Method and apparatus for multicast / broadcast service

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and apparatus for multicast / broadcast service (MBS). A method performed by a user equipment (UE) comprises receiving (202), from a radio access network node, a paging message comprising one or more first multicast / broadcast service, MBS, session identifiers, IDs; and sending (204) a service request to the radio access network node in response to the paging message, the service request comprising first information for identifying one or more first protocol data unit (PDU) sessions associated with one or more first MBS sessions identified by the one or more first MBS session IDs.

Description

Divisional application This application is a divisional application of a patent application with application number 202280075196.3, application date November 10, 2022, and invention name “Methods and devices for multicast / broadcast services”. Technical Field

[0001] Non-limiting and exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communication technology, and in particular to methods and apparatus for multicast / broadcast service (MBS). Background Art

[0002] This section introduces various aspects that may help to better understand the present disclosure. Therefore, the statements in this section should be read in this light, and should not be understood as an admission about what is or is not in the prior art.

[0003] Multicast and Broadcast Service (MBS) is a point-to-multipoint service in which data is transmitted from a single source entity to multiple recipients. There are two types of MBS sessions: broadcast sessions and multicast sessions.

[0004] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) TS23.247V17.0.0 (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) describes architectural enhancements for 5G (fifth generation) multicast broadcast services. As described in 3GPP TS23.247V17.0.0, the term "5GC individual MBS service delivery" means that the 5G (fifth generation) CN (core network) receives a single copy of the MBS data packets and delivers a separate copy of these MBS data packets to individual UEs (user equipment) through each UE's PDU session, so for each such UE, a protocol data unit (PDU) session is required to be associated with the multicast session. The term "5GC shared MBS service delivery" means that the 5G CN receives a single copy of the MBS data packets and delivers a single copy of these MBS data packets to the RAN (radio access network) node. The term "associated PDU session" refers to a PDU session associated to a multicast session, which is used for the 5GC (5G Core Network) individual MBS service delivery method and for signaling related to user participation in the multicast session, such as join and leave requests. The term "multicast MBS session" refers to an MBS session used to deliver multicast communication services. A multicast MBS session is characterized by: the content to be sent, the list of UEs that can receive the service, and the multicast area to which the service is optionally distributed.

[0005] The term TMGI (Temporary Mobile Group Identity) is defined in 3GPP TS 23.003 V17.2.0, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and is used to enable identification of a broadcast MBS session or a multicast MBS session.

[0006] Figure 1a The 5G system architecture for multicast and broadcast services is shown, which is consistent with 3GPP TS23.247V17.0.0 Figure 5 .1-1 are the same. Figure 1b The 5G MBS system architecture is shown in the reference point representation, which is consistent with 3GPP TS23.247V17.0.0 Figure 5 .1-2 are the same. The 5G MBS system architecture may include functional entities such as PCF (Policy Control Function), MB-SMF (Multicast / Broadcast Session Management Function), SMF (Session Management Function), MB-UPF (Multicast / Broadcast User Plane Function), UPF (User Plane Function), AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), NG-RAN (Next Generation Radio Access Network), UE (User Equipment), AF / AS (Application Function / Application Server), NEF (Network Exposure Function), MBSF (Multicast / Broadcast Service Function), MBSTF (Multicast / Broadcast Service Transport Function), UDM (Unified Data Management), UDR (Unified Data Repository), NRF (Network Repository Function), etc. These functional entities have been described in Section 5.3.2 of 3GPP TS23.247V17.0.0.

[0007] MBSF is optional and can be used with NEF or AF / AS, and MBTF is an optional network function.

[0008] The existing service-based interfaces of Nnrf, Nudm and Nsmf are enhanced to support 5G MBS. The existing service-based interfaces of Npcf and Nnef are enhanced to support 5G MBS.

[0009] xMB-C / MB2-C and xMB-U / MB2-U are applicable to the legacy AS. The 5G MBS-enabled AF uses Nmbsf or Nnef to interact with the MBSF.

[0010] For example, MB-SMF can perform the following functions to support MBS: - Common to both multicast and broadcast sessions: -Support MBS session management (including QoS (Quality of Service) control). -Configure the MB-UPF for multicast and broadcast streaming based on policy rules for multicast and broadcast services from the PCF or local policies. -Allocation and deallocation of TMGI. - Dedicated to broadcast sessions: -Interact with RAN (via AMF) to control data transmission using the 5GC shared MBS service delivery method. -Dedicated to multicast sessions: -Interact with SMF to modify PDU sessions associated with MBS. -Interact with RAN (through AMF and SMF) to establish data transmission resources between MB-UPF and RAN nodes for the 5GC shared MBS service delivery method. -Use 5GC individual MBS service delivery method to control multicast data transmission.

[0011] SMF can perform the following functions to support MBS: - Discovery of MB-SMF for multicast sessions. - Authorize the multicast session join operation if necessary. -Interact with MB-SMF to obtain and manage multicast session context. -Interaction with RAN for shared data transmission resource establishment.

[0012] Note: SMF and MB-SMF can be co-located or deployed separately.

[0013] The AMF can perform the following functions to support MBS: - Signalling with NG-RAN and MB-SMF for MBS session management. - NG-RAN is selected for notifying UEs in CM (Connection Management)-IDLE state of multicast session activation. -Select NG-RAN for broadcast. - signalling with NG-RAN to obtain NG-RAN MBS capabilities, or -Can be configured with NG-RAN MBS capability.

[0014] The MBS system architecture can include the following reference points:

[0015] N3mb: Reference point between (R)AN and MB-UPF.

[0016] N4mb: Reference point between MB-SMF and MB-UPF.

[0017] N6mb: Reference point between MB-UPF and AF / AS.

[0018] N7mb: Reference point between MB-SMF and PCF.

[0019] N11mb: Reference point between AMF and MB-SMF.

[0020] N16mb: Reference point between SMF and MB-SMF.

[0021] N19mb: Reference point between UPF and MB-UPF.

[0022] N29mb: Reference point between MB-SMF and NEF.

[0023] Nmb1: Reference point between MB-SMF and MBSF.

[0024] Nmb2: Reference point between MBSF and MBSTF.

[0025] Nmb5: Reference point between MBSF and NEF.

[0026] Nmb8: Reference point between MBSTF and AF.

[0027] Nmb9: Reference point between MB-UPF and MBSTF.

[0028] Nmb10: Reference point between MBSF and AF.

[0029] Nmb12: Reference point between MBSF and PCF.

[0030] Nmb13: Reference point between MB-SMF and AF.

[0031] The 5G system architecture for MBS reuses existing reference points of N1, N2, N4, N10, N11, N30 and N33, and enhances them to support MBS.

[0032] Clause 7 of 3GPP TS 23.247 V17.0.0 describes various MBS procedures, such as MBS join and session establishment procedures, MBS session activation procedures, etc.

[0033] Figure 1c The MBS session activation process is shown, which is similar to S2-2108011 Figure 7 .2.5.2-1 Same, 3GPP TSG-SA2 Meeting #147E (electronic meeting), El Bonilla, October 18-22, 2021. S2-2108011 has been agreed and will be reflected in 3GPP TS 23.247 V17.0.0.

[0034] As described in S2-21080111, in this process, steps 2 to 10 and steps 11 to 14 may be performed in parallel.

[0035] 1. The process can be triggered by the following events:

[0036] -When MB-UPF receives downlink data for a multicast MBS session, based on an instruction from MB-SMF (as described in Section 7.2.5.3 of 3GPP TS 23.247 V17.0.0), MB-UPF sends N4mb notification (N4 session ID) to MB-SMF to indicate the arrival of DL MBS data.

[0037] -AF sends an MBS activation request (TMGI) to MB-SMF directly or through NEF.

[0038] 2. MB-SMF sends Nmbsmf_MBSSession_ContextStatusNotify (contract related information) to SMF.

[0039] Based on the received subscription related information, the SMF sets the relevant multicast MBS session state to "active" and finds the list of UEs identified by the relevant TMGI that have joined the multicast MBS session. If the SMF determines that the user plane of the associated PDU session (multiple) of the UE (multiple) with respect to the TMGI has been activated, steps 3-7 will be skipped for those UE (multiple).

[0040] 3. The SMF sends a Namf_MT_EnableGroupReachability request (list of UEs, PDU Session ID of the associated PDU Session, TMGI, UE reachability notification address) to the AMF(s). When the UE is unreachable later, the UE reachability notification address is used by the AMF to identify and notify the relevant SMF to activate the associated PDU Session.

[0041] After receiving the request, for each UE in the list, the AMF determines the CM state of the UE: see steps 4-7.

[0042] 4a. If there are UEs involved in the multicast MBS session in the CM connected state, the AMF responds to these UEs to the SMF using the Namf_MT_EnableGroupReachability response (UE list). Otherwise, the response does not include the UE list.

[0043] 4b. For each UE in the UE list included in step 4a, the SMF sends Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer(N2 SM information (MBS session identifier, associated QoS profile, mapping information between unicast QoS flow and multicast QoS flow) to the AMF identified for the UE in step 3. Including the associated QoS profile and the mapping information between unicast QoS flow and multicast QoS flow to support 5GC individual MBS service delivery.

[0044] The process continues at step 9.

[0045] 5. [Conditional] If the AMF determines that there are UEs that are in CM Idle state and are involved in a multicast MBS session, the AMF calculates the paging area covering all registration areas of those UEs that need to be paged. If the relevant NG-RAN node(s) support MBS, the AMF sends a Paging Request message with the TMGI as the identifier to be paged to the NG-RAN nodes belonging to the paging area. If the NG-RAN node(s) do not support MBS, the AMF sends a Paging message to the NG-RAN node per UE without using the MBS Session ID as described in step 4b of clause 4.2.3.3 of 3GPP TS 23.502 V17.2.1.

[0046] NOTE 1: Details of paging are to be defined by the RAN WG.

[0047] 6. The UE in CM idle state sends a service request message to the AMF, see Section 4.2.3 of 3GPP TS23.502V17.2.1.

[0048] 7a. After receiving the service request sent by UE(s),

[0049] Or based on the PDU session ID received in step 3, the AMF identifies the relevant SMF and sends a Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request. The process continues at step 9. Or

[0050] Based on the UE reachability notification address received in step 3, the AMF identifies and notifies the relevant SMF of the now reachable UE(s) and their location information by using the Namf_MT_UEReachabilityInfoNotify message. In this case, it can be a separate notification or combined with step 8.

[0051] 8. For UE(s) that do not respond to paging, AMF notifies SMF of the paging failure in Namf_MT_UEReachabilityInfoNotify.

[0052] For the UE notified as reachable via the Namf_MT_UEReachabilityInfoNotify message, the SMF sends Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer(N2 SM information()) to the AMF.

[0053] 9.AMF sends an N2 request message (N2 SM information()) to the RAN node.

[0054] 10a. As defined in clause 7.2.1.4 of 3GPP TS 23.247 V17.0.0, if a shared tunnel has not been established before, a shared tunnel is established at this step. If necessary, the NG-RAN configures the UE with RRC messages.

[0055] 10b. Execute steps 9 to 12 defined in clause 7.2.1.3 of 3GPP TS 23.247 V17.0.0. If 5GC individual MBS service delivery is used, the SMF configures the UPF for individual delivery and, if necessary, requests the MB-SMF to configure the MB-UPF to send multicast data to the UPF.

[0056] 11. If the MB-SMF finds that there is an established shared tunnel, steps 11-15 are performed. The MB-SMF sends a Namf_MBSCommunication_N2MessageTransfer request (TMGI, N2 SM information (activation, TMGI)) to the AMF for those NG-RAN nodes that have a shared tunnel with the MB-UPF. This step can be performed in parallel with step 2.

[0057] NOTE 2: The messages in steps 10a, 11 and 12 are MBS specific and it is possible that the AMF in steps 10a, 11 and 12 is not associated with any UE involved in the multicast MBS session.

[0058] 12.AMF sends a NGAP activation request message (N2 SM information()) to the NG-RAN node.

[0059] 13. The NG-RAN node responds to the AMF with an NGAP Activation Response message. The NG-RAN node sets up radio resources to send multicast MBS session data to the UE. The NG-RAN should not release the radio connection of a UE that has joined a multicast session simply because no unicast traffic is received for the UE.

