Communication mode selection

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to communication mode selection. A device is configured to: process a message including an indication of one or more semantic communication modes supported by a network based on signaling received from the network; execute an application, wherein the application supports one or more semantic communication modes also supported by a user equipment (UE); determine a first communication mode supported by the network and the application, wherein the first communication mode is a classic communication mode or a semantic communication mode; and select the first communication mode to communicate with the network.

Description

[0001] Priority / Incorporated by Reference

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 586,513, filed on September 29, 2023, entitled “Communication Mode Selection,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Art

[0003] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly and is constantly evolving. It is expected that future evolutions of cellular standards (e.g., 3GPP standards) may include different communication modes. These different communication modes may include a classic communication mode and a semantic communication mode. The classic communication mode will be similar to the communication mode currently implemented with some evolutions or improvements. Semantic communication involves the transmitter sending information about the transmission that allows the receiver to decode the communication regardless of whether the receiver has received every symbol or bit of the communication. There may be various levels of semantic communication. Choosing the right communication mode is critical to achieving the best user experience. However, choosing the right communication mode is not an easy task as it depends on different aspects. Summary of the invention

[0004] Some example embodiments relate to a device having a processing circuit configured to: process a message including an indication of one or more semantic communication modes supported by a network based on signaling received from the network; execute an application, wherein the application supports one or more semantic communication modes also supported by a user equipment (UE); determine a first communication mode supported by the network and the application, wherein the first communication mode is a classic communication mode or a semantic communication mode; and select the first communication mode to communicate with the network.

[0005] Other example embodiments relate to a device having a processing circuit configured to: execute an application, wherein the application supports a classic communication mode and a semantic communication mode; communicate with a first network using the classic communication mode, wherein the first network supports the classic communication mode at a first uplink (UL) data rate; determine that a user equipment (UE) has left a coverage area of ​​the first network; and communicate with a second network using the semantic communication mode, wherein the second network supports the semantic communication mode at a second UL data rate that is lower than the first UL data rate.

[0006] Still further example embodiments relate to a device having a processing circuit configured to: process a request including one or more semantic communication modes supported by a user equipment (UE) and an application being executed by the UE based on signaling initiated by the UE; generate a message including an indication of one or more semantic communication modes supported by a network to be sent to the UE; and process a first communication mode selected by the UE based on a signal initiated by the UE, wherein the first communication mode is a classic communication mode or a semantic communication mode. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 Example network arrangements are shown according to various example embodiments.

[0008] Figure 2 An example user equipment (UE) is shown according to various example embodiments.

[0009] Figure 3 An example base station is shown according to various example embodiments.

[0010] Figure 4 An example arrangement of a user equipment (UE) executing an application configured to use multiple communication modes is shown according to various example embodiments.

[0011] Figure 5 An overview of inputs that a UE may use to perform communication mode selection is shown according to various example embodiments.

[0012] Figure 6 A signaling diagram including an exchange of semantic communication capabilities between a UE and a network according to an example embodiment is shown.

[0013] Figure 7 An overview of a first UE communicating with a second UE according to various example embodiments is shown.

[0014] Figure 8 A signaling diagram for signaling network preferences related to semantic communication to a UE is shown according to various example embodiments.

[0015] Fig. 9 An example scenario is shown in which a UE selects a communication mode based on channel conditions according to various example embodiments.

[0016] Fig.10 An example method of UE 110 selecting a communication mode according to various example embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Example embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and associated drawings, wherein similar elements have the same reference numerals.Example embodiments relate to selecting a communication mode for a user equipment (UE), wherein at least one of the available communication modes is a semantic communication mode.

[0018] The example embodiments are described with reference to user equipment (UE). However, reference to UE is provided for illustration purposes only. The example embodiments may be used with any electronic component that can establish a connection to a network and is configured with hardware, software and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, UE as described herein is used to represent any suitable type of electronic component.

[0019] The example embodiments are also described with reference to a sixth generation (6G) network and corresponding base stations. However, reference to 6G networks and base stations is provided for illustrative purposes only. The example embodiments may be used with any suitable type of network and base station capable of multiple communication modes (e.g., classic communication modes and multi-level semantic communication, including future evolutions of cellular standards beyond 6G).

[0020] The example implementation describes a way to select a communication mode for use with a UE executing an application. Communication modes may include classic communication modes and multi-level semantic communication. Semantic communication is typically lossy, and the result obtained by the receiver may not completely match the result transmitted by the transmitter. However, due to power saving and other advantages, the semantic communication mode may be an attractive option in some but not all scenarios. For example, not all applications tolerate the inaccurate transmission of data. Therefore, semantic communication may be suitable for a specific set of applications rather than all applications. The example implementation allows the UE to select an appropriate communication mode based on various inputs, which may be local to the UE (e.g., application capabilities, UE conditions such as battery power and thermal conditions), or based on network capabilities and / or network conditions (e.g., congestion), channel conditions, capabilities of the UE with which the UE is communicating, etc. Each of these inputs and the impact of the input on the selection will be described in more detail below.

[0021] Figure 1 An example network arrangement 100 according to various example embodiments is shown. The example network arrangement 100 includes a UE 110. The UE 110 may be any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a smart phone, a phablet, an embedded device, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc. A practical network arrangement may include any number of UEs used by any number of users. Therefore, for purposes of illustration, only an example with a single UE 110 is provided.

[0022] UE 110 may be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of network configuration 100, the network with which UE 110 may wirelessly communicate is a 6G radio access network (RAN) 120. However, UE 110 may also communicate with other types of networks (e.g., fifth generation (5G) RAN, 5G cloud RAN, next generation RAN (NG-RAN), long term evolution (LTE) RAN, traditional cellular network, wireless local area network (WLAN), etc.), and UE 110 may also communicate with the network via a wired connection. Referring to the example implementation, UE 110 may establish a connection with 6G RAN 120. Therefore, UE 110 may have at least a 6G chipset to communicate with 6G RAN 120.

[0023] The 6G RAN 120 may be part of a cellular network that may be deployed by a network operator such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc. The 6G RAN 120 may include base stations or access nodes (Node Bs, eNodeBs, HeNBs, eNBSs, gNBs, gNodeBs, macro cells, micro cells, small cells, femto cells, etc.) configured to transmit and receive traffic from UEs equipped with appropriate cellular chipsets.

[0024] Any suitable association procedure may be performed for the UE 110 to connect to the 6G RAN 120. For example, as described above, the 6G RAN 120 may be associated with a particular cellular provider where the UE 110 and / or its user has a contract and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of the 6G RAN 120, the UE 110 may send corresponding credential information to associate with the 6G RAN 120. More specifically, the UE 110 may be associated with a particular base station (e.g., gNB 120A).

