Method, apparatus and system for providing information to WTRU via control plane or user plane

Abstract

A network node may receive a message indicating one or more analysis parameters to be provided to a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU). The information may indicate a method by which the network provides the analysis information to the WTRU. The network node may determine whether to transmit the analytics information to the WTRU via a control plane or a user plane based on a reporting mode indicated in the message. If the network node determines to transmit the analytic information via the control plane, the network node may transmit the analytic information to the WTRU via the control plane using a non-access stratum message. If the network node determines to transmit the analysis information via the user plane, the network node may transmit the analysis information to the WTRU via one or more of a user plane function or an application function.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 324,504 filed in the United States on March 28, 2022 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 338,646 filed in the United States on May 5, 2022, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Art

[0003] Federated learning (FL) model training may include a FL application function (AF). The FL AF may conduct continuous training sessions with a group of participants (e.g., wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs)) to train a global machine learning model for a specific goal / task (e.g., such as predicting user movement). During one or more training sessions, the AF (e.g., the FL AF) may select a group of WTRUs to participate in the distributed training session. The AF may select the group of WTRUs randomly or based on one or more (e.g., a few) selection metrics (e.g., all FL-capable WTRUs in a specific geographic location and / or tracking area). For example, after a group of WTRUs has been selected, the AF may assign an initial machine learning (ML) model to each participant. The initial ML model may include a neural network (NN) model construction and corresponding weights. The NN model and weights are typically large.

[0004] When the WTRU receives the NN model, the WTRU may start local training according to the application logic. The local training at the WTRU may also constitute several rounds of training (e.g., 1000 iterations). When the required local training is completed, the WTRU may send the NN weights to the AF. The sending of the NN weights may include a smaller amount of data than the initial model assignment made by the AF to the WTRU.

[0005] As the AF receives locally trained models from each of the participants / WTRUs, the AF may average the locally trained models to generate a global model. If the WTRUs perform well and / or one or more (e.g., all) results arrive at the AF within a predefined time window, the AF may create a global model and / or proceed to the next training cycle. Additionally or alternatively, having results from each of the WTRUs may help the global model converge to its optimal point faster. Summary of the invention

[0006] Provided herein are systems, methods, and apparatus for artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) operations on a set of wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) for federated learning (FL). Provided herein are systems, methods, and apparatus for a network and application traffic analyzer (NATA) module at a WTRU. Provided herein are systems, methods, and apparatus for an AIML management function (AIML-MF) module at a WTRU. Provided herein are systems, methods, and apparatus for enabling interaction between one or more WTRU components and one or more 5G core (5GC) network functions (NFs) via a user plane. Provided herein are systems, methods, and apparatus for a packet column monitoring function (PTMF) in a user plane function (UPF). Provided herein are systems, methods, and apparatus for a packet column information (PTI) analysis network data analysis function (NWDAF). Provided herein are systems, methods, and apparatus for WTRU computational information analysis NWDAF.

[0007] A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) may transmit a subscription request message to a network node via a user plane function. The subscription request message may indicate one or more analysis identifiers (IDs). The one or more analysis IDs may include a packet data unit (PDU) session ID and / or a WTRU ID. The WTRU may receive an analysis request message from the network node via the user plane function. The analysis request message may indicate one or more statistics and / or predictions. The one or more statistics or predictions may include available bandwidth predictions, levels of network jitter, traffic patterns, training epochs, entropy, loss functions, training epoch completion times, and / or battery status. The WTRU may use AIML-MF to determine the one or more statistics or predictions. The WTRU may transmit the one or more statistics and / or predictions to the network node via the user plane function.

[0008] The WTRU may request a modification of the priority of a flow based on the one or more statistics and / or predictions. The WTRU may change the quality of service (QoS) flow by triggering a PDU session modification. The WTRU may move traffic from a first access technology to a second access technology based on the one or more statistics and / or predictions. The WTRU may initiate a PDU session with another application server (AS) based on the one or more statistics and / or predictions. The WTRU may move an AI / ML process from a first processor to a second processor. The WTRU may activate or deactivate one or more radio access network (RAN) resources based on the one or more statistics and / or predictions. The WTRU may determine whether to use a control plane and / or a user plane based on an analysis provided by the network.

[0009] A network node may receive a message indicating one or more analysis parameters associated with analysis information to be provided to a WTRU. The one or more analysis parameters may include a type of analysis and / or a reporting mode for the analysis. The reporting mode may indicate a method by which the network provides the analysis information to the WTRU. The network node may subscribe to one or more network functions to receive analysis information of the type. The network node may determine whether to transmit the analysis information to the WTRU via a control plane or a user plane based on the reporting mode indicated in the message. The determination of whether to transmit the analysis information to the WTRU via the control plane or the user plane may be based on one or more of network congestion information or WTRU mobility information. Conditional on the network node determining to transmit the analysis information via the control plane, the network node may transmit the analysis information to the WTRU via a non-access stratum (NAS) message via the control plane. Conditional on the network node determining to transmit the analysis information via the user plane, the network node may transmit the analysis information to the WTRU via one or more of a user plane function (UPF) or an application function.

[0010] The network node may transmit a request to the one or more network functions indicating the type of analysis information. The network node may be configured to receive the analysis information from the one or more network functions. The one or more analysis parameters may include one or more of: an application identifier (ID); a WTRU ID; data; one or more measurement results; one or more reporting anchor network functions (NFs); one or more reporting modes; one or more report types; one or more target notification endpoints; and / or a notification correlation ID.

[0011] The network node may be configured to enable communication between the WTRU and the UPF via the user plane, and between the UPF and the network node via the control plane. The reporting mode may include a fixed reporting mode and / or an autonomous reporting mode. The fixed reporting mode may include transmitting the analysis information to the WTRU via the user plane and / or the control plane using an indicated reporting anchor network function. The autonomous reporting mode may include dynamically selecting a path for transmitting the analysis information to the WTRU based on one or more congestion, mobility, and / or policy and charging control (PCC) rules.

[0012] The network node may be configured to receive one or more parameters from the WTRU. The network node may determine whether to transmit information to the WTRU via a control plane or a user plane based on the one or more parameters. The one or more parameters may include one or more of data or analysis provided by an application function or a network function. The network node may update one or more policy and charging control (PCC) rules based on whether the WTRU is authorized to receive the information from the network node. The network node may determine a reporting anchor point to use when transmitting the information based on one or more updated PCC rules. The network node may transmit the information to the WTRU via the reporting anchor point. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communication system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented.

[0014] Figure 1B is an example of a method that can be used according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1A A system diagram of an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) for use within the illustrated communication system.

[0015] Figure 1C is an example of a method that can be used according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1A System diagram of an example Radio Access Network (RAN) and an example Core Network (CN) for use within the illustrated communication system.

[0016] Figure 1D is an example of a method that can be used according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1A System diagram of yet another example RAN and yet another example CN for use within the illustrated communication system.

[0017] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Depicted is an example process for exchanging control plane messages between a WTRU and one or more 5G core network functions.

[0018] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C An example call flow is depicted in which an application function (AF) informs a session management function (SMF) about service exposure parameters that have been negotiated between the WTRU and the AF.

[0019] Figure 4A and Figure 4B An example call flow is depicted in which the WTRU informs the SMF via non-access stratum (NAS) signaling about service exposure parameters that have been negotiated between the WTRU and the AF.

[0020] Figure 5A and Figure 5B An example call flow is depicted in which the WTRU may notify the SMF via NAS signaling regarding one or more exposure parameters and / or in which the AF may notify the SMF regarding one or more exposure parameters that have been negotiated between the WTRU and the AF. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Figure 1A 1 is a diagram illustrating an example communication system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communication system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc. to multiple wireless users. The communication system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through sharing of system resources (including wireless bandwidth). For example, the communication system 100 may employ one or more channel access methods such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero tail unique word DFT spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block filtered OFDM, filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC), etc.

[0022] like Figure 1AAs shown, the communication system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, RAN 104 / 113, CN 106 / 115, public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, Internet 110 and other networks 112, but it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d (any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or “STA”) may be configured to send and / or receive wireless signals and may include user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automated process chain environment), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0023] The communication system 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, an NR Node B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. Although the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it should be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0024] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), a relay node, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to send and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as cells (not shown). These frequencies may be in a licensed spectrum, an unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrums. A cell may provide coverage of wireless services to a specific geographic area, which may be relatively fixed or may change over time. The cell may be further divided into cell sectors. For example, a cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Therefore, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, for example, one transceiver for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to send and / or receive signals in a desired spatial direction.

[0025] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0026] More specifically, as noted above, the communication system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 / 113 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may use Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) to establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117. WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High Speed ​​Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High Speed ​​UL Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0027] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) that may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or Advanced LTE (LTE-A) and / or Advanced LTE Pro (LTE-APro).

[0028] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR radio access, which may establish the air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0029] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may together implement LTE radio access and NR radio access, for example using the dual connectivity (DC) principle. Thus, the air interface utilized by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions transmitted to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., eNBs and gNBs).

[0030] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (e.g., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi)), IEEE 802.16 (e.g., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), etc.

[0031] Figure 1AThe base station 114b in may be, for example, a wireless router, a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or an access point, and may utilize any suitable RAT to facilitate wireless connectivity in a local area, such as a business location, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a road, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology (such as IEEE 802.11) to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology (such as IEEE 802.15) to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.) to establish a picocell or a femtocell. As Figure 1A As shown, base station 114b may have a direct connection to Internet 110. Therefore, base station 114b may not need to access Internet 110 via CN 106 / 115.

[0032] The RAN 104 / 113 may be in communication with the CN 106 / 115, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have different quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, etc. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, prepaid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform advanced security functions, such as user authentication. Although not described in detail in the text, the CN 106 / 115 may be configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have different quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, etc. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, prepaid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform advanced security functions, such as user authentication. Figure 1A Although not shown in the figure, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may utilize NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) that employs GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0033] The CN 106 / 115 may also act as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network that provides plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and / or the Internet Protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP Internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired communication networks and / or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT.

[0034] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communication system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks via different wireless links). Figure 1A The illustrated WTRU 102c may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0035] Figure 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. Figure 1B As shown, the WTRU 102 may include, among other things, a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0036] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal decoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. Although Figure 1B The processor 118 and the transceiver 120 are depicted as separate components, but it is understood that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0037] The send / receive element 122 may be configured to send a signal to a base station (e.g., base station 114a) or receive a signal from a base station via an air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to send and / or receive an RF signal. In an embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be a transmitter / detector configured to send and / or receive, for example, IR, UV or visible light signals. In another embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be configured to send and / or receive both RF signals and optical signals. It should be understood that the send / receive element 122 may be configured to send and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0038] Although the transmit / receive element 122 Figure 1B 1 as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0039] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate signals to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate signals received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. For example, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11.

[0040] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to and may receive user input data from a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, and / or a display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in any type of suitable memory, such as a non-removable memory 130 and / or a removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in a memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0041] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, etc.

