5G enhanced residential gateway

Abstract

In one or more systems, methods, and / or devices, an enhanced residential gateway (eRG) may perform registration for 5GS and CPN identification. The registration may include a registration procedure for the eRG and / or a service request procedure for the eRG. Additionally, in the eRG, a user plane of a wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU) may be processed. The processing may include a procedure for WTRU registration by the eRG, and / or PDU session establishment for local grooming in the CPN.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the Chinese invention patent application with an application date of November 4, 2022, application number 202280080445.8 (international application number PCT / US2022 / 049012), and invention name “Enhanced Residential Gateway for 5G”.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 276,329, filed on November 5, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0004] In wireless systems, the mobility of the phone always brings up the question of how to handle services when the phone moves. As more and more use cases require higher QoS, there is a need to ensure that some functions are smooth even when the service changes as the phone moves, by possibly moving certain functions related to the mobility of the phone to specific locations. Summary of the invention

[0005] In one or more systems, methods, and / or devices, an enhanced residential gateway (eRG) may perform registration for 5GS and CPN identification. The registration may include a registration process for the eRG and / or a service request process for the eRG. Additionally, in the eRG, a user plane of a 5G wireless transmit-receive unit (WTRU) may be processed. The processing may include a process for the eRG to register the WTRU, and / or a PDU session establishment for local grooming in the CPN. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] A more detailed understanding may be obtained from the following description given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate like elements, and in which:

[0007] Figure 1A is a system diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented;

[0008] Figure 1B It is shown that according to one embodiment, Figure 1A A system diagram of an exemplary wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) for use within the communication system is shown;

[0009] Figure 1C It is shown that according to one embodiment, Figure 1A A system diagram of an exemplary radio access network (RAN) and an exemplary core network (CN) used within the illustrated communication system;

[0010] Figure 1DIt is shown that according to one embodiment, Figure 1A A system diagram of another exemplary RAN and another exemplary CN used in the communication system shown;

[0011] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an exemplary overview of a customer premises network;

[0012] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a non-roaming architecture for a 5G core network having a wired 5G access network and a 5G-RG of an NG RAN;

[0013] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of an AGF in a 5G WWC;

[0014] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of UPF loaded in eRG;

[0015] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of a functional split alternative;

[0016] Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of an NG N2 / N3 interface;

[0017] Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a user plane protocol in an eRG;

[0018] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a control plane protocol in an eRG;

[0019] Fig.10 is a diagram showing an example of a WTRU viewpoint control and user planes;

[0020] Fig.11 is a diagram showing an example of a control plane protocol stack between an eRG and a 5GC;

[0021] Fig.12 is a diagram showing an example of an extended user plane protocol in an eRG;

[0022] Fig.13 is a diagram showing an example of a registration process for an eRG;

[0023] Fig.14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a WTRU registration procedure involving an eRG;

[0024] Fig.15 is a diagram illustrating an example of one aspect of a WTRU registration procedure;

[0025] Fig.16 is a diagram illustrating an example of one aspect of a WTRU registration procedure; and

[0026] Fig.17 is a diagram showing an example of establishing a default PDU session within a CPN. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Figure 1A 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communication system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc. to multiple wireless users. The communication system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through sharing of system resources (including wireless bandwidth). For example, the communication system 100 may employ one or more channel access methods such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero tail unique word discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (ZT-UW-DFT-S-OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block filtered OFDM, filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC), etc.

[0028] like Figure 1A As shown, the communication system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a radio access network (RAN) 104, a core network (CN) 106, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110 and other networks 112, but it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d (any of which may be referred to as a station (STA)) may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automated process chain environment), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0029] The communication system 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device that is configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks (such as the CN 106, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112). By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a Home Node B, a Home evolved Node B, a next generation Node B such as a gNode B (gNB), a New Radio (NR) Node B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. Although the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it should be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0030] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), a relay node, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in a licensed spectrum, an unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrums. A cell may provide coverage of wireless services to a specific geographic area, which may be relatively fixed or may change over time. The cell may also be divided into cell sectors. For example, a cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Therefore, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one transceiver for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in a desired spatial direction.

[0031] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0032] More specifically, as noted above, the communication system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may use Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) to establish the air interface 116. WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High Speed ​​Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High Speed ​​Uplink (UL) Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0033] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0034] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR radio access, which may establish the air interface 116 using NR.

[0035] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for example using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., eNBs and gNBs).

[0036] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi)), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM Enhanced Data Rates for Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), etc.

[0037] Figure 1A The base station 114b in the may be, for example, a wireless router, a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or an access point, and may utilize any suitable RAT to facilitate wireless connectivity in a local area, such as a business location, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a road, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.) to establish a picocell or a femtocell. As Figure 1A As shown, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Therefore, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106.

[0038] The RAN 104 may be in communication with the CN 106, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. Data may have different quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, etc. The CN 106 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not described in detail in the specification, the CN 106 may be configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. Figure 1AAlthough not shown in the figure, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 and / or the CN 106 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104, which may utilize NR radio technology, the CN 106 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) that employs GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0039] The CN 106 may also act as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network that provides plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and / or the Internet Protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP Internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT.

[0040] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communication system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks via different wireless links). Figure 1A The illustrated WTRU 102c may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0041] Figure 1B is a system diagram illustrating an exemplary WTRU 102. Figure 1B As shown, the WTRU 102 may include, among other things, a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0042] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functions that enable the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. Although Figure 1B The processor 118 and the transceiver 120 are depicted as separate components, but it is understood that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0043] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit or receive signals to or from a base station (e.g., base station 114a) via the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive, for example, IR, UV, or visible light signals. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive RF and light signals. It should be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0044] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is Figure 1B 1 as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0045] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate signals to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate signals received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. For example, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers to enable the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11.

[0046] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, and / or a display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display unit) and may receive user input data therefrom. The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in any type of suitable memory, such as a non-removable memory 130 and / or a removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in a memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0047] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control power to other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, etc.

[0048] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to or in lieu of the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) over the air interface 116 and / or determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0049] The processor 118 may also be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software modules and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an electronic compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photos and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, a Bluetooth® module, FM radio unit, digital music player, media player, video game player module, Internet browser, virtual reality and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) device, activity tracker, etc. The peripheral device 138 may include one or more sensors. The sensor may be one or more of the following: a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geographic location sensor, an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, a humidity sensor, etc.

[0050] The WTRU 102 may include a full-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all signals (e.g., associated with specific subframes for UL (e.g., for transmission) and DL (e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full-duplex radio may include an interference management unit for reducing and / or substantially eliminating self-interference via hardware (e.g., a choke) or via signal processing performed by a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via the processor 118). In an embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all signals (e.g., associated with specific subframes for UL (e.g., for transmission) or DL ​​(e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous.

[0051] Figure 1C 1 is a system diagram showing the RAN 104 and the CN 106 in accordance with an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0052] The RAN 104 may include evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of evolved Node-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the evolved Node-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a.

[0053] Each of the evolved Node Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, etc. Figure 1C As shown, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another via an X2 interface.

[0054] Figure 1C The illustrated CN 106 may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW) 166. While the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it should be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0055] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the evolved Node-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0056] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring the user plane during inter-evolved Node-B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing the context of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0057] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0058] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include or may be in communication with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0059] Although the WTRU Figures 1A to 1D Although described as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments such a terminal may (eg, temporarily or permanently) employ a wired communications interface with a communications network.

[0060] In a representative embodiment, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0061] A WLAN in infrastructure basic service set (BSS) mode may have an access point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or an interface to a distribution system (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic to and / or carries traffic away from the BSS. Traffic originating from outside the BSS and directed to the STA may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STA. Traffic originating from the STA and directed to a destination outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to the corresponding destination. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where the source STA may send traffic to the AP, and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be considered and / or referred to as point-to-point traffic. Point-to-point traffic may be sent between the source STA and the destination STA (e.g., directly between them) using direct link establishment (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use 802.11e DLS or 802.11z tunnel DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and STAs (eg, all STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS communication mode may sometimes be referred to herein as an "ad hoc" communication mode.