[0025] The network arrangement 100 also includes a cellular core network 130, the Internet 140, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) 150, and a network service backbone 160. The cellular core network 130 may refer to an interconnected set of components that manage the operation and traffic of a cellular network. It may include an evolved packet core (EPC), a 5G core (5GC), and a 6G core (6GC). The cellular core network 130 also manages the traffic flowing between the cellular network and the Internet 140. The IMS 150 may generally be described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE 110 using the IP protocol. The IMS 150 may communicate with the cellular core network 130 and the Internet 140 to provide multimedia services to the UE 110. The network service backbone 160 communicates directly or indirectly with the Internet 140 and the cellular core network 130. The network service backbone 160 may generally be described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a set of services that can be used to extend the functionality of the UE 110 to communicate with various networks.

[0026] Figure 2 An example UE 110 is shown according to various example embodiments. Figure 1 100 is used to describe the UE 110 with respect to the network arrangement 100 of FIG. UE 110 may include a processor 205, a memory arrangement 210, a display device 215, an input / output (I / O) device 220, a transceiver 225, and other components 230. Other components 230 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a power source, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting the UE 110 to other electronic devices, and the like.

[0027] The processor 205 may be configured to execute a number of engines of the UE 110. For example, these engines may include a communication mode selection engine 235. The communication mode selection engine 235 may perform various operations related to selecting a communication mode to be used by the UE 110. To provide some general examples, the communication mode selection engine 235 may perform operations such as, but not limited to, notifying the network of the communication mode capabilities of the UE 110, selecting a communication mode based on various inputs, and negotiating with another UE a communication mode for communication between the UEs. Each of these example operations will be described in more detail below.

[0028] The engine 235 described above is provided as an application (e.g., program) executed by the processor 205 for illustrative purposes only. The functions associated with the engine 235 may also be represented as independent combined components of the UE 110, or may be modular components coupled to the UE 110, for example, an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include an input circuit for receiving a signal and a processing circuit for processing signals and other information. The engine may also be embodied as an application or multiple independent applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functions described for the processor 205 are split between two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an application processor. In particular, in some examples, when the UE 110 is operated in a low battery mode, the capabilities of the UE 110 that are typically processed by the baseband processor may be reduced. The example implementation scheme may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the UE.

[0029] The memory arrangement 210 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110. The display device 215 may be a hardware component configured to display data to a user, and the I / O device 220 may be a hardware component that enables user input. The display device 215 and the I / O device 220 may be separate components or may be integrated together (such as a touch screen).

[0030] The transceiver 225 may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 6G-RAN 120, LTE-RAN (not shown in the figure), a traditional RAN (not shown in the figure), a WLAN (not shown in the figure), etc. Therefore, the transceiver 225 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of continuous frequencies). The transceiver 225 includes a circuit configured to send and / or receive signals (e.g., control signals, data signals). Such signals may be encoded with information for implementing any of the methods described herein. The processor 205 may be operably coupled to the transceiver 225 and configured to receive signals from the transceiver 225 and / or send signals to the transceiver. The processor 205 may be configured to encode and / or decode signals (e.g., signaling from a base station of a network) for implementing any of the methods described herein.

[0031] Figure 3 An example base station 300 is shown in accordance with various example embodiments. Base station 300 may represent any base station included within a network, such as base station 120A.

[0032] The base station 300 may include a processor 305, a memory arrangement 310, an input / output (I / O) device 315, a transceiver 320, and other components 325. The other components 325 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting the base station 300 to other electronic devices and / or a power source, a TxRU, a transceiver chain, an antenna element, an antenna panel, etc.

[0033] The processor 305 may be configured to execute multiple engines of the base station 300. For example, these engines may include a communication mode selection engine 330. The communication mode selection engine 330 may perform various operations for the base station 300 related to providing information to the UE for the UE to select a communication mode for communicating with the network. To provide some general examples, the communication mode selection engine 330 may perform operations such as, but not limited to, receiving capability information including communication modes supported by the UE, transmitting network capability information including communication modes supported by the network, and transmitting network preferences for communication mode selection by the UE. Each of these example operations will be described in more detail below.

[0034] The above-mentioned engine 330 as an application (e.g., program) executed by the processor 305 is merely an example. The functions associated with the engine 330 may also be represented as a separate combined component of the base station 300, or may be a modular component coupled to the base station 300, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include an input circuit for receiving a signal and a processing circuit for processing the signal and other information. In addition, in some servers, the functions described for the processor 305 are split between multiple processors (e.g., a baseband processor, an application processor, etc.). In particular, in some examples, when the UE 110 is operating in a low battery mode, the operations typically handled by the baseband processor for communicating with the UE 110 may be reduced. The example embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the server.

[0035] The memory 310 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the base station 300. The I / O device 315 may be a hardware component or port that enables a user to interact with the base station 300. The transceiver 320 may be a hardware component configured to exchange data with the UE 110 and any other UE in the network arrangement 100.

[0036] The transceiver 320 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of continuous frequencies). Therefore, the transceiver 320 may include one or more components to implement data exchange with various networks and UEs. The transceiver 320 includes a circuit configured to send and / or receive signals (e.g., control signals, data signals). Such signals may be encoded with information that implements any of the methods described herein. The processor 305 may be operably coupled to the transceiver 320 and configured to receive signals from the transceiver 320 and / or send signals to the transceiver. The processor 305 may be configured to encode and / or decode signals (e.g., signaling from a UE) for implementing any of the methods described herein.

[0037] Figure 4 An example arrangement of a user equipment (UE) 110 executing an application 410 configured to use multiple communication modes according to various example embodiments is shown. Initially, the UE 110 may support multiple communication modes, for example, the communication layer implemented by the UE 110 may support the various communication modes. Therefore, throughout this specification, when it is described that an application executing on the UE 110 supports a communication mode, it should be considered that the communication layer of the UE 110 also supports the communication mode.

[0038] Each application executed by the UE 110 may support one or more of these communication modes. For example, each application resident on the UE 110 may notify the UE 110 (e.g., the communication mode selection engine 235) of the different communication modes supported by the application. In this example, it can be considered that the UE 110 and the application 410 support communication modes 420-450. These modes include classic communication mode 420, semantic communication mode level 1 430, semantic communication mode level 2 440, and semantic communication mode level n 450. Throughout this specification, whether or not stated in the example, the UE 110 will always support the classic communication mode.

