Method and apparatus for wireless communication at user equipment

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for wireless communication are described. A user equipment (UE) may send a request to establish a multicast session. The request may identify a multicast service session that includes a multicast quality of service flow. The UE may receive, from a base station in wireless communication with the UE, an indication of one or more of an activation of a multicast quality of service flow, or a communication resource for the UE to use to receive a multicast packet of a multicast service session from a content provider. The UE may identify a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle for the multicast service session, and receive a multicast packet from the base station according to the indicated communication resources and the identified DRX cycle.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application number 201980059969.7 filed on September 19, 2019 and invention name “Multicast Idle Mode Behavior and Paging”.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 575,144, filed on September 18, 2019, by ABRAHAM et al., entitled “MULTICAST IDLE MODE BEHAVIOR AND PAGING,” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 733,534, filed on September 19, 2018, by ABRAHAM et al., entitled “MULTICAST IDLE MODE BEHAVIOR AND PAGING,” each of which is assigned to its assignee. Technical Field

[0004] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications and, more particularly, to multicast idle mode behavior and paging. Background Art

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasting, etc. These systems can be capable of supporting communication for multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of these multiple access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, advanced LTE (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems, which may be referred to as new radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ techniques such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread spectrum OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple access communication system may include multiple base stations or network access nodes, each of which simultaneously supports communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise referred to as user equipment (UE). Summary of the invention

[0006] The described technology relates to improved methods, systems, devices and apparatuses that support multicast idle mode behavior and paging. Some wireless communication systems can support broadcast and multicast services, however, these wireless communication systems provide unnecessary complexity for supporting broadcast and multicast services. The technology described herein relates to improved methods, systems, devices and apparatuses that can alleviate these problems by supporting network deployments that separate transmission from service and provide multimedia broadcast and multicast services based on service requirements (e.g., quality of service (QoS) flows) for multimedia broadcast and multicast services.

[0007] A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE). The method may include: sending a request to establish a multicast session, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow; receiving, from a base station in wireless communication with the UE, an indication of activation of at least one multicast quality of service flow or one or more of communication resources for the UE to use to receive multicast packets for the multicast service session from a content provider via a tunnel between a first network node and the base station, the tunnel being established for the multicast service session in response to the sent request from the UE based on identifying that the multicast service session lacks an existing tunnel between the first network node and the base station; identifying a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle for the multicast service session; and receiving information of at least one multicast quality of service flow, the multicast packets carrying downlink data from the base station according to the indicated communication resources and the identified DRX cycle.

[0008] An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to send a request to establish a multicast session, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow; receive from a base station in wireless communication with the apparatus an indication of activation of at least one multicast quality of service flow or one or more of communication resources used by the apparatus to receive multicast packets of the multicast service session from a content provider via a tunnel between a first network node and the base station, the tunnel being established for the multicast service session in response to the request sent from the apparatus based on identifying that the multicast service session lacks an existing tunnel between the first network node and the base station; identify a DRX cycle for the multicast service session; and receive information of at least one multicast quality of service flow, the multicast packets carrying downlink data from the base station according to the indicated communication resources and the identified DRX cycle.

[0009] Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include means for sending a request to establish a multicast session, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow; means for receiving, from a base station in wireless communication with the apparatus, an indication of one or more of a communication resource for use by the apparatus to receive multicast packets for the multicast service session from a content provider via a tunnel between a first network node and the base station, the tunnel established for the multicast service session in response to the sent request from the apparatus based on identifying that the multicast service session lacks an existing tunnel between the first network node and the base station; means for identifying a DRX cycle for the multicast service session; and means for receiving information of at least one multicast quality of service flow, the multicast packets carrying downlink data from the base station according to the indicated communication resource and the identified DRX cycle.

[0010] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a UE is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to send a request to establish a multicast session, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow; receive from a base station in wireless communication with the UE an indication of one or more of activation of at least one multicast quality of service flow or communication resources for use by the UE to receive multicast packets for the multicast service session from a content provider via a tunnel between a first network node and the base station, the tunnel being established for the multicast service session in response to the sent request from the UE based on identifying that the multicast service session lacks an existing tunnel between the first network node and the base station; identify a DRX cycle for the multicast service session; and receive information of at least one multicast quality of service flow, the multicast packets carrying downlink data from the base station according to the indicated communication resources and the identified DRX cycle.