[0062] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure operating mode or a similar operating mode, the AP may transmit a beacon on a fixed channel (such as a primary channel). The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., a 20MHz wide bandwidth) or a dynamically set width. The primary channel may be an operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STA to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, carrier sense multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example, in an 802.11 system. For CSMA / CA, a STA (e.g., each STA) (including the AP) may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a specific STA, the specific STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0063] High throughput (HT) STAs may communicate using a 40 MHz wide channel, for example, via a combination of a primary 20 MHz channel and adjacent or non-adjacent 20 MHz channels to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0064] Very high throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, and / or 160MHz wide channels. 40MHz and / or 80MHz channels may be formed by combining consecutive 20MHz channels. A 160MHz channel may be formed by combining 8 consecutive 20MHz channels, or by combining two non-contiguous 80MHz channels (this may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration). For the 80+80 configuration, after channel coding, the data may pass through a segment parser that may separate the data into two streams. Each stream may be individually processed by an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) and time domain processing. These streams may be mapped to two 80MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the operations described above for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be sent to the medium access control (MAC).

[0065] 802.11af and 802.11ah support operating modes below 1GHz. Channel operating bandwidths and carriers are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah relative to those used in 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5MHz, 10MHz, and 20MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1MHz, 2MHz, 4MHz, 8MHz, and 16MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah may support meter type control / machine type communication (MTC), such as MTC devices in macro coverage areas. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, such as limited capabilities, including support for (e.g., only support for) certain bandwidths and / or limited bandwidths. MTC devices may include batteries with battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain very long battery life).

[0066] WLAN systems that can support multiple channels and channel bandwidths such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah include channels that can be designated as primary channels. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the maximum common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA (which supports the minimum bandwidth operating mode) from all STAs operating in the BSS. In the example of 802.11ah, for STAs (e.g., MTC-type devices) that support (e.g., only support) 1MHz mode, the primary channel may be 1MHz wide, even if the AP and other STAs in the BSS support 2MHz, 4MHz, 8MHz, 16MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or network allocation vector (NAV) settings may depend on the state of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, because a STA (supporting only the 1MHz operating mode) is transmitting to the AP, all available frequency bands may be considered busy even if most of the available frequency bands remain idle.

[0067] In the United States, the available frequency band for 802.11ah is 902MHz to 928MHz. In South Korea, the available frequency band is 917.5MHz to 923.5MHz. In Japan, the available frequency band is 916.5MHz to 927.5MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is 6MHz to 26MHz, depending on the country code.

[0068] Figure 1D 1 is a system diagram showing the RAN 104 and the CN 106 in accordance with an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0069] The RAN 104 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, the gNBs 180a, 180b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a may, for example, use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on an unlicensed spectrum, while the remaining component carriers may be on a licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement a coordinated multi-point (CoMP) technique. For example, the WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from the gNB 180a and the gNB 180b (and / or the gNB 180c).

[0070] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with scalable parameter sets. For example, OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmit spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframes or Transmission Time Intervals (TTIs) of varying or scalable lengths (e.g., containing varying numbers of OFDM symbols and / or varying absolute time lengths over time).

[0071] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also not accessing other RANs (e.g., such as the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c). In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may use one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as mobility anchor points. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate or be connected with the gNB 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating or being connected with another RAN, such as the eNode-B 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement the DC principle to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In a non-standalone configuration, the eNode-B 160a, 160b, 160c may serve as a mobility anchor for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the gNB 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for serving the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0072] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, interworking between DC, NR, and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards a user plane function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards an access and mobility management function (AMF) 182a, 182b, etc. As shown in FIG. Figure 1D As shown, gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may communicate with each other via an Xn interface.

[0073] Figure 1DThe illustrated CN 106 may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one session management function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possible data networks (DNs) 185a, 185b. Although the aforementioned elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it should be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0074] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via the N2 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c, support of network slicing (e.g., handling of different protocol data unit (PDU) sessions with different requirements), selecting a specific SMF 183a, 183b, management of registration areas, termination of non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, mobility management, etc. The AMF 182a, 182b may use network slicing to customize CN support for the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c based on the type of services used by the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases, such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for MTC access, etc. The AMF 182a, 182b may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies, such as WiFi.

[0075] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to the AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 106 via the N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to the UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 106 via the N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b, and configure traffic routing through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions such as managing and allocating UE IP addresses, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing DL data notifications, etc. The PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, etc.

[0076] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via the N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering DL packets, providing mobility anchoring, etc.

[0077] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may include or may communicate with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to the DNs 185a, 185b via the UPFs 184a, 184b via the N3 interfaces to the UPFs 184a, 184b and the N6 interfaces between the UPFs 184a, 184b and the local DNs 185a, 185b.

[0078] Given that Figures 1A to 1D as well as Figures 1A to 1D Corresponding to the description of the present invention, one or more or all of the functions described herein with reference to one or more of the following may be performed by one or more simulation devices (not shown): WTRU102a-d, base station 114a-b, evolved Node B 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF182a-b, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b and / or any other device described herein. The simulation device may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more or all of the functions described herein. For example, the simulation device may be used to test other devices and / or simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0079] The simulation device may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a laboratory environment and / or an operator network environment. For example, the one or more simulation devices may perform one or more functions or all functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. The one or more simulation devices may perform one or more functions or all functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The simulation device may be directly coupled to another device for testing purposes and / or perform testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0080] The one or more simulation devices may perform one or more (including all) functions without being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the simulation device may be used in a test lab and / or a test scenario in a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network to enable testing of one or more components. The one or more simulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communication via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the simulation device to transmit and / or receive data.

[0081] Generally speaking, references to a "network" or any other non-entity-specific term (e.g., 5GC) may inherently refer to one or more devices, nodes, functions, and / or base stations. Unless otherwise specified, these terms are interchangeable.

[0082] Figure 2An exemplary overview of a customer premises network is shown. In an exemplary scenario, there may be a residential gateway (e.g., such as a residential gateway introduced with a 5G system) 203, which connects a customer premises network (CPN) 201 to a core network (e.g., 5GC) 210 via a wireless connection (e.g., 208), a wired connection (e.g., 207), and / or some other access connection (e.g., 209). Generally speaking, a CPN includes a set of networking equipment located in a residence, office, or store owned, installed, and / or configured by a customer of a public network provider. The networking equipment can be broadly classified into a residential radio access station (PRAS) 205 similar / identical to a home base station, a WTRU 206 that can be wirelessly connected to a base station (e.g., with 5G network capabilities), and a non-3GPP device 204 that uses a non-3GPP access technology to access the 5GC (e.g., 802.11 wireless protocol, or other such non-3GPP access). In some cases, the WTRU 202 may have a wired connection to the 5G-RG 203. A user or other entity may be authorized to partially configure and manage network nodes (eg, PRAS or eRG) in a CPN. The user or other entity may be an authorized administrator. A CPN may be owned, installed and / or (at least partially) configured by a customer of a public network operator.

[0083] In some cases, the actual hardware used for a gateway (e.g., an enhanced residential gateway, a 5G gateway, etc.) may be similar or identical to any of the examples of a WTRU listed herein (e.g., or multiple WTRUs used in a distributed manner with a centralized controller). Additionally, there may be devices at the CPN that function as multiple entities. For example, a gateway device may also be a controller, router, switch, network function, access point, residential radio access station (PRAS), and / or base station for a specific location (e.g., in one device, or virtualized in a separate computing unit within one hardware device).