[0042] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to or in lieu of the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) over the air interface 116 and / or determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0043] The processor 118 may also be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software modules and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an electronic compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photos and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, module, a frequency modulation (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a virtual reality and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, etc. Peripheral device 138 may include one or more sensors, which may be one or more of the following: a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor; an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0044] The WTRU 102 may include a full-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all signals (e.g., associated with specific subframes for UL (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full-duplex radio may include an interference management unit 139 for reducing and / or substantially eliminating self-interference via signal processing performed by hardware (e.g., a choke) or via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via the processor 118). In an embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all signals (e.g., associated with specific subframes for UL (e.g., for transmission) or downlink (e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous.

[0045] Figure 1C 1 is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 in accordance with an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0046] The RAN 104 may include evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of evolved Node-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the evolved Node-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a.

[0047] Each of the evolved Node Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in UL and / or DL, etc. Figure 1C As shown, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another via an X2 interface.

[0048] Figure 1C The illustrated CN 106 may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (or PGW) 166. While each of the foregoing elements is depicted as being part of the CN 106, it should be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0049] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the evolved Node-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0050] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring the user plane during inter-evolved Node-B handover, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing the context of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0051] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0052] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may be in communication with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired networks and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0053] Although the WTRU Figures 1A to 1D Although described as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments such a terminal may (eg, temporarily or permanently) employ a wired communications interface with a communications network.

[0054] In a representative embodiment, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0055] A WLAN in infrastructure basic service set (BSS) mode may have an access point (AP) for a BSS and one or more stations (STA) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or an interface to a distribution system (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic to and / or carries traffic away from the BSS. Traffic originating from outside the BSS and leading to the STA may be reached by the AP and may be delivered to the STA. Traffic originating from the STA and leading to a destination outside the BSS may be transmitted to the AP to be delivered to the corresponding destination. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be transmitted by the AP, for example, wherein the source STA may transmit traffic to the AP, and the AP may deliver traffic to the destination STA. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be considered and / or referred to as point-to-point traffic. Point-to-point traffic may be transmitted between the source STA and the destination STA (e.g., directly between them) using a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use 802.11e DLS or 802.11z tunnel DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and STAs (eg, all STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS communication mode may sometimes be referred to herein as an "ad hoc" communication mode.

[0056] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure operating mode or a similar operating mode, the AP may send beacons on a fixed channel (such as a primary channel). The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., a 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a width dynamically set via signaling. The primary channel may be an operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STA to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, carrier sense multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example, in an 802.11 system. For CSMA / CA, a STA (e.g., each STA) (including the AP) may listen to the primary channel. If the primary channel is listened / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0057] High throughput (HT) STAs may communicate using a 40 MHz wide channel, for example, via a combination of a primary 20 MHz channel and adjacent or non-adjacent 20 MHz channels to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0058] Very high throughput (VHT) STA can support 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz and / or 160MHz wide channels. 40MHz channels and / or 80MHz channels can be formed by combining continuous 20MHz channels. 160MHz channels can be formed by combining 8 continuous 20MHz channels, or by combining two non-continuous 80MHz channels (this can be called 80+80 configuration). For 80+80 configuration, after channel coding, the data can pass through a segment parser that can divide the data into two streams. Each stream can be processed by inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) and time domain processing separately. These streams can be mapped to two 80MHz channels, and data can be sent by the transmitter STA. At the receiver of the receiver STA, the above-mentioned operation for the 80+80 configuration can be reversed, and the combined data can be transmitted to the medium access control (MAC).

[0059] 802.11af and 802.11ah support operating modes below 1GHz. Channel operating bandwidths and carriers are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah relative to those used in 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5MHz, 10MHz, and 20MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1MHz, 2MHz, 4MHz, 8MHz, and 16MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah may support instrument type control / machine type communications, such as MTC devices in macro coverage areas. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, such as limited capabilities, including support for (e.g., only support for) certain bandwidths and / or limited bandwidths. MTC devices may include batteries with battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain very long battery life).

[0060] WLAN systems that can support multiple channels and channel bandwidths (such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah) include channels that can be designated as primary channels. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the maximum common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA (which supports the minimum bandwidth operating mode) from all STAs operating in the BSS. In the example of 802.11ah, for STAs (e.g., MTC-type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1MHz mode, the primary channel may be 1MHz wide, even if the AP and other STAs in the BSS support 2MHz, 4MHz, 8MHz, 16MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or network allocation vector (NAV) settings may depend on the state of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, because a STA (supporting only a 1MHz operating mode) is sending to the AP, the entire available band may be considered busy even if most of the band remains idle and may be available.

[0061] In the United States, the available frequency band for 802.11ah is 902MHz to 928MHz. In South Korea, the available frequency band is 917.5MHz to 923.5MHz. In Japan, the available frequency band is 916.5MHz to 927.5MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is 6MHz to 26MHz, depending on the country code.

[0062] Figure 1D 1 is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 in accordance with an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 113 may employ NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 113 may also be in communication with the CN 115.

[0063] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, the gNBs 180a, 180b may utilize beamforming to send signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a may, for example, use multiple antennas to send wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum, while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement coordinated multi-point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0064] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with parameter sets that may be scalable. For example, OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframes or transmit time intervals (TTIs) of varying or scalable lengths (e.g., containing varying numbers of OFDM symbols and / or varying absolute time lengths over time).

[0065] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also not accessing other RANs (e.g., such as the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c). In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may use one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as mobility anchors. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate / connect with the gNB 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating / connecting with another RAN, such as the eNode-B 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement the DC principle to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In a non-standalone configuration, the eNode-B 160a, 160b, 160c may act as a mobility anchor for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the gNB 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for serving the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0066] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards a user plane function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards an access and mobility management function (AMF) 182a, 182b, etc. Figure 1D As shown, gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may communicate with each other via an Xn interface.

[0067] Figure 1DThe illustrated CN 115 may include one or more of AMFs 182a, 182b, one or more of UPFs 184a, 184b, one or more session management functions (SMFs) 183a, 183b, and possible data networks (DNs) 185a, 185b. Although each of the foregoing elements is depicted as part of the CN 115, it should be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0068] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via the N2 interface and may act as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c, support for network slicing (e.g., handling of different PDU sessions with different requirements), selecting a specific SMF 183a, 183b, management of registration areas, termination of NAS signaling, mobility management, etc. The AMF 182a, 182b may use network slicing to customize CN support for the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c based on the type of services utilized by the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases, such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communication (MTC) access, etc. The AMF 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies, such as WiFi.

[0069] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to the AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via the N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to the UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115 via the N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b, and configure traffic routing through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions such as managing and allocating UE IP addresses, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing downlink data notification, etc. The PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, etc.

[0070] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via the N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, etc.

[0071] The CN 115 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 115 may include or may communicate with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 115 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 115 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired networks and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to local data networks (DNs) 185a, 185b via the UPF 184a, 184b via an N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0072] Given that Figures 1A to 1D as well as Figures 1A to 1D , one or more or all of the functions described herein for one or more of the following may be performed by one or more simulation devices (not shown): WTRU 102a-102d, base station 114a-114b, evolved Node B 160a-160c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-180c, AMF 182a-182ab, UPF 184a-184b, SMF 183a-183b, DN 185a-185b and / or any other device described herein. The simulation device may be one or more devices configured to mimic one or more or all of the functions described herein. For example, the simulation device may be used to test other devices and / or simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0073] The simulation device may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a laboratory environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, one or more simulation devices may perform one or more functions or all functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. One or more simulation devices may perform one or more functions or all functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The simulation device may be directly coupled to another device for testing purposes and / or may use over-the-air wireless communications to perform testing.

[0074] One or more simulation devices can perform one or more (including all) functions without being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the simulation device can be used in a test scenario in a test laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired communication network and / or wireless communication network to implement testing of one or more components. One or more simulation devices can be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communication via RF circuitry (e.g., which can include one or more antennas) can be used by the simulation device to send and / or receive data.

[0075] Provided herein are systems, methods, and devices for interaction mechanisms between WTRU and UPF. The mechanism may provide WTRU to transmit and / or receive information (e.g., predictions, statistics, data, analysis, etc.) from and / or to one or more network functions (e.g., NWDAF) in 5GC via UPF. The interaction between WTRU and UPF may be performed via a PMF connection, which utilizes a user plane. PMF may have a client / server architecture (e.g., an instance running at WTRU and UPF) that communicates via a TCP / UDP connection. For example, using this interaction model, UPF may act as an anchor to relay information (e.g., similar to NAS signaling) between 5GC NF and WTRU. For example, if UPF also supports a service-based interface (SBI), one or more messages arriving at UPF (e.g., from WTRU) may be delivered (e.g., directly) to their destinations via an API call (e.g., HTTP / 2.0). Otherwise, UPF may deliver one or more messages via SMF (e.g., via an N4 interface).

[0076] The network data analysis function (NWDAF) may request the SMF / AMF to collect data from the WTRU through the control plane. In an example, the NWDAF may provide the WTRU ID / PDU session ID to the SMF / AMF. The AF may use the WTRU computation resource analysis and / or one or more other available analyses at the 5GC (e.g., WTRU communication analysis, DN performance analysis, slice load level information analysis, etc.) when selecting and / or managing one or more FL participants (e.g., WTRUs).

[0077] Federated learning (FL) model training may be provided. FL model training may include a FL application function (AF). The FL AF may conduct multiple consecutive training sessions with a group of participants (e.g., WTRUs) to train a global machine learning model for a specific goal / task (e.g., such as predicting user movement).

[0078] During each training session, an AF (e.g., a FL AF) may select a group of WTRUs to participate in the distributed training session. The AF may select the group of WTRUs randomly and / or based on some selection metric (e.g., all FL-capable WTRUs in a particular geographic location or tracking area).

[0079] After a group of WTRUs have been selected, the AF may assign an initial ML model to each participant. The initial ML model may include a neural network (NN) model construction and / or corresponding weights. The NN model and / or weights may (e.g., typically) be large.

[0080] When the WTRU receives the NN model, the WTRU may start local training according to the application logic. The local training at the WTRU may also constitute several rounds of training (e.g., 1000 iterations), which may be completed within a specific time window. The WTRU may train its local model during this time using its (e.g., sensitive) input data. This data may not be shared with other components within and / or outside the 3GPP system.

[0081] For example, when the required local training is completed, the WTRU may send the NN weights to the AF. The sending of the NN weights may include a smaller amount of data than the initial model assignment made by the AF to the WTRU.

[0082] For example, when the AF receives locally trained models from each of the participants / WTRUs, the AF may average the locally trained models to generate a global model. If the WTRUs perform well and / or one or more (e.g., all) results arrive at the AF within a predefined time window, the AF may create a global model and / or proceed to the next training cycle. Additionally or alternatively, having one or more results from one or more (e.g., each) of the WTRUs may help the global model converge to its optimal point faster.