[0011] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the request identifying the multicast service session includes a quality of service flow identifier.

[0012] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the quality of service flow identifier is unique within a service area.

[0013] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first network node includes a multicast user plane function (M-UPF).

[0014] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for transitioning between a sleep state and an awake state to receive information of at least one multicast quality of service flow, the multicast packet carrying downlink data from a base station according to an identified DRX cycle.

[0015] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for transitioning between a sleep state and an awake state according to a second DRX cycle for causing the UE to receive multicast packets for a second multicast service session.

[0016] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for transitioning between a sleep state and an awake state according to a second DRX cycle for causing the UE to receive unicast transmissions from a base station.

[0017] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the request identifying the multicast service session includes a multicast packet data unit (M-PDU) session identifier.

[0018] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the M-PDU session identifier includes a combination of a multicast stream identifier generated by a multicast session management function (M-SMF) and an M-SMF identifier.

[0019] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the quality of service flow identifier is unique to a public land mobile network (PLMN) associated with the base station.

[0020] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the M-PDU session identifier is generated by the second network node.

[0021] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a quality of service flow identifier is received from a second network node, wherein the quality of service flow identifier is generated by the second network node.

[0022] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the request identifying the multicast service session includes a data network name (DNN).

[0023] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a request identifying a multicast service session includes network slice information.

[0024] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, a multicast service session includes a plurality of multicast quality of service flows.

[0025] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the multicast service session includes a tunnel between the first network node and the base station.

[0026] Another method for wireless communication at a first network node is described. The method may include: receiving a request to establish a multicast session for a UE via a base station in wireless communication with the UE, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow; identifying that the multicast service session lacks a tunnel from a second network node to the base station via which multicast packets of the multicast service session are transmitted from a content provider to the UE; and establishing a tunnel between the second network node and the base station in response to the received request from the UE.

[0027] Another apparatus for wireless communication at a base station is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to receive a request to establish a multicast session for a UE via a base station in wireless communication with the UE, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow; identifying that the multicast service session lacks a tunnel from a second device to the base station via which multicast packets of the multicast service session are transmitted from a content provider to the UE; and in response to the received request from the UE, establish a tunnel between the second device and the base station.

[0028] Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include: means for receiving a request to establish a multicast session for a UE via a base station in wireless communication with the UE, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow; means for identifying that the multicast service session lacks a tunnel from a second apparatus to the base station via which multicast packets of the multicast service session are transmitted from a content provider to the UE; and means for establishing a tunnel between the second apparatus and the base station in response to the received request from the UE.

[0029] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a first network node is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to receive a request to establish a multicast session for a UE via a base station in wireless communication with the UE, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow; identifying that the multicast service session lacks a tunnel from a second network node to the base station via which multicast packets of the multicast service session are transmitted from a content provider to the UE; and in response to the received request from the UE, establish a tunnel between the second network node and the base station.

[0030] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first network node includes an M-SMF and the second network node includes an M-UPF.

[0031] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media for establishing a multicast session described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for sending, from a first network node to a second network node, a request for the second network node to establish a tunnel between the second network node and a base station.

[0032] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for generating an identifier for the multicast service session, wherein the request to identify the multicast service session includes the identifier generated by the first network node.

[0033] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media for generating an identifier for a multicast service session described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for combining a multicast stream identifier generated by the M-SMF with an M-SMF identifier of a first network node to generate an identifier for the multicast service session.

[0034] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the request identifying the multicast service session includes a quality of service flow identifier.

[0035] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the quality of service flow identifier is unique within a service area.

[0036] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the quality of service flow identifier is unique to a PLMN associated with the base station.

[0037] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the identifier of the multicast service session includes an M-PDU session identifier.

[0038] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for receiving an indicator of a handover of a UE from a base station in wireless communication with the UE to a target base station, and modifying a context of a multicast session for the UE in response to the received indicator.