[0084] Figure 3An example of a non-roaming architecture for a 5G core network with a 5G-RG of a wired 5G access network and NG RAN is shown. As shown, a 5G-RG 307 can support both a wireless connection 309A and a wired connection 309B with a 5GC, such as a wireless interface (Uu) of a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) using a 3GPP access 305 with a 5GC (e.g., a node AMF 304 of a 5GC) and a wired interface (Y4) through a wired 5G access network (W-5GAN) 308. For example, the W-5GAN 308 provides an N2 interface to the AMF 304 and an N3 interface to the UPF 302 of the 5GC (e.g., in a manner similar / same as a 5G base station); the W-5GAN allows non-trusted and trusted non-3GPP WTRUs to connect to the 5GC via the non-3GPPP interworking function (N3IWF) and the trusted non-3GPP gateway function (TNGF), respectively; and / or, the 5G-RG exchanges N1 signaling with the 5GC.

[0085] In some cases, the 5G-RG may be connected via NG-RAN. The 5G-RG may act as a WTRU connected via NG-RAN, and there may be configurations for network selection, identification and authentication, policy control, lawful interception, authorized access control and blocking for the 5G-RG, similar to the WTRU case.

[0086] In some cases, the 5G-RG may be connected via the W-5GAN. The 5G-RG may act as a WTRU connected via the W-5GAN and initiate a protocol data unit (PDU) session and request quality of service (QoS) from the 5GC. A single PDU session may serve multiple WTRUs behind the 5G-RG and may connect to the 5GC at the granularity of one PDU session per slice.

[0087] The 5G-RG may first register with the AMF to establish a PDU session. The PDU session may contain several QoS flows to support various services provided by the 5G network. Data from the data network is delivered to the UPF via the N6 interface, and then forwarded to the W-5GAN via the N3 interface using the GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP). From then on, the 5G-RG can use Ethernet or Wi-Fi access within the CPN to transmit information to multiple WTRUs behind the 5G-RG.

[0088] Figure 4An example of an access gateway function (AGF) in 5G wired and wireless convergence (WWC) is shown. In some cases, wired and wireless may have one or more convergence points. With the wired access capability to the 5GC, current broadband services can access the Internet through the 5G-RG. Considering the future use case potential of devices at the CPN, it is necessary to define the services and systems required to support wireless and wireless convergence (WWC) in 5G systems. These specifications may define an access gateway function (AGF) that is capable of providing AAA (authentication, authorization, and accounting) services, traffic shaping, and supervision for fixed networks (FNs) and 5G-RGs based on standard 3GPP user plane functions within a common 5GC, such as Figure 4 As shown. For example, AGF 411 may have a user plan connection with UPF 407 of 5GC 408, which in turn is connected to data network 409. AGF 411 may be part of wired access network 410, which is connected to WAN 412 with control and user signaling, which in turn is connected to other residential gateways (e.g., 5G-RG 415 and FN-RG 413). In the exemplary scenario, 5G-RG 415 may also be connected to a base station (e.g., gNB 414), which in turn is connected to CPF 406 of 5GC 408.

[0089] In general, given the increasing number of uses for residential 5G, such as bringing new experiences to home users, leading 5G vendors are likely to work hard to continuously improve their residential 5G solutions. For example, one scenario could be to use mid-band spectrum (2.5GHz and 3.5GHz) and high-gain antennas to enhance the capacity and coverage of fixed wireless access compared to traditional LTE-based fixed wireless solutions. In another scenario, the number of fixed wireless access connections could reach 180 million by the end of 2026, providing a CPN with 5G access to achieve high capacity and robust QoS characteristics. In another scenario, fixed wireless coverage could be extended to 7 kilometers via a 26GHz mmWave frequency connection.

[0090] More than 70% of mobile network operators around the world now provide both mobile and fixed network services. Some examples of these services include fixed networks, broadband Internet, mobile communications, and IPTV. With the WWC program, network operators can optimally integrate the provision of these services via public 5GC. Along with other benefits of 5G (such as increased data rates, ultra-low latency, enhanced reliability, etc.), the use of public 5GC can also reduce maintenance expenses for network operators that provide quadruple play services.

[0091] Mobile network operators with single-play services may also benefit from 5G residential services. One of the exemplary benefits of 5G to consumers is that it will provide higher bit rates. These higher bit rates can enable or improve eMBB services such as mobile TV, AR / VR, or mobile gaming. It is worth noting that such "mobile" services may be used primarily by users who are not on the move but may be moving / stationary at a specific location (e.g., a family home). In addition to higher bit rates, ultra-low latency and enhanced reliability can also enhance the user experience for AR / VR, gaming, monitoring, and security applications. 5G residential gateways can serve as a platform for future localized services, home entertainment, AR / VR, etc., thereby enabling 5G+ / 6G use cases.

[0092] There are multiple use cases and traffic scenarios that may exist in residential environments and associated new potential functionalities / key performance requirements that may be needed to support enhancements to WWC, fixed LAN-5GLAN integration, and indoor small cells. This article summarizes some of these use cases.

[0093] In one exemplary scenario, there may be efficient routing of WTRU to WTRU communications via the eRG: This use case assumes that multiple PRAS have been deployed in the room behind the eRG to provide better home cellular coverage. This use case enables efficient routing of communications between two WTRUs via the eRG. For example, Alice is sitting in the attic and her smartphone is connected to the PRAS in the attic. The security sensors detect fire and smoke in the basement and then send an alarm to Alice. Through the basement PRAS, the alarm message reaches the eRG, which then routes it to Alice's smartphone through the attic PRAS. This use case highlights the "switching element" in the eRG, which can exchange local traffic between 3GPP devices and between 3GPP and non-3GPP devices.

[0094] In an exemplary scenario, there may be E2E QoS monitoring: This use case assumes that multiple PRAS have been deployed in the room behind the eRG to provide better home cellular coverage. This use case enables E2E QoS monitoring of the entire communication path (i.e., from WTRU to 5GC / from 5GC to WTRU) via the PRAS and eRG. For example, Alice is sitting in the living room with her smartphone connected to the PRAS in the living room. She starts streaming a video in real time from a video application server in the cloud. Soon after, the download speed slows down and the video streaming stops. Alice calls the network operator and reports the degradation in network performance. When the network operator checks the E2E QoS status, high interference to the PRAS is detected and the PRAS is reconfigured to restore the E2E QoS. This use case highlights the ability of the eRG to measure the QoS observed by a single user and take actions to set the QoS for that user. This article discusses how the eRG measures and sets the QoS for individual users.

[0095] In an exemplary case, there may be QoS maintenance from outdoor to indoor: due to the problem of 5G coverage from outside to inside, the WTRU can access the 5GC through the eRG when moving from outdoor to indoor. This use case implements full-time QoS control guarantee when a user who is performing high-bandwidth or low-latency consumption services (e.g., video games) moves from outdoor to indoor. For example, Tom is playing a video game on his smartphone on his way home. When Tom returns home, he continues to play the game while entering the house. When Tom enters the house, his smartphone is identified and connected to the eRG. The eRG also learns the relevant QoS characteristics of Tom's smartphone at this time, and the 5GS provides Tom with the corresponding QoS. This use case highlights how Tom is identified in the 3GPP 5GC and how he continues to be identified as he moves around the house. His service continues at the desired QoS level. It is expected that the eRG will be able to identify Tom and provide the same QoS as he moves around the house.

[0096] In one exemplary case, there may be a seamless path handover from WTRU to WTRU direct communication to indirect communication via eRG: This use case enables two WTRUs to seamlessly switch from a direct communication path to an indirect communication path via eRG as the distance between the WTRUs increases. For example, two WTRUs (WTRU1 and WTRU2) are connected via a 3GPP direct communication path. An event occurs that triggers WTRU1 to move away from WTRU2. In order to seamlessly continue the WTRU's service with the same QoS, an indirect communication path via eRG is established.