[0083] For example, when the global model is created by the AF, the AF may reallocate the global model to the participants for the next round of training. During this phase, the AF may select one or more different WTRUs to participate in the next round of training (e.g., training session). WTRUs with poor performance may be excluded from the next round of training. The AF may (e.g., intentionally) replace some WTRUs with other WTRUs in a set of consecutive training sessions so that the training environment is changed and / or thus diversified, for example, to achieve diversity in training.

[0084] The 3GPP system (3GS) may assist participants / WTRUs participating in the distributed training of the FL, for example, so that the participants / WTRUs may complete their local training and / or transfer the completed trained models back to the AF with a small latency.

[0085] The latency divergence across participants / WTRUs may be high (e.g., one group of WTRUs may complete their training faster than other WTRUs and / or one group of WTRUs may deliver their trained local models to the AF / AS faster than other WTRUs). In this case, the AF may wait for a small number of WTRUs before it is able to average one or more (e.g., all) NN weights and / or generate a global NN model for the next round of training sessions. The AF may exclude delayed WTRUs and / or generate a global NN model with a smaller group of WTRUs. However, this approach may cause the training process to become longer. Therefore, the 3GS may assist one or more (e.g., each) WTRU to ensure that the WTRU operates within an acceptable latency margin. The 3GS may assist the WTRU in preventing latency divergence issues by considering what information (e.g., measurement results, analysis, etc.) may be delivered from the 5GC and / or AF to the WTRU and / or a group of WTRUs and / or what actions each WTRU may take.

[0086] In one or more (e.g., each) rounds of FL training cycles, the ML model may (e.g., on average) complete a certain number of training epochs before the ML model converges to an optimal state where the loss function is minimized and the prediction accuracy is maximized. The actual convergence time of the ML model may depend on several factors, such as, for example, the training environment, the diversity of the training environment, the dataset, etc.

[0087] The 3GS may assist the AF / AS in selecting participants / WTRUs for a training cycle (e.g., the next training cycle). The 3GS (including the WTRU and / or the 5GC) may provide information (e.g., analysis, statistics, and / or monitoring events) related to the performance / status of the WTRU and / or a group of WTRUs to the AF. The AF may use the provided information to select a group of WTRUs for the next training cycle. The WTRU may signal various information to the AF and / or deliver various information to assist the AF in selecting a group of WTRUs for the training cycle. The 5GC may transmit information to the AF (e.g., NWDAF, UPF, SMF, and / or AMF).

[0088] The WTRU and 5GC network functions (e.g., network nodes) may interact with each other, for example, by exchanging statistics, measurements, and / or analysis, without creating a large amount of overhead on the 5G control plane (CP). The WTRU and / or the 5GC network function may determine (e.g., dynamically and / or intelligently) how the 5GC delivers information to the WTRU. For example, the WTRU and / or the 5GC network function may determine whether information should be transmitted / delivered via the CP and / or the user plane (UP).

[0089] One or more 5GC network functions (such as NWDAF) may collect data from the WTRU via the AF. One or more 5GC network functions (such as NWDAF) may provide one or more predictions and / or statistics to one or more WTRUs. The amount of signaling (e.g., signaling overhead) exchanged between the WTRU and the 5GC may become large, especially when frequent interactions are required. When the amount of signaling becomes large, network congestion within the CP may increase. The WTRU and the 5GC may interact with each other without introducing significant overhead in the CP.

[0090] 3GS may assist the AF / AS in managing a group of WTRUs. A group of WTRUs may operate within a network slice. A CP within a network slice may become congested (e.g., due to varying send rates of the WTRUs in the group). One or more (e.g., each) WTRU (e.g., in the group) may follow different transmission rates to deliver their respective local column models to the AF / AS. The SMF may participate in load balancing of WTRUs in a group across different application servers (e.g., replicas), for example, to reduce the load on a particular network slice and / or geographic location. For example, a specific set of rules may be defined at a policy control function (PCF) / SMF so that appropriate decisions may be made in one or more different situations.

[0091] Systems, methods, and apparatus may be provided herein to address how a WTRU can ensure that its local ML model training progresses within an acceptable time margin. For example, a WTRU may prevent large delays during local model training. This may ensure that latency divergence issues are prevented across one or more WTRUs participating in a FL training session.

[0092] The AF may prevent latency divergence across a group of WTRUs that are part of the FL distributed model training. The group of WTRUs that may be part of the FL operation may be selected by the AF using information provided by the WTRU and / or the 5GC. The group of WTRUs that may be part of the FL operation may be managed by the AF using information provided by the WTRU and / or the 5GC. The 5G system (5GS) (including the WTRU and / or the 5GC) may ensure that one or more sufficient network resources are allocated to the WTRUs, where the locally trained model may be delivered to the AF within an acceptable time margin, and / or the globally trained model of the AF may be delivered to the WTRU within an acceptable latency margin. The WTRU and the 5GC may interact with each other while minimizing and / or preventing network congestion for the CP.

[0093] A network and application traffic analyzer (NATA) may be provided in the WTRU. The NATA may include an ML-based module that performs network and application traffic analysis at the WTRU. The NATA may monitor the arrival interval of packets for each application (e.g., such as a PDU session, an MA-PDU session, and / or multiple parallel PDU sessions). Using NATA, the WTRU may, for example, simultaneously determine one or more of the end-to-end available bandwidth, the level of jitter in the network path, and / or the overall traffic pattern at different granularities.

[0094] For example, NATA can predict the level of end-to-end available bandwidth, the level of network jitter and / or the overall traffic pattern. NATA can operate at one or more different granularities simultaneously (e.g., on a per QFI, PDU session, MA-PDU session and / or application basis). NATA can collect a set of predictions and / or statistics (e.g., load on a network slice) from the NWDAF in the 5GC. Similarly, NATA can provide a set of predictions and / or statistics to one or more network functions in the 5GC (e.g., NWDAF, AMF, SMF, PCT and / or AF). In other words, NATA can be a service consumer / provider of the NF in the 5GC. These one or more interactions can be accomplished via: NAS signaling (e.g., via AMF / SMF), via the user plane of the UPF and / or AF. NATA can follow one or more similar services and / or service operations used between the NFs of the 5GC.

[0095] The WTRU may use NATA to collect internal WTRU information (e.g., monitoring traffic at a specific network interface device) and / or 5GC information from one or more 5GC network functions (such as NWDAF) (e.g., such as slice load level information analysis). Through these analyses, the WTRU may have good visibility into the load levels on the network slice instances (NSIs) used. The NSI may be indicated by the S-NSSAI and the associated NSI ID (if applicable). When processing FL traffic / operations within a specific network slice, information about the load on the specific network slice (e.g., such as predictions) may be used to estimate the end-to-end available bandwidth. Accurate estimates of the end-to-end available bandwidth may prevent latency divergence between a group of WTRUs. Based on the estimated end-to-end available bandwidth, one or more (e.g., each) WTRU may decide to send and / or move its corresponding UL traffic faster to a different PDU session (e.g., a different DNN, S-NSSAI) and / or may deliver its corresponding trained model to the AF / AS within a specific (e.g., preconfigured) time window.

[0096] The analysis generated by NATA may be consumed by the AI / ML Management Function (AILM-MF) at the AF and / or WTRU (e.g., managing FL participants / WTRU and / or operations). One or more other 5GC NFs may also consume the analysis of NATA, for example, through NAS signaling, AF and / or UPF via AMF / SMF by subscribing to NATA.

[0097] In an example, the WTRU, 5GC and / or AF may consume the user data congestion analysis provided by the NWDAF to decide which method to use to communicate with the WTRU. Communication with the WTRU may include exchanging information, such as measurements, statistics, predictions, and the like. For example, if the 5GC control plane is congested, the WTRU may interact (e.g., transmit and / or receive information) with the 5GC via the UPF and / or AF (e.g., user plane). When the load in the user plane is high, the WTRU / 5GC may exchange (e.g., transmit and / or receive) information via the control plane.

[0098] The WTRU may communicate with the 5GC via the control plane, via the user plane, or both the control plane and the user plane (e.g., in a hybrid mode).

[0099] NAS signaling via the control plane may include the AMF / SMF becoming an anchor point for relaying messages between one or more 5GC NFs and one or more WTRUs (e.g., such as a group of WTRUs). Messages between one or more 5GC NFs and one or more WTRUs may be transmitted over the N1 interface (which may terminate at the AMF). Using the AMF as an anchor point may not generate load on the SMF. One or more NAS interactions via the control plane may be secured, authenticated, and / or integrity protected.

[0100] The AF may be an anchor point for relaying messages between the WTRU and one or more 5GC NFs, for example, via the user plane. The WTRU and the 5GC may use the user plane for one or more (e.g., several) interactions (e.g., such as interactions between the NWDAF and the WTRU for collecting data).

[0101] The WTRU may interact with the 5GC via a hybrid mode, where communication is performed via both the control plane and the user plane. In an example, the UPF may become an anchor point for relaying one or more messages between the WTRU and one or more 5GC NFs. When there is an established PDU session and / or PMF is enabled at the WTRU and UPF, the UPF as an anchor point for relaying messages may be used. With this approach, the WTRU and UPF may interact via the user plane, and if the UPF does not support SBI, the interaction between the UPF and one or more other NFs may be performed via the SMF. If the UPF supports SBI, the interaction between the UPF and the destination NF may be performed directly (e.g., via an API call) and / or without the involvement of the SMF.

[0102] When NAS signaling is used to report NATA's analysis, the NF of the 5GC may invoke an API call within the AMF / SMF (e.g., Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe and / or Nsmf_EventExposure_Subscribe), providing one or more of the following: WTRUID, PDU session ID, analysis ID of the WTRU (e.g., "network and application traffic", etc.), and / or notification target address (+ notification correlation ID). For example, the NF of the 5GC may transmit a subscription request message including one or more identifiers (e.g., such as an analysis ID).

[0103] When the AMF receives the SUBSCRIBE request message, the AMF may rewrite the notification target address ("notifid" and / or "notifUrl") to its address (e.g., IP address or FQDN). Additionally or alternatively, the AMF may maintain the original notification target address within the NAS message, for example, so that when a response message for the NWDAF is returned from the WTRU, the AMF does not need to maintain any state. The information provided within the SUBSCRIBE request message may handle one or more (e.g., each) requests (e.g., SUBSCRIBE request). Additionally or alternatively, the AMF may associate the WTRU ID and / or PDU Session ID to the notification target address of the original request. The mapping between the WTRU and NWDAF IDs may enable the AMF to forward the response from the WTRU to the corresponding analysis consumer (e.g., NWDAF) without the WTRU knowing the notification target address. The mapping between the WTRU and NWDAF IDs may enable the transmission of the response message without exposing one or more identities of the 5GC NF to the WTRU.

[0104] When a NF subscribes to an event at the AMF, the "Event Type" may be indicated. In the case of relay information, the Event Type may indicate that the event subscription is for a WTRU. The Event Type may include "WTRU_Analytics_Reporting" and / or "WTRU_Information_Reporting".