[0039] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for identifying that a target base station is outside a multicast service area of ​​a multicast service session, wherein modifying the context includes denying a request to enroll a UE in the multicast session and tearing down the UE's multicast session.

[0040] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for identifying that a target base station is within a multicast service area for a multicast service session, wherein modifying the context includes registering the UE in the multicast session. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] Figures 1 to 4 An example of a system for wireless communications supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0042] Figure 5A and Figure 5B An example of a process flow supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0043] Figure 6 An example of a process flow supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0044] Fig. 7A and Figure 7B An example of a process flow supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0045] Figure 8 and Fig. 9 A block diagram of a device supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0046] Fig.10 A block diagram of a system including a device supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0047] Fig.11 and Fig.12 A block diagram of a device supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0048] Fig.13 A block diagram of a network communications manager supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0049] Fig.14 A block diagram of a system including a device supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0050] Figures 15 to 19 A flow chart of a method of supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] A network node in a wireless communication system may support broadcast and multicast services based on service requirements (e.g., quality of service (QoS) flows) for multimedia broadcast and multicast services while separating transmission from service. The network node may receive a request to establish a multicast session for a user equipment (UE) via a base station that wirelessly communicates with the UE. In some examples, the network node may be a multicast session management function (M-SMF). The request may identify a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service (QoS) flow. The network node may identify that the multicast service session lacks a tunnel from a second network node to a base station for transmitting multicast packets of the multicast service session from a content provider to the UE, and establish a tunnel between the second network node and the base station in response to the received request from the UE. In some examples, the second network node may be a multicast user plane function (M-UPF).

[0052] The UE may receive, from a base station in wireless communication with the UE, an indication of one or more of activation of at least one multicast service quality flow or communication resources for use by the UE to receive multicast packets for a multicast service session from a content provider via a tunnel between a network node and the base station, the tunnel being established for the multicast service session in response to a request sent from the UE based on identifying that the multicast service session lacks an existing tunnel between a first network node and the base station. In some cases, the UE may identify a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle for the multicast service session and receive information of at least one multicast service quality flow, the multicast packets carrying downlink data from the base station according to the indicated communication resources and the identified DRX cycle.

[0053] Aspects of the present disclosure are initially described in the context of wireless communication systems. Additionally or alternatively, aspects of the present disclosure are described in the context of process flows. Additionally or alternatively, aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flow diagrams related to multicast idle mode behavior and paging.

[0054] Figure 1An example of a wireless communication system 100 supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The wireless communication system 100 includes a base station 105, a UE 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 can be a long term evolution (LTE) network, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, or a new radio (NR) network. In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 can support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission-critical) communications, low latency communications, or communications with low-cost and low-complexity devices.

[0055] The base station 105 may communicate wirelessly with the UE 115 via one or more base station antennas. The base station 105 described herein may include or may be referred to by those skilled in the art as a base transceiver, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a next generation NodeB or a giga-nodeB (any of which may be referred to as a gNB), a home NodeB, a home eNodeB, or some other suitable terminology. The wireless communication system 100 may include different types of base stations 105 (e.g., macro cell base stations or small cell base stations). The UE 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of base stations 105 and network devices, including macro eNBs, small cell eNBs, gNBs, relay base stations, etc.

[0056] Each base station 105 may be associated with a particular geographic coverage area 110 in which communications with various UEs 115 are supported. Each base station 105 may provide communications coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110 via a communications link 125, and the communications link 125 between the base station 105 and the UE 115 may utilize one or more carriers. The communications link 125 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include an uplink transmission from the UE 115 to the base station 105, or a downlink transmission from the base station 105 to the UE 115. Additionally or alternatively, downlink transmissions may be referred to as forward link transmissions, and uplink transmissions may be referred to as reverse link transmissions additionally or alternatively.