[0097] To support the use cases described herein and others, the following requirements have been identified for the eRG: The 5G system may support authentication of the WTRU using 3GPP credentials for communicating with entities (WTRU, devices) in the CPN; The 5G system may support an efficient data path through the eRG for intra-CPN data traffic to and from the WTRU; The 5G system may support real-time E2E QoS monitoring and control (e.g., via the eRG or PRAS and eRG) for any intra-CPN data traffic to and from the WTRU; The 5G system may support real-time E2E QoS monitoring and control for any data traffic between the WTRU in the CPN and the 5G network; QoS monitoring and control (e.g., via eRG or PRAS and eRG); the 5G system may minimize service interruptions for WTRUs moving between CPN access and operator-provided mobile access; the 5G system may support a mechanism for the network operator to provide one or more parameters to the eRG (e.g., policies regarding which transport (e.g., wireless, cable, etc.) is best suited for different negotiated QoS levels, authentication credentials, identification, initial OA&M information, and / or associated subscriptions); the 5GS may enable the network operator to provide 5G services to any WTRU via a PRAS connected via an eRG; and / or, the 5GS may support applications on application servers connected to the CPN. One or more of these requirements may require: identification and visibility of WTRUs by the 5GC; the ability to implement finer-grained QoS for each WTRU; and / or, separate policy implementation for each WTRU, link, or application service, etc.

[0098] Figure 5 An example of a user plane function (UPF) loaded in an enhanced residential gateway (eRG) is shown. As shown, the eRG 501 may include various functions in addition to the 5G-RG 502, such as the UPF 503. For schematic illustration, dashed lines may indicate exemplary data flow paths, and solid lines may indicate connections and / or interfaces. It may be desirable for the eRG 501 to be able to differentiate the QoS requirements of each WTRU (e.g., 504, 505, 507, 508) connected to the 5GC via its interface.

[0099] According to an example of the eRG architecture, the WTRUs behind the eRG may not be identified individually; instead, the PDU session identifies them as slices. The eRG is able to differentiate the QoS requirements of each WTRU in order to access the corresponding QoS flow from the 5GC, thereby providing a consistent and policy-driven service experience. The 5GC is able to implement QoS control and policies through the SMF and UPF. If functions like SMF and UPF are loaded into the eRG (e.g., Figure 5The functional requirements defined above can be met by loading the UPF and SMF into the eRG so that a separate user plane can be identified, measurements can be made on the user plane, and QoS parameters can be set for the desired user experience. This is an architectural assumption that can be made for one or more embodiments described herein.

[0100] Figure 6 An example of a functional split alternative is shown. For an eRG involving functional split, there may be one or more deployment options. In some cases, the eRG and PRAS architecture may adopt a split functional technique. In an exemplary deployment option, the eRG and PRAS scenario may be similar to the split architecture of a distributed base station (e.g., gNB) in a network (e.g., NG-RAN). In a distributed gNB architecture, a centralized unit base station (e.g., gNB-CU) controls one or more distributed units (gNB-DU) through an F1 interface. The distributed unit is connected to a remote radio head (RRH), a remote radio transceiver. The gNB-CU is split into two parts, one for control plane functions (gNB-CU-CP) and one for user plane functions (gNB-CU-UP). As shown, 601-620 show different processing layers in an exemplary uplink or downlink process. The functional split may be performed at any of the eight split options (e.g., options 1-8) shown between each layer of UL / DL. The PRAS may be assumed to be a gNB-DU, and the eRG may be assumed to be a gNB-CU. The exact split point may be left to implementation.In at least one embodiment discussed herein, CU-UP and CU-CP techniques may be employed with eRG.

[0101] Figure 7 An example of NG N2 / N3 interface is shown. There may be a WTRU 701 connected to a cell 702, which in turn is connected to a network that employs a split functional architecture system. This example demonstrates the deployment of a control plane 711 and a user plane 712 in an eRG 709. Figure 6 The described techniques also apply to Figure 7 Description.

[0102] Figure 8An example of a user plane protocol in an eRG is shown. For the user plane deployment option, an example of a user plane protocol stack from WTRU801 to eRG 802 is shown. These protocol stacks (e.g., 803-807) are used only to illustrate the user plane without detailing the split. The user plane protocol implements the actual PDU session services, such as carrying user data through the access layer. It can be assumed that the user plane will terminate in the eRG to allow local routing to the CPN. The SDAP803 layer in the user plane stack can be assumed to be the termination point in the eRG. In summary, in some examples where the WTRU considers the central unit user plane (CU-UP) technology, then: there may be GTP-U / N3 towards the local UPF through the local data link; and / or, the WTRU may act as a RELAY and forward UP packets through its user plane established with the 5GC (e.g., through the eRG).

[0103] Fig. 9 An example of a control plane protocol in an eRG is shown. For the control plane option, an exemplary control plane protocol stack from the WTRU 901 through the eRG 902 to the 5GC (e.g., AMF 903) is shown. The control plane protocol may control the PDU session and the connection between the WTRU 901 and the 5GC. It may support the user (e.g., WTRU 901) to establish the requested service, support control of different transmission resources, switching, etc. As shown, the eRG may forward NAS messages from the WTRU 901 to the 5GC / AMF 903. In some examples, a CU-CP deployment option is possible for the WTRU, where: NGAP / N2 on the user plane may be established by the eRG with the 5GC; and / or, NAS-MM messages may be transparently transmitted between the WTRU and the NG-RAN through the eRG (e.g., the eRG acts as a RELAY node).

[0104] Fig.10 An example of a WTRU perspective control plane and user plane is shown. As shown, the WTRU 1001 has a control plane 1012 link to a base station (e.g., gNB 1003), where the control plane extends to the AMF 1002. The user plane 1011 extends from the base station, through the UPF 1004 and extends to the DN 1005. In some cases, there may be a transparent transfer of NAS-MM messages option for WTRUs inside the CPN. The transparent transfer of NAS-MM messages may occur over the N1 interface towards the 5GC, which is established by the eRG, which is the WTRU for its own use. Fig.10A logical N1 interface is shown from the WTRU 1001 to the AMF 1002, which can be used to transmit NAS messages from the WTRU inside the CPN. Nr-Uu can carry both the control plane and the user plane from the WTRU. The user plane is then deployed from the base station towards the DN via N3, N6 / N9.

[0105] Fig.11 An example of a control plane protocol stack between an eRG and a 5GC is shown. There may be an eRG 1101, a 5G-AN 1102, an AMF 1103, and an SMF 1104. In this example, as shown, it may be assumed that the eRG 1101 deploys the following control plane protocols to support the N1 interface. N1 is a control plane interface with the AMF 1103, and the messages of the AMF are delivered by the gNB via the NR-Uu and N2 interfaces. The N1 NAS signaling connection is a concatenation of an RRC connection via the Uu reference point for 3GPP access and an NG connection via the N2 reference point, or a concatenation of an IPsec tunnel via the NWu reference point for non-3GPP access and an NG connection via the N2 reference point.

[0106] The NAS protocol for MM functions (NAS-MM) can support registration management functions, connection management functions, and user plane connection activation and deactivation. It is also responsible for the encryption and integrity protection of NAS signaling.

[0107] Based on one or more of the architectural scenarios discussed herein, one or more of the following issues may be addressed: eRG registration and CPN identification; and / or handling UP termination from WTRU and CPN in eRG.

[0108] An eRG or any user equipment (such as a WTRU) may be able to provide CPN services. In general, and especially in PIN networks, it may be beneficial if a personal device is able to provide CPN services. Therefore, CPN can be viewed as a service provided by any user equipment. In order to enable user equipment to provide CPN services, one or more methods (as discussed herein) are considered: How does the CPE join the 5GC and notify its capabilities and pre-configuration (e.g., by an authorized administrator) to provide CPN services? How does the 5GC enable / allow the CPE to provide CPN services? What configuration information needs to be provided? How does the 5GC identify the CPN? How to continue the CPN service when the anchor CPE moves out of the premises? And so on.