[0105] The AMF may create a DL NAS transport message (e.g., with a new information element (IE)). The AMF may transmit the DL NAS transport message to the WTRU. The (e.g., new) IE may include a PDU session ID, an analysis ID, and / or a notification target address (e.g., an AMF address). In an example, when the WTRU receives the NAS message at the MM layer (e.g., the termination point of the N1 interface at the WTRU), the WTRU may, for example, forward the payload of the NAS message to the NATA using the information provided in the DL NAS transport message (e.g., in particular the analysis ID and the name of the API to be called, e.g., AnalyticsSubscription_Subscribe). The MM layer may determine which application / component at the WTRU corresponds to the provided analysis ID. Therefore, the MM layer may determine its address (e.g., IP address, FQDN, etc.).

[0106] When NATA generates analysis requested by a consumer in 5GC, for example, NATA may notify the AMF via a NAS message (e.g., UL NAS transmission) over the N1 interface. The AMF may relay the content of the NAS message to its destination (e.g., directly) via an API call (e.g., Namf_EventExposure_Notify). For example, if the AMF is not supported to maintain one or more (e.g., any) states to perform these relay tasks, the WTRU may include the address of the NWDAF (e.g., IP address, FQDN, etc.) in the NAS message. The address of the NWDAF may be provided in the subscription request message (e.g., target notification address). If the AMF maintains one or more (e.g., some) states (e.g., mapping between data and / or analysis consumers and / or providers), the address of the consumer NF in the 5GC may not be shared with the WTRU.

[0107] The WTRU may transmit and / or receive information (e.g., predictions, statistics, data, analysis, etc.) to and / or from one or more network functions (e.g., NWDAF) in the 5GC via the UPF. The interaction between the WTRU and the UPF may be performed via a PMF connection that utilizes a user plane. The PMF may have a client / server architecture (e.g., an instance running at the WTRU and the UPF) that communicates via a TCP / UDP connection. For example, using this interaction model, the UPF may act as an anchor to relay information (e.g., similar to NAS signaling) between the 5GC NF and the WTRU. For example, if the UPF also supports a service-based interface (SBI), one or more messages arriving at the UPF (e.g., from the WTRU) may be delivered (e.g., directly) to their destinations via an API call (e.g., HTTP / 2.0). Otherwise, the UPF may deliver one or more messages via the SMF (e.g., via the N4 interface).

[0108] In an example, if PMF is enabled at the UPF and / or WTRU, the WTRU may notify an analysis consumer (e.g., such as NWDAF) via the UPF. For example, the WTRU may deliver information to the 5GC via the user plane instead of the control plane to prevent congestion in the control plane. The AMF / SMF may indicate the target notification address of the PMF / UPF in the subscription request message, for example, the target notification address may be carried in the DL NAS transmission. Information about the NWDAF address and / or the UPF / PMF address may be carried in the DL NAS transmission generated by the AMF / SMF.

[0109] In an example, the NWDAF may request a subscription (e.g., directly query) the UPF / PMF to subscribe to obtain the WTRU's analysis. In this way, the interaction between the WTRU and the 5GC (e.g., all interactions) may be performed via the UPF, and thus the UPF may include a mapping between the address of the analysis consumer and / or data and one or more providers (e.g., the NWDAF address and the WTRU's application address), PDU session ID, etc.

[0110] When the UPF (PMF) receives a WTRU message (e.g., a subscription request message), if the UPF supports SBI, the UPF may relay the WTRU message to the corresponding consumer (e.g., directly). The WTRU message may be delivered to the analysis consumer via the SMF (e.g., via the N4 interface).

[0111] Exchanging control messages (e.g., including analysis, measurement results and / or statistics) between the WTRU and the UPF may have one or more (e.g., several) advantages. Exchanging control messages between the WTRU and the UPF may significantly prevent congestion in the 5GC control plane. Data exchanged between the WTRU and the UPF may be transmitted within an established PDU session. The established PDU session may be authenticated, secured and / or integrity protected.

[0112] PMF can function within the ATSSS framework that enables multi-connectivity. Utilizing PMF with a client / server architecture, 5GC can perform one or more (e.g., some) measurements between WTRU and UPF through a MA-PDU session (e.g., through a user plane). One or more measurement results may include RTT, packet loss rate, and / or packet error rate. PMF can be used to exchange data, analysis, and / or one or more measurement results between WTRU and 5GC. The 5GC control plane may not be overwhelmed (e.g., completely overwhelmed) by control messages between one or more WTRUs and 5GC, because, for example, the interaction between WTRU and UPF can be performed through the user plane. When one or more WTRUs and UPF communicate via the user plane, the 5G control plane may be affected (e.g., control message traffic may be reduced). When UPF supports a service-based interface (SBI) (wherein messages can be forwarded to their destination without passing through SMF (e.g., using the control plane)), 5G control plane congestion can be reduced.

[0113] During the registration procedure, the WTRU may inform the 5GC that the WTRU may provide such capabilities (e.g., provide analysis, statistics, and / or measurements) by providing corresponding analysis IDs and / or their corresponding descriptions. This information may be stored in the UDM, which may then be used by the AMF / SMF (e.g., or other NFs). For example, during PDU session establishment, the AMF / SMF (or other NFs) may verify one or more corresponding capabilities of one or more WTRUs. For example, the AF may use the analysis, statistics, and / or measurements to select a group of WTRUs, because the AF may query the 5GC (e.g., UDM) to obtain all available WTRUs with such capabilities in a specific area of ​​interest (e.g., TA, cell, geographic location, etc.). For example, if such capabilities are not recorded in the 5GC during the WTRU registration, the WTRU may enable one or more capabilities (e.g., statistics, analysis, and / or one or more measurements provided by the WTRU) during the PDU session establishment and / or modification procedure via the (e.g., new) IE in the corresponding one or more NAS messages.

[0114] In an example, NATA may follow NWDAF-like service operations for subscribing and / or unsubscribing to analytics. NATA may follow NWDAF-like service operations to allow interactions between WTRU and 5GC NF to be performed in a harmonious manner, where applications running at WTRU may be considered as part of 5GC and vice versa. Examples of such service operations are provided herein in Table 1.

[0115] Table 1. One or more (e.g., some) examples of NATA's service operations and their corresponding operational semantics and / or components within 5GS that can subscribe to them.

[0116]

[0117] An AIML management function (AIML-MF) may be provided at the WTRU. The AIML-MF may process and / or optimize one or more AI / ML operations running at the WTRU. For example, the AIML-MF may optimize operations associated with a FL application running at the WTRU. The AIML-MF may prevent latency divergence issues across a group of WTRUs and / or ensure that a local FL training model is completed and / or transferred to the AF / AS within an acceptable (e.g., pre-configured) time window. The AIML-MF may run at the application layer and / or may follow similar service operations used in the 5GC (e.g., Naimlmf_EventExposure and / or Naimlmf_AnalyticsSubscribe, etc.).

[0118] One or more AI / ML applications may interact with the AIML-MF and / or communicate their required optimizations (e.g., requirements, constraints, and / or other real-time application-specific information, such as traffic pattern changes and / or bit rate changes). The AIML-MF may attempt to optimize one or more 5GS resources to meet the goals of one or more (e.g., each) AI / ML applications (e.g., meet application-specific goals, such as completing a task within a specific time window). The AIML-MF may interact (e.g., communicate) with the MM layer to initiate standard NAS signaling, such as initiating a PDU session modification / release procedure, transmitting / receiving UL / DL NAS transmissions, and / or initiating a WTRU registration procedure.

[0119] The AIML-MF collects information (e.g., data, statistics, and predictions) from the NFs and / or AFs in the WTRU and / or 5GC. The AIML-MF may collect one or more statistics (e.g., training epochs, entropy, loss functions) about the AI / ML operation from the WTRU's applications. The AIML-MF may collaborate with the AF (e.g., by exchanging information), for example, to meet one or more objectives. The AIML-MF may assist the AF in managing a set of WTRUs participating in a federated learning operation and / or selecting a set of participants / WTRUs for a training cycle (e.g., the next training cycle).

[0120] Additionally or alternatively, the AIML-MF may be combined with one or more other available analytical / statistical values ​​(e.g., NATA predictions) at the WTRU and / or elsewhere (e.g., NWDAF in 5GC) to optimize one or more AI / ML operations running at the WTRU.

[0121] The AIML-MF may notify the AF directly or via a corresponding application running at the WTRU about the optimization actions that the WTRU has taken. The AIML-MF may retrieve one or more of the following analyses from the NWDAF: user data congestion (network related), WTRU mobility (e.g., predicted number of handovers, etc.), load level information (e.g., predicted load level on a network slice, etc.), WLAN performance (e.g., predicted WLAN performance of the WTRU (in the case where the WTRU has non-3GPP access or uses the ATSSS framework with WLAN), and / or WTRU computation information (e.g., predicted CPU / GPU and memory usage of the WTRU).

[0122] The AIML-MF may collect one or more basic analytics at the WTRU, including network and application traffic analytics (eg, predicted end-to-end available bandwidth, level of network jitter, and traffic patterns).

[0123] The AIML-MF may collect one or more of the following statistics at the WTRU: application specific statistics and measurements (such as training epochs, entropy, loss function, training epoch completion time, etc.) and / or battery status.

[0124] The AIML-MF may, for example, request to change the priority of the flow from the 5GC by changing the QoS flow (e.g., 5QI, ARP, etc.) by triggering a PDU session modification procedure. In the case where the WTRU supports multiple access technologies (3GPP and non-3GPP such as WiFi), the AIML-MF may move traffic from one access technology to another. The AIML-MF may move traffic through MA-PDU sessions and / or parallel PDU sessions. In the latter case, the WTRU may open multiple PDU sessions with different characteristics (e.g., QoS profiles, S-NSSAI, DNN, etc.). In order to open multiple PDU sessions with different characteristics, the AIML-MF may dynamically update the ATSSS and / or URSP rules. When the AIML-MF has dynamically updated these rules at the WTRU, the AIML-MF may notify the 5GC (more precisely, the SMF / PCF). For example, in a case where the current AS is not expected to be the best choice, the AIML-MF may initiate a (e.g., new) PDU session toward the (e.g., new) AS. This is a common scenario where the WTRU changes location or the current AS load is high. The AIML-MF may switch the AI / ML process from the CPU to the GPU, for example, to speed up (e.g., complete within a specific time window) model training and save energy for the WTRU in another way. The AIML-MF may activate / deactivate RAN resources to save energy and radio resources. Activating / deactivating RAN resources may be performed via the PDU Session Modification procedure.

[0125] The WTRU may use the UPF to exchange control plane messages. The AIML-MF may request predictions related to end-to-end available bandwidth and jitter from the NATA component at the WTRU. NATA may request predictions about the load level on the network slice for the AIML application. The AIML application considered in this example is running federated learning.

