio access network (RAN) of a cellular communication network that is operable for wirelessly transmitting and / or receiving signals. Some examples of radio access nodes include, but are not limited to, base stations (e.g., NR base stations (gNBs) in 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) networks or enhanced or evolved Node Bs (eNBs) in 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks), high-power or macro base stations, low-power base stations (e.g., micro base stations, pico base stations, home eNBs, etc.), relay nodes, network nodes that implement some of the functions of a base station (e.g., network nodes that implement a gNB central unit (gNB-CU) or a gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU),) or network nodes that implement some of the functions of other types of radio access nodes.

[0136] Core Network Node: As used herein, a “core network node” is any type of node in the core network or any node that implements core network functions. Some examples of core network nodes include Mobility Management Entities (MMEs), Packet Data Network Gateways (P-GWs), Service Capability Opening Functions (SCEFs), Home Subscriber Servers (HSSs), etc. Other examples of core network nodes include nodes that implement Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMFs), User Plane Functions (UPFs), Session Management Functions (SMFs), Authentication Server Functions (AUSFs), Network Slice Selection Functions (NSSFs), Network Opening Functions (NEFs), Network Functions (NF) Repository Functions (NRFs), Policy Control Functions (PCFs), Unified Data Management (UDMs), etc.

[0137] Communication equipment: As used herein, “communication equipment” is any type of device capable of accessing an access network. Some examples of communication equipment include, but are not limited to: mobile phones, smartphones, sensor devices, instruments, vehicles, home appliances, medical devices, media players, cameras, or any type of consumer electronics, such as, but not limited to, televisions, radios, lighting equipment, tablet computers, laptop computers, or personal computers (PCs). Communication equipment can be portable, handheld, computer-integrated, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices capable of transmitting voice and / or data via wireless or wired connections.

[0138] Wireless communication device: One type of communication device is a wireless communication device, which can be any type of wireless device capable of accessing (i.e., served by) a wireless network (e.g., a cellular network). Some examples of wireless communication devices include, but are not limited to: User Equipment (UE), Machine-Type Communication (MTC) devices, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices in 3GPP networks. Such wireless communication devices can be mobile phones, smartphones, sensor devices, instruments, vehicles, home appliances, medical devices, media players, cameras, or any type of consumer electronics, such as, but not limited to, televisions, radios, lighting equipment, tablet computers, laptop computers, or PCs, or can be integrated therein. Wireless communication devices can be portable, handheld, computer-integrated, or in-vehicle mobile devices capable of transmitting voice and / or data via a wireless connection.

[0139] Network node: As used in this article, a “network node” is any node that is part of the RAN or core network of a cellular communication network / system.

[0140] Note that the descriptions presented herein focus on 3GPP cellular communication systems; therefore, 3GPP terminology or similar terms are frequently used. However, the concepts disclosed herein are not limited to 3GPP systems.

[0141] Note that the term “cell” may be used in the description herein; however, in particular with respect to the 5G NR concept, the term “beam” may be used instead of “cell”. Therefore, it is important to note that the concepts described herein apply equally to both “cell” and “beam”.

[0142] The terms “CU”, “DU”, “CU-CP”, and “CU-UP” used in this document apply to the split architecture of the Central Unit (CU)-Distributed Unit (DU) and Control Plane (CP)-User Plane (UP) in LTE and NR. In the case of NR, this architecture includes, for example, gNB-CU, gNB-DU, gNB-CU-UP, and gNB-CU-CP, and in the case of LTE, it includes eNB-CU, eNB-DU, eNB-CU-UP, and eNB-CU-CP.

[0143] In the absence of LTE / NR CU being divided into CU-CP and CU-UP, all considerations in this article also apply to gNB-CU or eNB-CU.

[0144] The proposed solution is applicable to all scenarios covered in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.425, where the node hosting the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity can be a CU-UP, gNB-CU, or primary eNB (MeNB), and the corresponding node can be a gNB-DU.

[0145] The terms “QoE measurement report,” “measurement report,” and “report” are used interchangeably in this document to refer to the QoE measurement results transmitted from the UE to the network.

[0146] The terms "special load" and "dedicated load" are used interchangeably.

[0147] All considerations regarding Data Radio Bearer (DRB) / Serving Radio Bearer (SRB) in this article apply to both LTE and NR user plane and control plane bearers.

[0148] The terms “Measurement Collection Entity” (MCE) and “Tracking Collection Entity” (TCE) are used interchangeably.

[0149] Several challenges exist. It has been proposed that the UE transmits QoE measurement reports to the network via the UP through a dedicated radio bearer. However, in the case of a split RAN architecture, i.e., in the following situations: (a) the RAN is divided into CU-DU; (b) the RAN is divided into CU-CP-CU-UP, it is unclear how to configure and implement the above two alternatives (i.e., via UP and CP) for measurement report transmission.

[0150] Certain aspects of this disclosure and its embodiments may provide solutions to the above or other challenges. The systems and methods disclosed herein provide signaling capable of configuring and executing QoE measurement report transmission via UP in a split RAN architecture.

[0151] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. The proposed solution enables the configuration and execution of QoE measurement report transmission via UP in a split RAN architecture. Some example advantages of transmitting QoE measurement reports via UP are avoiding CP resource congestion due to a large number of measurement reports and faster transmission of measurement reports compared to transmission via CP, which in turn allows for faster responses based on measurement results.