[0039] So far, there is no specific definition of different semantic communication levels. Some examples of how semantic communication levels can be defined are provided below. However, these are only examples, and the example embodiments can be applied to any scenario where different semantic communication levels are defined, regardless of the specific definition of each level. For example, in semantic video transmission, the semantic levels may correspond to different numbers of semantic key points representing frames and different reconstruction models, for example, a simpler and less deep neural network (NN) model can reconstruct an image based on a large number of points, while a deeper and more complex NN model can reconstruct an image based on a smaller number of points. In this example, an increase in semantic levels may result in a loss of details.

[0040] In another example, in the case of video, the semantic levels can be defined based on the aggressiveness of the compression at the application layer. Aggressive compression will result in more information loss, but more compact or smaller messages to be sent, and low network resource utilization. Again, these are just examples of how semantic communication mode levels can be defined.

[0041] In yet another example, different semantic communication mode levels may be defined based on characteristics of the semantic communication. For example, one semantic communication mode level may include retransmissions, while another semantic communication mode level may not have retransmissions.

[0042] As described above, example embodiments involve UE 110 selecting a communication mode (eg, communication modes 420 - 450 ) when executing application 410 .

[0043] Figure 5 An overview of inputs that may be used by a UE 110 to perform a communication mode selection is shown according to various example embodiments. In this example, it is considered that a communication mode selection engine 235 executed by the UE 110 is determining a communication mode selection 570 for the UE 110.

[0044] Example inputs to the communication mode selection engine 235 include application capabilities 510, network capabilities 520, UE capabilities 530, network preferences 540, UE preferences 550, and channel conditions 560. These inputs are examples only, and other inputs may be used alone or in combination with the listed example inputs. In addition, it is not required to use each of the example inputs to perform the communication mode selection 570, for example, the communication mode selection 570 may be performed using each example input alone or in any combination. In addition, each example input may be weighted to have a weighted influence on the communication mode selection 570.

[0045] Application capabilities 510 and UE capabilities 530 are described above. Each of the additional example inputs is described in more detail below.

[0046] When describing example inputs, the communication mode selection engine 235 may use current state and predicted inputs for some inputs like channel conditions 560, UE preferences 550 (such as battery power and thermal conditions), etc. Providing predicted inputs to the communication mode selection engine 235 may help provide a decision for the communication mode selection 570 at the right time.

[0047] In some example embodiments, UE 110 may use a timer to prevent multiple switches within a short period of time, such as ping-pong. For example, in a very dynamic environment (e.g., at the cell edge), many switches between different communication modes may negatively impact the user experience. A timer may be used to maintain a minimum period before switching communication modes.

[0048] Figure 6 A signaling diagram is shown that includes an exchange of semantic communication capabilities between a UE 110 and a network according to an example embodiment. The signaling diagram is performed between the UE 110 and the network (e.g., base station 120A). As described above, the UE 110 can consider the network capabilities 530 when selecting a communication mode. In addition, as will be described in more detail below, in an example embodiment, the network can also use the semantic communication capabilities of the UE 110. The signaling diagram provides an example of the UE 110 and the network exchanging semantic communication capabilities during a registration process, which can be an initial registration process or a mobility registration process. The semantic communication capabilities may also be exchanged during other signaling processes performed between the UE 110 and the network.

[0049] In this example, UE 110 sends a registration request 610 to base station 120A. The registration request may include various information, such as in the form of information elements (IEs) or other means of conveying information. In this example, the registration request includes UE capabilities 530 related to semantic communication, such as that UE 110 supports semantic communication levels 430-450.

[0050] The base station 120A may respond with a registration acceptance 620 including network capabilities 520 related to semantic communication (e.g., semantic communication levels supported by the network). In some example embodiments, the network may support many or all semantic communication levels. However, this does not mean that the network will report all semantic communication levels in the network capabilities 520. For example, the network may report the semantic communication levels supported in the network capabilities 520 based on a subscription of the UE 110 (or a user of the UE 110), e.g., a subscription may entitle the user of the UE 110 to use a specified subset of the semantic communication levels supported by the network.

[0051] In 630, UE 110 may respond with a registration complete message indicating that the registration is complete. The registration process may include additional messages exchanged between UE 110 and the network, and the signaling diagram only provides an overview related to the exchange of semantic communication capabilities. Therefore, at the completion of the signaling diagram, both UE 110 and the network will understand the network capabilities 520 and UE capabilities 530 regarding semantic communication.

[0052] In some example embodiments, the network may broadcast support for the semantic communication mode on a per-cell basis, e.g., an IE in a system information block (SIB) may include network capabilities 520 for semantic communication for each cell. In these example embodiments, the network may not necessarily include network capabilities 520 in the registration accept 620. In some example embodiments, both the SIB and the registration accept message may be used to send the network capabilities 520. For example, the registration accept message may include the semantic capabilities of the core network, while the broadcast SIB may include the semantic capabilities of the radio access network (RAN) (e.g., the capabilities of a particular cell).

[0053] Figure 7 An overview of a first UE 710 communicating with a second UE 750 according to various example embodiments is shown. In this example, it can be considered that UE 710 is executing application 1 715 and UE 750 is executing corresponding application 1 755, such as a video call application or any application in which UE 710 and UE 750 are exchanging data. When UE 710 and UE 750 are able to select a semantic communication mode, the selected semantic communication level should match between the source (e.g., UE 710) and the destination (e.g., UE 750) so that end-to-end communication can be completed. Therefore, the source and destination UEs can share the supported capabilities and can use this information to select the best common communication mode. Although Figure 7 The destination in the example of is another UE, but there is no requirement that the destination is another UE. For example, the destination may be a server or other device capable of semantic communication.

[0054] exist Figure 7 In the example of FIG. 7 , it is considered that UE 710 is connected to network 720 and UE 750 is connected to network 740. Network 720 and network 740 may be the same network or different networks. In addition, each of networks 720 and 740 may access network function 730 (e.g., an application function (AF) implemented in core network 130, for example). In other examples, network function 730 may be a third-party server, such as a server that handles video calls.

[0055] To provide an example, it may be considered that application 1 715 executed by UE 710 (and network 720) may support semantic communication mode level 1 430, semantic communication mode level 2 440, and semantic communication mode level n 450. This information may be reported to application 1 755 executed by UE 750. Furthermore, it may also be considered that application 1 755 executed by UE 750 (and network 740) may support semantic communication mode level 1 430 and semantic communication mode level 2 440, but not semantic communication mode level n 450. This information may be reported to application 1 715 executed by UE 710. Thus, the commonly supported semantic communication levels of UE 710 and UE 750 are semantic communication mode level 1 430 and semantic communication mode level 2 440. UE 710 and UE 750 may then use this information to select the “best” one of the commonly supported semantic communication modes. An example manner of selecting the “best” one of the commonly supported semantic communication modes is described in more detail below.

