Method and apparatus for redundancy improvement in communication system

Abstract

A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product receive a traffic redundancy indication from a user equipment in a communication network or from a policy controller. The method, the apparatus, and the computer program product determine whether the radio access network and the user plane function require traffic redundancy based on the traffic redundancy indication. The method, apparatus and computer program product request a radio access network not to establish a redundancy mechanism if the radio access network does not require traffic redundancy. The method, the apparatus and the computer program product request that the user plane function does not establish a redundancy mechanism when the user plane function does not require service redundancy.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of an invention patent application with an application date of March 30, 2020, application number 202080034573.X, and invention name “Method and device for improving redundancy in a communication system”.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 827,652, filed on April 1, 2019, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REDUNDANCY IMPROVEMENT IN A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0004] Example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to redundancy improvements in communication systems such as fifth generation (5G) systems. Background Art

[0005] 5G communication systems are designed to support ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC). In order to ensure high transmission reliability, redundant transmission of user data is supported in communication systems such as 5G systems. Key points in supporting redundant transmission of user data in communication systems such as 5G systems include: how to decide whether to enable redundant transmission for a specific quality of service (QoS) flow, how to replicate data packets in user equipment (UE) / radio access network (RAN) / user plane function (UPF) when redundancy is required, etc. However, there are still many defects and problems related to supporting redundant transmission of user data in communication systems. Summary of the invention

[0006] According to example embodiments, a method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided to improve (such as optimize) redundancy in a communication system such as a fifth generation (5G) system.

[0007] In an example embodiment, a method is provided, the method comprising receiving a service redundancy indication from a user equipment in a communication network or from a policy controller. The method further comprises determining whether service redundancy is required for a radio access network and a user plane function based on the service redundancy indication. The method further comprises requesting the radio access network not to establish a redundancy mechanism if service redundancy is not required for the radio access network. The method further comprises requesting the user plane function not to establish a redundancy mechanism if service redundancy is not required for the user plane function.

[0008] In some implementations of this method, the service redundancy indication is part of a protocol data unit session establishment request received from a user equipment. In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication is part of a protocol data unit session modification request from a user equipment. In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication targets all services within the protocol data unit session. In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication targets a subset of services within the protocol data unit session. In some embodiments, the radio access network is configured by the core network on a protocol data unit session basis to determine that redundant transmission is not performed at the following layers: a packet data convergence protocol layer, a general packet radio service tunneling protocol user data tunnel layer, or a transport layer. In some embodiments, such as in embodiments in which the tunnel is a general packet radio service tunneling protocol user data tunnel or a transport layer tunnel, the user plane function is configured by a session manager of the core network on a protocol data unit session basis to determine that redundant tunnels are not used.

[0009] In another example embodiment, an apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising a processing circuit and at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising computer program code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the processing circuit, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a service redundancy indication from a user equipment in a communication network or from a policy controller. The computer program code is also configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: determine whether service redundancy is required for a radio access network and a user plane function based on the service redundancy indication. The computer program code is also configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: request the radio access network not to establish a redundancy mechanism if service redundancy is not required for the radio access network. The computer program code is also configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: request the user plane function not to establish a redundancy mechanism if service redundancy is not required for the user plane function.

[0010] In some implementations of such an apparatus, the service redundancy indication is part of a protocol data unit session establishment request received from a user equipment. In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication is part of a protocol data unit session modification request from a user equipment. In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication targets all services within the protocol data unit session. In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication targets a subset of services within the protocol data unit session. In some embodiments, the radio access network is configured by the core network on a protocol data unit session basis to determine that redundant transmission is not performed at the following layers: a packet data convergence protocol layer, a general packet radio service tunneling protocol user data tunnel layer, or a transport layer. In some embodiments, for example in embodiments in which the tunnel is a general packet radio service tunneling protocol user data tunnel or a transport layer tunnel, the user plane function is configured by a session manager of the core network on a protocol data unit session basis to determine that redundant tunnels are not used.