[0152] By leveraging a network architecture where, for example, a gNB can be deployed with more than one gNB-CU-UP, additional benefits such as improved reliability regarding services / use cases and their associated QoE measurement reports can be achieved. As an example, one or more CU-UPs can be used for redundancy, thereby increasing network resilience in the event of a failure to transmit user data including QoE measurement reports. In another variation, a degree of data isolation can be achieved if one or more CU-UPs are dedicated to processing only certain use cases and their corresponding QoE measurement reports.

[0153] Figure 4An example of a cellular communication system 400 that can implement embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In the embodiments described herein, the cellular communication system 400 is a 5G system (5GS) including a next-generation RAN (NG-RAN) and a 5G core (5GC) or an evolved packet system (EPS) including an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) and an evolved packet core (EPC); however, the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited thereto. In this example, the RAN includes base stations 402-1 and 402-2, the 5GS includes an NR base station (gNB) and optionally a next-generation eNB (ng-eNB) (e.g., an LTE RAN node connected to the 5GC), and the EPS includes an eNB that controls the corresponding (macro) cells 404-1 and 404-2. Base stations 402-1 and 402-2 are generally referred to herein collectively as base station 402 and individually as base station 402. Similarly, (macro)cells 404-1 and 404-2 are generally referred to herein as (macro)cell 404 and individually as (macro)cell 404. The RAN may also include multiple low-power nodes 406-1 to 406-4 that control the corresponding small cells 408-1 to 408-4. Low-power nodes 406-1 to 406-4 may be small base stations (e.g., pico or femto base stations) or remote radio head ends (RRHs), etc. It is noteworthy that, although not shown, one or more of small cells 408-1 to 408-4 may alternatively be provided by base station 402. Low-power nodes 406-1 to 406-4 are generally referred to herein as low-power node 406 and individually as low-power node 406. Similarly, small cells 408-1 to 408-4 are generally referred to herein as small cell 408 and individually as small cell 408. The cellular communication system 400 also includes a core network 410, referred to as 5GC in 5GS and EPC in EPS. Base station 402 (and optionally low-power node 406) is connected to the core network 410.

[0154] Base station 402 and low-power node 406 provide services to wireless communication devices 412-1 to 412-5 in corresponding cells 404 and 408. Wireless communication devices 412-1 to 412-5 are generally referred to herein as wireless communication device 412 and individually as wireless communication device 412. In the following description, wireless communication device 412 is often a UE and is therefore sometimes referred to herein as UE 412, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0155] Example embodiments will now be described in detail. The embodiments of this disclosure are based on the following aspects:

[0156] • Establish a dedicated bearer for carrying QoE measurement reports (i.e., a bearer with special attributes); or

[0157] • Define a new Protocol Data Unit (PDU) type in the “NR RAN Container” General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP) User Plane (GTP-U) Extended Header.

[0158] Regarding the background section described above and Figure 1 and Figure 2 The NR RAN split architecture shown below, and the E1 and F1 signaling aspects of the embodiments discussed below are merely non-limiting examples. Recognizing that 3GPP has also standardized the LTE split architecture, the following considerations also apply to the partitioning of the LTE RAN and its corresponding interfaces (e.g., W1, E1').

[0159] Figure 5 and Figure 6 A split-type NR RAN architecture for use in the following description is shown. Similarly, a similar architecture applies to a split-type LTE RAN architecture, and the embodiments disclosed herein are also applicable to a split-type LTE RAN architecture. Figure 5 As shown, gNB 500 includes gNB-CU 502 and multiple gNB-DU 504-1 and 504-2. Note that although two gNB-DU 504 are shown, any number or more gNB-DU 504 can be present. Figure 6 As shown, in the NR RAN split architecture, gNB-CU502 is divided into gNB-CU-CP 600 (i.e., the CP part) and multiple gNB-CU-UP 602-1 to 602-N (i.e., the UP part), where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. gNB-CU-UP 602-1 to 602-N are collectively referred to as gNB-CU-UP 602 in this paper. A single gNB-CU-UP is referred to as gNB-CU-UP 602-n in this paper.

[0160] First aspect: On special / dedicated UP carriers

[0161] Carry QoE measurement report

[0162] This aspect includes F1 and E1 signaling.

[0163] E1 signaling

[0164] When gNB-CU 502 is split into gNB-CU-CP 600 and gNB-CU-UP 602, gNB-CU-CP 600 is configured at gNB-CU-UP 602-n to carry one or more special bearers for carrying QoE measurement reports from a specific UE 412. This can be achieved either by using existing E1AP bearer context establishment and / or bearer context modification (initiated by gNB-CU-CP) procedures or by a new dedicated procedure.

[0165] When using existing E1AP procedures, the existing bearer setup / modification message can be modified by including additional information indicating that the bearer will be used for report transmission (e.g., QoE measurement report transmission) and that it should receive special processing. This additional information may include one or more of the following:

[0166] • This bearer will be used for explicit instructions on QoE report transmission, wherein the coupling between the bearer identifier (ID) and its purpose will be stored at gNB-CU-UP 602-n and used accordingly;

[0167] • This bearer will be used for an explicit indication of QoE report transmission. For example, this indication may be via a specific Data Radio Bearer (DRB) ID. Alternatively, the current DRB ID space (1-32) may be extended, where DRB IDs from the extended range will be assigned to DRBs carrying QoE reports;

[0168] • An indication of whether the bearer can be used to carry QoE reports for one QoE measurement session or several different QoE measurement sessions, and a list of measurement session IDs for reports that can be carried on the bearer;

[0169] • Configuration of special QoS attributes, defined for the purpose of transmitting QoE reports via UP;

[0170] • For example, the DRB-level attribute list, the purpose of which is to control the behavior of gNB-CU-UP 602-n when at least one DRB for QoE reporting is received, such as flags indicating emergency situations (e.g., distinguishing different types of QoE reports), priority levels, etc.