[0057] The geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105 can be divided into sectors that constitute a portion of the geographic coverage area 110, and each sector can be associated with a cell. For example, each base station 105 can provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a small cell, a hotspot, or other types of cells, or various combinations thereof. In some examples, the base station 105 can be mobile and thus provide communication coverage for a mobile geographic coverage area 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies can overlap, and overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies can be supported by the same base station 105 or different base stations 105. The wireless communication system 100 may, for example, include a heterogeneous LTE / LTE-A / LTE-APro or NR network, in which different types of base stations 105 provide coverage for respective geographic coverage areas 110.

[0058] The term "cell" refers to a logical communication entity used to communicate with base station 105 (e.g., via a carrier), and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID)) used to distinguish between adjacent cells operating via the same carrier or different carriers. In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types that may provide access to different types of devices (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), etc.). In some cases, the term "cell" may refer to a portion (e.g., a sector) of a geographic coverage area 110 on which the logical entity operates.

[0059] UE 115 can be dispersed throughout the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 can be fixed or mobile. In addition or alternatively, UE 115 can be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable term, in addition or alternatively, where "device" can be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client. In addition or alternatively, UE 115 can be a personal electronic device, such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In addition or alternatively, in some examples, UE 115 can refer to a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or an MTC device, etc., which can be implemented in various items such as electrical appliances, vehicles, meters, etc.

[0060] Some UEs 115, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low-cost or low-complexity devices and may provide automatic communication between machines (e.g., via machine-to-machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication technology that allows devices to communicate with each other or with a base station 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communications from devices that integrate sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay the information to a central server or application, which may utilize the information or present the information to a human interacting with the program or application. Some UEs 115 may be designed to collect information or implement automatic behavior of machines. Application examples of MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based business billing.

[0061] Some UEs 115 may be configured to employ operating modes that reduce power consumption, such as half-duplex communication (e.g., a mode that supports one-way communication via transmission or reception, but not transmission and reception at the same time). In some examples, half-duplex communication may be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power saving techniques for UE 115 include entering a power saving "deep sleep" mode when not engaged in active communications or when operating over limited bandwidth (e.g., according to narrowband communications). In some cases, UE 115 may be designed to support critical functions (e.g., mission critical functions), and the wireless communication system 100 may be configured to provide ultra-reliable communications for these functions.

[0062] Additionally or alternatively, in some cases, UE 115 may be able to communicate directly with other UE 115 (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (P2P) or device-to-device (D2D) protocol). One or more of the group of UEs 115 utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105. Other UEs 115 in this group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105, or otherwise unable to receive transmissions from the base station 105. In some cases, the group of UEs 115 communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, in which each UE 115 transmits to each other UE 115 in the group. In some cases, the base station 105 facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication is performed between UEs 115 without the involvement of the base station 105.

[0063] The base stations 105 may communicate with the core network 130 and with each other. For example, the base stations 105 may interface with the core network 130 via a backhaul link 132 (e.g., via S1, N2, N3, or other interface). The base stations 105 may communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between the base stations 105) or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130) via a backhaul link 134 (e.g., via X2, Xn, or other interface).

[0064] The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC), which may include at least one mobility management entity (MME), at least one serving gateway (S-GW), and at least one packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW). The MME may manage non-access stratum (e.g., control plane) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for UEs 115 served by base stations 105 associated with the EPC. User IP packets may be transferred through the S-GW, which itself may be coupled to the P-GW. The P-GW may provide IP address allocation and other functions. The P-GW may be coupled to network operator IP services. Operator IP services may include access to the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), or a packet switched (PS) streaming service.

[0065] At least some of the network devices, such as the base station 105, may include a subcomponent, such as an access network (AN) entity, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). Each AN network entity may communicate with the UE 115 through a plurality of other AN network transmission entities, which may be referred to as radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmission / reception points (TRPs). In some examples, the various functions of each AN entity or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio heads and AN controllers), or combined into a single network device (e.g., base station 105).

[0066] The wireless communication system 100 can operate using one or more frequency bands such as in the range of 300 MHz to 300 GHz. For example, since the wavelengths range from about one decimeter to one meter long, the region of 300 MHz to 3 GHz is referred to as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features. However, the waves can penetrate the structure sufficiently to enable the macrocell to provide service to the UE 115 located indoors. Compared with transmissions using the lower frequencies and longer waves of the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portion of the spectrum below 300 MHz, transmissions of UHF waves can be associated with smaller antennas and shorter distances (e.g., less than 100 km).