[0011] In another example embodiment, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product including at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions include program code instructions configured to receive a service redundancy indication from a user equipment in a communication network or from a policy controller when executed. The computer-executable program code instructions include program code instructions further configured to determine whether service redundancy is required for a radio access network and a user plane function based on the service redundancy indication when executed. The computer-executable program code instructions include program code instructions further configured to request the radio access network not to establish a redundancy mechanism when service redundancy is not required for the radio access network when executed. The computer-executable program code instructions include program code instructions further configured to request the user plane function not to establish a redundancy mechanism when service redundancy is not required for the user plane function when executed.

[0012] In some implementations of such a computer program product, the service redundancy indication is part of a protocol data unit session establishment request received from a user equipment. In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication is part of a protocol data unit session modification request from a user equipment. In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication targets all services within the protocol data unit session. In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication targets a subset of services within the protocol data unit session. In some embodiments, the radio access network is configured by the core network on a protocol data unit session basis to determine that redundant transmission is not performed at the following layers: a packet data convergence protocol layer, a general packet radio service tunneling protocol user data tunnel layer, or a transport layer. In some embodiments, for example in embodiments in which the tunnel is a general packet radio service tunneling protocol user data tunnel or a transport layer tunnel, the user plane function is configured by a session manager of the core network on a protocol data unit session basis to determine that redundant tunnels are not used.

[0013] In another example embodiment, an apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising means for receiving a traffic redundancy indication from a user equipment in a communication network or from a policy controller. The apparatus further comprises means for determining whether traffic redundancy is required for a radio access network and a user plane function based on the traffic redundancy indication. The apparatus further comprises means for requesting the radio access network not to establish a redundancy mechanism if traffic redundancy is not required for the radio access network. The apparatus further comprises means for requesting the user plane function not to establish a redundancy mechanism if traffic redundancy is not required for the user plane function.

[0014] In some implementations of such an apparatus, the service redundancy indication is part of a protocol data unit session establishment request received from a user equipment. In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication is part of a protocol data unit session modification request from a user equipment. In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication targets all services within the protocol data unit session. In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication targets a subset of services within the protocol data unit session. In some embodiments, the radio access network is configured by the core network on a protocol data unit session basis to determine not to perform redundant transmissions at the following locations: a packet data convergence protocol layer, a general packet radio service tunneling protocol user data tunnel layer, or a transport layer. In some embodiments, such as in embodiments in which the tunnel is a general packet radio service tunneling protocol user data tunnel or a transport layer tunnel, the user plane function is configured by a session manager of the core network on a protocol data unit session basis to determine not to use redundant tunnels. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Having thus generally described certain example embodiments of the present disclosure, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in which:

[0016] Figure 1 An example configuration for processing redundant protocol data unit sessions in a communication system is shown;

[0017] Figure 2 Another example configuration for processing redundant protocol data unit sessions in a communication system is shown;

[0018] Figure 3 Another example configuration for processing redundant protocol data unit sessions in a communication system is shown;

[0019] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an apparatus that may be specifically configured according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0020] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example embodiment according to the present disclosure such as Figure 4 A flowchart of a set of operations performed by a device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Some embodiments will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some (but not all) embodiments of the present invention are shown. In fact, various embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; on the contrary, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. The same figure numerals always refer to the same elements. As used herein, the terms "data", "content", "information" and similar terms can be used interchangeably to refer to data that can be sent, received and / or stored according to embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, the use of any such terms should not be considered to limit the spirit and scope of embodiments of the present invention.

[0022] In addition, as used herein, the term "circuit" refers to (a) a pure hardware circuit implementation (e.g., an implementation in analog circuits and / or digital circuits); (b) a combination of a circuit and a computer program product, including software and / or firmware instructions stored on one or more computer-readable memories, which work together to cause the device to perform one or more functions described herein; and (c) a circuit that requires software or firmware to operate, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, even if the software or firmware is not physically present. This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term herein (including in any claims). As another example, as used herein, the term "circuit" also includes an implementation with one or more processors and / or portions thereof and accompanying software and / or firmware. As another example, as used herein, the term "circuit" also includes, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or an application processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, other network equipment, and / or other computing device.

[0023] As defined herein, "computer-readable storage media" referring to non-transitory physical storage media (eg, volatile or non-volatile memory devices) may be distinguished from "computer-readable transmission media" referring to electromagnetic signals.