[0056] In the above examples, it is considered that UE 710 and UE 750 exchange supported semantic communication levels. As described above, the UEs can provide their semantic communication capabilities to the network in the registration request 610. These semantic communication capabilities can be stored in the network function 730. Therefore, in some examples, the exchange of semantic communication capabilities of UE 710 and UE 750 can be facilitated using the network function 730.

[0057] In addition, if the list of supported semantic communication levels of either UE 710 or UE 750 changes, for example due to mobility, the network function may facilitate a new exchange of semantic capabilities between UE 710 and UE 750 for negotiating a new commonly supported semantic communication mode. Mobility does not typically change the semantic communication capabilities of a UE, but may change the semantic communication capabilities of the network to which the UE is connected.

[0058] In the above example, the communication is considered to be between UE 710 and UE 750. However, there may be applications that allow more than 2 UEs to participate (e.g., group video calls). In some example embodiments, the same principles can be applied to group communications, for example, the "best" commonly supported semantic communication mode among all UEs participating in the communication can be selected.

[0059] In other example embodiments, different semantic communication modes may be selected. For example, consider a scenario in which there are five UEs in a group communication. Three of the UEs support commonly supported semantic communication mode levels 430-450, and the remaining two UEs support only semantic communication mode level n 450. If semantic communication mode level 1 430 is considered the "best" communication mode, the first three UEs may select semantic communication mode level 1 430, and the remaining two UEs may select semantic communication mode level n 450. In this example, it may be considered that communication may be performed between semantic communication mode level 1 430 and semantic communication mode level n 450, for example, semantic communication mode level 1 430 provides more information that may be simply ignored by semantic communication mode level n 450.

[0060] As described above, another example input for selecting a communication mode may include network preferences 540. Some examples of network preferences 540 are provided below, but these are merely examples and other types of network preferences may also be provided to UE 110 by the network.

[0061] In some networks, unified access control is defined to enable the network to allow / block specific access. For example, in a congested scenario, the network may block mobile data by marking mobile originated data as prohibited in a broadcast message. In an example embodiment, in a congested scenario, instead of blocking UE 110 from transmitting any traffic, the network may allow data to be sent but restrict it to a defined semantic communication level to reduce the load on network resources with minimal impact on users.

[0062] These network preferences 540 may be signaled in various ways to the UE 110. In some example embodiments, a new access category for "semantic data" may be defined to allow the network to prohibit or allow "semantic data" independently of other traffic.

[0063] In other examples, network preference 540 may be signaled by UE 110 during a protocol data unit (PDU) session request. Figure 8 A signaling diagram for signaling network preferences related to semantic communication to a UE according to various example embodiments is shown. The signaling diagram is performed between a UE 110 and a network (eg, a base station 120A, an access and mobility management function (AMF) of the network, etc.).

[0064] In 810, UE 110 sends a service request to the network to establish radio resources for PDUs (semantic and non-semantic PDUs). As described above, the network may be experiencing a congestion scenario where the network wants to limit any data transmission by UE 110 to semantic communications. Therefore, in service acceptance 820, base station 120A indicates that the acceptance is limited to PDU sessions related to semantic communications. In some example embodiments, this may be effective when a specific PDU session is established only for semantic traffic.

[0065] In other scenarios, the network preference 540 may be a suggestion to use a particular communication mode, but this is not required. For example, when the network is in a high load scenario but not yet in a congested scenario, the network may inform the UE 110 that one or more of the semantic communication mode levels are recommended to be used. The UE 110 may then use the network preference 540 when performing the communication mode selection 570. As described above, the network preference may be weighted accordingly to influence the communication mode selection 570.

[0066] In some example embodiments, the network may notify UE 110 that provided network preferences 540 should be applied immediately. In other example embodiments, the network may notify UE 110 that provided network preferences 540 should be applied during a specific time window based on a network prediction system. For example, the network may predict a high load for a specific period of time. During this period of time, the network may request UE 110 to switch to one or more of semantic communication levels 430-450, and revert to classic communication mode 420 when the period expires.

[0067] As described above, another example input for selecting a communication mode may include UE preferences 550. Some examples of UE preferences 550 are provided below, but these are merely examples and UE 110 may also consider other types of UE preferences when performing communication mode selection 570. In an example embodiment, UE preferences 550 may be based on inputs from other components of UE 110, including but not limited to battery input, sensor input such as a thermal sensor, etc.

[0068] In some example embodiments, UE preference 550 may be based on battery power. For example, when the battery power drops below a predetermined threshold, UE 110 may wish to limit the power consumption used for data transmission. This can be done by limiting the amount of data to be sent. For example, compared to the classic communication mode, the semantic communication mode can save power because the data sent in the semantic communication mode is generally less. Different levels of semantic communication mode can correspond to different battery powers at or below the threshold, for example, when the battery power is reduced, a semantic communication mode level that uses less data can be selected. In some example embodiments, a machine learning (ML) model can be trained to learn the correlation between the semantic communication mode level and the corresponding power savings brought about by the data reduction. UE 110 can then implement the ML model to select the appropriate semantic communication mode level based on the battery power.

[0069] In other example embodiments, the UE preferences 550 may be based on the thermal condition of the UE 110. For example, when the device temperature reaches a predetermined threshold, data throttling may be used to reduce the data to be sent to reduce the device temperature. Likewise, when data throttling is indicated, the semantic communication mode may be used instead of the classic communication mode to implement data throttling, but with less impact on the user experience. Likewise, similar to the battery level example above, the specific semantic communication mode level used may be based on the specific temperature of the device, and the device may implement an ML model to learn thermal reduction associated with different semantic communication mode levels.

[0070] In yet other example embodiments, UE preferences 550 may be based on cost reduction for UE 110. For example, a user of UE 110 may have to pay for the amount of data used by UE 110 and therefore may be motivated to reduce the amount of data used by UE 110. However, the user may not wish to reduce data usage to an extent that affects the user experience.

[0071] To provide some examples of cost-related UE preferences 550, UE 110 may be in a roaming scenario. In a roaming scenario, a user may prefer to reduce the use of mobile data to avoid additional charges, so the semantic communication mode can be used to keep the user connected at a minimum cost. For example, the user may be able to select between enabling mobile data during a roaming scenario, disabling mobile data during a roaming scenario, and / or enabling semantic mobile data (or reduced data mode) only during a roaming scenario.