[0067] Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication system 100 may operate in the ultra-high frequency (SHF) region using a frequency band of 3 GHz to 30 GHz (also or alternatively referred to as a centimeter band). The SHF region includes frequency bands such as the 5 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band, which may be used by devices that can tolerate interference from other users.

[0068] In addition or alternatively, the wireless communication system 100 can operate in the extremely high frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum (e.g., 30Ghz to 300GHz), which is also referred to as the millimeter band. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 can support millimeter wave (mmW) communications between the UE 115 and the base station 105, and the EHF antennas of each device can be even smaller and more closely spaced than the UHF antennas. In some cases, this can facilitate the use of antenna arrays within the UE 115. However, the propagation of EHF transmissions may suffer even greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter distances than SHF or UHF transmissions. The technology disclosed herein can be adopted across transmissions using one or more different frequency regions, and the designated use of frequency bands across these frequency regions may vary from country to country or regulatory agency.

[0069] In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 can utilize licensed radio spectrum bands and unlicensed radio spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communication system 100 can use licensed assisted access (LAA), LTE unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in unlicensed bands such as the 5GHz ISM band. When operating in an unlicensed radio spectrum band, wireless devices such as base stations 105 and UE 115 can use a listen-before-talk (LBT) process to ensure that the channel is idle before sending data. In some cases, operations in unlicensed bands can be based on a CA configuration combined with a CC operating in a licensed band (e.g., LAA). Operations in unlicensed spectrum can include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, peer-to-peer transmissions, or a combination of these. Duplexing in unlicensed spectrum can be based on frequency division duplexing (FDD), time division duplexing (TDD), or a combination of both.

[0070] In some examples, the base station 105 or UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas, which may be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may use a transmission scheme between a transmitting device (e.g., a base station 105) and a receiving device (e.g., a UE 115), wherein the transmitting device is equipped with multiple antennas and the receiving device is equipped with one or more antennas. MIMO communications may employ multipath signal propagation to increase spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers, which may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. Multiple signals may be transmitted, for example, by a transmitting device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Similarly, multiple signals may be received by a receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and may carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams. Different spatial layers may be associated with different antenna ports for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO technology includes Single-User MIMO (SU-MIMO) in which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device, and Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO) in which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

[0071] Beamforming (which may additionally or alternatively be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception) is a signal processing technique that may be used at a transmitting device or a receiving device (e.g., a base station 105 or a UE 115) to shape and steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming may be achieved by combining signals transmitted via antenna elements of an antenna array so that signals propagating at a particular orientation relative to the antenna array experience constructive interference, while other signals experience destructive interference. Adjustments to signals transmitted via antenna elements may include the transmitting device or the receiving device applying a predetermined amplitude and phase offset to the signal carried via each of the antenna elements associated with the device. Adjustments associated with each of the antenna elements may be defined by a set of beamforming weights associated with a particular orientation (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the transmitting device or the receiving device, or relative to some other orientation).

[0072] In one example, the base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays to perform beamforming operations for directional communication with the UE 115. For example, some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be sent multiple times by the base station 105 in different directions, which may include signals sent according to different sets of beamforming weights associated with different transmission directions. Transmissions in different beam directions may be used to identify (e.g., by the base station 105 or a receiving device such as the UE 115) the beam direction for subsequent transmission and / or reception by the base station 105. Some signals, such as data signals associated with a particular receiving device, may be sent by the base station 105 in a single beam direction (e.g., a direction associated with a receiving device such as the UE 115). In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmissions along a single beam direction may be determined based at least in part on signals sent in different beam directions. For example, UE 115 may receive one or more of the signals sent by base station 105 in different directions, and UE 115 may report to base station 105 an indication of the signal it received with the highest signal quality or an otherwise acceptable signal quality. Although these techniques are described with reference to signals sent by base station 105 in one or more directions, UE 115 may employ similar techniques for sending signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., for identifying a beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by UE 115) or for sending signals in a single direction (e.g., for sending data to a receiving device).