[0126] An interaction mechanism between the WTRU and the UPF may be provided. For example, the WTRU may transmit and / or receive information (e.g., predictions, statistics, data, analysis, etc.) to / from one or more network functions in the 5GC (e.g., such as NWDAF) via the UPF. The interaction between the WTRU and the UPF may be performed via a PMF connection, which utilizes a user plane. The PMF has a client / server architecture. For example, the PMF has an instance running at the WTRU and another instance running at the UPF. The PMF instances may communicate via a TCP / UDP connection. Using this interaction model, the UPF may act as an anchor to relay information (e.g., similar to NAS signaling) between one or more 5GC NFs and the WTRU. If the UPF supports a service-based interface (SBI), messages arriving at the UPF (e.g., from the WTRU) may be delivered directly to their destinations via an API call (e.g., HTTP / 2.0). Otherwise, the UPF may deliver messages via the SMF (e.g., via the N4 interface).

[0127] Figure 2A and Figure 2B An example call flow procedure 200 for exchanging control plane messages is depicted.

[0128] At 212, the AIML-MF 202 may subscribe to the NATA component 204 at the WTRU to obtain one or more (e.g., some) predictions regarding end-to-end available bandwidth, the level of end-to-end jitter of DL / UL, and / or traffic patterns. To subscribe to the NATA 204, the AIML-MF 202 may invoke the Nnata_AnalyticsSubscription_Subscribe service operation, providing the desired analytics ID, target notification endpoint (e.g., AIML-MF IP address and / or AF IP address), S-NSSAI, PDU session ID, etc. For example, the AIML-MF 202 may transmit a subscription request message 212 including one or more analytics IDs to the NATA 204. When the AF IP address is also provided in the subscription request message 212, the AF may also be notified by the NATA 204.

[0129] At 214, NATA may determine whether to collect one or more (e.g., some) data and / or analytics from elsewhere (e.g., WTRU and / or 5GC NF). In an example, NATA 204 may determine to collect data about the arrival interval gaps of packets of a PDU session in DL / UL. Additionally or alternatively, NATA 204 may collect (e.g., regularly collect) information about load predictions on network slice instances. To do this, NATA 204 may call an API (e.g., Npmf_AnalyticsSubscribe_Subscribe) at a PMF 208 component at a WTRU connected to the UPF via a user plane. NATA 204 may provide one or more desired analytics IDs (e.g., PDU session ID, WTRU ID, etc.) for subscription.

[0130] The UPF 208 may forward the subscription request message (e.g., the payload of the subscription request message) to the NWDAF instance, directly or indirectly (e.g., via the SMF 206), for example, based on whether the UPF 208 supports SBI. In the case of the SMF 206, the UPF 208 may relay the request message using an IE in the N4 session report procedure at 216. The message may also include information about the UPF / PMF 208 address (e.g., an address indication).

[0131] At 216a, the UPF may invoke the Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Subscribe service operation, providing the analytics ID, the target notification endpoint (e.g., PMF / UPF 208 and / or AF IP address). Additionally or alternatively, the UPF 208 may determine (e.g., and / or store) a mapping between the WTRU ID, the PDU session ID, and / or the NWDAF, e.g., so that the UPF 208 may (e.g., correctly) relay one or more notifications from the NWDAF 210 to the WTRU via the PMF 208. The AF may also be notified by the NWDAF 210 when the AF IP address is also provided in the subscription request message.

[0132] For example, at 218, when the UPF 208 forwards the WTRU's subscription request message via the SMF 206, the SMF 206 may determine the mapping between the WTRU ID, the PMF 208, the UPF 208, the PDU session ID, and / or the NWDAF 210 (e.g., analysis ID). The SMF 206 may subscribe to the NWDAF 210 on behalf of the UPF 208 / PMF 208 / WTRU.

[0133] At 220, the SMF 206 may transmit a subscription message on behalf of the WTRU (and / or PMF / UPF), for example, by calling the Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscribe_Subscribe service operation (e.g., directly) to the NWDAF 210. The API call may include an analytics ID (e.g., slice payload information) and / or a target notification endpoint (e.g., SMF address and / or AF).

[0134] At 222, the NWDAF 210 may notify the SMF 206 of the requested prediction and / or statistics. Additionally or alternatively, for example, if the UPF 208 supports SBI (e.g., at 224), the NWDAF 210 may (e.g., directly) notify the UPF 208. The SMF 206 may relay the notification message from the NWDAF to the UPF / PMF via N4 signaling (e.g., a new IE in PFCP signaling) (e.g., at 226). At 228, for example, the UPF 208 may notify the WTRU (e.g., NATA / PMF 204) by invoking a (e.g., new) API call at the PMF.

[0135] At 230, the PMF at the WTRU 204 may receive the notification message 228 via the user plane. The PMF may (e.g., then) relay the notification message to the NATA 204 by invoking the Npmf_AnalyticsSubscribe_Notify service operation. At 232, the NATA 204 may generate the requested analytics (e.g., predictions / statistics) via one or more analytics consumers, which in this case may be the AIML-MF 202. At 234, the NATA 204 may (e.g., then) accordingly notify the AIML-MF 202 to provide the one or more requested predictions and / or statistics. The NATA 204 may notify the AIML-MF 202, for example, by invoking Nnata_AnalyticsSubscription_Notify. The NATA 204 may provide the notification correlation ID and / or the predictions / statistics to the AIML-MF 202 via the notification message at 234.

[0136] At 236, the AIML-MF 202 may take one or more (e.g., appropriate) actions to prevent latency divergence (e.g., across a group of WTRUs), and / or may ensure that the WTRU completes its local training and / or sends the trained model to the AF / AS within a specific (e.g., preconfigured) time window. The AIML-MF 202 may initiate a PDU session modification procedure to modify one or more QoS related parameters (e.g., 5QI and / or ARP); and / or switch between the CPU and the GPU; and / or move FL application traffic from one PDU session to another (e.g., in the case where the WTRU has one or more parallel PDU sessions with one or more different application servers); and / or the WTRU initiates a registration procedure, for example, to change the set of S-NSSAIs.

[0137] A set of PCC rules may include information associated with information exposure to the WTRU. The information associated with the information exposure may include "reporting anchor node" (e.g., SMF / AMF, UPF / PMF, AF / DCAF), "reporting mode" (e.g., autonomous, fixed), "report type" (e.g., request / response, subscription / notification), data, one or more measurement results, notification correlation ID, etc.

[0138] Information elements (IEs) in NAS SM signaling may be used to carry service information (e.g., analysis information) requests to 5GC.

[0139] The SMF functionality may take intelligent decisions about which reporting anchor NFs to select under different conditions. In another embodiment, the SMF may subscribe to a dedicated analysis (e.g., NWDAF instance) for this purpose.

[0140] This document may provide a set of updates in service operations of PCF (e.g., Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create / Update, Npcf_SMPolicy_UpdateNotify), UDM (e.g., Nudm_SDM_Get).

[0141] The WTRU may, for example, request analysis information from the 5GC using the 5GC network exposure capability, including monitoring and network analysis. Information (e.g., analysis information) may be transmitted from the 5GC to the WTRU via the CP and UP (e.g., a hybrid approach).

[0142] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3CAn example call flow 300 is depicted in which the AF 314 informs the SMF 304 about service exposure parameters that have been negotiated between the WTRU 302 and the AF 314. The AF 314 may transmit a service information request to the SMF 304 (e.g., on behalf of the WTRU 302 and / or itself 314), for example, via the PCF 308. The service information may include analysis information, data, and / or measurement result information. In one or more service information requests, the WTRU 302 / AF 314 may indicate how the SMF 304 should deliver the requested service information to the WTRU 302. For example, the WTRU 302 / AF 314 may indicate in the service information request whether to use CP (e.g., via NAS signaling) and / or UP (e.g., directly through the UPF 306 or via AF-UPF-WTRU). The AF 314 may correspond to a data collection application function. As part of the service information request, for example, the AF 314 / WTRU 302 may indicate a reporting mode to the SMF 304. If the reporting mode is "autonomous", the SMF 304 may select (e.g., dynamically select) whether to transmit the service information to the WTRU 302 via the CP and / or UP, for example based on a set of specific data and / or analysis, which the SMF 304 may collect from the 5GC NF and / or AF 314. For example, the SMF 304 may determine to transmit the service information to the WTRU via the UP or CP based on one or more of congestion, mobility, or PCC rules. If no reporting mode is provided, the network function (e.g., SMF 304) may use network analysis such as network slice congestion and / or analysis of data traffic to determine the mode to use when delivering information to the WTRU 302.

[0143] At 316, the WTRU 302 may establish a PDU session indicating that the WTRU 302 is communicating with (e.g., receiving information from / providing information to) the 5GC. The SMF 304 may interact with the PCF 308 and / or the UDM 306 to verify the one or more WTRU permissions. The verification of the one or more WTRU permissions may be performed as part of the PDU session establishment and modification procedures.

[0144] At 318, the WTRU 302 and the AF 314 may negotiate what information (e.g., data, analysis information, and / or measurements, etc.) should be exposed to the WTRU 302 and / or the AF 314 and in what manner (e.g., CP and / or UP). The WTRU and the AF may exchange one or more parameters (e.g., analysis parameters) during the negotiation. The one or more parameters may include an application ID; a WTRU ID (e.g., SUPI); data; one or more measurements; a reporting anchor NF (e.g., SMF / AMF, UPF, AF / DCAF); a reporting mode (e.g., autonomous or fixed), a report type (e.g., request / response or subscription / notification); a target notification endpoint (e.g., WTRU, AF); a notification correlation ID; and the like. The data and / or one or more measurements may include network load, user data congestion, data network performance analysis, and / or one or more WLAN performance measurements.

[0145] If the reporting mode is "autonomous", the SMF 304 may dynamically and / or intelligently deliver information to the WTRU 302 via the UPF / PMF 306 (UP), the SMF 304 / AMF (CP), and / or the AF / DCAF 314 (UP). The SMF 304 may select a path for delivering information to the WTRU 302 by collecting one or more (e.g., some) (e.g., specific) data and / or analysis (e.g., analysis related to user data congestion, user mobility, etc.) from one or more 5GC NFs. The SMF path selection may be affected by one or more PCC rules at the SMF 304, which may be created / updated by the PCF 308. If the reporting mode is "fixed", the SMF 304 may transmit the analysis information to the WTRU 302 via the reporting anchor NF (e.g., the AF 314 (UP), the SMF / AMF 304 (CP), and / or the UPF 306 (UP)) using the UP or CP.

[0146] The one or more target notification endpoints may identify the destination of the notification. For example, the target notification endpoints may include the WTRU 302, the AF 314 and / or one or more other NFs.

[0147] The report type may identify what service operation should be used to retrieve from the service producer. The report type may include request, response, subscription, and / or notification.

[0148] The Notification Correlation ID may be assigned by an information consumer (eg, WTRU 302 / AF 314) that subscribes to event reports. The Notification Correlation ID may allow a service consumer to associate a notification from a service producer to a subscription.

[0149] At 320, AF 314 may provide the negotiated service information to PCF 308, for example, by calling Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create / Update service operation (e.g., including one or more parameters such as reporting anchor NF, reporting mode, reporting type, requested data and / or analysis and / or one or more measurement results, notification correlation ID, etc.).