[0171] • For example, a list of attributes at the DRB level, the purpose of which is to control the behavior of gNB-CU-UP 602-n in the event of at least one DRB interruption for QoE reporting, such as the maximum time interval during which the bearer can be interrupted;

[0172] • For example, the DRB-level attribute list, the purpose of which is to control the behavior of gNB-CU-UP 602-n to forward data from at least one DRB used for QoE reporting to another CU-UP controlled by the same CU-CP when needed.

[0173] In one embodiment, multiple QoE reporting bearers can be established for the same UE 412, with different bearers used for different QoE reporting types (e.g., associated with different services). One reason could be to associate different gNB-CU-UP behaviors with different bearers, allowing different reporting types to be processed differently (e.g., forwarded to gNB-CU-CP600 or MCE). Another reason could be to assign different QoS to different QoE reporting bearers, for example, depending on the type of report they carry. This differentiation is then also communicated to the UE 412. In one embodiment, the CN or O&M system not only provides the RAN with a transparent QoE configuration to be forwarded to the UE 412, but also instructs the RAN on how many QoE reporting bearers it should establish, and provides an indication of what these bearers should carry, so that the gNB-CU-CP 600 can signal the appropriate mapping between the established bearers and which QoE reporting data to be sent via which bearer.

[0174] In one embodiment, based on the aforementioned specific bearer indication, gNB-CU-UP 602-n is operable to forward data (i.e., QoE measurement reports) received on the bearer to gNB-CU-CP 600. This can be achieved using the following method:

[0175] • Existing E1AP messages associated with the UE (e.g., if the message carries a report about a single UE); or

[0176] • Existing non-UE-associated E1AP messages (e.g., if the message carries reports about more than one UE) contain a list of identifiers to distinguish reports from different UEs (UE IDs) and / or a list of measurement session IDs to distinguish different measurement reports from the same UE; or

[0177] • New E1AP messages that are not associated with the UE or are associated with the UE.

[0178] An example motivation for forwarding the report to gNB-CU-CP 600 could be:

[0179] • Allows the RAN to reconfigure resources based on QoE reports; and / or

[0180] • Allows the RAN to merge reports received from several CU-UP 602s (belonging to one or several UE 412s) and then forward the merged reports to the MCE.

[0181] Alternatively, gNB-CU-UP 602-n does not forward reports to gNB-CU-CP 600, but instead forwards reports to nodes in the MCE or 5GC (e.g., UPF), for example by forwarding individual reports or by merging several reports from one or more measurement sessions from one or more UEs.

[0182] Alternatively, gNB-CU-UP 602-n forwards the report to nodes (e.g., UPF) in gNB-CU-CP 600, MCE, and / or 5GC, for example, by forwarding individual reports or by merging several reports from one or more measurement sessions from one or more UEs (e.g., as a list of QoE measurement reports).

[0183] In one embodiment, a dedicated bearer for carrying measurement results can carry both the QoE measurement configuration on the downlink and the measurement results on the uplink.

[0184] F1 Signaling

[0185] After the dedicated DRB is established at gNB-CU-UP 602-n, gNB-CU-CP 600 / gNB-CU 502 establishes resources at gNB-DU 504 using F1AP signaling. This can be achieved either by using the existing UE-associated F1AP procedure for UE context management or by using a new dedicated F1AP procedure.

[0186] When using existing F1AP procedures, existing bearer establishment / modification messages can be modified by including additional information. This additional information may include:

[0187] • This bearer will be used for explicit instructions on QoE report transmission, where the coupling between the bearer ID and its purpose will be stored at the DU of the serving UE and used accordingly;

[0188] • This bearer will be used for explicit instructions regarding the transmission of QoE reports. For example, via a specific DRB ID. Alternatively, the current DRB ID space (1-32) can be expanded, where DRB IDs from the expanded range will be assigned to DRBs carrying QoE reports;

[0189] • An indication of whether the dedicated bearer can be used to carry QoE reports for one QoE measurement session or several different measurement sessions, and a list of measurement session IDs for reports that can be carried on the bearer;

[0190] • Configuration of special QoS attributes, defined for the purpose of transmitting QoE reports via UP;

[0191] • For example, a list of attributes at the DRB level, the purpose of which is to control DU behavior when at least one DRB is received for a QoE report, such as indicating an emergency situation (e.g., distinguishing different types of QoE reports) and a priority level flag;

[0192] • For example, a list of attributes at the DRB level, the purpose of which is to control DU behavior when at least one DRB is interrupted for QoE reporting, such as the maximum time interval during which the bearer can be interrupted;

[0193] • For example, the DRB-level attribute list, the purpose of which is to control DU behavior to forward data from at least one DRB used for QoE reporting to another gNB-CU-UP controlled by the same gNB-CU-CP 600 when needed.

[0194] Triggering the establishment of a dedicated bearer

[0195] gNB-CU-CP 600 can establish a dedicated bearer:

[0196] • Once it forwards the QoE measurement configuration to UE 412;

[0197] • For the selected UE, after selecting an appropriate UE for the managed QoE measurement configuration signal received from OAM;

[0198] • After receiving a signaling / individual QoE measurement signal for a specific UE from OAM or AMF;

[0199] • After receiving an instruction from UE 412 that the report is ready to be transmitted;

[0200] • Based on the report availability indication carried by the user plane from UE 412 (e.g., in DDDS as defined in TS 38.425).