[0060] 14.AMF to MB-SMF: Namf_MBSCommunication_N2MessageTransfer response().

[0061] 15.MB-SMF sends an N4mbSessionModifyRequest to MB-UPF to forward the received message. MB-UPF responds to MB-SMF with an N4mbSessionModifyResponse confirming the MB-SMF request. For more details, see clause 4.4 of 3GPPTS23.502V17.2.1. Summary of the invention

[0062] This Summary is provided in a simplified form to introduce selected concepts that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0063] There are some problems in the existing MBS session activation process.

[0064] At MBS session activation, according to clause 7.2.5.2 of TS 23.247 V17.0.0, the NG-RAN can perform group paging in the following manner:

[0065] Figure 1c Step 5: Requested by AMF, NG-RAN may perform group paging for CM-IDLE UEs using MBS session ID (e.g. TMGI) as identifier.

[0066] Figure 1c Step 12: The NG-RAN may perform group paging for the RRC-inactive UE using the MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI) as an identifier.

[0067] Since group paging is based on the MBS session ID (eg, TMGI), a CM-IDLE UE may respond to a group paging message intended for RRC-Inactive UEs. An RRC-Inactive UE may also respond to a group paging message intended for a CM-IDLE UE.

[0068] If the CM-IDLE UE responds in Figure 1c If the group paging is triggered in step 12 of the , they can send a service request to the AMF. Figure 1cUnlike step 5 of , the AMF does not have the associated information received from the SMF (e.g., the AMF has neither the PDU session ID of the associated PDU session nor the UE reachability notification address), which leads to the problem that the AMF cannot find the appropriate SMF, so the UE joining information of some UEs may not be provided to the NG-RAN, and therefore those UEs will not be able to receive MBS data.

[0069] In order to overcome or alleviate at least one of the above problems or other problems, embodiments of the present disclosure propose an improved MBS solution.

[0070] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) is provided. The method includes receiving a paging message including a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID) from a radio access network node. The method further includes: in response to the paging message, sending a service request to the radio access network node. The service request includes the first MBS session ID and first information, wherein the first information indicates an identifier (ID) of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with the first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID.

[0071] In one embodiment, the first information includes an ID of the first PDU session or an ID used to derive the first PDU session.

[0072] In one embodiment, the first MBS session ID comprises a Temporary Mobile Group Identity (TMGI).

[0073] In one embodiment, the first information comprises a new information element comprising a state of a first PDU session associated with the first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID.

[0074] In one embodiment, the first information includes: an uplink data status information element, which is used to indicate a first PDU session associated with a first MBS session identified by a first MBS session ID.

[0075] In one embodiment, the method further comprises receiving a new paging message including a second MBS session ID from the radio access network node. The service request further comprises the second MBS session ID and second information indicating an ID of a second PDU session associated with the second MBS session identified by the second MBS session ID.

[0076] In one embodiment, the second information includes an ID of the second PDU session or an ID used to derive the second PDU session.

[0077] In one embodiment, the second MBS session ID includes a TMGI.

[0078] In one embodiment, the second information comprises a new information element comprising a status of a second PDU session associated with the second MBS session.

[0079] In one embodiment, the second information includes: an uplink data status information element for indicating a second PDU session associated with a second MBS session identified by a second MBS session ID.

[0080] In one embodiment, when the same PDU session is associated with both the first MBS session and the second MBS session, the second information or the first information is included in the service request.

[0081] In one embodiment, sending the service request to the radio access network node in response to the paging message comprises sending the service request to the radio access network node when the UE is in a connection management idle state.

[0082] In one embodiment, the radio access network node comprises a radio access network node in a fifth generation system.

[0083] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method performed by a radio access network node is provided. The method includes sending a paging message including a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID). The method further includes receiving a service request from a user equipment (UE). The method further includes sending a service request to an access and mobility function (AMF). The service request includes the first MBS session ID and first information indicating an ID of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with the first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID.

[0084] In one embodiment, the first information includes an ID of the first PDU session or an ID used to derive the first PDU session.

[0085] In one embodiment, the first MBS session ID comprises a Temporary Mobile Group Identity (TMGI).

[0086] In one embodiment, the first information comprises a new information element comprising a state of a first PDU session associated with a first MBS session identified by a first MBS session ID.

[0087] In one embodiment, the first information includes: an uplink data status information element, which is used to indicate a first PDU session associated with a first MBS session identified by a first MBS session ID.

[0088] In one embodiment, the method further comprises: sending a new paging message including a second MBS session ID. The service request further comprises the second MBS session ID and second information indicating an ID of a second PDU session associated with the second MBS session identified by the second MBS session ID.

[0089] In one embodiment, the second information includes an ID of the second PDU session or an ID used to derive the second PDU session.

[0090] In one embodiment, the second MBS session ID includes a TMGI.

[0091] In one embodiment, the second information comprises a new information element comprising a status of a second PDU session associated with the second MBS session.

[0092] In one embodiment, the second information includes an uplink data status information element for indicating a second PDU session associated with a second MBS session identified by a second MBS session ID.

[0093] In one embodiment, when the same PDU session is associated with both the first MBS session and the second MBS session, the second information or the first information is included in the service request.

[0094] In one embodiment, the UE is in a connection management idle state.

[0095] In one embodiment, the radio access network node comprises a radio access network node in a fifth generation system.

[0096] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method performed by an access and mobility function (AMF) is provided. The method includes receiving a service request from a radio access network node. The method further includes determining a session management function (SMF) based on the service request. The service request includes a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID) and first information indicating an ID of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with a first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID.

[0097] In one embodiment, the first information includes an ID of the first PDU session or an ID used to derive the first PDU session.

[0098] In one embodiment, the first MBS session ID comprises a Temporary Mobile Group Identity (TMGI).

[0099] In one embodiment, the first information comprises a new information element comprising a state of a first PDU session associated with a first MBS session identified by a first MBS session ID.

[0100] In one embodiment, the first information includes an uplink data status information element for indicating a first PDU session associated with a first MBS session identified by a first MBS session ID.

[0101] In one embodiment, the service request further includes a second MBS session ID and second information indicating an ID of a second PDU session associated with a second MBS session identified by the second MBS session ID.

[0102] In one embodiment, the second information includes an ID of the second PDU session or an ID used to derive the second PDU session.

[0103] In one embodiment, the second MBS session ID includes a TMGI.

[0104] In one embodiment, the second information comprises a new information element comprising a status of a second PDU session associated with the second MBS session.

[0105] In one embodiment, the second information includes an uplink data status information element for indicating a second PDU session associated with a second MBS session identified by a second MBS session ID.

[0106] In one embodiment, when the same PDU session is associated with both the first MBS session and the second MBS session, the second information or the first information is included in the service request.

[0107] In one embodiment, the radio access network node comprises a radio access network node in a fifth generation system.

[0108] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) is provided. The UE includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions executable by the processor. The UE is operable to receive a paging message including a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID) from a radio access network node. The UE is further operable to send a service request to the radio access network node in response to the paging message. The service request includes the first MBS session ID and first information, wherein the first information indicates an identifier (ID) of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with a first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID.

[0109] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a radio access network node is provided. The radio access network node includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions executable by the processor. The radio access network node is operable to send a paging message including a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID). The radio access network node is further operable to receive a service request from a user equipment (UE). The radio access network node is also operable to send a service request to an access and mobility function (AMF). The service request includes the first MBS session ID and first information, the first information indicating an ID of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with a first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID.

[0110] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, an access and mobility function (AMF) is provided. The AMF includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions executable by the processor. The AMF is operable to receive a service request from a radio access network node. The AMF is further operable to determine a session management function (SMF) based on the service request. The service request includes a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID) and first information indicating an ID of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with a first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID.

[0111] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a UE is provided. The UE includes a first receiving module, the first receiving module being configured to receive a paging message including a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID) from a radio access network node. The UE further includes a sending module, the sending module being configured to send a service request to the radio access network node in response to the paging message. The service request includes the first MBS session ID and first information indicating an identifier (ID) of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with the first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID.

[0112] In one embodiment, the UE further comprises a second receiving module configured to receive a new paging message including a second MBS session ID from the radio access network node. The service request further comprises the second MBS session ID and second information indicating an ID of a second PDU session associated with the second MBS session identified by the second MBS session ID.

[0113] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a radio access network node is provided. The radio access network node includes a first sending module, which is configured to send a paging message including a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID). The radio access network node further includes a receiving module, which is configured to receive a service request from a user equipment (UE). The service request includes the first MBS session ID and first information, the first information indicating an ID of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with the first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID. The radio access network node further includes a sending module, which is configured to send the service requirement to an access and mobility function (AMF).

[0114] In one embodiment, the radio access network node further comprises a second sending module, the second sending module being configured to send a new paging message including a second MBS session ID. The service request further comprises the second MBS session ID and second information indicating an ID of a second PDU session associated with the second MBS session identified by the second MBS session ID.

[0115] In a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, an AMF is provided. The AMF includes a receiving module configured to receive a service request from a radio access network node. The service request includes a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID) and first information indicating an ID of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with a first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID. The AMF further includes a determining module configured to determine a session management function (SMF) based on the service request.

[0116] In a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed by at least one processor, the instructions cause the at least one processor to perform any of the methods according to the first, second and third aspects of the present disclosure.

[0117] In an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform any of the methods according to the first, second and third aspects of the present disclosure.

[0118] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system including a host computer is provided. The host computer includes a processing circuit configured to provide user data and a communication interface configured to forward the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a terminal device. The cellular network includes a network device (e.g., the above-mentioned AMF or radio access network node) and / or a terminal device (e.g., the above-mentioned UE).

[0119] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the system further includes a terminal device. The terminal device is configured to communicate with the network device.

[0120] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a processing circuit of a host computer is configured to execute a host application to provide user data; and the terminal device includes a processing circuit configured to execute a client application associated with the host application.

[0121] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system including a host computer and a network device is provided. The host computer includes a communication interface configured to receive user data of a transmission originating from a terminal device. The transmission is from the terminal device to the network device. The network device is the network device mentioned above, and / or the terminal device is the terminal device mentioned above.

[0122] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing circuit of the host computer is configured to execute a host application. The terminal device is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing user data to be received by the host computer.

[0123] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method implemented in a communication system is provided, the communication system may include a host computer, a network device and a terminal device. The method may include providing user data at the host computer. Optionally, the method may include initiating, at the host computer, a transmission to the terminal device carrying the user data via a cellular network including the network device, and the network device may perform any steps of the method according to the second and third aspects disclosed.

[0124] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system including a host computer is provided. The host computer may include a processing circuit configured to provide user data, and a communication interface configured to forward the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a terminal device. The cellular network may include a network device having a radio interface and a processing circuit, and the processing circuit of the network device may perform any steps configured to be according to the method of the second and third aspects disclosed.

[0125] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method implemented in a communication system is provided, the communication system may include a host computer, a network device and a terminal device. The method may include providing user data at the host computer. Optionally, the method may include initiating, at the host computer, a transmission to the terminal device carrying the user data via a cellular network including the network device. The terminal device may perform any steps of the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0126] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system including a host computer is provided. The host computer may include a processing circuit configured to provide user data, and a communication interface configured to forward the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a terminal device. The terminal device may include a radio interface and a processing circuit. The processing circuit of the terminal device may be configured to perform any step of the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0127] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method implemented in a communication system is provided, the communication system may include a host computer, a network device and a terminal device. The method may include receiving user data sent from the terminal device to the network device at the host computer, and the terminal device may perform any steps of the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0128] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system including a host computer is provided. The host computer may include a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a terminal device to a network device. The terminal device may include a radio interface and a processing circuit. The processing circuit of the terminal device may be configured to perform any step of the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0129] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method implemented in a communication system is provided, the communication system may include a host computer, a network device and a terminal device. The method may include, at the host computer, receiving from the network device user data originating from a transmission that the network device has received from the terminal device. The network device may perform any steps of the method according to the second and third aspects of the disclosure.

[0130] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, which may include a host computer. The host computer may include a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a terminal device to a network device. The network device may include a radio interface and a processing circuit. The processing circuit of the network device may perform any steps configured according to the method of the second and third aspects disclosed.