[0024] 5G communication systems are designed to support Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC). 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Report (TR) 23.725 includes many proposed solutions for supporting redundant transmission.

[0025] Figure 1 The first configuration shown operates by providing redundant user plane paths based on dual connectivity. The first configuration will enable the terminal device to establish two redundant protocol data unit (PDU) sessions over the 5G network so that the network will try to make the paths of the two redundant PDU sessions independent as much as possible. Upper layer protocols such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) TSN (Time Sensitive Networking) FRER (Frame Replication and Elimination Reliability) can be relied upon to manage the replication and elimination of redundant packets / frames on multiple paths that can span 3GPP segments and possible fixed network segments.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, the 3GPP network provides two paths from the device: the first PDU session spans from the user equipment (UE) via the next generation node B (gNB) 1 to the user plane function (UPF) 1 used as the PDU session anchor point, and the second PDU session spans from the UE via gNB2 to the UPF2 used as the PDU session anchor point. Based on these two independent PDU sessions, two independent paths are established, and these two independent paths can even cross the 3GPP network. Figure 1In the example shown, two paths are established between host A and host B in the device, with some (optional) fixed intermediate nodes. In order to implement such a configuration, the following features are supported (one or more of which may be applicable to other solutions, methods, devices, and computer program products disclosed herein):

[0027] - RAN supports dual connectivity and RAN coverage is sufficient for dual connectivity in the target area (e.g., the UE can connect to at least two independent gNBs using dual connectivity,

[0028] For example, by operating the gNB at different frequencies).

[0029] -UE supports dual connectivity.

[0030] -Core network UPF deployment is consistent with RAN deployment and supports redundant user plane paths.

[0031] -The underlying transport topology is consistent with the RAN and UPF deployment and supports redundant user plane paths.

[0032] - The physical network topology and geographical distribution of functions also supports redundant user plane paths to the extent deemed necessary by the operator.

[0033] - To the extent deemed necessary by the operator, enable the operation of the redundant user plane paths to be sufficiently independent, such as independent power supplies.

[0034] Another proposed configuration is Figure 2 As shown; Figure 2 The configuration shown deploys at least two UEs on a single device and typically operates these UEs as independent UEs. This solution will enable the terminal device to establish multiple redundant PDU sessions on the 5G network, so that the network tries to make the paths of the multiple redundant PDU sessions independent as much as possible. Upper layer protocols such as IEEE TSN (Time Sensitive Networking) can be relied upon to manage the duplication and elimination of redundant packets / frames on multiple paths that can span 3GPP segments and possible fixed network segments.

[0035] like Figure 2As shown, the first PDU session spans from UE1 to UPF1 via gNB1, while the second PDU session spans from UE2 to UPF2 via gNB2. Based on these two independent PDU sessions, two independent paths are established, which can even span the 3GPP network. This solution takes advantage of integrating multiple UEs into the device and assumes a RAN deployment where redundant coverage of multiple gNBs is usually available. Multiple PDU sessions are established from UEs that use independent RAN (gNB) and core network (CN) (such as UPF) entities. For example, two UEs (UE1 and UE2) are connected to gNB1 and gNB2, respectively. UE1 establishes a PDU session via gNB1 to UPF1, and UE2 establishes a PDU session via gNB2 to UPF2. UPF1 and UPF2 are connected to the same data network (DN), even though the traffic via UPF1 and UPF2 may be routed via different user plane nodes within the DN. UPF1 and UPF2 are controlled by session management functions (SMFs) SMF1 and SMF2, respectively.

[0036] To achieve such a configuration, the following features are supported (one or more of which may be applicable to other solutions, methods, devices, and computer program products disclosed herein):

[0037] -The terminal device integrates multiple UEs, which can be independently connected to different gNBs.

[0038] -RAN coverage is redundant in the target area: it is possible to connect to multiple gNBs from the same location. To ensure that two UEs connect to different gNBs, the gNBs operate so that the selection of gNBs can be different from each other (e.g., the gNBs operate at different frequencies, etc.).

[0039] -Core network UPF deployment is consistent with RAN deployment and supports redundant user plane paths.