[0109] Fig.12An example of an extended user plane protocol in an eRG is shown. As shown, there is an example of the termination of the user plane from the WTRU 1201 to the eRG 1202. The SDAP protocol on the left is an available termination point for user plane packets. User plane packets can be forwarded to the 5GC 1207 or the CPN 1206. The figure shows enhanced user plane services (e.g., comparable / similar to the switching function) in dashed boxes, which may include a UP handler 1203 that makes decisions and a local UPF 1205. These enhanced user plane services may represent one of the enhancements to the residential gateway. The eRG may handle forwarding user plane packets to the 5GC and CPN, and may use one or more functions that were previously external to the residential gateway for processing. The 5GC may configure one or more aspects of the eRG to, for example, allow packets to be forwarded between the 5GC and the CPN.

[0110] For eRG / CPN registration and identification, from the perspective of 5GC, the eRG can be regarded as a WTRU-type device and can therefore register with the 5G network, provide capability information, and perform other related actions. The eRG can be partially configured by an authorized administrator. The eRG can handle (e.g., determine, route, switch, etc.) communications routed to the 5G-AN and communications routed locally to the CPN. The eRG can provide home PLMN and local PLMN services, allowing destinations within the customer premises network to be reached. The eRG can register with the 5GS to provide local PLMN services. Thereafter, when the local WTRU registers with the 5GC, the WTRU can be provided with available PLMNs, such as the home PLMN and the local PLMN. The local WTRU can register with two PLMNs. The 5GC can use NAS messages to provide configuration information to the WTRU in the CPN via N1.

[0111] To manage the user plane from the WTRU and the CPN, the 5GC may maintain one or more CPN_ID -> DEVICE_ID (e.g., currently registered and / or valid) subscription lists. The WTRU may initiate a user plane setup to: another WTRU or a non-3GPP device in the CPN; and / or, another WTRU in the operator network. The 5GC may use the N1-eRG interface to indicate how the user plane needs to be forwarded. For example, the WTRU may request to connect to a specific WTRU that is not connected to the CPN. The 5GC may instruct the WTRU to connect to the CPN and establish the user plane.

[0112] Fig.13An example of a registration process for an eRG is shown. As shown, there are eRG 1321, 5G-AN 1322, and 5GC / AMF 1323. At 1301, the eRG sends a transmission including "5G CPN" capabilities as part of the updated "5GMM Capabilities" in the Registration Request message. "5G CPN Capabilities" indicates pre-configured information of the network operator and / or authorized administrator: configurable CPN name or CPN ID (e.g., 5GC may provide a configurable "CPN-PLMN" that may be used by PRAS or N3IWF); 5G non-3GPP remote WTRU using N3IWF; offload to CPN -> local UPF or other; local service information, such as local DNN; QoS capabilities within the CPN; use of unlicensed spectrum by a PRAS connected to the eRG; and / or, support for visitor access.

[0113]

[0114] Table 1 shows an example of 5GMM Capability IE

[0115] There may be one or more capability information bits. For example, configurable CPN name: so that the 5GC can know that the eRG can support configurable and more than one CPN_Name to enable different services and service levels for each CPN_Name. The "CPN with UPF" bit indicates the CPN communication capability that enables the eRG to switch traffic originating from the WTRU behind the eRG to the local UPF. The "CPN with RELAY" bit indicates the CPN communication capability that enables the eRG to relay traffic originating from the WTRU behind the eRG to the 5GC. Offloading to CPN indicates the ability to offload incoming traffic to the local UPF. N3IWF support indicates the ability to enable non-trusted non-3GPP access users to connect to the 5GC via the eRG. Local DNN capability indicates the ability to connect to a local or external IP network via the eRG. The 5GC can use the QoS capabilities within the CPN capabilities to prioritize specific service data flows to provide the desired QoS. "Use of unlicensed spectrum" indicates the ability to use unlicensed spectrum within the PRAS connected to the eRG. The "Visitor Access Support" bit indicates whether the eRG / PRAS supports access for all visitors, does not support access for visitors, or only allows access for specific visitors. This capability may be pre-configured by an authorized administrator (eg, subject to operator policy).

[0116] At 1302, the registration request message may be forwarded to the AMF.

[0117] At 1303, there may be one or more message exchanges related to identity requests and / or security procedures.

[0118] In some instances, the AMF may store "5G CPN" capabilities for 5G CPN operations. The AMF may obtain "5G CPN" subscription data from the UDM as part of the user subscription data during the eRG registration process using the Nudm_SDM service. The AMF may determine whether the eRG is authorized to provide 5G CPN services based on the 5G CPN capabilities of the eRG and the "CPN Service Authorization" included in the pre-configuration of the authorized administrator and the subscription data received from the UDM. The AMF may store the authorized "5G CPN" capabilities. The AMF may send the authorized 5G CPN capabilities for 5G CPN operations to the PCF. Based on the 5G CPN capabilities received from the AMF, the PCF may provide the following QoS parameters to the AMF: 3GPP devices within the CPN; non-3GPP devices within the CPN; service-specific QoS; and / or, eRG-promised QoS. The AMF may store such information as part of the eRG context.

[0119] At 1304, the AMF may initiate a session establishment with the gNB (e.g., of the 5G-AN 1322). The message may include a Registration Accept NAS message. The message may carry one or more PDU session establishment requests. Each PDU session may be addressed with a "PDU Session ID". The message may also carry an uplink TEID for each PDU session.

[0120] Additionally / alternatively, if the eRG is authorized to use "Authorized 5G CPN" information, the AMF may send, together with the session establishment message (e.g., "Initial Context Establishment Request") or in a separate message, an NGAP message to the NG-RAN (e.g., "Registration Accept" message), the "Authorized 5G CPN" information including one or more of the following: QoS details as part of the eRG context; CPN_PLMN_ID; whether the eRG is authorized to act as a 5G Layer 2 WTRU to network relay; and / or, whether the eRG is authorized to act as a 5G ProSE Layer 3 WTRU to network relay.

[0121] The purpose of the "Initial Context Establishment" procedure may be to establish the necessary overall initial eRG context at the NG-RAN node, if required, including: PDU session context from the eRG (e.g., CPN relay L3 / l2 ETC); security keys; mobility restriction list; eRG radio capabilities; and / or, eRG security capabilities.

[0122] At 1305, the 5G AN may send a registration accept message to the eRG, which may include CPN configuration, such as the PLMN ID / CPN ID of the eRG, and / or radio parameters used in the CPN.

[0123]

[0124]

[0125]

[0126] Table 2 is an example of detailed information of the registration acceptance message

[0127] The eRG may use "CPN_Info" to configure itself and the PRAS.

[0128] The following PRAS configurations may be performed: PLMN ID and CPN ID are set in PRAS to be broadcast as part of the system information (e.g., the PLMN ID of the CPN to which the WTRU can choose to join); a list of cells to be added, existing cells to be modified, or cells to be deleted; cells to be activated or deactivated; and / or, user plane functions between PRAS and eRG (e.g., flow control, fast retransmission of PDCP PDUs lost due to radio link interruption, discard of redundant PDUs, retransmitted data indication and status reporting).

[0129] At 1306, the eRG may receive a capability information query. At 1307, the capability information may be sent to the 5G-AN. The eRG may inform the 5GC of its ability to support CPN call forwarding and routing and available services, such as: direct connection through local UPF; support for transition from D2D to connection through eRG, or from connection through eRG to D2D; relay / pass-through of public networks; and / or, available supported services. See Table 3, which shows an example of capability information. The template for the eRG may use a template similar to the WTRU template, as shown in Table 3, but the template will be the eRG network capability IEI.

[0130]

[0131] Table 3 is an example of eRG network capabilities

[0132] At 1308, the 5G-AN may send the capability information to the 5GC / AMF. The 5GC / AMF may use the capability information to: enable direct connection via the local UPF, where the AMF is aware of the local UPF and maintains an association with the remote SMF, selects the local UPF to enforce any policy / QoS for the WTRU connected to the CPN; support transition from D2D to connection via the eRG, or from connection via the eRG to D2D, where the 5GC may instruct the eRG to transition the user session from D2D to "internal routing" in the eRG based on reported measurements and available QOS; support pass-through / relay for public networks, where the AMF maintains an association with other AMFs for the WTRU and is aware of the relays for the control plane and the user plane; and / or, enable available services, which may be matched with the user's subscription database to allow such services and allocate user plane resources, and / or the availability of services may be announced through the service enablement layer (SA6).