[0131] Many advantages can be achieved by applying the solutions proposed by the embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, in some embodiments herein, when group paging is performed in a radio access network node such as NG-RAN, the CM-IDLE UE responds to the group paging by sending a service request to the AMF. The service request may include at least one MBS session ID and information indicating a PDU session ID associated with the at least one MBS session ID. Therefore, the AMF can correctly process the service request. For example, the AMF can determine the SMF based on the associated PDU session ID. Therefore, UE joining information for these UEs can be provided to a radio access network node such as NG-RAN. Therefore, these UEs will be able to receive MBS data. The embodiments herein are not limited to the above-mentioned features and advantages. Those skilled in the art will recognize additional features and advantages after reading the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0132] The above and other aspects, features and benefits of various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, by way of example, in which like reference numerals or letters are used to refer to similar or equivalent elements. The accompanying drawings are shown to facilitate a better understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale, wherein:

[0133] Figure 1a shows the 5G system architecture for multicast and broadcast services;

[0134] Figure 1b shows the 5G MBS system architecture in reference point representation;

[0135] Figure 1c shows the MBS session activation process;

[0136] Figure 2 A flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0137] Figure 3 A flowchart showing a method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0138] Figure 4 A flowchart showing a method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0139] Figure 5 A flowchart showing a method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0140] Figure 6 A flowchart showing a method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0141] Figure 7 A flow chart showing a UE performing a service request process to respond to group paging according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0142] Figure 8a is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus suitable for practicing some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0143] Figure 8b is a block diagram showing a UE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0144] Figure 8c is a block diagram illustrating a radio access network node according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0145] Figure 8d is a block diagram illustrating an AMF according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0146] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a wireless network according to some embodiments;

[0147] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a user equipment according to some embodiments;

[0148] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a virtualized environment according to some embodiments;

[0149] Fig.12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a telecommunications network connected to a host computer via an intermediate network according to some embodiments;

[0150] Fig.13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a host computer communicating with a user device via a base station over a partially wireless connection according to some embodiments;

[0151] Fig.14 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment according to some embodiments;

[0152] Fig.15 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment according to some embodiments;

[0153] Fig.16 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment according to some embodiments; and

[0154] Fig.17 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0155] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these embodiments are discussed only for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and thus realize the present disclosure, rather than suggesting any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. References to features, advantages or similar language throughout the specification do not mean that all features and advantages that can be implemented with the present disclosure should be in or in any single embodiment of the present disclosure. On the contrary, the language referring to features and advantages should be understood to mean that specific features, advantages or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. In addition, in one or more embodiments, the features, advantages and characteristics described in the present disclosure may be combined in any suitable manner. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the present disclosure may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other cases, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments, and the additional features and advantages may not exist in all embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0156] As used herein, the term "network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) and other wireless networks. A CDMA network can implement radio technologies such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA). UTRA includes other variants of WCDMA and CDMA. A TDMA network can implement radio technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA network can implement radio technologies such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDMA, Ad-hoc networks, wireless sensor networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "network" and "system" can be used interchangeably. In addition, communication between two devices in the network may be performed according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to communication protocols defined by standard organizations such as 3GPP. For example, the communication protocol may include first generation (1G), 2G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G, 5G communication protocols and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future.

[0157] The term "network device" or "network node" or "network function (NF)" refers to any suitable function that can be implemented in a (physical or virtual) network element of a communication network. For example, a network function can be implemented as a network element on dedicated hardware, as a software instance running on dedicated hardware, or as a virtualized function instantiated on an appropriate platform (e.g., on a cloud infrastructure). For example, a 5G system (5GS) may include multiple NFs, such as AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), SMF (Session Management Function), AUSF (Authentication Service Function), UDM (Unified Data Management), PCF (Policy Control Function), AF (Application Function), NEF (Network Exposure Function), UPF (User Plane Function) and NRF (Network Repository Function), RAN (Radio Access Network), SCP (Service Communication Agent), NWDAF (Network Data Analysis Function), NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function), NSSAAF (Network Slice Specific Authentication and Authorization Function), etc.

[0158] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device that can access a communication network and receive services therefrom. As an example and not limitation, a terminal device refers to a mobile terminal, a user equipment (UE) or other suitable device. A UE may be, for example, a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) or an access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, portable computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, game terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, wearable terminal devices, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably. As an example, a terminal device may represent a UE configured to communicate in accordance with one or more communication standards (e.g., 3GPP's LTE standard or NR standard) issued by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project). As used herein, a "user equipment" or "UE" may not necessarily have a "user" in terms of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated device. In some embodiments, a terminal device may be configured to send and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to a request from a communication network, a terminal device may be designed to send information to the network according to a predetermined schedule. Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is intended to be sold to a human user or operated by a human user but may not initially be associated with a specific human user.

[0159] As another example, in an Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a terminal device may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement, and sends the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another terminal device and / or network device. In this case, the terminal device may be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which may be referred to as a machine type communication (MTC) device in the 3GPP context. As a specific example, the terminal device may be a UE that implements the 3GPP Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. Specific examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices (e.g., electricity meters, industrial machinery) or household or personal appliances (e.g., refrigerators, televisions), personal wearable devices (e.g., watches), etc. In other scenarios, a terminal device may represent a vehicle or other device that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operating status or other functions related to its operation.

[0160] References in the specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not necessarily every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, whether or not explicitly described, it is considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in relation to other embodiments.

[0161] It should be understood that although the terms "first" and "second" etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms.

[0162] As used herein, the phrase "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" should be understood to mean "only A, only B, or both A and B". The phrase "A and / or B" should be understood to mean "only A, only B, or both A and B".

[0163] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" as used herein are also intended to include the plural forms. It will be further understood that when used herein, the terms "include", "comprise", "have", "have", "contain" and / or "cover" specify the presence of the features, elements and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0164] Note that these terms used in this article are only used to facilitate description and to distinguish between nodes, devices or networks, etc. As technology develops, other terms with similar / same meanings may also be used.

[0165] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0166] Although the subject matter described herein can be implemented in any suitable type of system using any suitable components, the embodiments disclosed herein are directed to systems that conform to Figure 1a and Figure 1b For simplicity, the communication system of the exemplary system architecture shown is described. Figure 1a and Figure 1b The system architecture of FIG. 1 depicts only some exemplary elements. In practice, the communication system may also include any additional elements suitable for supporting communication between terminal devices or between a wireless device and another communication device (e.g., a landline phone, a service provider, or any other network node or terminal device). The communication system may provide communication and various types of services to one or more terminal devices to facilitate the terminal devices to access and / or use services provided by or via the communication system.

[0167] Figure 2 A flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, and the method can be performed by a device implemented in a user equipment (UE), or by a device implemented as a UE, or by a device communicatively coupled to a UE. Therefore, the device can provide components for implementing various parts of the method 200, and components for implementing other processes in combination with other components.

[0168] At block 202, a UE may receive a paging message including a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID) from a radio access network node.

[0169] The radio access network node may be any suitable access network node that supports MBS. In one embodiment, the radio access network node may include a radio access network node in a fifth generation system. In another embodiment, the radio access network node may include an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network node connected to a 5GC (5G core network). In another embodiment, the radio access network node may include a node that may be connected to a 5G core network such as a 5G core network. Figure 1a and Figure 1b Radio access network nodes of the 5G system architecture for multicast and broadcast services are shown.

[0170] A paging message may be sent to a UE for various reasons. For example, a paging message may be sent to a UE during an MBS session activation procedure. Figure 1c In step 5, based on the request from the AMF, the NG-RAN may perform group paging for the CM-IDLE UE using the MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI) as an identifier. Figure 1c In step 12, the NG-RAN may perform group paging for the RRC-INACTIVE UE using the MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI) as an identifier.

[0171] In one embodiment, the UE has joined an MBS session identified by an MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI). For example, the MBS join and session establishment procedures described in Section 7.2.1 of TS 23.247 V17.0.0 may have been performed. In one embodiment, a core network node such as an SMF may know which UEs have joined an MBS session identified by an MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI).

[0172] In one embodiment, the UE may be a UE in an IDLE state. In one embodiment, the UE may be a UE in a connected state. In one embodiment, the UE may be a UE in a connected state with RRC (Radio Resource Control) inactivity. The terminal device in the idle state does not have a NAS (Non Access Stratum) signaling connection established with the AMF. The terminal device in the connected state has a NAS signaling connection with the AMF. The terminal device in the connected state with RRC inactivity has no RRC (Radio Resource Control) connection between the terminal device and the RAN. The NAS signaling connection uses an RRC connection between the terminal device and the RAN. In one embodiment, the idle state may be the same as the CM-IDLE described in clause 5.3.3.2.2 of 3GPP TS23.501V17.1.1, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In one embodiment, the connected state may be the same as the CM-CONNECTED state described in clause 5.3.3.2.3 of 3GPP TS23.501V17.1.1. The connected state with RRC inactivity may be the same as the CM-CONNECTED state with RRC inactivity described in clause 5.3.3.2.5 of 3GPP TS 23.501 V17.1.1.

[0173] At block 204, the UE may send a service request to the radio access network node in response to the paging message. In one embodiment, the service request includes the first MBS session ID and first information indicating an identifier (ID) of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with the first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID. In another embodiment, the service request includes the first information indicating an identifier (ID) of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with the first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID.

[0174] For example, the UE may send a service request to the radio access network node in response to a paging message in a service request procedure. The service request procedure may be used by a UE in CM-IDLE state or a core network (such as 5GC) to request establishment of a secure connection to the AMF. The service request procedure may also be used to activate a user plane connection for an established PDU session when the UE is in CM-IDLE and in CM-CONNECTED.

[0175] The service request may be any suitable service request message. In one embodiment, the service request may be similar to the corresponding service request described in Section 4.2.3.2 of 3GPP TS 23.502 V17.1.0, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, except that the service request further includes a first MBS session ID and first information indicating an identifier (ID) of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with the first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID.

[0176] In one embodiment, the first information includes an ID of the first PDU session. In this embodiment, the first information may be explicit information.

[0177] In one embodiment, the first information may be used to derive an ID of the first PDU session. In this embodiment, the first information may be any suitable implicit information that may be used to derive an ID of the first PDU session.

[0178] In one embodiment, the first MBS session ID comprises a Temporary Mobile Group Identity (TMGI).

[0179] In one embodiment, the first information includes a new information element including the state of the first PDU session associated with the first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID. For example, a new IE (information element) for "the state of the PDU session associated with the MBS session causing the group paging" may be introduced to indicate the PDU session(s) related to the MBS session that the UE has used. The service request may include the new IE and the first MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI).

[0180] In one embodiment, the first information includes: an uplink data status information element, which is used to indicate a first PDU session associated with a first MBS session identified by a first MBS session ID.

[0181] For example, the first information may be an uplink data status information element described in 3GPP TS 24.501 V17.3.1, clause 9.11.3.57, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The uplink data status information element may be used to derive a PDU session ID.

[0182] As described in 3GPP TS 24.501 V17.3.1 clause 9.11.3.57, the purpose of the uplink data status information element is to indicate to the network which reserved PDU sessions have pending uplink data.

[0183] The uplink data status information element is encoded as shown in Table 1, which is consistent with 3GPP TS24.501V17.3.1 Fig. 9 .11.3.44.1. IEI stands for Information Element Identifier. PSI stands for PDU Session Identifier. Table 1

[0184] PSI(x) should be encoded as follows:

[0185] PSI(0):

[0186] Bit 1 of octet 3 is reserved and shall be coded as zero.

[0187] PSI(1)-PSI(15):

[0188] 0 indicates that no uplink data is pending for the corresponding PDU session identifier, or the PDU session is in the PDU session inactive state or in the PDU session active state where user plane resources have been established.

[0189] 1 indicates that for the corresponding PDU session identifier, uplink data is pending and user plane resources for the corresponding PDU session are not established.

[0190] All bits in octets 5 to 34 are spare and shall be coded as zero if the corresponding octet is included in the information element.

[0191] The UE can use the "Uplink Data Status" to indicate to the AMF which PDU session has UL (uplink) data to be sent. Based on the received PDU session ID (identifier), the AMF contacts the corresponding SMF, which further interacts with the NG-RAN to establish PDU session resources.