[0201] Figure 7Operations of gNB-CU-CP 600, gNB-CU-UP 602-n, and gNB-DU 504 according to the first aspect are illustrated. Note that optional steps are indicated by dashed / dashed boxes. As shown, gNB-CU-CP 600 detects a trigger factor for establishing a dedicated bearer for QoE measurement reporting (step 700). This trigger factor can be any of the trigger factors described above for triggering dedicated bearer establishment. gNB-CU-CP 600 (e.g., in response to detecting the trigger factor) sends one or more messages to gNB-CU-UP 602-n to establish the dedicated bearer for QoE measurement reporting (step 702). As described above with respect to E1 signaling, in one embodiment, these one or more messages include a bearer establishment message or a bearer modification message, which includes additional information (see above description for details of this additional information). gNB-CU-CP 600 also sends one or more messages to gNB-DU 504 to establish the dedicated bearer (step 704). As discussed above regarding F1 signaling, in one embodiment, these one or more messages include a bearer establishment message or a bearer modification message, which includes additional information (see the description above for details of the additional information).

[0202] After establishing a dedicated bearer for QoE measurement reports, gNB-CU-UP 602-n receives QoE measurement reports via the dedicated bearer (step 706). As described above, gNB-CU-UP 602-n can then send QoE measurement report data to gNB-CU-CP 600, MCE, or other CN nodes, or to both gNB-CU-CP 600 and MCE or other CN nodes (steps 708 and 710). The QoE measurement report data may, for example, include the QoE measurement reports received by gNB-CU-UP 602-n. For example, gNB-CU-UP 602-n may forward individual QoE measurement reports or merge several QoE measurement reports from one or more measurement sessions from one or more UEs (e.g., as a list of QoE measurement reports) and forward the resulting merged data.

[0203] The second aspect: carrying QoE measurement reports with a new PDU type.

[0204] All considerations regarding report processing at gNB-CU-UP 602-n as proposed in the first aspect also apply to the second aspect. The difference between the first and second aspects is that, in the latter, QoE measurement reports are carried on the regular DRB, but using a new PDU type defined for carrying QoE measurement reports. In other words, the DRB can carry both existing PDU types (e.g., PDU types defined in 3GPP TS 38.425) and the new PDU type defined for QoE measurement report transmission. One motivation for defining the new PDU type in the “NR RAN Container” GTP-U extended header could be to ensure that report size does not need to be accounted for in data planning.

[0205] Alternatively, existing PDU types can be used, but flags indicating that the PDU carries a QoE measurement report (or even multiple QoE measurement reports) in its payload can be introduced. For example, existing PDU type 1 or PDU type 2 as defined in TS 38.425 can be modified for this purpose, for example, by using one of the spare bits. As another option, multiple spare bits can be used to not only indicate that the PDU carries a QoE measurement report, but also to indicate how the gNB-CU-UP 602-n should handle the QoE measurement report, such as forwarding the QoE measurement report to the gNB-CU-CP 600, forwarding the QoE measurement report to the MCE or CN node, or forwarding the QoE measurement report to both the gNB-CU-CP 600 and the MCE (or CN node).

[0206] Figure 8 The operation of gNB-CU-CP 600, gNB-CU-UP 602-n, and gNB-DU 504 according to the second aspect is illustrated. Note that optional steps are indicated by dashed / dashed boxes. As shown, gNB-CU-CP 600 detects a trigger factor for establishing a dedicated bearer for QoE measurement reporting (step 800). The trigger factor can be any trigger factor described above with respect to the first aspect for triggering the establishment of a dedicated bearer. gNB-CU-CP 600 (e.g., in response to detecting the trigger factor) sends one or more messages to gNB-CU-UP 602-n to establish the bearer (step 802). Unlike the first aspect, the bearer in this second aspect is not dedicated to QoE measurement reporting. Regarding E1 signaling, in one embodiment, these one or more messages include a bearer establishment message or a bearer modification message. gNB-CU-CP 600 also sends one or more messages to gNB-DU 504 to establish the bearer (step 804). Regarding F1 signaling, in one embodiment, these one or more messages include a bearer establishment message or a bearer modification message.

[0207] After establishing the bearer for the QoE measurement report, gNB-CU-UP 602-n receives the QoE measurement report via the PDU on the bearer (step 806). As described above, the PDU can be a PDU type defined for QoE measurement reports. Alternatively, the PDU can be a PDU type that is not solely dedicated to QoE measurement reports (e.g., an existing PDU type). In this case, in one embodiment, the PDU includes an indicator that the PDU includes one or more QoE measurement reports, and optionally includes an indicator of how gNB-CU-UP 602-n will process the QoE measurement report carried on the PDU, as described above. As an example, one or more spare bits in each PDU can be used to indicate that the PDU carries one or more QoE measurement reports, and optionally, also to indicate how gNB-CU-CP 602-n will process the QoE measurement report (e.g., forwarding the QoE measurement report to gNB-CU-CP 600, forwarding it to MCE or other CN nodes, or forwarding it to both gNB-CU-CP 600 and MCE (or other CN nodes)).

[0208] As described above, gNB-CU-UP 602-n can then send QoE measurement report data to gNB-CU-CP 600, MCE or other CN nodes, or both gNB-CU-CP 600 and MCE (or other CN nodes) (steps 808 and 810). As described above, the node to which gNB-CU-UP 602-n forwards the QoE measurement report data can be indicated in the received PDU. The QoE measurement report data can, for example, include QoE measurement reports received by gNB-CU-UP 602-n. For example, gNB-CU-UP 602-n can forward individual QoE measurement reports or merge several QoE measurement reports from one or more measurement sessions from one or more UEs (e.g., as a list of QoE measurement reports) and forward the resulting merged data.