[0040] -The underlying transport topology is consistent with the RAN and UPF deployment and supports redundant user plane paths.

[0041] - The physical network topology and geographical distribution of functions also supports redundant user plane paths to the extent deemed necessary by the operator.

[0042] - To the extent deemed necessary by the operator, enable the operation of the redundant user plane paths to be sufficiently independent, such as independent power supplies.

[0043] Both of the proposed configurations involve setting up two disjoint redundant user plane paths from one or two UEs in the 5G system to support high reliability. The establishment of two or more redundant paths is quite static for the 5G system when the UE requests the establishment of different PDU sessions. In the proposed solutions #1 and #2, the 5G system does not have much flexibility in handling the two redundant PDU sessions. However, such static and blind support of redundant PDU sessions by the 5G system may not always provide high reliability as expected. For example, duplicating data into two or more PDU sessions may further increase the load on the Radio Access Network (RAN), thereby introducing more radio interference, which in turn may have a negative impact on the reliability of data transmission on the wireless link, thereby affecting end-to-end reliability. On the other hand, if one PDU session is sufficient to provide the required QoS, static and blind support of redundant user plane paths for high reliability may also introduce unnecessary network resource usage. In this case, from the perspective of network resource utilization and network performance, the 5G system should prefer to provide end-to-end (E2E) replication services to the UE through one PDU session without affecting the high-level replication required by the application.

[0044] Proposed in TR 23.725 and in Figure 3 Another configuration shown in introduces a replicator function to guide lower layers to ensure that their corresponding delay / availability / reliability requirements are met. This configuration introduces a replicator that allows the 5G system to be aware (e.g., detect or have explicit information) that two or more replicated packet "flows" belong together, and guides lower layers to ensure that these packets receive optimized treatment in the 5G system depending on whether the flow is terminated in a single UE or by two different UEs belonging to the same host. Another configuration proposed in TR 23.725 introduces dual GTP-U tunnels for a single PDU session, where the network (5G RAN and UPF controlled by the SMF) replicates the transmission data to ensure reliability.

[0045] A problem associated with all the configurations proposed above is that in some cases, the network tends to duplicate data traffic even if the application may have redundantly sent data traffic. If the application redundantly sends traffic and the network performs traffic duplication, the UE will eventually receive the same packet at least 4 times. This will result in a large amount of radio resources and network resources being wasted for the same packet. Therefore, a solution is needed to manage the duplication mechanism based on the expected application behavior. The solution proposed in TR23.725 attempts to solve this problem by introducing a duplication framework. The duplication framework includes a duplication function that detects multiple related streams and whether they are used for redundant packets of the incoming Internet Protocol (IP) / Ethernet stream on the transmitter side. The duplication framework can copy packets to the lower layer based on application requirements to support the lowest latency and the need to support duplication within the 5G system (within the domain of the 3GPP system). The duplication framework can also eliminate further duplication and can instead transmit packet streams to the lower layer only once based on the default application function that supports redundancy. However, such a solution has two major problems that are not easy to solve. First, it relies on the duplication framework to obtain information about the expected packet format of the application sent redundantly and the service. Unless the format is well defined and known to the replication framework, it is not easy for all applications to meet this requirement. However, in many cases, the packet format may not be well defined. Secondly, this solution relies on the support of an additional protocol layer in the UE and UPF / replicator, which may not be supported due to potential complexity. In addition, the network may not be able to detect such an application layer protocol (for example, when the application flow is encrypted at the application layer). Therefore, an alternative solution is needed.

[0046] In order to provide an alternative solution for redundancy optimization, according to an example embodiment, a method, an apparatus and a computer program product are provided. At a high level, some embodiments of the method, apparatus and computer program product are based on introducing a technique for an application / UE to indicate to a network (e.g., SMF) that the UE will apply service redundancy at the PDU session layer in a communication system such as a 5G system (service redundancy indication at the PDU session layer). The UE may choose to apply redundancy only to a service flow (e.g., 5-tuple) of a certain application or a certain PDU session, in which case the UE indicates to the network (e.g., SMF) that it has applied service redundancy at the application / service flow layer. The UE may provide a service redundancy indication in a PDU session establishment or PDU session modification request. As an alternative, the packet control function (PCF) or the SMF itself may be configured with an indication (service redundancy indication) about performing redundant transmission at the UE layer for the following: 1) a given PDU session (which may be identified by a data network name (DNN) or single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI)), or 2) a group of applications or (multiple) service flows in a PDU session. Information derived by the SMF from PCF policy and / or local SMF configuration and / or UE indication within the PDU session establishment / modification request may be provided to the RAN and UPF as, for example, URLLC assistance information.