[0192] In this embodiment, it may reuse the "Uplink Data Status" IE to indicate the associated PDU session, although there may be no pending uplink data. The UE shall also include in the Service Request the TMGI(s) for the MBS session(s) that caused the group paging.

[0193] In one embodiment, when the UE is in a connection management idle state (eg, CM-IDLE state), the UE may send a service request to a radio access network node.

[0194] Figure 2 A first use case of group paging is shown. In the first use case, a radio access network node such as NG-RAN performs group paging (TMGI) per MBS session. And the UE sends a service request with one associated PDU session ID and one MBS session ID (e.g. TMGI) in response to the group paging. Based on the associated PDU session ID, the AMF sends a Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext with the associated PDU session ID and MBS session ID (e.g. TMGI) to the SMF.

[0195] Figure 3 A flow chart of a method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, which can be performed by a device implemented in a user equipment (UE), or by a device implemented as a UE, or by a device communicatively coupled to a UE. Therefore, the device can provide components for implementing various parts of the method 300, and components for implementing other processes in combination with other components. For some parts that have been described in the above embodiments, their description is omitted here for the sake of brevity.

[0196] At block 302, the UE may receive a paging message including a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID) from a radio access network node. Block 302 may be associated with Figure 2 The same as block 202 of FIG.

[0097] At block 304, the UE may receive a new paging message including a second MBS session ID from the radio access network node.

[0198] At block 306, the UE may send a service request to the radio access network node in response to the paging message.

[0199] The service request includes the first MBS session ID and first information indicating an identifier (ID) of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with the first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID. The service request further includes the second MBS session ID and second information indicating an ID of a second PDU session associated with a second MBS session identified by the second MBS session ID.

[0200] The second information is similar to the first information described above.

[0201] In one embodiment, the second information includes an ID of the second PDU session or an ID used to derive the second PDU session.

[0202] In one embodiment, the second MBS session ID includes a TMGI.

[0203] In one embodiment, the second information comprises a new information element comprising a status of a second PDU session associated with the second MBS session.

[0204] In one embodiment, the second information includes an uplink data status information element for indicating a second PDU session associated with a second MBS session identified by a second MBS session ID.

[0205] In one embodiment, when the same PDU session is associated with both the first MBS session and the second MBS session, the second information or the first information is included in the service request.

[0206] Figure 3 A second use case for group paging is shown. In the second use case, a radio access network node such as NG-RAN performs multiple group paging for several MBS sessions. In this case, the UE can combine the responses to all multiple group paging requests in one service request. That is, one or more associated PDU session IDs and multiple MBS session IDs (TMGI) will be included in the service request. Based on the associated PDU session ID, the AMF will identify one or more SMFs and send Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext to those SMFs respectively. In each Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request, the associated PDU session ID and all MBS session IDs (TMGI) handled by the SMF will be included, so that the SMF needs to find out the appropriate TMGI to be processed based on the UE joining information inside the SMF.

[0207] It is also possible that the UE combines responses to multiple group paging requests with the same associated PDU Session ID in one service request. In this case, exactly one associated PDU Session ID and multiple MBS Session IDs (TMGI) will be included in each service request. Based on the associated PDU Session ID, the AMF may send a Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext with the associated PDU Session ID and MBS Session ID (TMGI) to the SMF.

[0208] The UE may also skip the merging operation and send service requests one by one. In this case, each service request will only include one associated PDU session ID and one TMGI. The AMF will also process the service request as normal.

[0209] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, and the method can be performed by a device implemented in a radio access network node, or by a device implemented as a radio access network node, or by a device communicatively coupled to a radio access network node. Therefore, the device can provide components for implementing various parts of the method 400, and components for implementing other processes in combination with other components. For some parts that have been described in the above embodiments, their description is omitted here for the sake of brevity.

[0210] At block 402, a radio access network node may send a paging message including a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID). The paging message may be a broadcast message.

[0211] A paging message may be sent to a UE for various reasons. For example, a paging message may be sent during an MBS session activation procedure. Figure 1c In step 5, based on the request from the AMF, the NG-RAN may perform group paging for the CM-IDLE UE using the MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI) as an identifier. Figure 1c In step 12, the NG-RAN may perform group paging for the RRC-INACTIVE UE using the MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI) as an identifier.

[0212] At block 404, the radio access network node may receive a service request from a user equipment (UE). The service request includes a first MBS session ID and first information indicating an ID of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with a first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID. Figure 2 At block 204, the UE may send a service request to the radio access network node in response to the paging message, and the radio access network node may then receive the service request from the user equipment (UE).

[0213] The radio access network node may send a service request to an access and mobility function (AMF) at block 406. For example, the service request may be included in an N2 message as described in clause 4.2.3.2 of 3GPP TS 23.502 V17.2.1.

[0214] In one embodiment, the first information includes an ID of the first PDU session or an ID used to derive the first PDU session.

[0215] In one embodiment, the first MBS session ID comprises a Temporary Mobile Group Identity (TMGI).

[0216] In one embodiment, the first information comprises a new information element comprising a state of a first PDU session associated with a first MBS session identified by a first MBS session ID.

[0217] In one embodiment, the first information includes an uplink data status information element for indicating a first PDU session associated with a first MBS session identified by a first MBS session ID.

[0218] In one embodiment, the UE is in a connection management idle state.

[0219] In one embodiment, the radio access network node comprises a radio access network node in a fifth generation system.

[0220] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, and the method can be performed by a device implemented in a radio access network node, or by a device implemented as a radio access network node, or by a device communicatively coupled to a radio access network node. Therefore, the device can provide components for implementing various parts of the method 500, and components for implementing other processes in combination with other components. For some parts that have been described in the above embodiments, their description is omitted here for the sake of brevity.

[0221] Figure 5 Related to the second use case as described above.

[0222] At block 502, a radio access network node may send a paging message including a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID). The paging message may be a broadcast message. Block 502 may be associated with Figure 4 The same as block 402 of FIG.

[0223] At block 504, the radio access network node may send a new paging message including the second MBS session ID. The service request further includes the second MBS session ID and second information indicating an ID of a second PDU session associated with the second MBS session identified by the second MBS session ID.

[0224] At block 506, the radio access network node may receive a service request from a user equipment (UE). The service request includes the first MBS session ID and first information indicating an ID of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with a first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID. The service request further includes the second MBS session ID and second information indicating an ID of a second PDU session associated with a second MBS session identified by the second MBS session ID.

[0225] The radio access network node may send a service request to an access and mobility function (AMF) at block 508. For example, the service request may be included in an N2 message as described in clause 4.2.3.2 of 3GPP TS 23.502 V17.2.1.

[0226] In one embodiment, the second information includes an ID of the second PDU session or an ID used to derive the second PDU session.

[0227] In one embodiment, the second MBS session ID includes a TMGI.

[0228] In one embodiment, the second information comprises a new information element comprising a status of a second PDU session associated with the second MBS session.

[0229] In one embodiment, the second information includes an uplink data status information element for indicating a second PDU session associated with a second MBS session identified by a second MBS session ID.

[0230] In one embodiment, when the same PDU session is associated with the first MBS session and the second MBS session, the second information or the first information is included in the service request.

[0231] Figure 6 A flow chart of a method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, which can be performed by a device implemented in an access and mobility function (AMF), or by a device implemented as an AMF, or by a device communicatively coupled to the AMF. Therefore, the device can provide components for implementing various parts of method 600, as well as components for implementing other processes in combination with other components. For some parts that have been described in the above embodiments, their description is omitted here for the sake of brevity.

[0232] In block 602, the AMF may receive a service request from a radio access network node. The service request includes a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID) and first information indicating an ID of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with a first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID.

[0233] At block 604, the AMF may determine a session management function (SMF) based on the service request. For example, the AMF may determine the SMF based on an ID of a first PDU session associated with a first MBS session identified by a first MBS session ID. Then, the method 600 may be performed as follows. Figure 1c Continue at step 7 described in . For example, after receiving the service request sent by the UE, based on the received first information (e.g., the associated PDU session ID), the AMF identifies and notifies the relevant SMF: the UE is now reachable, and provides the SMF with the TMGI and the associated PDU session ID.

[0234] For group paging, a radio access network node such as NG-RAN uses an MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI) as an identifier of an MBS session in a paging message. When the UE responds to the paging message, the UE includes the associated PDU session ID and the MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI) in the service request. The MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI) can be used to indicate the MBS session from which the UE wants to receive session data. The AMF forwards the MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI) and the associated PDU session ID to the SMF so that the SMF can instruct the radio access network node such as NG-RAN to deliver the MBS session data to the UE based on the TMGI and the associated PDU session ID. In addition, the AMF can maintain a list of unreachable UEs for each MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI). If the UE responds to the paging message (or is reachable), the AMF needs to remove the UE from the list. After a timeout (e.g., after paging escalation), the UEs in the list will be considered unreachable, and the AMF will notify the SMF of those unreachable UEs.

[0235] In one embodiment, the first information includes an ID of the first PDU session or an ID used to derive the first PDU session.

[0236] In one embodiment, the first MBS session ID comprises a Temporary Mobile Group Identity (TMGI).

[0237] In one embodiment, the first information comprises a new information element comprising a state of a first PDU session associated with a first MBS session identified by a first MBS session ID.

[0238] In one embodiment, the first information includes an uplink data status information element for indicating a first PDU session associated with a first MBS session identified by a first MBS session ID.

[0239] In one embodiment, the service request further includes a second MBS session ID and second information indicating an ID of a second PDU session associated with the second MBS session identified by the second MBS session ID. For example, the AMF may determine the SMF based on the ID of the second PDU session associated with the second MBS session identified by the second MBS session ID. Then, the method 600 may be performed as follows: Figure 1c Continue at step 7 described in . For example, after receiving the service request sent by the UE, based on the received second information, the AMF identifies and notifies the relevant SMFs of the UE: these UEs are now reachable. In addition, the AMF may know that the ID of the second PDU session is associated with the second MBS session identified by the second MBS session ID.

[0240] In one embodiment, the second information includes an ID of the second PDU session or an ID used to derive the second PDU session.

[0241] In one embodiment, the second MBS session ID includes a TMGI.

[0242] In one embodiment, the second information comprises a new information element comprising a status of a second PDU session associated with the second MBS session.

[0243] In one embodiment, the second information includes an uplink data status information element for indicating a second PDU session associated with a second MBS session identified by a second MBS session ID.

[0244] In one embodiment, when the same PDU session is associated with both the first MBS session and the second MBS session, the second information or the first information is included in the service request.

[0245] In one embodiment, the radio access network node comprises a radio access network node in a fifth generation system.

[0246] Figure 7 A flow chart showing a UE performing a service request procedure to respond to group paging according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0247] like Figure 7 As shown, for a CM-IDLE UE responding to group paging, it sends a service request with service type "mobile terminated service".

[0248] For PDU session information:

[0249] Alternative 1 (Alt-1): In step 701a, the UE sends a service request to the AMF. The service request may include a new IE for "Status of PDU session(s) associated with the MBS session causing group paging" to indicate the PDU session(s) related to the MBS session that the UE has used. The service request may also include the TMGI for the MBS session causing group paging.

[0250] Alternative-2: At step 701b, the UE sends a service request to the AMF. The service request may include an "Uplink Data Status" IE (as described in clause 9.11.3.57 of 3GPP TS 24.501 V17.3.1) to indicate the associated PDU session(s), although there may be no pending uplink data. The service request may also include the TMGI(s) for the MBS session(s) causing the group paging.

[0251] In step 702, after receiving the service request, the AMF determines the SMF based on the associated PDU session ID.

[0252] In step 703, AMF sends a Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request to SMF.

[0253] At step 704, the SMF interacts with the NG-RAN as described in clause 7.2.1.3 of 3GPP TS 23.247 V17.0.0. For example, the SMF may provide the NG-RAN with UE joining information.

[0254] For example, the AMF forwards the MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI) and the associated PDU session ID to the SMF so that the SMF can instruct the radio access network node such as NG-RAN to deliver the MBS session data to the UE based on the TMGI and the associated PDU session ID. In addition, the AMF can maintain a list of unreachable UEs for each MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI). If the UE responds to the paging message (or is reachable), the AMF needs to remove the UE from the list. After a timeout (e.g., after a paging escalation), the UEs in the list will be considered unreachable, and the AMF will notify the SMF of those unreachable UEs.