[0150] At 322, the PCF 308 may verify with the UDM 312 whether the WTRU 302 is authorized to obtain the requested service information from the 5GC, for example by calling the Nudm_SDM_Get service operation (which may include one or more service and / or analysis parameters, such as: reporting anchor point NF, reporting mode, report type, requested data and / or analysis and / or one or more measurement results, correlation notification ID, etc.).

[0151] At 324, the PCF 308 may update one or more dynamic PCC rules in the SMF 304, e.g., upon return of validation from the UDM 312. The PCF 308 may invoke an Npcf_SMPolicy_UpdateNotify service operation (e.g., including one or more parameters such as a reporting anchor point NF, a reporting mode, a report type, requested data and / or analysis and / or one or more measurement results, a notification correlation ID, etc.). One or more PCC rules associated with information exposure to the WTRU 302 may be defined herein. The one or more PCC rules may include information associated with a reporting anchor point NF, a reporting mode, a report type, etc.

[0152] At 326, the SMF 304 may subscribe to the requested analysis / data / measurement results on behalf of the WTRU 302 and / or the AF 314. For example, if the WTRU 302 and / or the AF 314 do not indicate a service producer ID, the SMF 304 may query a network repository function (NRF) to obtain the corresponding service producer that is serving the WTRU 302 and / or the AF 314. The NRF may be used to register one or more (e.g., 5GS) network functions (e.g., NF entities) with a (e.g., specific) service profile. Registering one or more network functions may enable one or more other NFs in the system to find the addresses of one or more NF entities that provide (e.g., specific) services (e.g., by transmitting a profile of the NF delivering the service to the NRF). One or more functions of the NRF may be similar to one or more functions of the DNS. Additionally or alternatively (e.g., at 328), the SMF 304 may subscribe to service information (e.g., one or more sets of data, analysis, and / or one or more measurements / statistics) for use in determining which reporting anchor NF(s) should be used to (e.g., better) deliver analysis information to the WTRU 302 when the reporting mode is "autonomous". For example, the SMF 304 may determine whether to use NAS signaling and / or the user plane (e.g., UPF and / or AF) to deliver information to the WTRU. The SMF 304 may subscribe to analysis information (e.g., such as user data congestion analysis) to predict how congested the CP will be. Additionally or alternatively, the SMF 304 may subscribe to other analysis information (e.g., such as one or more user mobility analysis) to predict user mobility (e.g., in dual connectivity scenarios). To subscribe to the NWDAF 310 and one or more other NFs, the SMF 304 may call the Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Subscribe and / or Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe service operations, respectively.

[0153] At 330, the NWDAF 310 and / or one or more other NFs may notify the SMF 304 of the requested data and / or analysis and / or measurements. The notification from the NWDAF 310 may include Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Notify and / or Nnf_EventExposure_Notify.

[0154] At 332, when the autonomous reporting mode and / or one or more (e.g., multiple) reporting anchor point NFs (e.g., SMF 304, AF 314, UPF 306) are indicated in one or more PCC rules, the SMF 304 may determine whether to use CP and / or UP. If the SMF 304 determines to use CP (e.g., SMF 304), the SMF 304 may deliver service information from the 5GC to the WTRU via NAS signaling (e.g., more specifically via SM signaling) (e.g., at 334). If the SMF 304 determines to use UP (e.g., at 336a and 336b), the SMF 304 may deliver the service information via UPF (e.g., initially delivered to the UPF via N4 signaling and (e.g., then) delivered from the UPF 306 to the WTRU 302 via a user plane connection). If the SMF 304 determines to use UP, the SMF 304 may additionally or alternatively deliver the service information via the AF 314, with initial delivery to the AF 314 (e.g., at 338a) and / or (e.g., then) delivery from the AF 314 to the WTRU 302 (e.g., at 338b) over a user plane connection (e.g., such as application layer signaling). The NEF may be used to reach the AF / DCAF 314, for example, in the event that the AF / DCAF 314 (e.g., at 338a) is not trusted. The AF / DCAF 314 may deliver one or more requested data and / or analysis and / or one or more measurement results to the WTRU 302 via application layer signaling (UP) (e.g., at 338b).

[0155] Figure 4A , Figure 4B 4C depicts an example call flow 400 in which the WTRU 402 may notify the SMF 404 via NAS signaling regarding one or more service exposure parameters that have been negotiated between the WTRU 402 and the AF 414. Information may be communicated from the 5GC to the WTRU via the CP and / or UP. The SMF 404 may determine (e.g., dynamically determine) whether to transmit information (e.g., analysis information) to the WTRU 402 via the CP and / or UP. The analysis information may include one or more analyses, service information, data, and / or one or more measurement results). The WTRU 402 may transmit an analysis information request negotiated with the AF 414 to the SMF 404 via NAS signaling (e.g., specifically SM signaling, which may terminate at the SMF 404). In the service information request, for example, the WTRU 402 / AF 414 may indicate how the SMF 404 may deliver the requested analysis information to the WTRU 402, for example, whether to use CP (eg, via NAS signaling) and / or UP (eg, UPF 406, AF 414).

[0156] At 416, the WTRU 402 may establish a PDU session indicating that the WTRU 402 is communicating with (e.g., receiving information from / providing information to) the 5GC. When the network uses the user plane to deliver information to the WTRU 402, the WTRU 402 may indicate to the SMF 404, for example, in a protocol configuration option IE, whether to use the data collection application function. The SMF 404 may interact with the PCF 408 / UDM 412 to verify one or more WTRU authorizations, for example, the PCF 408 and / or UPF 406 may indicate whether the WTRU 402 is allowed to use the control plane, the user plane, or both to deliver information. The verification of one or more WTRU authorizations may be performed as part of the PDU session establishment and modification procedures.

[0157] At 418, the WTRU 402 and the AF 414 may negotiate what analysis information (e.g., data, analysis and / or measurement results, etc.) should be exposed to the WTRU 402 and the AF 414 and / or in what manner (e.g., CP and / or UP). The WTRU 402 and the AF 414 may exchange one or more parameters (e.g., analysis parameters) during the negotiation. For example, the one or more analysis parameters exchanged between the WTRU 402 and the AF 414 may be associated with the analysis, data, and / or one or more measurement results. The one or more analysis parameters may include an application ID, a WTRU ID (e.g., SUPI), data; one or more measurement results, a reporting anchor NF (e.g., SMF / AMF, UPF, AF / DCAF), a reporting mode (e.g., autonomous and / or fixed), a reporting type (e.g., request / response and / or subscription / notification), a target notification endpoint (e.g., WTRU 402, AF 414), a notification correlation ID, etc. The data and / or one or more measurements may include network load, user data congestion, data network performance analysis, and / or one or more WLAN performance measurements.

[0158] At 420, the WTRU 402 may provide the one or more negotiated parameters (e.g., analysis parameters) to the SMF 404 via SM signaling (e.g., via a new IE, such as an analysis IE). For example, the WTRU 402 may transmit a message indicating the one or more analysis parameters to the SMF 404 at 420. For example, the message transmitted to the SMF 404 at 420 may include a type of analysis information and / or a reporting mode for the analysis information. The IE may include information related to: one or more reporting anchor points NF (e.g., SMF 404, UPF 406, AF 414); reporting mode (e.g., fixed and / or autonomous); report type (subscription / notification, request / response); target notification endpoint (e.g., WTRU 402, AF 414, etc.); data; one or more measurement results (e.g., packet delay information from UPF 406, one or more user mobility analysis from NWDAF 410, etc.); and / or notification correlation ID. The data and / or one or more measurements may include network load, user data congestion, data network performance analysis, and / or one or more WLAN performance measurements.

[0159] The WTRU 402 / AF 414 may express its preferences regarding the manner in which information is exposed from the 5GC to the WTRU 402 (e.g., via the UP and / or the CP). For example, the WTRU 402 may request (e.g., via the AF 414) to receive information (e.g., analysis information) from the 5GC via the UP and / or the CP. The WTRU 402 / AF 414 may express its information exposure preferences (e.g., via a MA-PDU session) in one or more scenarios where the WTRU 402 uses one or more (e.g., multiple) access technologies; an access may be used for the UP, while another access may be used to exchange one or more CP messages. The WTRU 402 / AF 414 may express its respective information exposure preferences while operating with dual connectivity, where the UP may be switched from one cell (e.g., bearer) to another cell (e.g., bearer), so that the WTRU 402 may decide where it prefers to receive information from the 5GC. The WTRU 402 and / or the AF 414 may delegate such decisions to the 5GC network. For example, the WTRU 402 may allow the 5GC network to determine whether to transmit analysis information to the WTRU 402 via the UP and / or CP.

[0160] A list of one or more NFs that may serve as anchor nodes may be signaled (e.g., in a Report Anchor NF field) from the WTRU 402 and / or the AF 414 to the SMF 404 (e.g., in human-readable text). The WTRU 402 and / or the AF 414 may not know the (e.g., actual) address of the one or more anchor NFs. The WTRU 402 may know the (e.g., actual) address of the AF 414 and / or the UPF / PMF 406.

[0161] At 422, the SMF 404 may verify with the UDM 412 whether the WTRU 402 is authorized to obtain the requested information from the 5GC, for example, by invoking a Nudm_SDM_Get service operation. The invoking the Nudm_SDM_Get service operation may include one or more parameters, such as one or more reporting anchor NFs, a reporting mode, a report type, requested data and / or analysis, and / or one or more measurement results, etc. For example, the SMF 404 may transmit a request at 422 to one or more NFs indicating the type of analysis information received from the WTRU 402 at 420.

[0162] For example, if the SMF 404 has indicated that the notification should be delivered (e.g., directly) to the AF 414, the NWDAF 410 and / or one or more other NFs may notify (e.g., directly notify) the AF 414. At 424, the SMF 404 may subscribe to analysis information (e.g., requested analysis / data / measurement results) on behalf of the WTRU 402 and / or the AF 414. For example, the SMF 404 may subscribe to one or more NFs at 424 to receive the type of analysis information indicated in the message transmitted by the WTRU at 420. If the WTRU 402 and / or the AF 414 do not indicate a service producer ID, the SMF 404 may query the NRF to obtain the corresponding service producer that is serving the WTRU 402 and / or the AF 414. The SMF 404 may subscribe at 424 to a set of data and / or analytics and / or one or more measurements / statistics for use in determining which reporting anchor NF should be used to (e.g., better) deliver information to the WTRU 402 when the reporting mode is "autonomous"; for example, whether to use NAS signaling and / or user plane (e.g., UPF or AF). The SMF 404 may subscribe to user data congestion analytics to predict how congested the CP will be. At 426, the SMF 404 may subscribe to one or more user mobility analytics to predict user mobility (e.g., in dual connectivity scenarios). To subscribe to the NWDAF 410 and one or more other NFs, the SMF 404 may invoke the Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Subscribe and Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe service operations, respectively.