[0072] In another example, a user may have a subscription that limits the amount of data based on a time period and charges the data at a higher rate thereafter (e.g., a monthly data limit). As UE 110 approaches this data limit (e.g., within a predetermined threshold of the data limit), UE preference 550 may be to reduce data usage to keep UE 110 connected at normal rates. Thus, when this scenario occurs, for example, within a predetermined threshold of the data limit, UE 110 may prefer a semantic communication mode to reduce data usage. Again, similar to the battery charge and heat level example described above, the particular semantic communication mode level used may be based on the amount of data remaining before UE 110 reaches the data limit, and UE 110 may implement an ML model to learn the data usage reduction associated with different semantic communication mode levels.

[0073] In the above example, the UE preferences 550 (e.g., based on battery power, heat level, cost reduction) result in selecting a communication mode based on reducing data throughput. However, there may be UE preferences 550 for selecting different communication modes based on different aspects other than data reduction. For example, there may be UE preferences 550 related to latency, in which case a semantic communication mode with no retransmissions can reduce end-to-end latency, which is a key requirement for certain applications. Therefore, in this type of example, a semantic communication mode level that includes semantic communication with no retransmissions may be selected.

[0074] In another example, there may be UE preferences 550 related to privacy. For example, some communication modes may be better at preserving user privacy. Consider the example of a semantic conference call, where the sender may share the same semantic data with all destinations, but the reconstructed output may be different based on the auxiliary information shared with each destination, for example, the sender's face will be shown to one destination, while the expression will be shown to another destination.

[0075] In yet another example, there may be a UE preference 550 related to quality. It is not acceptable to transmit equivalent data in all cases. For example, in some applications, accurate information should be sent and received, that is, not all applications support semantic communication, which is why each application can provide its capabilities to the communication mode selection engine 235.

[0076] As described above, another example input for selecting a communication mode may include channel conditions 560. Some examples of channel conditions 560 are provided below, but these are merely examples and UE 110 may also consider other types of channel conditions when performing communication mode selection 570.

[0077] For example, when UE 110 is experiencing poor coverage conditions, the data rate required for the classic communication mode may not be achievable. In such scenarios, in order to maintain a good user experience, UE 110 may switch to a data reduction mode (e.g., a semantic communication mode) to enable high quality of service even in poor coverage conditions. When UE 110 returns to good coverage, UE 110 may revert to the classic communication mode.

[0078] Fig. 9 An example scenario is shown in which UE 110 selects a communication mode based on channel conditions according to various example embodiments. Fig. 9 In the example of FIG. 1 , UE 110 is shown to be in various positions relative to base station 120A, such as position 1, position 2, and position 3. It can be considered that the closer UE 110 is to base station 120A, the better the channel condition.

[0079] Thus, for example, when UE 110 is located near a base station (e.g., location 1), UE 110 may use classic communication mode 420. When UE 110 moves to location 2 and faces worse coverage than at location 1, UE 110 may switch to semantic communication mode level 1 430. When UE 110 moves to location 3 and faces worse coverage than at location 1 or location 2, UE 110 may switch to semantic communication mode level 440 with greater data reduction than semantic communication mode level 1 430. When UE 110 returns to location 1, UE 110 may revert to classic communication mode 420.

[0080] There may also be other considerations that UE 110 uses when selecting a communication mode. For example, the network may provide a dedicated slice for semantic communication. In this case, the selection of the communication mode may depend on the availability of that slice, for example, by checking the allowed network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) and user equipment routing policy (URSP) provided by the network.

[0081] As described above, when the transmitter and the receiver jointly support multiple semantic communication mode levels, the "best" semantic communication mode level can be selected. In the above examples, some examples of selecting between different semantic communication mode levels are described, such as selecting with or without retransmission, selecting based on the data reduction level for a specified battery power, etc. Other ways of selecting between different semantic communication mode levels are provided below.

[0082] Some semantic communication modes may tolerate distortion in the communication system (either at the bit level or at the packet level) and use the distorted data in the application. The semantic distortion of the data depends monotonically on the physical layer distortion, but the exact dependency may be different for different modes, applications, and data classes. If the semantic distortion is small, the result may be acceptable to the application. If the semantic distortion is high, the result may be unacceptable to the application.

[0083] Physical distortion can be measured, for example, based on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) after all physical layer (PHY) processes for real-valued data or the bit error rate (BER) after decoding of a bit sequence. In both cases, the estimation can be based on existing pilot-based processes (e.g., demodulation reference signal (DMRS), channel state indication reference signal (CSI-RS), etc.).

[0084] The application may know the relationship between physical distortion and semantic distortion at each specific semantic communication mode level. For example, the application may be able to estimate a physical distortion threshold based on a semantic distortion threshold.

[0085] Thus, in some example embodiments, an application (e.g., Figure 4 The application 410) can specify a physical distortion threshold for each semantic communication mode level. This information can be reported to the communication mode selection engine 235 of the UE 110 and can also be provided to the network as part of the UE capability information, such as Figure 6 The reliability of the requirement can also be specified, and the semantic capability is assumed to be supported by the application only if the corresponding requirement is met.

[0086] To provide a specific example, consider Figure 4 The application 410 reported the following physical distortion thresholds. For semantic communication mode level 1 430, SNR is 20db, reliability = 10 -3 , while for semantic communication mode level 2 440, the BER is 10 -2 , reliability = 10 -4 Therefore, in this example, only if the network can -3 Semantic communication mode level 1 430 can be selected only if the reliability provides at least 20dB SNR after PHY. Similarly, semantic communication mode level 1 430 can be selected only if the network is able to provide at least 10 -4 The reliability of the provided 10 -2 The semantic communication mode level 2 can only be selected when the BER is 440.

[0087] In another example of selecting between different semantic communication mode levels, a particular application may have a target purpose, and the data generation mechanism and sending strategy may be tailored to enable the destination to successfully perform its task, e.g., successfully decode the communication. The sampling and sending strategy depends on the network conditions and the value of the information generated for the target task. For example, sampling and sending may be performed to prioritize the most valuable data samples to the destination. The semantic metric may depend on how well the task is performed in the case of machine type communication, or on a perceptual semantic metric in the case of human type communication.

[0088] Thus, in some example embodiments, an application (e.g., Figure 4 The application 410) may specify its purpose or target purpose and the requirements for achieving that purpose. For example, in the case where the task is time-limited or critical, such information may be shared with the network. This information may be reported to the communication mode selection engine 235 of the UE 110 and may also be provided to the network as part of the UE capability information, such as Figure 6 as reported in the example.