[0255] According to various embodiments, when a CM-IDLE UE responds to a group paging request including an MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI), it always includes the associated PDU session ID together with the MBS session ID (e.g., TMGI) so that the AMF can determine the appropriate SMF to call Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext and the SMF can provide the UE joining information to the NG-RAN.

[0256] Many advantages can be achieved by applying the solutions proposed by the embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, in some embodiments herein, when group paging is performed in a radio access network node such as NG-RAN, the CM-IDLE UE responds to the group paging by sending a service request to the AMF. The service request may include at least one MBS session ID and information indicating a PDU session ID associated with the at least one MBS session ID. Therefore, the AMF can correctly process the service request. For example, the AMF can determine the SMF based on the associated PDU session ID. Therefore, UE joining information for these UEs can be provided to a radio access network node such as NG-RAN. Therefore, these UEs will be able to receive MBS data. The embodiments herein are not limited to the above-mentioned features and advantages. Those skilled in the art will recognize additional features and advantages after reading the following detailed description.

[0257] Figure 8a 800 is a block diagram showing an apparatus suitable for practicing some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the above-mentioned UE, radio access network node or AMF can be implemented as the apparatus 800 or implemented by the apparatus 800.

[0258] The device 800 includes at least one processor 821, such as a digital processor (DP), and at least one memory (MEM) 822 coupled to the processor 821. The device 800 may also include a transmitter TX and a receiver RX823 coupled to the processor 821. The MEM 822 stores a program (PROG) 824. The PROG 824 may include instructions that, when executed on the associated processor 821, enable the device 800 to operate according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. The combination of at least one processor 821 and at least one MEM 822 may form a processing device 825 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0259] Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a computer program executable by one or more of the processor 821 , software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof.

[0260] The MEM 822 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology such as, by way of non-limiting example, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory.

[0261] Processor 821 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and may include one or more of the following: as non-limiting examples, a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture.

[0262] In an embodiment where the apparatus is implemented as or at a UE, the memory 822 stores instructions executable by the processor 821 , whereby the UE operates according to any of the methods described above in relation to the UE.

[0263] In embodiments where the apparatus is implemented as or at a radio access network node, the memory 822 stores instructions executable by the processor 821 whereby the radio access network node operates according to any method related to a radio access network node as described above.

[0264] In embodiments where the apparatus is implemented as or at an AMF, the memory 822 stores instructions executable by the processor 821, whereby the AMF operates according to any of the methods described above in relation to the AMF.

[0265] Figure 8b 850 is a block diagram illustrating a UE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the UE 850 includes a first receiving module 851, which is configured to receive a paging message including a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID) from a radio access network node. The UE 850 further includes a sending module 852, which is configured to send a service request to the radio access network node in response to the paging message. The service request includes the first MBS session ID and first information, wherein the first information indicates an identifier (ID) of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with the first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID.

[0266] In one embodiment, the UE 850 further includes a second receiving module 853 configured to receive a new paging message including a second MBS session ID from the radio access network node. The service request further includes the second MBS session ID and second information indicating an ID of a second PDU session associated with the second MBS session identified by the second MBS session ID.

[0267] Figure 8c 860 is a block diagram illustrating a radio access network node according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the radio access network node 860 includes a first sending module 861, which is configured to send a paging message including a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID). The radio access network node 860 further includes a receiving module 862, which is configured to receive a service request from a user equipment (UE). The service request includes a first MBS session ID and first information, the first information indicating an ID of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with the first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID. The radio access network node 860 further includes a sending module 863, which is configured to send a service request to an access and mobility function (AMF).

[0268] In one embodiment, the radio access network node 860 further includes a second sending module 864 configured to send a new paging message including a second MBS session ID. The service request further includes the second MBS session ID and second information indicating an ID of a second PDU session associated with the second MBS session identified by the second MBS session ID.

[0269] Figure 8d 870 is a block diagram illustrating an AMF according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, AMF 870 includes a receiving module 871, which is configured to receive a service request from a radio access network node. The service request includes a first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifier (ID) and first information, the first information indicating an ID of a first protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with a first MBS session identified by the first MBS session ID. AMF 870 further includes a determining module 872, which is configured to determine a session management function (SMF) based on the service request.

[0270] The term unit or module may have a conventional meaning in the field of electronic devices, electrical equipment and / or electronic equipment, and may include, for example, electrical and / or electronic circuits, devices, modules, processors, memories, logical solid-state and / or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for performing corresponding tasks, processes, calculations, output and / or display functions, etc., such as those described herein.

[0271] By using the functional unit, the UE, the radio access network node, or the AMF may not need a fixed processor or memory, and any computing resources and storage resources may be arranged from the UE, the radio access network node, or the AMF in the communication system. The introduction of virtualization technology and network computing technology can improve the efficiency of network resource utilization and the flexibility of the network.

[0272] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable storage medium and comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform any one of the methods described above.

[0273] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed by at least one processor, the instructions cause the at least one processor to perform any one of the methods described above.

[0274] In addition, an exemplary overall communication system including a terminal device and a network node will be introduced below.

[0275] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication system including a host computer, the host computer including: a processing circuit configured to provide user data; a communication interface configured to forward the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a terminal device. The cellular network includes a base station such as the above-mentioned radio access network node and / or a terminal device such as a UE.

[0276] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the system further includes a terminal device. The terminal device is configured to communicate with the base station.

[0277] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a processing circuit of a host computer is configured to execute a host computer application to provide user data; and a terminal device includes a processing circuit configured to execute a client application associated with the host computer application.

[0278] The embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a communication system including a host computer and a base station, wherein the host computer includes: a communication interface configured to receive user data transmitted from a terminal device. The transmission is from the terminal device to the base station. The terminal device is the UE mentioned above. The base station is the radio access network device mentioned above.

[0279] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing circuit of the host computer is configured to execute a host computer application. The terminal device is configured to execute a client application associated with the host computer application, thereby providing user data to be received by the host computer.

[0280] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a wireless network according to some embodiments.

[0281] Although the subject matter described herein can be implemented in any suitable type of system using any suitable components, the embodiments disclosed herein are described with respect to wireless networks, such as Fig. 9 For simplicity, Fig. 9The wireless network of FIG. 1 depicts only the network 1006, the network nodes 1060 (corresponding to the network side nodes) and 1060b, and the WDs (corresponding to the terminal devices) 1010, 1010b and 1010c. In practice, the wireless network may also include any additional elements suitable for supporting communication between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device (e.g., a landline phone, a service provider, or any other network node or terminal device). In the components shown, the network node 1060 and the wireless device (WD) 1010 are depicted with additional details. The wireless network may provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate wireless devices to access and / or use services provided by or via the wireless network.

[0282] A wireless network may include an interface and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular and / or radio network or other similar type of system. In some embodiments, a wireless network may be configured to operate according to a particular standard or other type of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, particular embodiments of a wireless network may implement communication standards such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G standards; wireless local area network (WLAN) standards such as IEEE 802.11 standards; and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, and / or ZigBee standards.

[0283] The network 1006 may include one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTN), packet data networks, optical networks, wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks to enable communication between devices.

[0284] The network node 1060 and the WD 1010 include various components described in more detail below. These components work together to provide network node and / or wireless device functions, such as providing wireless connections in a wireless network. In different embodiments, the wireless network may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and signals over a wired or wireless connection.

[0285] As used herein, a network node refers to a device that is capable of, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and / or with other network nodes or devices in a wireless network to enable and / or provide wireless access to the wireless device and / or perform other functions (e.g., management) in the wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, node Bs, evolved node Bs (eNBs), and NR node Bs (gNBs)). Base stations can be classified based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, in other words, their transmit power levels), and may then also be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node may also include one or more components (or all components) of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. Components of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS). Yet another example of a network node includes a multi-standard radio (MSR) device (e.g., an MSR BS), a network controller (e.g., a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transmission point, a transmission node), a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), a core network node (e.g., MSC, MME), an O&M node, an OSS node, a SON node, a positioning node (e.g., E-SMLC), and / or an MDT. As another example, a network node may be a virtual network node as described in more detail below. However, more generally, a network node may represent any suitable device (or group of devices) that is capable of, configured, arranged, and / or operable to enable a wireless device to access a wireless network and / or provide a wireless device with access to a wireless network or provide certain services to a wireless device that has accessed a wireless network.

[0286] exist Fig. 9 In the embodiment, the network node 1060 includes a processing circuit 1070, a device readable medium 1080, an interface 1090, an auxiliary device 1084, a power supply 1086, a power supply circuit 1087, and an antenna 1062. Fig. 9The network node 1060 shown in the example wireless network of can represent a device including the combination of hardware components shown, but other embodiments can include network nodes with different combinations of components. It should be understood that the network node includes any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. In addition, although the components of the network node 1060 are depicted as a single box located within a larger box or a single box nested within multiple boxes, in reality, the network node can include multiple different physical components that constitute a single illustrated component (for example, the device readable medium 1080 can include multiple separate hard drives and multiple RAM modules).

[0287] Similarly, the network node 1060 may be composed of multiple physically separated components (e.g., NodeB components and RNC components, or BTS components and BSC components, etc.), each of which may have its own corresponding components. In certain scenarios where the network node 1060 includes multiple individual components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more individual components may be shared between several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may be considered a single individual network node in some cases. In some embodiments, the network node 1060 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such an embodiment, some components (e.g., separate device-readable media 1080 for different RATs) may be repeated and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 1062 may be shared by the RATs). The network node 1060 may also include a variety of illustrated components for various wireless technologies integrated into the network node 1060, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within network node 1060 .

[0288] The processing circuit 1070 is configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being provided by the network node. Such operations performed by the processing circuit 1070 may include processing information obtained by the processing circuit 1070 by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information, and making a determination as a result of the processing.

[0289] The processing circuit 1070 may include a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic that can operate alone or in conjunction with other network node 1060 components (e.g., device readable medium 1080) to provide network node 1060 functionality. For example, the processing circuit 1070 may execute instructions stored in the device readable medium 1080 or a memory within the processing circuit 1070. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1070 may include a system on a chip (SOC).

[0290] In some embodiments, processing circuit 1070 may include one or more of the following: radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 1072 and baseband processing circuit 1074. In some embodiments, radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 1072 and baseband processing circuit 1074 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units (e.g., a radio unit and a digital unit). In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuit 1072 and baseband processing circuit 1074 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0291] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein as being provided by a network node, base station, eNB, or other such network device may be performed by processing circuit 1070 executing instructions stored on device-readable medium 1080 or memory within processing circuit 1070. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by processing circuit 1070, for example, in a hardwired manner, without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable medium. In any of these embodiments, processing circuit 1070 may be configured to perform the described functions, whether or not executing instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to processing circuit 1070 or other components of network node 1060, but are generally enjoyed by network node 1060 as a whole and / or by end users and wireless networks.

[0292] The device-readable medium 1080 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including but not limited to a permanent storage device that stores information, data, and / or instructions that can be used by the processing circuit 1070, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drive, compact disk (CD) or digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable storage device. The device-readable medium 1080 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including computer programs, software, applications including one or more of logic, rules, codes, tables, etc., and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuit 1070 and used by the network node 1060. The device-readable medium 1080 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuit 1070 and / or any data received through the interface 1090. In some embodiments, processing circuit 1070 and device readable medium 1080 may be considered integrated.