[0163] At 428, NWDAF 410 and / or one or more other NFs may notify SMF 404 of the requested data, analytics, and / or measurements. NWDAF 410 may request data, analytics, and / or measurements, for example, from SMF 404 via Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Notify and / or from one or more other NFs via Nnf_EventExposure_Notify.

[0164] At 430, the SMF 404 may determine whether to transmit the analysis information to the WTRU 402 via the CP or the UP based on the reporting mode indicated in the message received from the WTRU at 420. For example, when the autonomous reporting mode and one or more (e.g., multiple) reporting anchor points NFs (e.g., SMF 404, AF 414, UPF 406) are indicated in the PCC rules, the SMF 404 may determine whether to use the CP and / or the UP at 430. The SMF 404 may determine whether to transmit the analysis information to the WTRU 402 via the CP and / or the UP at 430 based on the network congestion information and / or the WTRU mobility information.

[0165] For example, if the SMF 404 determines at 430 that the analysis information is to be transmitted via the CP (e.g., the SMF 404), the SMF 404 may transmit the analysis information from the 5GC to the WTRU 402 using a NAS message. The NAS message may be transmitted via NAS signaling (e.g., more specifically via SM signaling). For example, the SMF 404 may enable communication between the UPF 406 and the SMF 404 via the CP. For example, the SMF 404 may transmit one or more messages to the UPF 404 via the N4 interface.

[0166] For example, if the SMF 404 determines to transmit the analysis information via the UP (e.g., at 434), the SMF 404 may transmit the analysis information (e.g., an instance of the analysis information) to the WTRU 402 via the UPF 406 (e.g., initially transmitted to the UPF 406 via N4 signaling and / or then transmitted from the UPF 406 to the WTRU 402 via a user plane connection). The instance of the analysis information may include analysis, data, and / or measurement results associated with a particular time period. The SMF 404 may enable communication between the WTRU 402 and the UPF 406 via the UP. For example, the UPF 406 may transmit one or more NAS messages to the WTRU 402 via the UP. For example, if the SMF 404 determines to transmit the analysis information via the UP, the SMF 404 may additionally or alternatively transmit the analysis information to the WTRU 402 via the AF 414. The SMF 404 may deliver the analysis information to the WTRU 402 via the AF / DCAF 414 (e.g., at 434a). The NEF may be used to reach the AF / DCAF 414, for example, in the event that the AF / DCAF 414 (e.g., at 434a) is not trusted. The AF / DCAF 414 may deliver the analysis information to the WTRU 402 via application layer signaling (e.g., UP) at 434b.

[0167] Figure 5A and Figure 5BAn example call flow 500 is depicted in which a WTRU 502 may notify an SMF 504 via NAS signaling and / or in which an AF 514 may notify the SMF 504 about one or more parameters (e.g., analysis parameters) that have been negotiated between the WTRU 502 and the AF 514. Information (e.g., analysis information) may be communicated from the 5GC to the WTRU via the CP and / or UP. The SMF 504 may determine (e.g., dynamically determine) whether to transmit information (e.g., analysis information) to the WTRU 502 via the CP and / or UP. The analysis information may include one or more analyses, service information, data, and / or one or more measurements. The WTRU 502 may transmit an analysis information request negotiated with the AF 514 to the SMF 504 via NAS signaling (e.g., such as SM signaling, which may terminate at the SMF 454). In the service information request, for example, the WTRU 502 / AF 514 may indicate how the SMF 504 should deliver the requested analysis information to the WTRU 502, for example, whether to transmit the requested analysis information via the CP (e.g., via NAS signaling) and / or UP (e.g., UPF 506, AF 514).

[0168] At 516, the WTRU 502 may establish a PDU session indicating that the WTRU 502 is communicating with (e.g., receiving information from / providing information to) the 5GC. When the network uses the user plane to deliver analysis information to the WTRU 502, the WTRU 502 may indicate to the SMF 504, for example, within a protocol configuration option IE, whether to use the data collection application function. The SMF 504 may interact with the PCF 508 and / or the UDM 512 to verify one or more WTRU authorizations, for example, the PCF 508 and / or the UPF 506 may indicate whether the WTRU 502 is allowed to use the control plane, the user plane, or both (e.g., the control plane and the user plane) to deliver analysis information. The verification of one or more WTRU authorizations may be performed as part of the PDU session establishment and modification procedures.

[0169] At 518, the WTRU 502 and the AF 514 may negotiate what analysis information (e.g., data, analysis and / or measurement results, etc.) should be exposed to the WTRU 502 and the AF 514 and / or in what manner (e.g., CP and / or UP). The WTRU 502 and the AF 514 may exchange one or more parameters (e.g., analysis parameters) during the negotiation. For example, the one or more analysis parameters exchanged between the WTRU 502 and the AF 514 may be associated with the analysis, data, and / or one or more measurement results. The one or more analysis parameters may include an application ID, a WTRU ID (e.g., SUPI), data; one or more measurement results, a reporting anchor NF (e.g., SMF / AMF, UPF, AF / DCAF), a reporting mode (e.g., autonomous and / or fixed), a reporting type (e.g., request / response and / or subscription / notification), a target notification endpoint (e.g., WTRU 502, AF 514), a notification correlation ID, etc. The data and / or one or more measurements may include network load, user data congestion, data network performance analysis, and / or one or more WLAN performance measurements.

[0170] At 520a, the AF 514 may transmit the negotiated service information to the PCF 508, for example, by invoking an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create / Update service operation (e.g., including one or more analysis parameters, such as reporting anchor NF, reporting mode, report type, requested data and / or analysis and / or one or more measurement results, notification correlation ID, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, the WTRU 502 may transmit the one or more negotiated parameters (e.g., analysis parameters) to the SMF 504 via SM signaling (e.g., via a new IE such as an analysis IE, via a NAS message from the WTRU 502) at 520b. For example, the WTRU 502 may transmit a (e.g., NAS) message indicating one or more of the analysis parameters to the SMF 504 at 520b (e.g., in control plane mode). For example, the message transmitted to the SMF 504 at 520b may include a type of analysis information and / or a reporting mode for the analysis information. The analysis IE may include one or more of the analysis parameters, such as, for example: one or more reporting anchor NFs (e.g., SMF 504, UPF 506, AF 514); reporting mode (e.g., fixed and / or autonomous); reporting type (subscription / notification, request / response); target notification endpoint (e.g., WTRU 502, AF 514, etc.); data; one or more measurement results (e.g., packet delay information from UPF 506, one or more user mobility analysis from NWDAF 510, etc.); and / or notification correlation ID. The data and / or one or more measurement results may include network load, user data congestion, data network performance analysis, and / or one or more WLAN performance measurement results.

[0171] The WTRU 502 / AF 514 may express its preference regarding the manner in which analytical information is exposed from the 5GC to the WTRU 502 (e.g., via the UP and / or the CP). For example, the WTRU 502 may request (e.g., via the AF 514) to receive analytical information from the 5GC via the UP and / or the CP. The WTRU 502 / AF 514 may express its information exposure preference (e.g., via a MA-PDU session) in one or more scenarios where the WTRU 502 uses one or more (e.g., multiple) access technologies; an access may be used for the UP, while another access may be used to exchange one or more CP messages. The WTRU 502 / AF 514 may express its respective information exposure preference while operating with dual connectivity, where the UP may be switched from one cell (e.g., bearer) to another cell (e.g., bearer), so that the WTRU 502 may decide where the WTRU 502 prefers to receive information from the 5GC. The WTRU 502 and / or the AF 514 may delegate such decisions to the 5GC network. For example, the WTRU 502 may allow the 5GC network to determine whether to transmit analysis information to the WTRU 502 via the UP and / or CP.

[0172] A list of one or more NFs that may serve as anchor nodes may be signaled (e.g., in a Report Anchor NF field) from the WTRU 502 and / or the AF 514 to the SMF 504 (e.g., in human-readable text). The WTRU 502 and / or the AF 514 may not know the (e.g., actual) address of the one or more anchor NFs. The WTRU 502 may know the (e.g., actual) address of the AF 514 and / or the UPF / PMF 506.

[0173] At 522, the SMF 504 may verify with the 5GC (e.g., UDM 512) whether the WTRU 502 is authorized to obtain the requested information from the 5GC, for example, by invoking a Nudm_SDM_Get service operation. The invoking the Nudm_SDM_Get service operation may include one or more (e.g., analysis) parameters, such as one or more reporting anchor NFs, a reporting mode, a report type, requested data and / or analysis, and / or one or more measurement results, etc. For example, the SMF 504 may transmit a request at 522 to one or more NFs indicating (e.g., at 520b) the type of analysis information received from the WTRU 502. For example, if the SMF 504 has indicated that the notification should be delivered (e.g., directly) to the AF 514, the NWDAF 510 and / or one or more other NFs may notify (e.g., directly notify) the AF 514.

[0174] At 524, additionally or alternatively, the PCF 508 may update one or more dynamic PCC rules in the SMF 504, e.g., to verify the WTRU authorization to the UDM 512. The PCF 508 may invoke an Npcf_SMPolicy_UpdateNotify service operation (e.g., including one or more parameters such as a reporting anchor point NF, a reporting mode, a report type, requested data and / or analysis and / or one or more measurement results, a notification correlation ID, etc.). One or more PCC rules associated with information exposure to the WTRU 502 may be defined herein. The one or more PCC rules may include information associated with a reporting anchor point NF, a reporting mode, a report type, etc.

[0175] At 526, the SMF 504 may subscribe to analysis information (e.g., requested analysis / data / measurements), for example, on behalf of the WTRU 502 and / or the AF 514. For example, the SMF 504 may subscribe to one or more NFs at 526 to receive the type of analysis information indicated in the message transmitted by the WTRU 502 at 520b. If the WTRU 502 and / or the AF 514 do not indicate a service producer ID, the SMF 504 may query the NRF to obtain the corresponding service producer that is serving the WTRU 502 and / or the AF 514. The SMF 504 may subscribe to a set of data and / or analysis and / or one or more measurements / statistics at 526 to use in determining which reporting anchor NF should be used to (e.g., better) deliver information to the WTRU 502 when the reporting mode is "autonomous"; for example, whether to use NAS signaling and / or user plane (e.g., UPF and / or AF). SMF 504 may subscribe to user data congestion analysis to predict how congested the CP will be.

[0176] At 528, the SMF 504 may subscribe to one or more user mobility analytics to predict user mobility (e.g., in a dual connectivity scenario). To subscribe to the NWDAF 510 and one or more other NFs, the SMF 504 may call Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Subscribe and / or Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe service operations, respectively.

[0177] At 530, NWDAF 510 and / or one or more other NFs may notify SMF 504 of the requested data, analysis, and / or measurements. NWDAF 510 may request data, analysis, and / or measurements, for example, from SMF 504 via Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Notify and / or from one or more other NFs via Nnf_EventExposure_Notify.