[0073] When receiving various signals (such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) from the base station 105, a receiving device (e.g., UE 115, which may be an example of a mmW receiving device) may try multiple receive beams. For example, the receiving device may try multiple receive directions by: receiving via different antenna subarrays; processing the received signals according to different antenna subarrays; receiving according to different receive beamforming weight sets applied to the signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array; or processing the received signals according to different receive beamforming weight sets applied to the signals received at multiple antenna elements of the antenna array, any of which may be referred to as "listening" according to different receive beams or receive directions. In some examples, the receiving device may use a single receive beam to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving data signals). The single receive beam may be aligned in a beam direction determined based on listening according to different receive beam directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have the highest signal strength, the highest signal-to-noise ratio, or otherwise acceptable signal quality based on listening according to multiple beam directions).

[0074] In some cases, the antennas of a base station 105 or a UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays that may support MIMO operations, or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly such as an antenna tower. In some cases, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with a base station 105 may be located at different geographic locations. A base station 105 may have an antenna array having multiple rows and columns of antenna ports that the base station 105 may use to support beamforming for communications with a UE 115. Likewise, a UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that may support various MIMO or beamforming operations.

[0075] In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 can be a packet-based network that operates according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, the communication at the bearer or packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer can be based on IP. In some cases, the radio link control (RLC) layer can perform data packet segmentation and reorganization to communicate via logical channels. The medium access control (MAC) layer can perform priority processing and multiplex logical channels into transport channels. In addition or alternatively, the MAC layer can use hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) to provide retransmission at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the radio resource control (RRC) protocol layer can provide the establishment, configuration and maintenance of RRC connections between UE 115 and the base station 105 or core network 130 that supports radio bearers for user plane data. At the physical (PHY) layer, transport channels can be mapped to physical channels.

[0076] In some cases, UE 115 and base station 105 can support retransmission of data to increase the possibility of successfully receiving data. HARQ feedback is a technology that increases the possibility of correctly receiving data via communication link 125. HARQ can include a combination of error detection (e.g., using cyclic redundancy check (CRC)), forward error correction (FEC) and retransmission (e.g., automatic repeat request (ARQ)). HARQ can improve the throughput at the MAC layer under poor radio conditions (e.g., signal-to-noise ratio conditions). In some cases, a wireless device can support HARQ feedback for the same time slot, where the device can provide HARQ feedback for data received in the previous symbol in the time slot in a specific time slot. In other cases, the device can provide HARQ feedback in a subsequent time slot or according to some other time intervals.

[0077] Time intervals in LTE or NR can be expressed in multiples of a basic time unit, which may refer to, for example, a sampling period T s =1 / 30,720,000 seconds. The time intervals of the communication resources may be organized according to radio frames each having a duration of 10 milliseconds (ms), where the frame period may be denoted as T f =307,200T s. A radio frame can be identified by a system frame number (SFN) in the range of 0 to 1023. Each frame can include 10 subframes numbered from 0 to 9, and the duration of each subframe is 1 ms. In addition or alternatively, the subframe can be divided into 2 time slots, each time slot has a duration of 0.5 ms, and each time slot can contain 6 or 7 modulation symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix preceding each symbol period). In addition to the cyclic prefix, each symbol period can contain 2048 sampling periods. In some cases, a subframe can be the minimum scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 and can be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In other cases, the minimum scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 can be shorter than a subframe or can be dynamically selected (e.g., in a burst of a shortened TTI (sTTI) or in a selected component carrier using sTTI).

[0078] Additionally or alternatively, in some wireless communication systems, a time slot may be divided into multiple mini-slots containing one or more symbols. In some cases, a symbol of a mini-slot or a mini-slot may be the minimum unit of scheduling. For example, the duration of each symbol may vary, depending on, for example, the subcarrier spacing or frequency band of operation. In addition, some wireless communication systems may implement time slot aggregation, where multiple time slots or mini-slots are aggregated together and used for communication between UE 115 and base station 105.