[0209] Example Implementation

[0210] Examples related to the first aspect

[0211] As a non-limiting example, the "QoE Report" bearer indication may be included in the following E1AP Information Element (IE) for establishing or modifying a bearer at the CU-UP. The new aspect is indicated by bold, underline, and italics (i.e., the new IE is temporarily indicated as "QoE Report Delivery").

[0212] List of PDU session resources to be established

[0213] The IE contains PDU session resource information used when the bearer context establishment request is made (i.e., it is included in the bearer context establishment request E1AP message from gNB-CU-CP to gNB-CU-UP).

[0214]

[0215]

[0216]

[0217] List of PDU session resources to be modified

[0218] This IE contains PDU session resources that modify relevant information used when carrying a context modification request.

[0219]

[0220]

[0221]

[0222]

[0223] Alternatively, the IE (temporarily referred to as "QoE Report Delivery") shown above in bold, underline, and italics may include an indication of whether the DRB can also be used to carry user data.

[0224] In another embodiment, the IE (temporarily referred to as "QoE report transmission") shown above in bold, underline, and italics can be used to indicate whether QoE report transmission has been paused or resumed.

[0225] In another embodiment, the additional IE can be used to indicate additional attributes related to QoE report delivery, such as priority, preemption capability, and preemptibility.

[0226] In another embodiment, information may be present in the IE (temporarily referred to as "QoE report delivery") indicated in bold, underlined, and italicized above, or in an additional IE supplementing the QoE report delivery IE, indicating whether gNB-CU-UP602-n should forward QoE reports received on the DRB to gNB-CU-CP 600 or MCE. In a variant of this embodiment, a QoE report forwarding instruction may replace the previously proposed QoE report delivery IE. In this case, alternatively, the QoE report instruction will implicitly indicate that the bearer associated with the QoE report forwarding instruction is used to send QoE reports, or alternatively, the QoE report instruction will implicitly indicate that QoE reports and other data may be sent on the associated bearer. As yet another option, the QoE report forwarding instruction may include transport network layer (TNL) information for QoE report forwarding, such as IP addresses and possibly UDP port numbers, TCP port numbers, SCTP port numbers, or GTP tunnel endpoint identifiers. For example, if gNB-CU-CP includes a QoE report forwarding instruction that instructs the forwarding of QoE reports to the MCE, the QoE report forwarding instruction may include the IP address to which the QoE report is forwarded. Alternatively, gNB-CU-UP may inherently know the required TNL information, such as based on configuration from the O&M system or when gNB-CU-UP is deployed.

[0227] To support the above embodiments, the QoE report forwarding instruction (e.g., forwarding the QoE report to gNB-CU-CP or MCE) can be included in one of the E1AP messages, "Bearer Context Establishment Request" or "Bearer Context Modification Request". gNB-CU-UP 602-n can indicate its support for different QoE report forwarding alternatives when establishing the E1 interface, for example, whether gNB-CU-UP 602-n supports forwarding QoE reports to gNB-CU-CP 600 and / or MCE. gNB-CU-UP 602-n can, for example, include this information in the E1AP message GNB-CU-CP E1 Establishment Response or GNB-CU-UP E1 Establishment Request.

[0228] In another embodiment, the QoE report forwarding instruction is not included in any of the aforementioned IEs or messages. Instead, gNB-CU-CP 600 instructs gNB-CU-UP 602-n where to forward received QoE reports when establishing an E1 interface between gNB-CU-CP 600 and gNB-CU-UP 602-n (e.g., to gNB-CU-CP 600 or MCE), for example, in a GNB-CU-CP E1 establishment request message or in a GNB-CU-UP E1 establishment response message. This then applies to all QoE reports received by UE 412. This can be combined with the embodiments described above, where a specific bearer to be established or modified for carrying QoE reports is present in the Bearer Context Establishment Request E1AP message and / or Bearer Context Modification Request E1AP message. Alternatively, the QoE report forwarding instruction can be updated later using the E1AP message GNB-CU-CP Configuration Update. Alternatively, the QoE report forwarding instruction may include TNL information (as described above) related to the entity to which the QoE report will be forwarded (e.g., MCE).

[0229] In another embodiment, another gNB-CU-UP behavior associated with a configurable QoE bearer (i.e., a bearer carrying QoE reports, such as a DRB) of gNB-CU-UP 602-n is to store received QoE reports until polled / requested by gNB-CU-CP 600. This gives gNB-CU-CP 600 better control over processing resources dedicated to handling QoE reports. For example, if gNB-CU-CP 600 is overloaded with more time-sensitive tasks, it can defer requests for QoE reports stored at gNB-CU-UP 602-n until the processing load is lower.

[0230] Another embodiment could be that gNB-CU-UP 602-n can differentiate between different types of QoE report data based on configuration / instructions from gNB-CU-CP 600 and treat them differently, for example, forwarding different types of QoE report data to different entities or temporarily storing one type instead of another (until polled / requested by gNB-CU-CP). One way to achieve this is that gNB-CU-UP 602-n can parse QoE reports or identify predefined tags for different data types and treat them differently. To allow subsequent assembly or interrelation between such stripped portions of QoE reports, for example in MCE or O&M systems, they can all be labeled with the same identifier, such as a QoE report identifier. Another way to implement differentiated treatment for different QoE report data types is to create different QoE report bearers for different QoE report data types or different QoE report types (e.g., each application / service) and then associate different gNB-CU-UP behaviors with different QoE report bearers.