[0293] Interface 1090 is used for wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network node 1060, network 1006 and / or WD 1010. As shown, interface 1090 includes port / terminal 1094 which is used to send and receive data to network 1006 via wired connection. Interface 1090 further includes radio front-end circuit 1092, which can be coupled to antenna 1062, or in some embodiments is part of antenna 1062. Radio front-end circuit 1092 includes filter 1098 and amplifier 1096. Radio front-end circuit 1092 can be connected to antenna 1062 and processing circuit 1070. Radio front-end circuit can be configured to adjust the signal transmitted between antenna 1062 and processing circuit 1070. Radio front-end circuit 1092 can receive digital data to be sent to other network nodes or WD via wireless connection. Radio front-end circuit 1092 can use the combination of filter 1098 and / or amplifier 1096 to convert digital data into radio signals with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 1062. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 1062 may collect the radio signal, which may then be converted into digital data by radio front end circuit 1092. The digital data may be passed to processing circuit 1070. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0294] In some alternative embodiments, the network node 1060 may not include a separate radio front end circuit 1092, and instead, the processing circuit 1070 may include the radio front end circuit and may be connected to the antenna 1062 without the separate radio front end circuit 1092. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuit 1072 may be considered part of the interface 1090. In still other embodiments, the interface 1090 may include one or more ports or terminals 1094, the radio front end circuit 1092, and the RF transceiver circuit 1072 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the interface 1090 may communicate with the baseband processing circuit 1074, which is part of the digital unit (not shown).

[0295] Antenna 1062 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 1062 may be coupled to radio front-end circuit 1090 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly sending and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 1062 may include one or more omnidirectional, sector or flat panel antennas operable to transmit / receive radio signals between, for example, 2 GHz and 66 GHz. Omnidirectional antennas may be used to send / receive radio signals in any direction, sector antennas may be used to send / receive radio signals from devices within a specific area to / from devices within a specific area, and flat panel antennas may be line-of-sight antennas used to send / receive radio signals in a relatively straight line. In some cases, the use of more than one antenna may be referred to as MIMO. In some embodiments, antenna 1062 may be separated from network node 1060 and may be connected to network node 1060 via an interface or port.

[0296] Antenna 1062, interface 1090 and / or processing circuit 1070 can be configured to perform any receiving operation and / or certain obtaining operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and / or signal can be received from a wireless device, another network node and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 1062, interface 1090 and / or processing circuit 1070 can be configured to perform any sending operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and / or signal can be sent to a wireless device, another network node and / or any other network device.

[0297] The power circuit 1087 may include or be coupled to a power management circuit and is configured to provide power to the components of the network node 1060 to perform the functions described herein. The power circuit 1087 may receive power from the power supply 1086. The power supply 1086 and / or the power circuit 1087 may be configured to provide power to the various components of the network node 1060 in a form suitable for the various components (e.g., at the voltage and current level required by each corresponding component). The power supply 1086 may be included in the power circuit 1087 and / or the network node 1060 or outside the power circuit 1087 and / or the network node 1060. For example, the network node 1060 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., a power outlet) through an input circuit or interface (e.g., a cable), whereby the external power source supplies power to the power circuit 1087. As another example, the power supply 1086 may include a power source in the form of a battery or a battery pack, which is connected to the power circuit 108 or integrated in the power circuit 1087. If the external power source fails, the battery can provide backup power. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.

[0298] Alternative embodiments of network node 1060 may include, in addition to Fig. 9 , which may be responsible for providing certain aspects of the network node functionality, including any functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 1060 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input to the network node 1060 and to allow information to be output from the network node 1060. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions for the network node 1060.

[0299] As used herein, a wireless device (WD) refers to a device that can, is configured, is arranged and / or is operable to wirelessly communicate with a network node and / or other wireless devices. Unless otherwise specified, the term WD may be used interchangeably with a user equipment (UE) in this article. Wireless communication may involve the use of electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves and / or other types of signals suitable for sending information through the air to send and / or receive wireless signals. In some embodiments, a WD may be configured to send and / or receive information without direct human-computer interaction. For example, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to a request from a network, a WD may be designed to transmit information to a network according to a predetermined schedule. Examples of WD include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cellular phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablet computers, laptops, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop-car equipment (LMEs), smart devices, wireless client equipment (CPEs), vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, etc. For example, by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X), WD can support device-to-device (D2D) communication, in which case it can be referred to as a D2D communication device. As another specific example, in an Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, WD can represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another WD and / or a network node. In this case, WD can be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which can be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As a specific example, WD can be a UE that implements the 3GPP narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. Specific examples of such machines or devices are sensors, such as metering devices of power meters, industrial machinery, or household or personal appliances (such as refrigerators, televisions, etc.), personal wearable devices (such as watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other scenarios, WD can represent a vehicle or other device that can monitor and / or report its operating status or other functions associated with its operation. As mentioned above, WD can represent the end point of wireless connection, in which case, the device can be referred to as a wireless terminal. In addition, as mentioned above, WD can be mobile, in which case, it can also be referred to as a mobile device or a mobile terminal.

[0300] As shown, wireless device 1010 includes antenna 1011, interface 1014, processing circuit 1020, device readable medium 1030, user interface device 1032, auxiliary device 1034, power supply 1036 and power supply circuit 1037. WD 1010 may include multiple sets of one or more of the components shown for different wireless technologies supported by WD 1010 (e.g., GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, to name a few). These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets as other components in WD 1010.

[0301] Antenna 1011 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and / or receive wireless signals and connected to interface 1014. In some alternative embodiments, antenna 1011 may be separated from WD 1010 and may be connected to WD 1010 via an interface or port. Antenna 1011, interface 1014 and / or processing circuit 1020 may be configured to perform any receiving or transmitting operation described herein as being performed by WD. Any information, data and / or signal may be received from a network node and / or another WD. In some embodiments, radio front end circuit and / or antenna 1011 may be considered as an interface.

[0302] As shown, the interface 1014 includes a radio front-end circuit 1012 and an antenna 1011. The radio front-end circuit 1012 includes one or more filters 1018 and an amplifier 1016. The radio front-end circuit 1014 is connected to the antenna 1011 and the processing circuit 1020 and is configured to regulate the signals communicated between the antenna 1011 and the processing circuit 1020. The radio front-end circuit 1012 may be coupled to the antenna 1011 or may be part of the antenna 1011. In some embodiments, the WD 1010 may not include a separate radio front-end circuit 1012; instead, the processing circuit 1020 may include the radio front-end circuit and may be connected to the antenna 1011. Similarly, in some embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 1022 may be considered part of the interface 1014. The radio front-end circuit 1012 may receive digital data, which will be sent to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 1012 may convert the digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1018 and / or amplifiers 1016. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 1011. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 1011 may collect the radio signal, which may then be converted into digital data by radio front end circuit 1012. The digital data may be passed to processing circuit 1020. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0303] The processing circuit 1020 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic, which can operate to provide WD 1010 functionality alone or in conjunction with other WD 1010 components (e.g., device readable medium 1030). Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, the processing circuit 1020 may execute instructions stored in the device readable medium 1030 or a memory within the processing circuit 1020 to provide functionality disclosed herein.

[0304] As shown, the processing circuit 1020 includes one or more of the following: RF transceiver circuit 1022, baseband processing circuit 1024, and application processing circuit 1026. In other embodiments, the processing circuit may include different components and / or different combinations of components. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1020 of WD 1010 may include a SOC. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit 1022, the baseband processing circuit 1024, and the application processing circuit 1026 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In an alternative embodiment, part or all of the baseband processing circuit 1024 and the application processing circuit 1026 may be combined into one chip or a set of chips, and the RF transceiver circuit 1022 may be on a separate chip or a set of chips. In another alternative embodiment, part or all of the RF transceiver circuit 1022 and the baseband processing circuit 1024 may be on the same chip or chipset, and the application processing circuit 1026 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In yet another alternative embodiment, part or all of RF transceiver circuit 1022, baseband processing circuit 1024, and application processing circuit 1026 may be combined in the same chip or chipset. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuit 1022 may be part of interface 1014. RF transceiver circuit 1022 may condition RF signals for processing circuit 1020.

[0305] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein as being performed by the WD may be provided by the processing circuit 1020 executing instructions stored on the device-readable medium 1030, which in some embodiments may be a computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by the processing circuit 1020, for example, in a hardwired manner, without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium. In any of these particular embodiments, the processing circuit 1020 may be configured to perform the described functions, regardless of whether instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to separate processing circuits 1020 or other components of the WD 1010, but are generally enjoyed by the WD 1010 and / or by end users and wireless networks.

[0306] Processing circuit 1020 may be configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain acquisition operations) described herein as being performed by WD. Such operations performed by processing circuit 1020 may include processing information obtained by processing circuit 1020 by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with information stored by WD 1010, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information and making a determination as a result of the processing.

[0307] The device-readable medium 1030 is operable to store a computer program, software, application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc., and / or other instructions executable by the processing circuit 1020. The readable medium 1030 may include a computer memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM)), a mass storage medium (e.g., a hard disk), a removable storage medium (e.g., a compact disk (CD) or a digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable storage device that stores information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuit 1020. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1020 and the device-readable medium 1030 may be considered integrated.

[0308] The user interface device 1032 may provide a component that allows a human user to interact with the WD 1010. This interaction may be in a variety of forms, such as visual, auditory, tactile, etc. The user interface device 1032 may operate to generate output to the user and allow the user to provide input to the WD 1010. The type of interaction may vary depending on the type of user interface device 1032 installed in the WD 1010. For example, if the WD 1010 is a smart phone, the interaction may be through a touch screen; if the WD 1010 is a smart meter, the interaction may be through a screen that provides usage (e.g., the number of gallons used) or a speaker that provides an audible alarm (e.g., if smoke is detected). The user interface device 1032 may include input interfaces, devices, and circuits, as well as output interfaces, devices, and circuits. The user interface device 1032 is configured to allow information to be input into the WD 1010, and is connected to the processing circuit 1020 to allow the processing circuit 1020 to process the input information. The user interface device 1032 may include, for example, a microphone, a proximity sensor or other sensor, a key / button, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other input circuits. The user interface device 1032 is also configured to allow information to be output from the WD 1010, and to allow the processing circuit 1020 to output information from the WD 1010. The user interface device 1032 may include, for example, a speaker, a display, a vibration circuit, a USB port, a headphone jack, or other output circuits. Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuits of the user interface device 1032, the WD 1010 can communicate with end users and / or wireless networks and allow them to benefit from the functionality described herein.

[0309] Auxiliary device 1034 is operable to provide more specific functions that are not normally performed by a WD. This may include specialized sensors for taking measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communications such as wired communications, etc. The inclusion and types of components of auxiliary device 1034 may vary depending on the embodiment and / or scenario.

[0310] In some embodiments, the power source 1036 may be in the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may also be used, such as an external power source (e.g., a power outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a battery. The WD 1010 may also include a power circuit 1037 for delivering power from the power source 1036 to various accessories of the WD 1010 that require power from the power source 1036 to perform any function described or indicated herein. In some embodiments, the power circuit 1037 may include a power management circuit. The power circuit 1037 may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source; in this case, the WD 1010 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., a power outlet) through an interface such as an input circuit or a power cord. In some embodiments, the power circuit 1037 may also be used to deliver power from an external power source to the power source 1036. This may be used, for example, to charge the power source 1036. The power circuit 1037 may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification to the power from the power source 1036 to make the power suitable for the various components of the WD 1010 being powered.

[0311] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a user equipment according to some embodiments.

[0312] Fig.10 An embodiment of a UE in accordance with various aspects described herein is illustrated. As used herein, a user equipment or UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated equipment. Rather, a UE may represent a device that is intended to be sold to or operated by a human user but may not be or may not initially be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user but may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart meter). UE 1100 may be any UE identified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a NB-IoT UE, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE. As Fig.10 As shown, UE 1100 is an example of a WD configured to communicate according to one or more communication standards promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 3GPP's GSM, UMTS, LTE and / or 5G standards. As previously mentioned, the terms WD and UE can be used interchangeably. Therefore, although Fig.10 It is UE, but the components discussed here are also applicable to WD and vice versa.

[0313] exist Fig.10In the embodiment, UE 1100 includes a processing circuit 1101 operably coupled to an input / output interface 1105, a radio frequency (RF) interface 1109, a network connection interface 1111, a memory 1115 (including a random access memory (RAM) 1117, a read-only memory (ROM) 1119, and a storage medium 1121, etc.), a communication subsystem 1131, a power supply 1133, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 1121 includes an operating system 1123, an application 1125, and data 1127. In other embodiments, the storage medium 1121 may include other similar types of information. Some UEs may utilize Fig.10 All components shown in the UE or only a subset of the components. The level of integration between components may vary from one UE to another. In addition, some UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0314] exist Fig.10 In the embodiment of the present invention, the processing circuit 1101 can be configured to process computer instructions and data. The processing circuit 1101 can be configured to implement any sequential state machine that is operable to execute machine instructions stored as a machine-readable computer program in a memory, such as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, FPGA, ASIC, etc.); programmable logic and appropriate firmware; one or more stored programs, general-purpose processors, such as microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs), and appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuit 1101 may include two central processing units (CPUs). The data may be information in a form suitable for use by a computer.