[0047] Figure 4 An example apparatus is shown that may be provided to implement various components in a communication system, such as a portion of a core network (e.g., gNB, RAN, etc.). Figure 4 As shown, the apparatus 10 of the example embodiment includes a processing circuit 12, a memory 14, and a communication interface 16, or the apparatus 10 is associated with the processing circuit 12, the memory 14, and the communication interface 16, or the apparatus 10 is in communication with the processing circuit 12, the memory 14, and the communication interface 16 in other ways.

[0048] The processing circuit 12 (and / or a coprocessor or auxiliary processor or any other circuit otherwise associated with the processor) can communicate with the storage device 14 via a bus, which is used to transfer information between components of the device 10. The memory device can be non-transitory and can include, for example, one or more volatile and / or non-volatile memories. In other words, for example, the memory device can be an electronic storage device (e.g., a computer-readable storage medium) that includes a gate configured to store data (e.g., bits) that can be retrieved by a machine (e.g., a computing device such as a processor). The memory device can be configured to store information, data, content, applications, instructions, etc. for enabling the device to perform various functions according to the example embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the memory device can be configured to buffer input data for processing by the processing circuit. Additionally or alternatively, the memory device can be configured to store instructions executed by the processing circuit.

[0049] In some embodiments, the device 10 may be implemented in various computing devices as described above. However, in some embodiments, the device may be implemented as a chip or a chipset. In other words, the device may include one or more physical packages (e.g., chips), including materials, components, and / or wires on a structural assembly (e.g., a substrate). The structural assembly may provide physical strength, size retention, and / or electrical interaction limitations for the component circuits included thereon. Therefore, in some cases, the device may be configured to implement embodiments of the present invention on a single chip or as a single "system on a chip." Therefore, in some cases, a chip or chipset may constitute a device for performing one or more operations to provide the functionality described herein.

[0050] The processing circuit 12 can be implemented in a variety of different ways. For example, the processing circuit can be implemented as one or more of the following various hardware processing devices: such as a coprocessor, a microprocessor, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processing element with or without a companion DSP, or various other circuits (including integrated circuits, such as ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), FPGA (field programmable gate array), microcontroller unit (MCU), hardware accelerator, special computer chip, etc.). Therefore, in some embodiments, the processing circuit may include one or more processing cores configured to be independently executed. A multi-core processor can implement multi-processing in a single physical package. Additionally or alternatively, the processing circuit may include one or more processors configured in series via a bus to implement independent execution of instructions, pipelines and / or multithreading.

[0051] In an example embodiment, the processing circuit 12 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory device 14 or otherwise accessible to the processing circuit. Alternatively or additionally, the processing circuit may be configured to perform hard-coded functions. Therefore, whether configured by hardware or software methods, or by a combination thereof, the processing circuit may represent an entity (e.g., physically implemented in a circuit) that is capable of performing operations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when configured accordingly. Therefore, for example, when the processing circuit is implemented as an ASIC, FPGA, etc., the processing circuit may be hardware specifically configured to perform the operations described herein. Alternatively, as another example, when the processing circuit is implemented as an executor of an instruction, the instruction may specifically configure the processing circuit to perform the algorithm and / or operation described herein when the instruction is executed. However, in some cases, the processing circuit may be a processor of a specific device (e.g., an image processing system), which is configured to further configure the processor to adopt an embodiment of the present disclosure by instructions for performing the algorithm and / or operation described herein. The processing circuit may include a clock, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and logic gates, etc. configured to support the operation of the processor.