[0231] Examples related to the second aspect

[0232] Regarding the second aspect, the following is a non-limiting example of introducing a flag indicating that a PDU carries a QoE report into existing PDU type 1 in 3GPP TS 38.425. The example below shows only the GTP-U header, therefore only depicting the QoE report presence flag. Fields carrying the report itself (i.e., the payload portion) are not shown. New aspects are indicated in bold, underlined, and italic.

[0233] DL data transmission status (PDU type 1)

[0234] The frame format is defined to transmit feedback to allow the receiving node (i.e., the node hosting the NR PDCP entity) to control the downlink user data flow via the sending node (i.e., the corresponding node).

[0235] The corresponding DL data transmission status frame is shown below. This figure illustrates an example of how a frame is constructed when all optional IEs are present (i.e., the IEs indicated by their associated flags).

[0236] The absence of such an IE changes the position of all subsequent IEs at the octet level.

[0237]

[0238] Figure 5 5.2.2-1: DL Data Transmission Status (PDU Type 1) Format

[0239] In conjunction with the aforementioned introduction of new PDU types for QoE report transmission, another possibility is the inclusion of various indications of how gNB-CU-UP should process QoE reports. This enables highly dynamic processing, such as per service, per QoE report type, or even per QoE report, and the variety and flexibility of the different processing options that can be indicated depends on the number of bits used for the indication. An attractive way to introduce indications in a frame would be to utilize 1, 2, or 3 spare bits in the frame, but one or more additional octets could also be introduced for this purpose. To support and even extend the indication possibilities of this dynamic QoE report processing indication, rules must be provided to gNB-CU-UP 602-n regarding what processing a QoE report with a specific processing indication (i.e., a specific combination of bit values) should receive (i.e., rules that associate processing indicator values ​​with processing). Such rules can be provided via standardization (i.e., hard-coded in the standard specification) or configured by gNB-CU-CP 600. When establishing an E1 interface toward gNB-CU-UP 602-n, configurations by gNB-CU-CP 600 can be performed, for example, in a GNB-CU-CP E1 establishment request message or a GNB-CU-UP E1 establishment response message. Alternatively, to provide even greater dynamism and flexibility, gNB-CU-CP 600 can send rules along with requests for bearers on which QoE reports can be sent to gNB-CU-UP 602-n, for example, in a bearer context establishment request message or a bearer context modification request message, as part of or in addition to the previously described new IE. Besides configuring gNB-CU-UP 600, when UE 412 sends a QoE report to gNB-CU-UP 602-n, UE 412 must be able to know how to set the QoE report processing indicator. This can be based on predefined rules, which may be specified in standard specifications, or configured via system information broadcast in each cell or via dedicated signaling to each UE associated with this type of configuration. Alternatively, when configuring QoE measurements, QoE indicator setting rules can be signaled to the UE, for example, as part of the QoE measurement configuration. A simpler approach would be to establish multiple QoE bearers with different associated QoE report processing indicator settings (potentially also associated with different measured services / applications or different QoE measurement configurations).

[0240] Additional description

[0241] Figure 9This is a schematic block diagram of a RAN node 900 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Optional features are indicated by dashed boxes. The RAN node 900 may be, for example, a base station 402 or 406 or a network node implementing all or part of the functions of the base station 402 or gNB described herein (e.g., implementing gNB-CU 502, gNB-DU 504, gNB-CU-CP 600, or gNB-CU-UP602-n). As shown, the RAN node 900 includes a control system 902, which includes one or more processors 904 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.), a memory 906, and a network interface 908. The one or more processors 904 are also referred to herein as processing circuitry. In addition, the RAN node 900 may include one or more radio units 910, each radio unit including one or more transmitters 912 and one or more receivers 914 coupled to one or more antennas 916. The radio unit 910 may be referred to as radio interface circuitry or as part of radio interface circuitry. In some embodiments, the radio unit 910 is external to the control system 902 and connected to the control system 902 via, for example, a wired connection (e.g., fiber optic cable). However, in some other embodiments, the radio unit 910 and possibly the antenna 916 are integrated with the control system 902. One or more processors 904 are operable to provide one or more functions of the RAN node 900 as described herein (e.g., the above examples regarding...). Figure 7 or Figure 8 (One or more functions of the described gNB-CU 502, gNB-DU 504, gNB-CU-CP 600, or gNB-CU-UP 602-n). In some embodiments, the functions are implemented in software, for example, stored in memory 906 and executed by one or more processors 904.

[0242] Figure 10 This is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualization embodiment of a RAN node 900 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. This discussion is equally applicable to other types of network nodes. Furthermore, other types of network nodes may have similar virtualization architectures. Similarly, optional features are indicated by dashed boxes.

[0243] As used herein, a “virtualized” RAN node is one implementation of RAN node 900, wherein at least a portion of the functionality of RAN node 900 is implemented as a virtual component (e.g., via a virtual machine executing on a physical processing node in the network). As illustrated, in this example, RAN node 900 may include a control system 902 and / or one or more radio units 910, as described above. Control system 902 may be connected to radio unit 910, for example, via fiber optic cable. Radio access node 900 includes one or more processing nodes 1000 coupled to or included as part of network 1002. If present, control system 902 or radio unit is connected to processing node 1000 via network 1002. Each processing node 1000 includes one or more processors 1004 (e.g., CPU, ASIC, FPGA, etc.), memory 1006, and network interface 1008.