[0133] At 1309, the eRG and 5G-AN may perform security mode and / or RRC reconfiguration. In some examples, this may be performed based on previous steps of the process.

[0134] At 1310, the 5G-AN may send an NGAP initial context setup response to the 5GC / AMF. At 1311, the 5G-AN may send a message regarding NGAP registration completion (e.g., see Fig.11 Box 1102, where a context is established for the 5G-AN protocol and NGAP layers).

[0135] A service request procedure for an eRG in CM-IDLE state may be performed, and if the eRG is authorized to use CPN services, the AMF may include "authorized CPN" information in the NGAP message, indicating which CPN services the eRG is authorized to use. These authorized CPN services may or may not be available to the eRG for accessing the WTRU, depending on the preferences of the authorized administrator. In addition, the AMF may send "remote WTRU" QoS parameters to the NG-RAN via N2 signaling.

[0136] For the processing of the user plane in the eRG (WTRU and CPN), the establishment and processing of the user plane can be divided into two parts: the registration process; and the PDU establishment.

[0137] Fig.14An example of a WTRU registration process involving an eRG is shown. For this example, there may be a WTRU (e.g., 5G) 1421, a PRAS 1422, an eRG 1423, a 5G-AN 1424, and a 5GC / AMF 1425. As shown, at 1401, there may be a PLMN and cell selection, where the WTRU may select a CPN_PLMN_ID and a cell based on a closed access group (CAG) ID. The CPN_PLMN_ID may uniquely identify a CPN network from the 5GC. The base station (e.g., eNB / gNB) may select an AMF based on the WTRU's 5G-S-TMSI. The selected AMF (e.g., for the WTRU) may need to determine the AMF that serves the eRG. There may be more than one technique for determining the serving eRG.

[0138] Fig.15 An example of one aspect of a WTRU registration process is shown, such as part of an eRG configuration / determination. For this exemplary scenario, there may be a base station (e.g., eNB / gNB) 1521, a selected AMF 1522, and an eRG_AMF 1523 (e.g., an AMF serving the eRG). In general, the base station may first identify its own serving AMF and send a NAS message of the WTRU and the AMF ID of the AMF providing the WTRU for the eRG. As shown, at 1501, the base station may select an AMF based on the WTRU's 5G-S-TMSI, and at 1502, the base station may provide the NAS of the WTRU and the AMF ID (of the AMF serving the eRG) to the selected AMF (e.g., the WTRU). At 1503, the selected AMF (serving the WTRU) retrieves information of the CPN from the AMF (serving the eRG) based on the received AMF ID. At 1504, the selected AMF may provide information to the WTRU and may trigger eRG configuration at 1505. In one example, the trigger is based on WTRU information, capabilities, services requested by the WTRU, and / or policies. This information triggers the need to configure the eRG so that the eRG can support the requested service. Therefore, a configuration request is sent to the AMF serving the eRG. The AMF serving the eRG may send a configuration message to the eRG to establish control information, policies, and / or user planes.

[0139] Fig.16An example of one aspect of a WTRU registration process is shown, such as part of an eRG configuration / determination. For this exemplary scenario, there may be a base station 1621, a selected AMF 1622, an eRG_AMF 1623, and a CPN mapping function 1624. As shown, at 1601, the base station may select an AMF (e.g., selected_AMF) based on the 5G-S-TMSI of the WTRU. At 1602, there may be a NAS message from the base station to the selected AMF (e.g., related to the selection of the AMF). At 1603, the interaction between the selected AMF and the "CPN mapping function" may determine the eRG_AMF. At 1604, the selected AMF (providing service for the WTRU) retrieves information of the CPN from the AMF (providing service for the eRG). At 1605, the selected AMF may provide the CPN information to the WTRU. At 1606, the selected AMF may trigger the eRG configuration (e.g., the AMF serving the eRG may configure the eRG).

[0140] Re-reference Fig.14 At 1402, the WTRU may send a NAS registration with its CPN_PLMN_ID as part of the updated "5GMM Capabilities" in the Registration Request message. In some instances, the Registration Request message may be forwarded to the AMF. The "5G CPN User" capability may indicate: multiple RATs, such as dual connectivity with the CPN (5GNR and WiFi); and / or, CPN guest mode capabilities. See Table 4 for examples of detailed information in the 5GMM information element, including the capability information discussed herein.

[0141]

[0142] Table 4 is an example of detailed information of 5GMM Capability IE

[0143] The purpose of the 5GMM Capability Information Element may be to provide the network with information about various aspects of the WTRU that are related to the 5GCN or interact with the EPS. This content may affect the way the network handles the WTRU operation.

[0144] The "CPN Multi-RAT and Guest Access" bit may indicate: the ability of the WTRU to connect to the PRAS / eRG via 5G NR or WiFi, where the 5G system uses this ability of the WTRU to achieve a seamless and flawless user experience regardless of whether the user is camped on a RAT or the user moves between RATs; and / or, the ability of the WTRU to operate in guest mode. The 5G system may use this ability of the WTRU to prevent or allow a (guest) WTRU to discover and / or use services provided by the eRG on the CPN.

[0145] The AMF may receive one or more NAS messages from the WTRU via the N1-WTRU interface and associate the WTRU's context with the eRG's context based on the eRG's ID or CPN_PLMN_ID. The AMF may store the "5G CPN User" capability for 5G CPN operation. The AMF may obtain the "5G CPN User" subscription data from the UDM as part of the user subscription data during the eRG registration process using the Nudm_SDM service.

[0146] The AMF may determine whether the WTRU is authorized to use 5G CPN services based on the WTRU's CPN capabilities and the "CPN Service Authorization" included in the subscription data received from the UDM. The AMF may store the authorized "5G CPN User" capabilities.

[0147] The AMF may send the authorized "5G CPN User" capabilities for 5G CPN operation to the PCF. Based on the 5G CPN User capabilities received from the AMF, the PCF may provide the following QoS parameters to the AMF: remote WTRU; and / or, service-specific QoS. The AMF may store such information as part of the WTRU context.

[0148] At 1403, the AMF may initiate a session establishment with the PRAS (e.g., relayed from the NG-RAN and eRG). The message may include a Registration Accept NAS message and one or more other elements. The message may carry one or more PDU session establishment requests, where each PDU session is addressed with a "PDU Session ID". The message may also carry an uplink TEID for each PDU session. In addition, the AMF may provide CPN local service information, such as a local DNN, to the WTRU. Additionally / alternatively, if the WTRU is authorized to use "Authorized 5G CPN User" information, the AMF may send an NGAP message that may include an "Initial Context Establishment Request" and a "Registration Accept" sent to the PRAS (e.g., relayed from the NG-RAN and eRG), and the "Authorized 5G CPN User" information includes one or more of the following: QoS details as part of the WTRU context; and / or, whether the WTRU is authorized to connect to the PRAS / eRG via multiple RATs.

[0149] The purpose of the "Initial Context Establishment" process may be to establish the necessary overall initial WTRU context at the PRAS / eRG when needed, including: PDU session context from the eRG (e.g., PDU session to 5GC); security keys; mobility restriction list; WTRU radio capabilities; and / or, WTRU security capabilities.

[0150] At 1404, the PRAS may send a Registration Accept message to the WTRU, which may include WTRU configurations, such as radio parameters used in the CPN. To illustrate this, Table 5 shows an example of the details of the Registration Accept message.

[0151]

[0152]

[0153]

[0154] Table 5 is an example of detailed information about the registration acceptance message of IE

[0155] The WTRU may use the received “CPN_User_Info” to configure itself.