[0089] To provide a specific example, consider Figure 4 The application 410 reports that data samples about the environment may be generated every 2 seconds, 4 seconds, and 6 seconds, depending on the environment dynamics and the relevance of the generated samples to the target task. In the case of this goal or purpose, the semantic communication mode level can be selected based on the retransmission mechanism. For example, when a transmission fails and the information in the failed transmission is out of date or no longer relevant and no retransmission is requested, semantic communication mode level 1 430 can be selected. Instead, a new sample is generated at the 4th second and the new sample is sent in the newly generated packet. On the other hand, semantic communication mode level 2 440 can be selected when a transmission fails, and a retransmission can be requested as long as the information is still valuable.

[0090] In the above examples, it is considered that the network is a terrestrial network (TN). However, the example embodiments may also be used in a multi-layer system. For example, the multi-layer system may include a TN and a non-terrestrial network (NTN) such as a satellite network. For example, when UE 110 is outside the coverage area of ​​TN, UE 110 may be connected to NTN. However, NTN may provide limited services that do not meet the needs of the user, for example, NTN does not support the data throughput rate of the classic communication mode of the application being executed by UE 110. Therefore, in order to enable UE 110 to obtain high-quality service in this case where the throughput of NTN is limited, the UE may switch to one of the semantic communication mode levels based on the available data rate.

[0091] Thus, in these example embodiments of a multi-tier system, when making communication mode selection 570, the communication mode selection engine 235 may consider switching from one tier to another (eg, switching from TN to NTN or vice versa).

[0092] Fig.10 An example method 1000 for selecting a communication mode by a UE 110 according to various example embodiments is shown. The method 1000 is described from the perspective of a communication mode selection engine 235 being executed by a processor 205 of the UE 110. Before the method 1000 begins, the communication mode selection engine 235 may be considered to have knowledge of the UE capabilities 530, e.g., the semantic communication modes supported by the communication layer of the UE 110. Furthermore, as described above, each of the devices / components / networks / applications described herein may be considered to support the classic communication mode.

[0093] At 1005, the communication mode selection engine 235 receives the application capabilities 510, such as the semantic communication modes supported by the application. As described above, each application of the UE 110 may report its capabilities regarding semantic communication to the communication mode selection engine 235.

[0094] At 1010, the communication mode selection engine 235 receives network capabilities 520, e.g., semantic communication modes supported by the network to which the UE is connected. As described above, the communication mode selection engine 235 may receive this information, e.g., as broadcast information during a registration process (e.g., initial or mobile), etc.

[0095] At 1015, the communication mode selection engine 235 may receive a semantic communication mode supported by another UE (or other component) with which the UE is communicating via an application. As described above, in some scenarios, the other UE is a single UE, and in other scenarios, the other UE may be multiple UEs. The communication mode selection engine 235 may use the capability information collected at 1005-1015 to determine a common communication mode supported by each of the devices / components / networks / applications in the communication chain to ensure end-to-end communication consistency.

[0096] At 1020, the communication mode selection engine 235 may receive additional inputs related to the selection of the communication mode. Some examples of these additional inputs described above are described as network preferences 540, UE preferences 550, and channel conditions 560. However, as described above, other inputs may be used in addition to or in addition to the described example inputs.

[0097] At 1025, the communication mode selection engine 235 uses the information collected from 1005-1020 to select a communication mode for the UE 110. Also as described above, the selected communication mode may include a classical communication mode or one or more semantic communication modes, examples of which are described above.

[0098] Example

[0099] In a first embodiment, a method includes: processing a message including an indication of one or more semantic communication modes supported by the network based on signaling received from the network; executing an application, wherein the application supports one or more semantic communication modes also supported by a user equipment (UE); determining a first communication mode supported by the network and the application, wherein the first communication mode is a classic communication mode or a semantic communication mode; and selecting the first communication mode to communicate with the network.

[0100] In a second embodiment, the method according to the first embodiment further includes: processing an indication of one or more semantic communication modes supported by the other UE based on signaling initiated by the other UE executing an application corresponding to the application; determining that the first communication mode is supported by the network, the application and the other UE; and communicating with the other UE using the first communication mode.

[0101] In a third embodiment, according to the method of the second embodiment, the other UE includes a plurality of UEs, and the first communication mode is supported by all UEs of the plurality of UEs.

[0102] In a fourth embodiment, the method according to the second embodiment is used, wherein the UE, the application and the network also support a second communication mode, wherein the other UEs include multiple UEs, a first subset of the multiple UEs supports the first communication mode and the second communication mode, and a second subset of the multiple UEs only supports the second communication mode, wherein the UE communicates with the first subset using the first communication mode, and communicates with the second subset using the second communication mode.

[0103] In a fifth embodiment, according to the method of the first embodiment, the message is received as a part of a registration procedure performed by the UE with the network, wherein the registration procedure is an initial registration procedure or a mobility registration procedure.

[0104] In a sixth embodiment, the method of the first embodiment is provided wherein the message is received in a broadcast message from the network.

[0105] In a seventh embodiment, the method according to the first embodiment further includes: generating a registration request including the one or more semantic communication modes supported by the application and the UE to send to the network, wherein the registration request is used for an initial registration process or a mobility registration process.

[0106] In an eighth embodiment, according to the method of the first embodiment, the first communication mode includes a first plurality of communication modes, and the method further includes: selecting one of the first plurality of communication modes as the first communication mode based on another input.

[0107] In a ninth embodiment, the method of the eighth embodiment, wherein the another input comprises an indication by the network that only semantic communication mode is to be used, wherein the first communication mode is a semantic communication mode.

[0108] In a tenth embodiment, the method of the ninth embodiment wherein the indication comprises an access category.

[0109] In an eleventh embodiment, the method of the ninth embodiment, wherein the indication is received in a protocol data unit (PDU) service accept message from the network.

[0110] In a twelfth embodiment, the method of the eighth embodiment wherein the other input includes an indication by the network of a preference for a semantic communication mode.

[0111] In a thirteenth embodiment, the method of the twelfth embodiment, wherein the indication further includes a time when another input is to be applied, wherein the time includes when the indication is received or during a specified time window.

[0112] In a fourteenth embodiment, according to the method of the eighth embodiment, the other input includes a battery level of the UE.

[0113] In a fifteenth embodiment, according to the method of the eighth embodiment, the other input comprises a temperature of the UE.

[0114] In a sixteenth embodiment, according to the method of the eighth embodiment, the other input includes an indication that the UE is in a data roaming scenario.

[0115] In a seventeenth embodiment, according to the method of the eighth embodiment, the other input includes a data usage limit of a subscription of the UE.