[0244] In this example, the function 1010 of the RAN node 900 described herein (e.g., the above example regarding...) Figure 7 or Figure 8 One or more functions of the described gNB-CU 502, gNB-DU 504, gNB-CU-CP 600, or gNB-CU-UP 602-n are implemented at one or more processing nodes 1000, or distributed across one or more processing nodes 1000 and control system 902 and / or radio unit 910 in any desired manner. In some specific embodiments, some or all of the functions 1010 of the RAN node 900 described herein are implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in a virtual environment hosted by the processing node 1000. Additional signaling or communication between the processing node 1000 and control system 902 is used to perform at least some of the desired functions 1010. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, control system 902 may be omitted, in which case radio unit 910 communicates directly with processing node 1000 via a suitable network interface.

[0245] In some embodiments, a computer program including instructions is provided that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform the functions of RAN node 900 according to any embodiment described herein, or a node (e.g., processing node 1000) implementing one or more functions 1010 of RAN node 900 in a virtual environment. In some embodiments, a carrier including the above-described computer program product is provided. The carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as a memory).

[0246] Figure 11 This is a schematic block diagram of a RAN node 900 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. The RAN node 900 includes one or more modules 1100, each implemented in software. Modules 1100 provide the functionality of the RAN node 900 described herein (e.g., as described above regarding...). Figure 7 or Figure 8 This discussion applies equally to one or more functions of gNB-CU 502, gNB-DU 504, gNB-CU-CP 600, or gNB-CU-UP 602-n. Figure 10 The processing node 1000, wherein the module 1100 may be implemented at one of the processing nodes 1000, or distributed across multiple processing nodes 1000 and / or across the processing nodes 1000 and the control system 902.

[0247] Any suitable steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed by one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual devices. Each virtual device may include multiple such functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers and other digital hardware (which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific digital logic, etc.). The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. The program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for executing one or more techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause corresponding functional units to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure.

[0248] While the processes in the figures may illustrate a particular order of operations performed by certain embodiments of this disclosure, it should be understood that such order is exemplary (e.g., alternative embodiments may perform operations in a different order, combine certain operations, overlap certain operations, etc.).

[0249] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the embodiments of this disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered to be within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method performed in a RAN having a distributed radio access network (RAN) architecture, the method comprising: • At the control plane portion CU-CP (600) of the central unit of the base station (500; 402) of the RAN: Send one or more first messages (702; 802) to the user plane portion CU-UP (602-n) of the central unit to establish or modify one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting; ο Send one or more second messages (704; 804) to the distributed unit DU (504) of the base station (500; 402) to establish or modify the one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting; • At the CU-UP (602-n): o Receive (702; 802) one or more first messages from the CU-CP (600); • At the DU(504): o Receive one or more second messages as described in (704; 804); One or more Quality of Experience (QoE) measurement reports are sent (706; 806) to the CU-UP (602-n) via the one or more bearers. • At the CU-UP (602-n): o Receive (706; 806) the one or more QoE measurement reports from the DU (504); and Forward the one or more QoE measurement reports (708-710; 808-810) to the CU-CP (600), another network node, or both the CU-CP (600) and another network node. Among them, different bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reports are used for different types of QoE measurement reports.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Receiving (806) the one or more QoE measurement reports at the CU-UP (602-n) includes receiving (806) the one or more QoE measurement reports at the CU-UP (602-n) via one or more PDUs having a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) type dedicated to QoE measurement reports.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Receiving (806) the one or more QoE measurement reports at the CU-UP (602-n) includes receiving (806) the one or more QoE measurement reports at the CU-UP (602-n) via one or more PDUs having a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) type that is not dedicated to QoE measurement reports.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The one or more PDUs include the following indication: The one or more PDUs include one or more QoE measurement reports.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein, The one or more PDUs include instructions on how the CU-UP (602-n) will process the one or more QoE measurement reports.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein, The one or more PDUs include an indication of whether the CU-UP (602-n) should forward the one or more QoE measurement reports to the CU-CP (600), another network node, or both the CU-CP (600) and another network node.

7. A method performed by the control plane portion CU-CP (600) of the central unit of a base station (500; 402) of a RAN having a distributed radio access network (RAN) architecture, the method comprising: Send one or more first messages (702) to the user plane portion CU-UP (602-n) of the central unit to establish or modify one or more bearers dedicated to Quality of Experience (QoE) measurement reports, wherein different bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reports are used for different types of QoE measurement reports.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The one or more first messages include a bearer establishment message or a bearer modification message for a corresponding bearer in the one or more bearers, wherein the bearer establishment message or the bearer modification message includes: (a) The corresponding bearer will be used for indication in the QoE measurement report; (b) The corresponding bearer will be used to carry an indication of a QoE measurement report for a specific QoE measurement session; (c) The corresponding bearer will be used to indicate whether it carries QoE measurement reports for multiple QoE measurement sessions; (d) Whether the corresponding bearer can be used to indicate whether it can carry a QoE measurement report of one or more QoE measurement sessions identified in the QoE measurement session identifier ID list; (e) Configuration for one or more Quality of Service (QoS) attributes defined for delivering QoE reports via the user plane; (f) One or more attributes that control the behavior of the CU-UP (602-n) when data is received on the corresponding bearer used for QoE measurement reporting; (g) One or more attributes that control the behavior of the CU-UP (602-n) when the corresponding bearer used for QoE measurement reporting is interrupted; (h) Control the behavior of the CU-UP (602-n) to forward data for the corresponding bearer used for QoE measurement reporting to one or more attributes of another CU-UP controlled by the same CU-CP (600) when needed; or Any combination of two or more of (i) (a)-(h).