[0315] In the depicted embodiment, the input / output interface 1105 may be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, an output device, or an input and output device. The UE 1100 may be configured to use an output device through the input / output interface 1105. The output device may use the same type of interface port as the input device. For example, a USB port may be used to provide input to the UE 1100 and provide output from the UE 1100. The output device may be a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, a transmitter, a smart card, another output device, or any combination thereof. The UE 1100 may be configured to use an input device through the input / output interface 1105 to allow a user to capture information into the UE 1100. The input device may include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a webcam, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional key, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smart card, etc. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from the user. For example, the sensor can be an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, another similar sensor, or any combination thereof. For example, the input device can be an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone, and an optical sensor.

[0316] exist Fig.10 In the embodiment of the present invention, the RF interface 1109 can be configured to provide a communication interface to RF components such as transmitters, receivers and antennas. The network connection interface 1111 can be configured to provide a communication interface to the network 1143a. The network 1143a can include a wired and / or wireless network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another similar network or any combination thereof. For example, the network 1143a can include a Wi-Fi network. The network connection interface 1111 can be configured to include a receiver and a transmitter interface, which is used to communicate with one or more other devices through a communication network according to one or more communication protocols (such as Ethernet, TCP / IP, SONET, ATM, etc.). The network connection interface 1111 can implement receiver and transmitter functions suitable for communication network links (e.g., optical, electrical, etc.). The transmitter and receiver functions can share circuit components, software or firmware, or can be implemented separately.

[0317] RAM 1117 may be configured to interface with processing circuit 1101 via bus 1102 to provide storage or caching of data or computer instructions during execution of software programs such as operating systems, applications, and device drivers. ROM 1119 may be configured to provide computer instructions or data to processing circuit 1101. For example, ROM 1119 may be configured to store unchanging low-level system code or data for basic system functions, such as basic input and output (I / O), startup or receiving keystrokes from a keyboard, which are stored in non-volatile memory. Storage media 1121 may be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disk, optical disk, floppy disk, hard disk, removable tape, or flash drive. In one example, the storage medium 1121 may be configured to include an operating system 1123, an application 1125 (e.g., a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine, or another application), and a data file 1127. The storage medium 1121 may store any of a variety of different operating systems or a combination of operating systems for use by the UE 1100.

[0318] The storage medium 1121 may be configured to include multiple physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a floppy disk drive, a flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical drive, an internal hard drive, a Blu-ray disc drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), an external micro DIMM SDRAM, a smart card memory (e.g., a user identity module or a removable user identity (SIM / RUIM) module), other memory or any combination thereof. The storage medium 1121 may allow the UE 1100 to access computer executable instructions, applications, etc. stored on a temporary or non-temporary storage medium to offload data or upload data. An article of manufacture (e.g., an article of manufacture utilizing a communication system) may be tangibly embodied in the storage medium 1121, which may include a device-readable medium.

[0319] exist Fig.10In the embodiment, the processing circuit 1101 can be configured to communicate with the network 1143b using the communication subsystem 1131. The network 1143a and the network 1143b can be the same network or multiple networks or different networks or multiple networks. The communication subsystem 1131 can be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating with the network 1143b. For example, the communication subsystem 1131 can be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating with the network 1143b according to one or more communication protocols (e.g., IEEE802.11, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, etc.) and one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication, such as another WD, UE or a base station of a radio access network (RAN). Each transceiver can include a transmitter 1133 and / or a receiver 1135 to respectively implement a transmitter or receiver function suitable for a RAN link (e.g., frequency allocation, etc.). In addition, the transmitter 1133 and the receiver 1135 of each transceiver can share circuit components, software or firmware, or can be implemented separately.

[0320] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication subsystem 1131 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as using a global positioning system (GPS) to determine the location, another similar communication function, or any combination thereof. For example, the communication subsystem 1131 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. The network 1143b may include a wired and / or wireless network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 1143b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and / or a near-field network. The power supply 1113 may be configured to provide AC power (AC) or direct current (DC) power to the components of the UE 1100.

[0321] The features, benefits and / or functions described herein may be implemented in one of the components of UE 1100 or divided across multiple components of UE 1100. In addition, the features, benefits and / or functions described herein may be implemented in any combination of hardware, software or firmware. In one example, the communication subsystem 1131 may be configured to include any component described herein. In addition, the processing circuit 1101 may be configured to communicate with any such component via a bus 1102. In another example, any such component may be represented by a program instruction stored in a memory, and when the program instruction is executed by the processing circuit 1101, the program instruction performs the corresponding function described herein. In another example, the function of any such component may be divided between the processing circuit 1101 and the communication subsystem 1131. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented in software or firmware, and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0322] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a virtualized environment according to some embodiments.

[0323] Fig.11 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1200 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of an apparatus or device, which may include virtualized hardware platforms, storage devices, and network resources. As used herein, virtualization may be applied to a node (e.g., a virtualized base station or a virtualized radio access node) or a device (e.g., a UE, a wireless device, or any other type of communication device) or a component thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of a function is implemented as one or more virtual components (e.g., by one or more applications, components, functions, virtual machines, or containers running on one or more physical processing nodes in one or more networks).

[0324] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments 1200 hosted by one or more hardware nodes 1230. Furthermore, in embodiments where the virtual nodes are not radio access nodes or do not require radio connectivity (e.g., core network nodes), the network nodes may be fully virtualized.

[0325] Functionality may be implemented by one or more applications 1220 (which may alternatively be referred to as software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.), which are operable to implement some features, functions, and / or benefits of some embodiments disclosed herein. Applications 1220 run in a virtualized environment 1200 that provides hardware 1230 including processing circuitry 1260 and memory 1290-1. Memory 1290-1 stores instructions 1295 executable by processing circuitry 1260, whereby applications 1220 are operable to provide one or more features, benefits, and / or functionality disclosed herein.

[0326] The virtualized environment 1200 includes a general or special purpose network hardware device 1230, which includes a set of one or more processors or processing circuits 1260, which may be commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors, dedicated application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuit, including digital or analog hardware components or special purpose processors. Each hardware device may include a memory 1290-1, which may be a non-persistent memory for temporarily storing instructions 1295 or software executed by the processing circuit 1260. Each hardware device may include one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 1270, also known as network interface cards, which include a physical network interface 1280. Each hardware device may also include a non-transitory, persistent, machine-readable storage medium 1290-2 in which software 1295 and / or instructions executable by the processing circuit 1260 are stored. The software 1295 may include any type of software, including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 1250 (also known as hypervisors), software for executing virtual machines 1240, and software that allows them to perform functions, features, and / or benefits associated with some embodiments described herein.

[0327] The virtual machine 1240 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual network or interface, and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1250 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of instances of the virtual device 1220 may be implemented at one or more virtual machines 1240 and may be implemented in different ways.

[0328] During operation, processing circuitry 1260 executes software 1295 to instantiate a hypervisor or virtualization layer 1250, which may sometimes be referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM). Virtualization layer 1250 may present to virtual machines 1240 a virtual operating platform that appears to be network hardware.

[0329] like Fig.11As shown, hardware 1230 can be an independent network node with common or specific components. Hardware 1230 can include antenna 12225 and some functions can be implemented through virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1230 can be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., in a data center or customer premise equipment (CPE)), where many hardware nodes work together and are managed by management and orchestration (MANO) 12100, which, among other things, oversees the life cycle management of application 1220.

[0330] Virtualization of hardware is referred to in some contexts as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to consolidate many network device types onto industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers and customer premises devices.

[0331] In the context of NFV, a virtual machine 1240 can be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs a program as if the program were running on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each virtual machine 1240, and that portion of the hardware 1230 on which the virtual machine executes, whether hardware dedicated to the virtual machine and / or hardware shared by the virtual machine with other virtual machines 1240, forms a separate virtual network element (VNE).

[0332] Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function (VNF) is responsible for handling specific network functions running in one or more virtual machines 1240 on top of the hardware network infrastructure 1230 and corresponds to Fig.11 Application 1220.

[0333] In some embodiments, one or more radio units 12200 (each including one or more transmitters 12220 and one or more receivers 12210) may be coupled to one or more antennas 12225. The radio unit 12200 may communicate directly with the hardware node 1230 through one or more appropriate network interfaces, and may be used in conjunction with virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or base station.

[0334] In some embodiments, some signaling may be implemented using a control system 12230 , which may alternatively be used for communications between the hardware node 1230 and the radio unit 12200 .

[0335] Fig.12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a telecommunications network connected to a host computer via an intermediary network according to some embodiments.

[0336] Reference Fig.12According to an embodiment, the communication system includes a telecommunication network 1310, such as a 3GPP type cellular network, which includes an access network 1311, such as a radio access network, and a core network 1314. The access network 1311 includes a plurality of base stations 1312a, 1312b, 1312c, such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs or other types of wireless access points, each of which defines a corresponding coverage area 1313a, 1313b, 1313c. Each base station 1312a, 1312b, 1312c can be connected to the core network 1314 via a wired or wireless connection 1315. A first UE 1391 located in the coverage area 1313c is configured to be wirelessly connected to or paged by the corresponding base station 1312c. A second UE 1392 located in the coverage area 1313a can be wirelessly connected to the corresponding base station 1312a. Although multiple UEs 1391, 1392 are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where only a UE is in the coverage area or a only UE is connected to the corresponding base station 1312a, 1312b, 1312c.

[0337] The telecommunications network 1310 itself is connected to a host computer 1330, which may be embodied in the hardware and / or software of a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, or as a processing resource in a server farm. The host computer 1330 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The connections 1321 and 1322 between the telecommunications network 1310 and the host computer 1330 may extend directly from the core network 1314 to the host computer 1330, or may extend to the host computer 1330 through an optional intermediate network 1320. The intermediate network 1320 may be one of the following, or a combination of more than one of the following: a public network, a private network, or a hosted network; the intermediate network 1320, if any, may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, the intermediate network 1320 may include two or more sub-networks (not shown).

[0338] Fig.12The communication system as a whole enables connectivity between connected UEs 1391, 1392 and a host computer 1330. The connectivity may be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1350. The host computer 1330 and the connected UEs 1391, 1392 are configured to transmit data and / or signaling via the OTT connection 1350 using the access network 1311, the core network 1314, any intermediate networks 1320, and possible further infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. The OTT connection 1350 may be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices through which the OTT connection 1350 passes are unaware of the routing of uplink and downlink communications. For example, the base stations 1312a, 1312b, 1312c may not or need to be informed of the past routing of incoming downlink communications having data originating from the host computer 1330 to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to the connected UE 1391. Similarly, base stations 1312a , 1312b , 1312c need not be aware of future routing of outgoing uplink communications from UE 1391 to host computer 1330 .

[0339] Fig.13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a host computer communicating with a user device over a partially wireless connection via a base station according to some embodiments.

[0340] According to the embodiment, reference will now be made to Fig.13 Describe the example implementations of the UE, base station, and host computer discussed in the previous paragraphs. In the communication system 1400, the host computer 1410 includes: hardware 1415, which includes a communication interface 1416, which is configured to establish and maintain a wired or wireless connection with the interface of different communication devices of the communication system 1400. The host computer 1410 further includes a processing circuit 1418, which may have storage and / or processing capabilities. In particular, the processing circuit 1418 may include: one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or a combination of these (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The host computer 1410 further includes software 1411, which is stored in the host computer 1410 or can be accessed by the host computer 1410 and can be executed by the processing circuit 1418. Software 1411 includes a host computer application 1412. The host computer application 1412 may be used to provide services to a remote user, such as a UE 1430 connected via an OTT connection 1450 terminated at the UE 1430 and the host computer 1410. In providing services to the remote user, the host computer application 1412 may provide user data sent using the OTT connection 1450.