[0079] The term "carrier" refers to a set of radio spectrum resources that has a defined physical layer structure for supporting communications on the communication link 125. For example, a carrier of the communication link 125 may include a portion of a radio spectrum band that operates according to a physical layer channel for a given radio access technology. Each physical layer channel may carry user data, control information, or other signaling. A carrier may be associated with a predefined frequency channel (e.g., an E-UTRA Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (EARFCN)) and may be located according to a channel grid so as to be discovered by a UE 115. A carrier may be downlink or uplink (e.g., in FDD mode), or may be configured to carry downlink communications and uplink communications (e.g., in TDD mode). In some examples, a signal waveform transmitted on a carrier may be composed of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using a multi-carrier modulation (MCM) technique such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or DFT-s-OFDM).

[0080] The organization structure of the carrier may be different for different radio access technologies (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.). For example, communications on a carrier may be organized according to TTIs or time slots, each of which may include user data and control information or signaling to support decoding of the user data. In addition or alternatively, a carrier may include dedicated acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals or system information, etc.) and control signaling to coordinate the operation of the carrier. In addition or alternatively, in some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), a carrier may have acquisition signaling or control signaling to coordinate the operation of other carriers.

[0081] Physical channels may be multiplexed on a carrier according to various techniques. Physical control channels and physical data channels may be multiplexed on a downlink carrier using, for example, time division multiplexing (TDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. In some examples, control information transmitted in a physical control channel may be distributed in a cascaded manner between different control regions (e.g., between a common control region or common search space and one or more UE-specific control regions or UE-specific search spaces).

[0082] A carrier may be associated with a particular bandwidth of the radio spectrum, and in some examples, the carrier bandwidth may be referred to as the "system bandwidth" of the carrier or wireless communication system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth may be one of a plurality of predetermined bandwidths of a carrier for a particular radio access technology (e.g., 1.4 MHz, 3 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 40 MHz, or 80 MHz). In some examples, each serviced UE 115 may be configured to operate on part or all of the carrier bandwidth. In other examples, some UEs 115 may be configured to operate using a narrowband protocol type associated with a predefined portion or range (e.g., a set of subcarriers or RBs) within a carrier (e.g., an "in-band" deployment of a narrowband protocol type).

[0083] In a system employing MCM technology, a resource element may include a symbol period (e.g., the duration of a modulation symbol) and a subcarrier, where the symbol period and the subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme). Therefore, the more resource elements received by UE 115 and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate for UE 115 may be. In a MIMO system, wireless communication resources may refer to a combination of radio spectrum resources, time resources, and space resources (e.g., space layers), and in addition or alternatively, the use of multiple space layers may increase the data rate for communicating with UE 115.

[0084] A device of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., a base station 105 or a UE 115) may have a hardware configuration that supports communication on a particular carrier bandwidth, or may be configured to support communication on one of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include a base station 105 and / or a UE 115 that may support simultaneous communication via carriers associated with more than one different carrier bandwidths.

[0085] The wireless communication system 100 may support communication with the UE 115 on multiple cells or carriers, a feature that may be referred to as carrier aggregation (CA) or multi-carrier operation. Depending on the carrier aggregation configuration, the UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink CCs and one or more uplink CCs. Carrier aggregation may be used for both FDD and TDD component carriers.

[0086] In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 can utilize an enhanced component carrier (eCC). An eCC can be characterized by one or more characteristics, including a wider carrier or frequency channel bandwidth, a shorter symbol duration, a shorter TTI duration, or a modified control channel configuration. In some cases, an eCC can be associated with a carrier aggregation configuration or a dual connectivity configuration (e.g., when multiple serving cells have suboptimal or non-ideal backhaul links). Additionally or alternatively, an eCC can be configured for use in an unlicensed spectrum or a shared spectrum (e.g., allowing more than one operator to use the spectrum). An eCC characterized by a wide carrier bandwidth can include one or more segments that can be utilized by a UE 115 that cannot monitor the entire carrier bandwidth or is otherwise configured to use a limited carrier bandwidth (e.g., to save power).