[0116] In an eighteenth embodiment, according to the method of the eighth embodiment, the other input includes a latency requirement of the application.

[0117] In a nineteenth embodiment, the method according to the eighth embodiment, wherein the other input includes a privacy level of the application.

[0118] In a twentieth embodiment, according to the method of the eighth embodiment, the other input comprises a quality requirement of the UE.

[0119] In a twenty-first embodiment, according to the method of the eighth embodiment, the other input includes a channel condition of a connection between the UE and the network.

[0120] In a twenty-second embodiment, a method according to the eighth embodiment is provided, wherein the first plurality of communication modes includes two or more semantic communication modes, and the another input includes a physical distortion threshold of the application for each of the two or more semantic communication modes, wherein each of the two or more semantic communication modes is available for selection only when the network satisfies the physical distortion threshold for the corresponding two or more semantic communication modes.

[0121] In a twenty-third embodiment, according to the method of the twenty-second embodiment, the physical distortion threshold comprises a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and a corresponding reliability or a bit error rate (BER) and a corresponding reliability.

[0122] In a twenty-fourth embodiment, the method according to the eighth embodiment, wherein the other input includes an indication of whether a network slice dedicated to semantic communication is available.

[0123] In a twenty-fifth embodiment, according to the method of the eighth embodiment, the other input comprises a parameter related to the UE, wherein the parameter comprises a current value of the parameter or a predicted value of the parameter.

[0124] In a twenty-sixth embodiment, the method according to the first embodiment, wherein the classical communication mode uses a higher data rate than the semantic communication mode.

[0125] In a twenty-seventh embodiment, the method according to the twenty-sixth embodiment, wherein the semantic communication mode includes a plurality of semantic communication modes, and wherein each of the plurality of semantic communication modes uses a different data rate.

[0126] In a twenty-eighth embodiment, the method according to the first embodiment further includes: when the first communication mode is selected, starting a timer with a predetermined expiration time, wherein the UE is prevented from switching from the first communication mode until the timer expires.

[0127] In a twenty-ninth embodiment, a user equipment (UE) is provided, wherein the UE is configured to perform any one of the methods described in accordance with the first to twenty-eighth embodiments.

[0128] In a thirtieth embodiment, a processor is provided, wherein the processor is configured to execute any one of the methods described in accordance with the first to twenty-eighth embodiments.

[0129] In a thirty-first embodiment, a method comprises: executing an application, wherein the application supports a classic communication mode and a semantic communication mode; communicating with a first network using the classic communication mode, wherein the first network supports the classic communication mode at a first uplink (UL) data rate; determining that a user equipment (UE) has left the coverage area of ​​the first network; and communicating with a second network using the semantic communication mode, wherein the second network supports the semantic communication mode at a second UL data rate that is lower than the first UL data rate.

[0130] In a thirty-second embodiment, the method according to the thirty-first embodiment, wherein the first network is a terrestrial network and the second network is a non-terrestrial network.

[0131] In a thirty-third embodiment, a user equipment (UE) is configured to perform any one of the methods described in embodiments 31 to 32.

[0132] In a thirty-fourth embodiment, a processor is configured to execute any one of the methods described in embodiments 31 to 32.

[0133] In a thirty-fifth embodiment, a method includes: processing a request including an application being executed by the UE and one or more semantic communication modes supported by the UE based on signaling initiated by a user equipment (UE); generating a message including an indication of one or more semantic communication modes supported by a network to be sent to the UE; and processing a first communication mode selected by the UE based on a signal initiated by the UE, wherein the first communication mode is a classic communication mode or a semantic communication mode.

[0134] In a thirty-sixth embodiment, according to the method of the thirty-fifth embodiment, the request is a registration request, wherein the registration request is an initial registration request or a mobility registration request.

[0135] In a thirty-seventh embodiment, a method according to the thirty-fifth embodiment, wherein the message is sent in a broadcast message.

[0136] In a thirty-eighth embodiment, the method according to the thirty-seventh embodiment, wherein the broadcast message comprises a system information block (SIB) transmitted by a cell of the network.

[0137] In a thirty-ninth embodiment, the method according to the thirty-fifth embodiment further includes: generating an indication that the UE will use only the semantic communication mode to send to the UE, wherein the first communication mode is the semantic communication mode.

[0138] In a fortieth embodiment, the method according to the thirty-ninth embodiment, wherein the indication includes an access category.

[0139] In a forty-first embodiment, the method according to the thirty-ninth embodiment, wherein the indication is sent in a protocol data unit (PDU) service accept message from the network.

[0140] In a forty-second embodiment, the method according to the thirty-fifth embodiment further includes: generating an indication of the network preference semantic communication mode to send to the UE.

[0141] In a forty-third embodiment, according to the method of the forty-second embodiment, the indication also includes a time when another input is to be applied, wherein the time includes when the indication is received or during a specified time window.

[0142] In a forty-fourth embodiment, the method according to the thirty-fifth embodiment, wherein the classical communication mode uses a higher data rate than the semantic communication mode.

[0143] In a forty-fifth embodiment, the method according to the thirty-fifth embodiment, wherein the semantic communication mode includes a plurality of semantic communication modes, and wherein each of the plurality of semantic communication modes uses a different data rate.

[0144] In a forty-sixth embodiment, a network node is provided, wherein the network node is configured to execute any one of the methods described in accordance with the thirty-fifth to forty-fifth embodiments.

[0145] In a forty-seventh embodiment, a processor is configured to execute any one of the methods described in embodiments thirty-fifth to forty-fifth.

[0146] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the example embodiments described above may be implemented in any suitable software configuration or hardware configuration or combination thereof. An example hardware platform for implementing the example embodiments may include, for example, an Intel x86-based platform with a compatible operating system, Windows OS, Mac platform and MAC OS, a mobile device with an operating system such as iOS, Android, etc. The above example embodiments may be embodied as a program comprising lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

[0147] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory storage element) may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein if the program instructions are executed by a computer system, the computer system is caused to perform a method, such as any method implementation of the method implementations described herein, or any combination of the method implementations described herein, or any subset of any method implementation of the method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0148] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE) may be configured to include a processor (or a group of processors) and a memory medium (or a memory element), wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute these program instructions from the memory medium, wherein these program instructions are executable to implement any method implementation of the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of the method implementations described herein, or any subset of any method implementation of the method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of various forms.

[0149] Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, in some embodiments, the present invention may be implemented as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, or a computer system. In other embodiments, one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs may be used to implement the present invention. In other embodiments, one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs may be used to implement the present invention.