[0052] The communication interface 16 can be any device configured to receive data from a network and / or send data to a network, such as a device or circuit implemented in a combination of hardware or hardware and software. In this regard, the communication interface can include, for example, an antenna (or multiple antennas) and support hardware and / or software to enable communication with a wireless communication network. Additionally or alternatively, the communication interface can include a circuit for interacting with (multiple) antennas to cause signal transmission via (multiple) antennas or processing the reception of signals received via (multiple) antennas. In some environments, the communication interface can alternatively or additionally support wired communication. Therefore, for example, the communication interface can include a communication modem and / or other hardware / software to support communication via a cable, a digital subscriber line (DSL), a universal serial bus (USB) or other mechanisms.

[0053] Reference now Figure 5 , illustrating operations performed by components of a communication system such as a core network, for example, in particular a session management function in the core network, which may be performed by a processor according to an example embodiment. Figure 4 The device shown is implemented.

[0054] As shown in block 500 , the apparatus of the core network includes components, such as the communication interface 16 and / or the processing circuit 12 , for receiving signaling from a user equipment or a policy controller in the communication network.

[0055] As shown in block 502, the apparatus of the core network includes a component, such as the communication interface 16 and / or the processing circuit 12, for receiving a service redundancy indication from a user equipment or a policy controller in the communication network. In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication is part of a protocol data unit session establishment request. In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication is part of a protocol data unit session modification request sent after the protocol data unit session establishment request. In various embodiments, the service redundancy indication may be provided in non-access layer signaling (e.g., in PDU session related signaling) at the application layer, the service flow layer, or the PDU session layer. In other embodiments, the service redundancy indication is received from a policy controller (PCF) in PDU session related policy information (in which case the service redundancy indication applies to the entire PDU session) or in a policy and charging control (PCC) rule (in which case it applies only to the service identified by the PCC rule). In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication targets the entire service, i.e., all data to be sent in the service. In some embodiments, the service redundancy indication targets a subset of the service.

[0056] As indicated at block 504, the apparatus of the core network includes means for determining whether the radio access network and the user plane function require service redundancy based on the service redundancy indication, such as the processing circuit 12. For example, in some embodiments, if the service redundancy indication indicates that the user equipment will apply redundancy at the PDU session layer, the apparatus may determine that one or both of the radio access network and the user plane function do not require redundancy at the radio access network layer or at the communication layer between the user plane function and the radio access network.

[0057] As shown in block 506, the apparatus of the core network includes means, such as the communication interface 16 and / or the processing circuit 12, for requesting the radio access network not to establish service redundancy (e.g., not to establish service duplication and transmission through different data paths) if the radio access network does not need service redundancy. In some embodiments, the radio access network is configured by the core network on a per-protocol data unit session basis to determine not to perform redundant transmission at the following locations: a packet data convergence protocol layer, a general packet radio service tunneling protocol user data tunnel layer, or a transport layer.

[0058] As shown in block 508, the apparatus of the core network includes means, such as the communication interface 16 and / or the processing circuit 12, for requesting the user plane function not to establish service redundancy (e.g., not to establish service duplication and transmission through different data paths) if the user plane function does not need service redundancy. In some embodiments, the user plane function is configured by a session manager of the core network on a per protocol data unit session basis to determine not to use redundant tunnels, and wherein the tunnel is a general packet radio service tunneling protocol user data tunnel or a transport layer tunnel.

[0059] As mentioned above, Figure 5 Flowcharts of apparatus 10, methods and computer program products according to certain example embodiments are included. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart and the combination of blocks in the flowchart can be implemented in various ways (such as hardware, firmware, processors, circuits and / or other devices associated with the execution of software including one or more computer program instructions). For example, one or more of the above processes can be implemented by computer program instructions. In this regard, the computer program instructions implementing the above processes can be stored by the memory device 14 of the apparatus using an embodiment of the present invention and executed by the processing circuit 12 of the apparatus. It should be understood that any such computer program instructions can be loaded onto a computer or other programmable device (e.g., hardware) to produce a machine so that the resulting computer or other programmable device implements the functions specified in the flowchart blocks. These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable memory, which can instruct a computer or other programmable device to operate in a specific manner so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article, the execution of which implements the functions specified in the flowchart blocks. Computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable device to cause a series of operations to be performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instruction means executed on the computer or other programmable device provide operations for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block.