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising: Send one or more second messages (704) to the distributed unit DU (504) of the base station (500; 402) to establish or modify the one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reports.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The one or more second messages include a bearer establishment message or a bearer modification message for a corresponding bearer in the one or more bearers, wherein the bearer establishment message or the bearer modification message includes: i. The corresponding bearer will be used for indication in the QoE measurement report; ii. The corresponding bearer will be used to carry an indication of the QoE measurement report for a specific QoE measurement session; iii. The corresponding bearer will be used to indicate the carrying of QoE measurement reports for multiple QoE measurement sessions; iv. The corresponding bearer will be used to carry an indication of a QoE measurement report for one or more QoE measurement sessions identified in the QoE measurement session identifier ID list; v. Configuration for one or more Quality of Service (QoS) attributes defined for delivering QoE reports via the user plane; vi. One or more attributes that control the behavior of the DU (504) when data is received on the corresponding bearer used for QoE measurement reporting; vii. One or more attributes that control the behavior of the DU (504) when the corresponding bearer used for QoE measurement reporting is interrupted; viii. Control the behavior of the DU (504) to forward data for the corresponding bearer used for QoE measurement reporting to one or more attributes of another CU-UP controlled by the same CU-CP (600) when needed; Any combination of two or more of ix, (i)-(viii).

11. A RAN node (900) for the control plane portion CU-CP (600) of a base station (500; 402) implementing a RAN with a distributed radio access network (RAN) architecture, the RAN node (900) comprising: Communication interfaces (908; 1008); as well as The processing circuitry (904; 1004) associated with the communication interface (908; 1008) is configured to cause the RAN node (900) to send (702) one or more first messages to the user plane portion CU-UP (602-n) of the central unit to establish or modify one or more bearers dedicated to Quality of Experience (QoE) measurement reports, wherein different bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reports are used for different types of QoE measurement reports.

12. The RAN node (900) according to claim 11, wherein, The processing circuit (904; 1004) is also configured to cause the RAN node (900) to perform the method according to any one of claims 7 to 10.

13. A method performed by the user plane portion CU-UP (602) of the central unit of a base station (500; 402) of a RAN having a distributed radio access network (RAN) architecture, the method comprising: Receive (702) one or more first messages from the control plane portion CU-CP (600) of the central unit to establish or modify one or more bearers dedicated to Quality of Experience (QoE) measurement reports, wherein different bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reports are used for different types of QoE measurement reports.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The one or more first messages include a bearer establishment message or a bearer modification message for a corresponding bearer in the one or more bearers, wherein the bearer establishment message or the bearer modification message includes: (a) The corresponding bearer will be used for indication in the QoE measurement report; (b) The corresponding bearer will be used to carry an indication of a QoE measurement report for a specific QoE measurement session; (c) The corresponding bearer will be used to indicate whether it carries QoE measurement reports for multiple QoE measurement sessions; (d) Whether the corresponding bearer can be used to indicate whether it can carry a QoE measurement report of one or more QoE measurement sessions identified in the QoE measurement session identifier ID list; (e) Configuration for one or more Quality of Service (QoS) attributes defined for delivering QoE reports via the user plane; (f) One or more attributes that control the behavior of the CU-UP (602-n) when data is received on the corresponding bearer used for QoE measurement reporting; (g) One or more attributes that control the behavior of the CU-UP (602-n) when the corresponding bearer used for QoE measurement reporting is interrupted; (h) Control the behavior of the CU-UP (602-n) to forward data for the corresponding bearer used for QoE measurement reporting to one or more attributes of another CU-UP controlled by the same CU-CP (600) when needed; or Any combination of two or more of (i) (a)-(h).

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising: Receive (706) from the base station (500) via at least one of the one or more bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reporting; One or more QoE measurement reports for the distributed unit DU (504) of 402); and Forward (708-710) the one or more QoE measurement reports to the CU-CP (600), another network node, or both the CU-CP (600) and another network node.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, Forwarding (708-710) the one or more QoE measurement reports includes forwarding (708-710) the one or more QoE measurement reports via the following: One or more wireless communication device associated messages; or One or more non-wireless communication device association messages, each non-wireless communication device association message including a list of identifiers that distinguish QoE measurement reports of different wireless communication devices and / or a list of measurement session identifiers that distinguish QoE measurement reports of the same wireless communication device.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The CU-UP (602-n) stores the one or more QoE measurement reports, and forwards (708-710) the one or more QoE measurement reports, including forwarding (708-710) the one or more QoE measurement reports to the CU-CP (600) in response to a request from the CU-CP (600).

18. A RAN node (900) for implementing the user plane portion CU-UP (602-n) of the central unit of a base station (500; 402) with a distributed radio access network (RAN) architecture, the RAN node (900) comprising: Communication interfaces (908; 1008); as well as The processing circuitry (904; 1004) associated with the communication interface (908; 1008) is configured to cause the RAN node (900) to receive (702) one or more first messages from the control plane portion CU-CP (600) of the central unit to establish or modify one or more bearers dedicated to Quality of Experience (QoE) measurement reports, wherein different bearers dedicated to QoE measurement reports are used for different types of QoE measurement reports.

19. The RAN node (900) according to claim 18, wherein, The processing circuitry (904; 1004) is also configured to cause the RAN node (900) to perform the method according to any one of claims 13 to 17.

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