[0150] Although this patent application describes various combinations of various embodiments each having different features, those skilled in the art will understand that any feature of an embodiment may be combined with features of other embodiments in any manner not publicly denied or with features that are not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation or function of the device of the embodiments disclosed in the present invention.

[0151] As described above, one aspect of the present technology is to collect and use data obtained from specific and legitimate sources to improve the delivery of inspirational content or any other content that may be of interest to users. The present disclosure contemplates that, in some instances, the collected data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to identify a specific person. Such personal information data may include demographic data, location-based data, online identifiers, phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, data or records related to the user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other personal information.

[0152] The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data in the present technology can be used to benefit users. For example, personal information data can be used to deliver targeted content that users may be more interested in based on their preferences. Therefore, the use of such personal information data enables users to have greater control over the content delivered.

[0153] The disclosure envisions that entities responsible for collecting, analyzing, disclosing, transmitting, storing or otherwise using such personal information data will comply with established privacy policies and / or privacy practices. Specifically, it is expected that such entities will implement and consistently apply privacy practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding the industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Such information about the use of personal data should be highlighted and easily accessible to users, and should be updated as the collection and / or use of data changes. The user's personal information should be collected only for legal use. In addition, such collection / sharing should only occur after receiving user consent or other legal basis specified in applicable law. In addition, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to protect and safeguard access to such personal information data, and ensure that other entities with access to personal information data comply with their privacy policies and procedures. In addition, such entities can subject themselves to third-party assessments to prove that they comply with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adjusted for specific types of personal information data collected and / or accessed, and applied to applicable laws and standards, including considerations that are exclusive to jurisdictions that can be used to impose higher standards. For example, in the United States, collection or access to certain health data may be governed by federal and / or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); while health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly.

[0154] Regardless of the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates implementation schemes in which users selectively block the use or access of personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates hardware elements and / or software elements to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, such as with respect to an advertising delivery service, the technology of the present invention may be configured to allow a user to choose to "opt in" or "opt out" at any time during or after registration for the service to participate in the collection of personal information data. In another example, a user may choose not to provide emotion-related data for a target content delivery service. As another example, a user may choose to limit the length of time that emotion-related data is retained, or to completely block the development of basic emotional conditions. In addition to providing "opt-in" and "opt-out" options, the present disclosure also contemplates providing notifications related to access or use of personal information. For example, a user may be notified that their personal information data will be accessed when downloading an application, and then the user may be reminded again just before the personal information data is accessed by the application.

[0155] In addition, it is the intention of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Once the data is no longer needed, the risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting the data. In addition and when applicable, including in certain health-related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect the privacy of users. De-identification can be promoted when appropriate by removing identifiers, controlling the amount or specificity of stored data (e.g., collecting location data at the city level rather than at the address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data among users), and / or other methods such as differential privacy.

[0156] Thus, while the present disclosure broadly covers the use of personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that various embodiments may also be implemented without access to such personal information data. That is, various embodiments of the present technology will not fail to function properly due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data. For example, content may be selected and delivered to a user based on aggregated non-personal information data or an absolute minimum amount of personal information, such as content processed only on the user's device or other non-personal information that may be used for content delivery services.

[0157] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present disclosure, provided that these modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising a processing circuit, wherein the processing circuit is configured to: processing, based on signaling received from a network, a message including an indication of one or more semantic communication modes supported by the network; executing an application, wherein the application supports one or more semantic communication modes also supported by the user equipment UE; determining a first communication mode supported by the network and the application, wherein the first communication mode is a classical communication mode or a semantic communication mode; and The first communication mode is selected to communicate with the network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: processing, based on signaling initiated by other UEs executing an application corresponding to the application, an indication including one or more semantic communication modes supported by the other UEs; as well as determining that the first communication mode is supported by the network, the application, and the other UE; as well as Communicate with the other UE using the first communication mode. 3 . The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the other UE comprises a plurality of UEs, and the first communication mode is supported by all of the plurality of UEs.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the UE, the application and the network further support a second communication mode, wherein the other UEs include a plurality of UEs, a first subset of the plurality of UEs supports the first communication mode and the second communication mode, and a second subset of the plurality of UEs supports only the second communication mode, The UE communicates with the first subset using the first communication mode, and communicates with the second subset using the second communication mode.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message is received as part of a registration procedure performed by the UE with the network, wherein the registration procedure is an initial registration procedure or a mobility registration procedure.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message is received in a broadcast message from the network.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: A registration request including the one or more semantic communication modes supported by the application and the UE is generated to be sent to the network, wherein the registration request is for an initial registration procedure or a mobility registration procedure.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first communication mode comprises a first plurality of communication modes, and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: One of the first plurality of communication modes is selected as the first communication mode based on another input.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the further input comprises an indication by the network that only semantic communication mode is to be used, wherein the first communication mode is a semantic communication mode.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the classical communication mode uses a higher data rate than the semantic communication mode.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: When the first communication mode is selected, a timer with a predetermined expiry time is started, wherein the UE is prevented from switching from the first communication mode until the timer expires.

12. An apparatus, comprising a processing circuit, wherein the processing circuit is configured to: executing an application, wherein the application supports a classic communication mode and a semantic communication mode; communicating with a first network using the classic communication mode, wherein the first network supports the classic communication mode at a first uplink (UL) data rate; Determining that the user equipment UE has left the coverage area of ​​the first network; as well as The semantic communication mode is used to communicate with a second network, wherein the second network supports the semantic communication mode at a second UL data rate that is lower than the first UL data rate.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first network is a terrestrial network and the second network is a non-terrestrial network.

14. An apparatus, comprising a processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to: Processing, based on signaling initiated by a user equipment UE, a request including an application being executed by the UE and one or more semantic communication modes supported by the UE; generating a message including an indication of one or more semantic communication modes supported by a network for transmission to the UE; as well as A first communication mode selected by the UE is processed based on a signal initiated by the UE, wherein the first communication mode is a classical communication mode or a semantic communication mode.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the request is a registration request, wherein the registration request is an initial registration request or a mobility registration request.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the message is sent in a broadcast message, wherein the broadcast message comprises a system information block (SIB) sent by a cell of the network.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: An indication is generated for transmission to the UE that the UE will use only a semantic communication mode, wherein the first communication mode is a semantic communication mode.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: generating an indication of the network's preferred semantic communication mode to send to the UE, Wherein the indication also includes a time when another input is to be applied, wherein the time includes when the indication is received or during a specified time window.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the classical communication mode uses a higher data rate than the semantic communication mode.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the semantic communication mode comprises a plurality of semantic communication modes, and wherein each of the plurality of semantic communication modes uses a different data rate.

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