[0178] At 532, the SMF 504 may determine whether to transmit the analysis information to the WTRU 502 via the CP and / or UP based on the reporting mode indicated in the message received from the WTRU (e.g., at 520b). For example, when the autonomous reporting mode and / or one or more (e.g., multiple) reporting anchor points NF (e.g., SMF 504, AF 514, UPF 506) are indicated in the PCC rule, the SMF 504 may determine (e.g., at 532) whether to use the CP and / or UP. The SMF 504 may determine at 532 whether to transmit the analysis information to the WTRU 502 via the CP and / or UP based on the network congestion information and / or the WTRU mobility information.

[0179] For example, if the SMF 504 determines at 532 that the analysis information is to be transmitted via the CP (e.g., SMF 504), the SMF 504 may (e.g., at 534a) transmit the analysis information from the 5GC to the WTRU 502 using a NAS message. The NAS message may be transmitted via NAS signaling (e.g., more specifically via SM signaling). For example, the SMF 504 may enable communication between the UPF 506 and the SMF 504 via the CP. For example, the SMF 404 may transmit one or more messages to the UPF 404 via the N4 interface.

[0180] Additionally or alternatively, the SMF 504 may determine to transmit the analysis information via the UP. For example, if the SMF 404 determines to transmit the analysis information via the UP, for example (e.g., at 534b), the SMF 454 may transmit the analysis information (e.g., an instance of the analysis information) to the WTRU 502 via the UPF 506 (e.g., initially transmitted to the UPF 506 via N4 signaling and / or then transmitted from the UPF 506 to the WTRU 502 via a user plane connection) (e.g., at 534b). The instance of the analysis information may include analysis, data, and / or measurement results associated with a particular time period. The SMF 504 may enable communication between the WTRU 502 and the UPF 506 via the UP. For example, the UPF 506 may transmit one or more NAS messages to the WTRU 502 via the UP (e.g., at 534c). For example, if the SMF 504 determines to transmit the analysis information via the UP, the SMF 504 may additionally or alternatively transmit the analysis information to the WTRU 502 via the AF 514. The SMF 504 may deliver the analysis information to the WTRU 502 via the AF / DCAF 514 (e.g., at 534d). The NEF may be used to reach the AF / DCAF 514, for example, in the event that the AF / DCAF 514 (e.g., at 434a) is not trusted. The AF / DCAF 514 may deliver the analysis information to the WTRU 502 via application layer signaling (e.g., UP) at 534e.

[0181] The systems, methods, and apparatus provided herein may include a packet train monitoring function (PTMF) that may be provided at a UPF. Once the PTMF is activated within the UPF, for example, the PTMF may collect one or more statistics about packet inter-arrival patterns / rates / gaps. For example, the PTMF may transmit one or more statistics to the NWDAF to predict end-to-end available bandwidth and / or traffic patterns and / or network jitter. The PTMF may operate on a per-PDU session, QFI, S-NSSAI, NSI, and / or application basis.

[0182] One or more PTMF functions may be integrated into the PMF at the WTRU and / or UPF. In an example, the PMF may also monitor one or more inter-arrival rates of packets in the DL and / or UL directions and one or more other activities, such as measurements of RTT, packet loss rate, and / or packet error rate. Similar to NATA, the PTMF component and / or its PMF variant may configure the flow control (TC) function of the underlying operating system (e.g., Linux kernel, Android, Apple iOS, etc.), for example, to dynamically and simultaneously obtain traffic mirroring functions with respect to one or more different granularities.

[0183] The packet column information NWDAF may be a NWDAF with an analysis ID. One or more state inputs to the packet column information NWDAF may be retrieved from the PTMF and / or PMF / UPF (e.g., via the SMF and / or directly if the UPF supports SBI). The PTI instance may use one or more other existing analyses at the 5GC (e.g., as input) to generate its predictions / statistics (e.g., predicting the level of jitter and / or traffic patterns and / or end-to-end available bandwidth for DL ​​and / or UL traffic at the UPF).

[0184] For example, one or more NWDAF(PTI) predictions (e.g., estimates of end-to-end available bandwidth for DL ​​and / or UL) may be fed simultaneously to the WTRU and / or AF so that they can (e.g., gracefully) handle FL operations. The AF may use one or more NWDAF(PTI) predictions to select participants. The WTRU may use one or more NWDAF(PTI) predictions to adjust one or more behaviors.

[0185] For example, one or more NWDAF(PTI) predictions for the UL may be more accurate than one or more predictions generated by NATA because the NWDAF(PTI) receives its primary input from the PTMF / PMF at the UPF, which monitors packets from the access network (e.g., the condition of the AN is also reflected in the packet arrival pattern). However, in the case of NATA, the predictions for the UL may not be (e.g., completely) accurate. DL packet monitoring may be delegated to the NATA at the WTRU, and / or UL packet monitoring may be delegated to the PTMF at the UPF. Additionally or alternatively, the AF / AS may monitor the arrival of one or more UL packets.

[0186] WTRU Computation Information The NWDAF may be used to (e.g., regularly) predict the computational resources of a WTRU and / or a group of WTRUs. These one or more computational resources may be a GPU and / or a CPU and / or a memory. The NWDAF instance may collect (e.g., required) information from the WTRU via the AF (e.g., user plane) and / or the 5GC control plane (via SMF / AMF) and / or UPF / PMF, as described herein.

[0187] The NWDAF may request the SMF / AMF to collect data from the WTRU via the control plane. In an example, the NWDAF may provide the SMF / AMF with a WTRU ID / PDU session ID. The AF may use WTRU computing resource analysis and / or one or more other available analyses at the 5GC (e.g., WTRU communication analysis, DN performance analysis, slice load level information analysis, etc.) when selecting and / or managing one or more FL participants (e.g., WTRU). When collecting (e.g., required) information via the UPF, the 5GC may interact with the WTRU in part through the user plane (e.g., through the PMF if enabled at the WTRU and / or UPF). For example, when the 5GC communicates with the WTRU via the user plane, network congestion within the 5GC control plane may be reduced. For example, when the number of WTRUs using such interactions increases over time, congestion within the 5GC control plane may become a problem. Transmitting one or more statistical values ​​about computing resources from the WTRU and / or a group of WTRUs to the NWDAF at short time intervals may cause additional network congestion and / or increase the load on the control plane.

[0188] When collecting (e.g., required) information via the AF, for example, the NWDAF may receive one or more measurements associated with one or more WTRUs via the AF. For example, the AF may collect information about CPU, GPU, and / or memory usage reports, the number of active applications at the WTRU and / or their types. Additionally or alternatively, the NWDAF may provide the AF with a set of predictions regarding the CPU, GPU, and / or memory usage of the WTRU.

[0189] The AF may use WTRU computational information analysis and / or one or more other available information / analyses at the 5GC (e.g., WTRU communication analysis, DN performance analysis, slice load level information analysis, etc.) and / or one or more (e.g., some) other analyses received from the WTRU (e.g., network and application traffic analysis) to select and / or manage one or more FL participants / WTRUs.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a network node, the method comprising: receiving a message indicating one or more analysis parameters associated with analysis information to be provided to a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), the one or more analysis parameters comprising a type of analysis information and a reporting mode for the analysis information, the reporting mode indicating a method by which the network node provides the analysis information to the WTRU; subscribing to one or more network functions to receive analytical information of the type described; determining whether to transmit the analysis information to the WTRU via a control plane or a user plane based on the reporting mode indicated in the message; transmitting the analysis information to the WTRU via the control plane using a non-access stratum (NAS) message, on a condition that the network node determines to transmit the analysis information via the control plane; and The analysis information is transmitted to the WTRU via one or more of a user plane function (UPF) or an application function, conditional upon the network node determining that the analysis information is transmitted via the user plane.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determination of whether to transmit the analysis information to the WTRU via the control plane or the user plane is based on one or more of network congestion information or WTRU mobility information. 3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting a request to the one or more network functions indicating the type of analysis information.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: enabling communication between the WTRU and the UPF via the user plane; as well as Communication is achieved between the UPF and the network node via the control plane.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein implementing communication between the WTRU and the UPF via the user plane includes transmitting one or more NAS messages to the WTRU via the user plane; and wherein implementing communication between the UPF and the network node via the control plane includes transmitting one or more messages to the UPF via the N4 interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more analysis parameters further include one or more of the following: an application identifier (ID), a WTRU ID, data, one or more measurement results, one or more reporting anchor network functions (NFs), one or more report types, one or more target notification endpoints, or a notification correlation ID.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the analysis information from the one or more network functions. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the reporting mode comprises a fixed reporting mode or an autonomous reporting mode.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the fixed reporting mode further comprises transmitting the analysis information to the WTRU via the user plane or the control plane using an indicated reporting anchor network function.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the autonomous reporting mode further comprises dynamically determining whether to transmit the analysis information to the WTRU via the user plane or the control plane based on one or more of congestion, mobility, or policy and charging control (PCC) rules.

11. A network node, comprising: A processor and a memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to: receiving a message indicating one or more analysis parameters associated with analysis information to be provided to a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), the one or more analysis parameters comprising a type of analysis information and a reporting mode for the analysis information, the reporting mode indicating a method by which the network node provides the analysis information to the WTRU; subscribing to one or more network functions to receive analytical information of the type described; determining whether to transmit the analysis information to the WTRU via a control plane or a user plane based on the reporting mode indicated in the message; transmitting the analysis information to the WTRU via the control plane using a non-access stratum (NAS) message, on a condition that the network node determines to transmit the analysis information via the control plane; and The analysis information is transmitted to the WTRU via one or more of a user plane function (UPF) or an application function, conditional upon the network node determining that the analysis information is transmitted via the user plane.

12. The network node of claim 11, wherein the determination of whether to transmit the analysis information to the WTRU via the control plane or the user plane is based on one or more of network congestion information or WTRU mobility information.

13. The network node of claim 11, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to transmit a request to the one or more network functions indicating the type of analysis information.

14. The network node of claim 11, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to: enabling communication between the WTRU and the UPF via the user plane; and Communication is achieved between the UPF and the network node via the control plane.

15. The network node according to claim 14, wherein being configured to implement communication between the WTRU and the UPF via the user plane includes being configured to transmit one or more NAS messages to the WTRU via the user plane; and wherein being configured to implement communication between the UPF and the network node via the control plane includes being configured to transmit one or more messages to the UPF via the N4 interface.

16. The network node according to claim 11, wherein the one or more analysis parameters further include one or more of the following: an application identifier (ID), a WTRU ID, data, one or more measurement results, one or more reporting anchor network functions (NFs), one or more report types, one or more target notification endpoints, or a notification correlation ID.

17. The network node of claim 11, wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to receive the analysis information from the one or more network functions.

18. The network node of claim 11, wherein the reporting mode comprises a fixed reporting mode or an autonomous reporting mode.

19. The network node of claim 18, wherein the fixed reporting mode further comprises transmitting the analysis information to the WTRU via the user plane or the control plane using an indicated reporting anchor network function.

20. The network node of claim 17, wherein the autonomous reporting mode further comprises dynamically determining whether to transmit the analysis information to the WTRU via the user plane or the control plane based on one or more of congestion, mobility, or policy and charging control (PCC) rules.

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