[0341] The communication system 1400 further includes a base station 1420, which is provided in the telecommunication system and includes hardware 1425 that enables it to communicate with the host computer 1410 and the UE 1430. The hardware 1425 may include a communication interface 1426 for establishing and maintaining wired or wireless connections with interfaces of different communication devices of the communication system 1400, and for communicating with devices located in the coverage area ( Fig.13 The communication interface 1426 may be configured to facilitate a connection 1460 to the host computer 1410. The connection 1460 may be direct, or it may be through a core network (eg, a wireless network) of the telecommunications system. Fig.13 1420) and / or through one or more intermediate networks external to the telecommunications system. In the illustrated embodiment, the hardware 1425 of the base station 1420 further includes processing circuitry 1428, which may include: one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or a combination of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The base station 1420 also has software 1421 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[0342] The communication system 1400 further includes the UE 1430 already mentioned. Its hardware 1435 may include a wireless interface 1437, which is configured to establish and maintain a wireless connection 1470 with a base station serving the coverage area where the UE 1430 is currently located. The hardware 1435 of the UE 1430 further includes a processing circuit 1438, which may include: one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or a combination of these (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The UE 1430 further includes software 1431, which is stored in the UE 1430 or can be accessed by the UE 1430 and can be executed by the processing circuit 1438. The software 1431 includes a client application 1432. The client application 1432 can be used to provide services to human or non-human users via the UE 1430 with the support of the host computer 1410. In the host computer 1410, the executing host computer application 1412 can communicate with the executing client application 1432 by terminating the OTT connection 1450 at the UE 1430 and the host computer 1410. In providing services to users, the client application 1432 can receive request data from the host computer application 1412 and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1450 can send both the request data and the user data. The client application 1432 can interact with the user to generate the user data it provides.

[0343] Notice, Fig.13The host computer 1410, base station 1420 and UE 1430 shown can be connected with Fig.12 The host computer 1330, one of the base stations 1312a, 1312b, 1312c and one of the UEs 1391, 1392 are similar or identical to each other. That is, the internal workings of these entities can be as follows Fig.13 As shown, and independently, the surrounding network topology can be Fig.12 The surrounding network topology.

[0344] exist Fig.13 14, an OTT connection 1450 has been abstractly drawn to illustrate communications between a host computer 1410 and a UE 1430 via a base station 1420, without explicit reference to any intermediate devices and the precise routing of messages via those devices. The network infrastructure can determine the routing, which can be configured to be hidden from the UE 1430 or from the service provider operating the host computer 1410, or from both. While the OTT connection 1450 is active, the network infrastructure can also make decisions by which it dynamically changes the routing (e.g., based on load balancing considerations or reconfiguration of the network).

[0345] The wireless connection 1470 between the UE 1430 and the base station 1420 is in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments use the OTT connection 1450 to improve the performance of the OTT service provided to the UE 1430, wherein the wireless connection 1470 forms the last segment. More specifically, the teachings of these embodiments may enable the AMF to correctly process the service request. For example, the AMF may determine the SMF based on the associated PDU session ID. Thus, the UE joining information of these UEs may be provided to a radio access network node such as a NG-RAN. Thus, these UEs will be able to receive MBS data.

[0346] The measurement process may be provided for the purpose of monitoring the data rate, latency and other factors improved by one or more embodiments. There may also be an optional network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1450 between the host computer 1410 and the UE 1430 in response to changes in the measurement results. The measurement process and / or network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1450 may be implemented in the software 1411 and hardware 1415 of the host computer 1410 or in the software 1431 and hardware 1435 of the UE 1430 or in both. In an embodiment, a sensor (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with a communication device through which the OTT connection 1450 passes; the sensor may participate in the measurement process by providing the values ​​of the monitoring quantities exemplified above or providing the values ​​of other physical quantities, and the software 1411, 1431 may calculate or estimate the monitoring quantities from the values ​​of other physical quantities. The reconfiguration of the OTT connection 1450 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routes, etc.; the reconfiguration does not necessarily affect the base station 1420, and the base station 1420 may be unaware or imperceptible. Such processes and functions are known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, the measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates host computer 1410 measurements of throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. The measurements may be implemented in software 1411 and 1431 that uses OTT connection 1450 to transmit messages (particularly null messages or "dummy" messages) while software 1411 and 1431 monitors propagation time, errors, etc.

[0347] Fig.14 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment according to some embodiments.

[0348] Fig.14 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which can be reference Fig.12 and Fig.13 For the sake of brevity of this disclosure, this section only includes references Fig.14 . In step 1510, the host computer provides user data. In sub-step 1511 of step 1510 (which may be optional), the host computer provides the user data by executing a host computer application. In step 1520, the host computer initiates a transmission to the UE carrying the user data. In step 1530 (which may be optional), in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the base station sends the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host computer to the UE. In step 1540 (which may also be optional), the UE executes a client application associated with the host computer application executed by the host computer.

[0349] Fig.15 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment according to some embodiments.

[0350] Fig.15 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which can be reference Fig.12 and Fig.13 For the sake of brevity of this disclosure, only references to Fig.15 . In step 1610 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional sub-step (not shown), the host computer provides the user data by executing a host computer application. In step 1620, the host computer initiates a transmission to the UE carrying the user data. According to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the transmission can be passed through a base station. In step 1630 (which may be optional), the UE receives the user data carried in the transmission.

[0351] Fig.16 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment according to some embodiments.

[0352] Fig.16 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which can be reference Fig.12 and Fig.13 For the sake of brevity of this disclosure, this section only includes references Fig.16 . In step 1710 (which may be optional), the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 1720, the UE provides user data. In sub-step 1721 (which may be optional) of step 1720, the UE provides user data by executing a client application. In sub-step 1711 (which may be optional) of step 1710, the UE executes a client application that provides user data in response to received input data provided by the host computer. When providing user data, the executed client application may also consider user input received from the user. Regardless of the specific manner of providing user data, the UE initiates transmission of user data to the host computer in sub-step 1730 (which may be optional). In step 1740 of the method, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the host computer receives user data sent from the UE.

[0353] Fig.17 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment according to some embodiments.

[0354] Fig.17 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which can be reference Fig.12 and 13 For the sake of brevity of this disclosure, this section only includes references Fig.17 In step 1810 (which may be optional), the base station receives user data from the UE in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure. In step 1820 (which may be optional), the base station initiates a transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In step 1830 (which may be optional), the host computer receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the base station.

[0355] In addition, the present disclosure may also provide a carrier containing the above-mentioned computer program. The carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, an optical disc or an electronic storage device, such as a RAM (random access memory), a ROM (read-only memory), a flash memory, a magnetic tape, a CD-ROM, a DVD, a Blu-ray disc, etc.

[0356] The techniques described herein can be implemented in various ways so that the device that implements one or more functions of the corresponding device described with the embodiments includes not only prior art components, but also components for implementing one or more functions of the corresponding device described with the embodiments, and it can include separate components for each separate function or components that can be configured to perform two or more functions. For example, these techniques can be implemented in hardware (one or more devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or a combination thereof. For firmware or software, the implementation can be accomplished by modules (e.g., processes, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein.

[0357] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations of the methods and apparatus. It will be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, respectively, can be implemented by various components including computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be loaded onto a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, whereby the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable data processing device create components for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

[0358] In addition, although the operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that the operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequence, or that all illustrated operations be performed to achieve the desired results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although the above discussion contains several specific implementation details, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the subject matter described herein, but should be interpreted as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0359] Although this specification contains many specific implementation details, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of any implementation or the scope of what may be claimed, but rather should be interpreted as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment of a particular implementation. Certain features described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination. In addition, although the above-mentioned features may be described as working in certain combinations, or even initially claimed to be so protected, in some cases one or more features from the claimed combination may be deleted from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or a variation of the sub-combination.

[0360] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The above embodiments are given for the purpose of describing rather than limiting the present disclosure, and it should be understood that, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. The scope of protection of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method (200) performed by a user equipment UE, comprising: receiving (202) a paging message including one or more first multicast / broadcast service MBS session identifiers IDs from a radio access network node; as well as sending (204) a service request to the radio access network node in response to the paging message, The service request includes first information, where the first information is used to identify one or more first protocol data unit (PDU) sessions associated with one or more first MBS sessions identified by the one or more first MBS session IDs.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first information includes one or more IDs of the one or more first PDU sessions, or the one or more IDs used to derive the one or more first PDU sessions.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first MBS session ID includes a temporary mobile group identity TMGI.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The first information comprises an uplink data status information element for identifying the one or more first PDU sessions associated with the one or more first MBS sessions identified by the one or more first MBS session IDs.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: In response to the paging message, sending the service request to the radio access network node comprises: The service request is sent to the radio access network node when the UE is in a connection management idle state.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The radio access network node comprises a radio access network node in a fifth generation system.

7. A method (400) performed by a radio access network node, comprising: sending (402) a paging message including one or more first multicast / broadcast service MBS session identifiers IDs; receiving (404) a service request from a user equipment UE; and sending (406) the service request to an access and mobility function AMF, The service request includes first information, where the first information is used to identify one or more first protocol data unit (PDU) sessions associated with one or more first MBS sessions identified by the one or more first MBS session IDs.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The first information includes one or more IDs of the one or more first PDU sessions, or the one or more IDs used to derive the one or more first PDU sessions.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein: The first MBS session ID includes a temporary mobile group identity TMGI.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein: The first information comprises an uplink data status information element for identifying the one or more first PDU sessions associated with the one or more first MBS sessions identified by the one or more first MBS session IDs.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein: The UE is in a connection management idle state.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein: The radio access network node comprises a radio access network node in a fifth generation system.

13. A method (600) performed by an access and mobility function (AMF), comprising: receiving (602) a service request from a radio access network node; as well as Based on the service request, determining (604) a session management function SMF, The service request includes first information, where the first information is used to identify one or more first protocol data unit (PDU) sessions associated with one or more first MBS sessions identified by one or more first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifiers (IDs).

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The first information includes one or more IDs of the one or more first PDU sessions, or the one or more IDs used to derive the one or more first PDU sessions.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein: The first MBS session ID includes a temporary mobile group identity TMGI.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein: The first information comprises an uplink data status information element for identifying the one or more first PDU sessions associated with the one or more first MBS sessions identified by the one or more first MBS session IDs.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein: The radio access network node comprises a radio access network node in a fifth generation system.

18. A user equipment UE (800), comprising: Processor(821); and a memory (822) coupled to the processor (821), the memory (822) storing instructions executable by the processor (821), whereby the UE (800) is operable to: receiving a paging message including one or more first multicast / broadcast service MBS session identifiers IDs from a radio access network node; as well as sending a service request to the radio access network node in response to the paging message, The service request includes first information, where the first information is used to identify one or more first protocol data unit (PDU) sessions associated with one or more first MBS sessions identified by the one or more first MBS session IDs.

19. The UE according to claim 18, wherein: The UE is further operable to perform a method according to any one of claims 2 to 6.

20. A radio access network node (800), comprising: Processor(821); and a memory (822) coupled to the processor (821), the memory (822) storing instructions executable by the processor (821), whereby the radio access network node (800) is operable to: Sending a paging message including one or more first multicast / broadcast service MBS session identifiers IDs; receiving a service request from a user equipment UE; as well as Sending the service request to the access and mobility function AMF, The service request includes first information, where the first information is used to identify one or more first protocol data unit (PDU) sessions associated with one or more first MBS sessions identified by the one or more first MBS session IDs.

21. The radio access network node according to claim 20, wherein: The radio access network node is further operable to perform the method of any one of claims 8 to 12.

22. An access and mobility function (AMF) (800), comprising: Processor(821); and a memory (822) coupled to the processor (821), the memory (822) storing instructions executable by the processor (821), whereby the AMF (800) is operable to: receiving a service request from a radio access network node; as well as Based on the service request, determining a session management function SMF, The service request includes first information, where the first information is used to identify one or more first protocol data unit (PDU) sessions associated with one or more first MBS sessions identified by one or more first multicast / broadcast service (MBS) session identifiers (IDs).

23. The AMF according to claim 22, wherein: The AMF is further operable to perform the method of any one of claims 14 to 17.

24. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

25. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

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