[0156] The following WTRU configurations may be performed: UPF configuration between the WTRU and PRAS / eRG, which may include flow control, fast retransmission of PDCP PDUs lost due to radio link interruption, discard of redundant PDUs, retransmitted data indication and status reporting; setting a local DN name in the WTRU, where the WTRU may choose to join the local DN name of the CPN; the WTRU may use a list of available CPN services, such as 5G LAN, direct communication, direct discovery, etc.; and / or, the WTRU may request a specific QoS for a specific service data flow.

[0157] At 1405, the AMF may send authorization information for the WTRU to the eRG via NAS signaling (e.g., N1-eRG interface), such as a UCU with a CPN configuration IE. The CPN configuration may be used to configure the PRAS using the F1 interface between the PRAS and the eRG in a manner similar to the central unit and distributed unit architecture (e.g., as described herein with respect to the gNB-DU and gNB-CU in the NG-RAN architecture). For example, at 1406, there may be internal configuration, establishment of relays, and / or addressing of any default bearers; the internal configuration may be performed between the eRG and the PRAS. The maximum number of PRAS connected to the eRG may be limited only by a given implementation. The F1 interface may support signaling exchange and data transmission between endpoints, separate protocol layers depending on the split selection used, and may enable the exchange of WTRU-associated and non-WTRU-associated signaling.

[0158] For example, one or more internal configurations may include F1 interface management functions. These functions may include F1 setup, eRG configuration update, PRAS configuration update, error indication and / or reset functions.

[0159] For example, one or more internal configurations may include system information management functions. For example, PRAS may be responsible for scheduling and broadcasting of system information. For system information broadcasting, encoding of NR-MIB and SIB1 may be performed by PRAS, while encoding of other SI messages may be performed by eRG. The F1 interface also provides signaling support for on-demand SI delivery, thereby achieving WTRU energy saving.

[0160] For example, one or more internal configurations may include F1 WTRU context management functions, where these functions may be responsible for establishing and modifying the necessary WTRU context. The establishment of the F1 WTRU context may be initiated by the eRG, and the PRAS may accept or reject the establishment based on the admission control criteria. In addition, the F1 WTRU context modification request may be initiated by the eRG or the PRAS. The receiving node (e.g., the eRG or the PRAS) may accept or reject the modification. The F1 WTRU context management function may also be used to establish, modify and release data radio bearers (DRBs) and signaling radio bearers (SRBs).

[0161] For example, one or more internal configurations may include an RRC message transfer function, where the function may be responsible for transferring an RRC message from the eRG to the PRAS, or transferring an RRC message from the PRAS to the eRG.

[0162] At 1407 and 1408, the WTRU may perform a capability information exchange (eg, the WTRU receives the query and responds with its capability information).

[0163] At 1408, in response to receiving a user capability query from / via PRAS, the WTRU may inform the 5GC (e.g., via PRAS) of its ability to support features such as: multiple RATs; ProSE; and / or, other available / supported services. Table 6 shows an example of WTRU network capabilities.

[0164]

[0165] Table 6 is an example of a WTRU network capability that may be included in the WTRU network capability information element.

[0166] 5GC / AMF may use the capability information to: implement multiple RATs and ProSe, wherein the AMF is aware of the multiple RAT and ProSe capabilities of the WTRU, and / or the 5GC / AMF provides indications to the eRG regarding the WTRU authorization status regarding 5G ProSe direct discovery / ProSe direct communication or multiple RAT communications; and / or, the 5GC may also instruct the eRG to establish a PDU session distributed over multiple RATs based on measurement results and available QoS, and / or transition the WTRU's connection from D2D to internal routing through the eRG.

[0167] At 1409, a PDU session may be established between the WTRU and the 5GC. In one example, this establishment may be different from the PDU session establishment process used to connect two WTRUs to a local network or CPN.

[0168] At 1410, after the PDU session between the WTRU and the 5GC has been established, the 5GC may take one or more of the following actions: identify the eRG and the associated AMF based on the CPN information associated with the WTRU; the AMF instructs the eRG to modify and activate the existing PDU session between the eRG and the 5GC via the N1 interface so that the PDU session of the WTRU can be supported; and / or, the AMF may send information such as the 5GC WTRU identity and the associated PDU session (e.g., PDU session details), the existing PDU session between the eRG and the 5GC, and / or the authorized QoS to the eRG via the N1 interface.

[0169] For PDU session establishment for local breakout in the CPN, after the WTRU is registered and connected to the CPN, as described herein, the WTRU may establish a PDU session to access devices and services in the CPN via the eRG. When the WTRU establishes a PDU session with the DN, a default non-GBR (non-guaranteed bit rate) QoS flow without any packet filters may also be established to carry the WTRU's traffic to the DN, or to carry the DN's traffic to the WTRU. Both the WTRU (e.g., WTRU-initiated) and the network (e.g., network-initiated) may use a WTRU-initiated or network-initiated PDU session modification request to the SMF to create additional QoS flows with different QoS characteristics than the default QoS flow.

[0170] Fig.17 An example of establishing a default PDU session within a CPN (e.g., leading to a local DDN) is shown. In this exemplary scenario, there may be a WTRU 1721, a PRAS 1722, an eRG 1723, a 5G-AN 1724, and a 5GC / AMF / SMF 1725.

[0171] At 1701, the WTRU may begin a PDU session establishment procedure, including sending a request by providing the following IEs to the PRAS / AMF, which may be included in the "nsm-pdusession_CreateSM-Context" message of the SMF, such as: WTRU's SUPI (Subscriber Permanent Identifier); target DNN (Data Network Name), which is the local DNN name provided to the WTRU at registration; service name or service identifier, which is the service in the local DNN; authorization information for using the service; anType (Access Network Type), which is CPN_ID or CPN_NAME; and / or, sNssai (Single Network Slice Service Auxiliary Identifier). Table 7 shows an exemplary message of a PDU establishment request used by the WTRU.

[0172]

[0173]

[0174] Table 7 is an example message for a PDU setup request used by a WTRU.

[0175] At 1702, the AMF may perform SMF / PCF selection. Next, UPF selection may occur. Once selected, the SMF may obtain the WTRU subscription details from the UDM and PCF. Based on the "target DNN" and "anTYPE", it may determine that the local UPF in the eRG needs to be programmed. The SMF may identify the correct AMF for the eRG, and it may obtain the UPF information in the eRG.

[0176] At 1703, the SMF may request the AMF for the eRG to program the local UPF. The SMF may formulate the equivalent of a PFCP (Packet Forwarding Control Packet) session establishment request to program the local UPF, thereby creating a session management (SM) context (e.g., PDU session) for the WTRU. In one example, a pseudo N4 session (e.g., N4 session establishment / modification) with the remote local UPF may exist between the eRG, 5G-AN, and 5GC / AMF / SMF.

[0177] At 1704, the SMF may send configuration information indirectly (e.g., via the AMF of the eRG and the N1 interface to the eRG). In one case, the information may relate to QoS constructs for PDU sessions and default QoS flow establishment, thereby triggering eRG configuration. The eRG configuration may include: SDF templates for the UPF in the eRG; DL and UL traffic classification (e.g., handover parameters); and / or, QoS rules in the eRG. In one example, the QoS rules may include: queuing and scheduling, which includes enforcing GBR and non-GBR WTRU traffic, such as UL / DL bandwidth, latency, traffic priority, etc.; and / or, marking / re-marking, where mobile traffic is marked (e.g., setting the DSCP of the packet) when the traffic flows to the local DN (e.g., UL traffic) and PRAS (e.g., DL traffic) so that the priority and QoS of the traffic can be respected in the DN and gNB. In one case, the user plane configuration information may be sent via N1 to the eRG. In one case, the configuration information may be related to the PDU session of the WTRU.