[0060] Thus, a computer program product is defined in an example where computer program instructions (such as computer readable program code portions) are stored by at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer program instructions (such as computer readable program code portions) are configured to perform the above-mentioned operations when executed, such as in conjunction with Figure 2 In other embodiments, the computer program instructions (such as computer readable program code portions) need not be stored or otherwise implemented by a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, but may be implemented by a transient medium, wherein the computer program instructions (such as computer readable program code portions) are still configured to perform the above-described functions when executed.

[0061] Therefore, the blocks of the flow chart support the combination of the means for performing the specified function and the combination of the operations for performing the specified function to perform the specified function. It should also be understood that one or more blocks of the flow chart, and the combination of the blocks in the flow chart can be implemented by a special hardware-based computer system or a combination of special hardware and computer instructions that performs the specified function.

[0062] In some embodiments, some of the operations described above may be modified or further amplified. In addition, in some embodiments, additional optional operations may be included. The modification, addition or amplification of the operations described above may be performed in any order and in any combination.

[0063] Benefiting from the teachings given in the foregoing description and the related drawings, those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs will be able to think of many modifications and other embodiments of the present invention set forth herein. Therefore, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. In addition, although the foregoing description and the related drawings describe example embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of elements and / or functions, it should be understood that alternative embodiments may provide different combinations of elements and / or functions without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, it is also possible to envision a combination of elements and / or functions different from those explicitly described above, as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are used herein, they are only used in a general and descriptive sense, and not for the purpose of limitation.

Claims

1. A method comprising: providing a service redundancy indication from a user equipment in a communication network to a network element of the communication network at a protocol data unit (PDU) session layer, wherein the service redundancy indication is used to indicate whether service redundancy will be used for radio access network and user plane functions, and Wherein, in the case where traffic redundancy is not to be used for the radio access network or the user plane function, the traffic redundancy indication causes no redundancy mechanism to be established.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the service redundancy indication is part of a PDU session establishment request sent by the user equipment to the network element.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the network element determines that the traffic redundancy is to be used for an instance of the radio access network or the user plane function.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the network element is a session manager of a core network.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the traffic redundancy indication targets all traffic within a protocol data unit session, or wherein the traffic redundancy indication targets a subset of traffic within a protocol data unit session.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein one or more redundancy mechanisms are establishing service replication or transmission via different data paths.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a protocol data unit (PDU) session layer is in a non-access stratum (NAS) signaling.

8. A user device comprising a processing circuit and at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising computer program code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the processing circuit, cause the user device to at least: Provides service redundancy indication to network elements of the communication network at the protocol data unit (PDU) session layer. wherein the service redundancy indication is used to indicate whether service redundancy will be used for radio access network and user plane functions, and Wherein the traffic redundancy indication causes one or more redundancy mechanisms not to be established in the event that traffic redundancy is not to be used for the radio access network or the user plane function.

9. The user equipment according to claim 8, wherein the service redundancy indication is part of a PDU session establishment request sent by the user equipment to the network element.

10. The user equipment according to claim 8 or 9, wherein it is determined by the network element that the traffic redundancy is not to be used for instances of the radio access network or the user plane functions.

11. The user equipment according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the network element is a session manager of a core network.

12. The user equipment according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the service redundancy indication targets all services within a protocol data unit session, or wherein the service redundancy indication targets a subset of services within a protocol data unit session.

13. The user equipment according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein one or more redundancy mechanisms are service replication or transmission established through different data paths.

14. The user equipment according to any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein a protocol data unit (PDU) session layer is in a non-access stratum (NAS) signaling.

15. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable program code instructions, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising program code instructions that, when executed, are configured to: Provides service redundancy indication to network elements of the communication network at the protocol data unit (PDU) session layer. wherein the service redundancy indication is used to indicate whether service redundancy will be used for radio access network and user plane functions, and Wherein the traffic redundancy indication causes one or more redundancy mechanisms not to be established in the event that traffic redundancy is not to be used for the radio access network or the user plane function.

Images