[0178] The eRG may set up one or more of the following: an N3 GTP-U tunnel to the local UPF, thereby establishing an IP address for the N3 GTP-U tunnel to the local UPF and providing information to the PRAS; a QFI of a certain value, thereby enabling identification of the default QoS flow from the WTRU to the DN; UL and DL WTRU-AMBR (aggregate maximum bit rate) in the PRAS, where the PRAS will discard any non-GBR AMBR traffic for the WTRU that is higher than those limits for the UL and DL; and / or, a gTP-TEID or TEID_cn (Tunnel Endpoint ID Core Node) for the WTRU in the PRAS, which is information that can be used by the PRAS to forward the WTRU's UL traffic to the local UPF for the DN.

[0179] The SMF may request the local UPF to allocate an IP address for the WTRU. It may obtain the allocated IP address and send it to the WTRU.

[0180] At 1705, the SMF may configure the PRAS and the WTRU (e.g., AMF via the PRAS, N1 message to the WTRU) by sending one or more messages (such as along with the N2 request and / or PDU session update). For example, one message may include the following parameters: QoS configuration for PDU session and default QoS flow establishment, such as the QoS profile of the PRAS, QoS rules of the WTRU (e.g., queuing and scheduling, regarding implementation of GBR and non-GBR WTRU traffic, such as UL / DL bandwidth, latency, traffic priority, etc.); and / or, UL traffic classification in the WTRU.

[0181] The SMF may inform the WTRU (eRG) via the N1 HTTP / 2 interface to establish a packet filter to classify UL traffic to the local DN. The packet filter is related to the CPN and local DN services.

[0182] The WTRU (WTRU in the CPN) may use the same QFI, which is used to identify the default QoS flow for the PDU session. These QFIs may be set by the eRG, which forwards the QFI to the SMF and then to the WTRU.

[0183] In some examples, the SMF may send configurations to the WTRU, may send configurations to the eRG, such as sending UL / DL session AMBRs to the WTRU (eRG). The WTRU may enforce its SDF UL traffic and drop any traffic that exceeds the limit.

[0184] The IP address of the WTRU (WTRU in the CPN) such as obtained in step 4 may be sent by the SMF to the WTRU (WTRU in the CPN).

[0185] Alternatively, a QoS profile for the PRAS may be sent to the eRG in step 4, and / or the eRG may configure the PRAS.

[0186] Using the RRC configuration, a radio bearer (DRB) between the WTRU and the PRAS may be established at 1706. This DRB may be associated with the earlier established N3 GTP-U tunnel to the local UPF in the eRG.

[0187] At 1707, the WTRU may now send UL packets to the DN. In one example, the WTRU has a default QoS flow to match its UL traffic to the DRB (Data Radio Bearer) identified by the QFI to the PRAS; and / or, the PRAS may know the IP address of the UPF and the TEID_cn of the WTRU for forwarding the UL traffic to the local UPF and DN. Once the packet is received, the eRG will (also) have to determine where the packet should be directed based on information from the WTRU and / or from previous configuration, effectively acting as a switch.

[0188] At 1708, the eRG may first establish an N4 session between the local UPF and the SMF by sending the equivalent of a PFCP (Packet Forwarding Control Packet) session establishment request, thereby creating a session management (SM) context (eg, PDU session) for the WTRU.

[0189] At 1709, downlink (DL) setup information may be sent from the 5GC / AMF / SMF to the eRG. The UPF may still not be aware of the AN_Tunnel about the PRAS (e.g., the PRAS IP address and the TEID_an of the WTRU). The SMF may use the AN_Tunnel information provided by the PRAS to update the AN_Tunnel information about the SM context of the local UPF so that the UPF can start sending DL traffic to the WTRU via the PRAS; and / or, the AMF may invoke the SMF's Nsmf-PDU_Session_UpdateSMContext service call so that the SMF may update the SM context about the UPF for the eRG's AN_Tunnel, where the SMF may send this information to the eRG by identifying the AMF for the eRG through the N1 interface. In one instance, there may be a pseudo N4 session with the remote local UPF (e.g., NF session establishment / modification process).

[0190] At 1710, DL data may be directed from the eRG to the WTRU based on one or more aspects of the previous configuration.

[0191] As described herein, a higher layer may refer to one or more layers in a protocol stack, or a specific sublayer within a protocol stack. A protocol stack may include one or more layers in a WTRU or a network node (e.g., an eNB, a gNB, other functional entities, etc.), each of which may have one or more sublayers. Each layer / sublayer may be responsible for one or more functions. Each layer / sublayer may communicate directly or indirectly with one or more layers in other layers / sublayers. In some cases, these layers may be numbered, such as layer 1, layer 2, and layer 3. For example, layer 3 may include one or more of the following: non-access stratum (NAS), Internet protocol (IP), and / or radio resource control (RRC). For example, layer 2 may include one or more of the following: packet data convergence control (PDCP), radio link control (RLC), and / or medium access control (MAC). For example, layer 3 may include physical (PHY) layer type operations. The higher the number of a layer, the higher the layer is relative to other layers (e.g., layer 3 is higher than layer 1). In some cases, the foregoing examples may be referred to as layers / sublayers themselves, regardless of the layer number, and may be referred to as higher layers as described herein. For example, from highest to lowest, a higher layer may refer to one or more of the following layers / sublayers: a NAS layer, an RRC layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and / or a PHY layer. Any reference to a higher layer in conjunction with a process, device, or system herein will refer to a layer higher than the layer of the process, device, or system. In some cases, references to a higher layer herein may refer to a function or operation performed by one or more layers described herein. In some cases, references to a higher layer herein may refer to information sent or received by one or more layers described herein. In some cases, references to a higher layer herein may refer to a configuration sent and / or received by one or more layers described herein.

[0192] Although the features and elements are described above in specific combinations, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that each feature or element may be used alone or in any combination with other features and elements. In addition, the methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted via a wired or wireless connection) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), registers, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media (such as built-in hard disks and removable disks), magneto-optical media, and optical media (such as CD-ROM disks and digital versatile disks (DVDs)). A processor associated with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

Claims

1. A method implemented by an enhanced residential gateway (eRG), the method comprising: receiving configuration information from a session management function (SMF) via an N1 interface, wherein the configuration information includes switching information that determines whether one or more packets from a first wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU) are destined for a customer premises network (CPN) or a core network, wherein the eRG is operatively connected to the CPN, the core network, and the first WTRU; receiving a packet from the first WTRU, wherein the packet is associated with a PDU session established by the first WTRU; and The packet is sent to the CPN or the core network based on the configuration information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The configuration information is associated with the PDU session established by the first WTRU.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The configuration information also includes packet forwarding information for the first WTRU in the CPN, for forwarding the packet to a second WTRU in the CPN.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The configuration information also includes QoS parameters related to the PDU session.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The configuration information also includes QoS information including a guaranteed bit rate (GBR) associated with the PDU session.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The configuration information also includes QoS information including a buffer size associated with the PDU session.

7. An enhanced residential gateway (eRG), the eRG comprising: a processor operatively coupled to the transceiver, the processor and transceiver configured to receive configuration information from a session management function (SMF) via an N1 interface, wherein the configuration information includes switching information that determines whether one or more packets from a first wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU) are destined for a customer premises network (CPN) or a core network, wherein the eRG is operatively connected to the CPN, the core network, and the first WTRU; The processor and transceiver are configured to receive a packet from the first WTRU, wherein the packet is associated with a PDU session established by the first WTRU; and The processor and transceiver are configured to send the packet to the CPN or the core network based on the configuration information.

8. The eRG according to claim 7, wherein: The configuration information is associated with the PDU session established by the first WTRU.

9. The eRG according to claim 7, wherein: The configuration information also includes packet forwarding information for the first WTRU in the CPN, for forwarding the packet to a second WTRU in the CPN.

10. The eRG according to claim 7, wherein: The configuration information also includes QoS parameters related to the PDU session.

11. The eRG according to claim 7, wherein: The configuration information also includes QoS information including a guaranteed bit rate (GBR) associated with the PDU session.

12. The eRG according to claim 7, wherein: The configuration information also includes QoS information including a buffer size associated with the PDU session.

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