[0087] In some cases, an eCC may utilize a different symbol duration than other CCs, which may include using a reduced symbol duration compared to the symbol duration of other CCs. A shorter symbol duration may be associated with an increased spacing between adjacent subcarriers. A device utilizing an eCC (such as a UE 115 or a base station 105) may transmit a wideband signal (e.g., based on a frequency channel or carrier bandwidth of 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 60 MHz, 80 MHz, etc.) with a reduced symbol duration (e.g., 16.67 microseconds). A TTI in an eCC may include one or more symbol periods. In some cases, the TTI duration (i.e., the number of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable.

[0088] Wireless communication systems such as NR systems can utilize any combination of licensed spectrum bands, shared spectrum bands, and unlicensed spectrum bands. The flexibility of eCC symbol duration and subcarrier spacing can allow eCC to be used across multiple spectrums. In some examples, NR shared spectrum can improve spectrum utilization and spectrum efficiency, specifically through dynamic vertical resource sharing (e.g., in the frequency domain) and horizontal (e.g., in the time domain) resource sharing.

[0089] Some wireless communication systems can support broadcast and multicast services, however, these wireless communication systems provide unnecessary complexity for supporting broadcast and multicast services. For example, 4G LTE network deployment for multimedia broadcast and multicast services is largely based on supporting TV-related subscription services. It may be more complicated to implement other services such as IoT, software updates, etc. as multimedia broadcast and multicast services using existing network deployments. The wireless communication system 100 can alleviate these problems by supporting network deployments that separate transmission from services, specify transmission using fifth generation (5G) core network functions, and provide multimedia broadcast and multicast services based on service requirements using appropriate 5G core network services. Each multicast 5G core network service can provide service layer functions and APIs for use by external applications. In addition or alternatively, the service layer can configure multicast transmission by setting QoS flows for multimedia broadcast and multicast services.

[0090] Figure 2 A wireless communication system 200 supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the wireless communication system 200 may support multimedia broadcast and multicast services that can be used for any terminal user, as well as multimedia broadcast and multicast services that can be used for terminal users with subscriptions to multicast groups. The wireless communication system 200 may provide an enhanced method for supporting multimedia broadcast and multicast services in a new radio network environment. For example, the wireless communication system 200 may be configured with a new system identification number to support these multimedia broadcast and multicast services of the 5G new radio core network (e.g., self-organizing (ad-hoc) multicast and broadcast streams, software delivery over wireless connections, group communications, and broadcast and multicast IoT applications, V2X applications (e.g., vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P), and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I)), public safety). In some cases, the wireless communication system 200 may modularize multimedia broadcast and multicast service functions to efficiently and effectively support transmission mode and full service mode. In addition, the wireless communication system 200 may support service-based interfaces in modularized multimedia broadcast and multicast service functions. In some cases, the wireless communication system 200 can support flexible network deployment (eg, distributed versus centralized) and operation (eg, control plane and user plane separation).

[0091] The wireless communication system 200 may implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the wireless communication system 200 may include a UE 115-a, which may be Figure 1 In addition or alternatively, the wireless communication system 200 may include an (R)AN 205 (also referred to as a radio access network (RAN) or AN), an access and mobility management function (AMF) 210, an M-UPF 215, an M-SMF 220, a point coordination function (PCF) 225, and a data network 230, which may be Figure 1 The functions or devices (e.g., AMF 210, M-UPF 215, M-SMF 220, PCF 225) may be part of a core network, such as core network 130-a, which may be Figure 1 An example of a core network described in .

[0092] Functions or devices (e.g., UE 115-a, (R)AN 205, AMF 210, M-UPF 215, M-SMF 220, PCF225, and data network 230) can communicate with each other via communication links (e.g., wireless or wired connections), which can include uplink transmissions and / or downlink transmissions to and / or from the functions or devices shown. For example, UE 115-a and (R)AN 205 can communicate with each other via communication link 255, which can include uplink transmissions and / or downlink transmissions. In addition or alternatively, (R)AN 205 and AMF 210 can communicate with each other via communication link 260, which can be an M-N2 communication link for uplink transmissions and / or downlink transmissions. Additionally or alternatively, the (R)AN 205 and the M-UPF 215 may communicate with each other via a communication link 265, which may be an M-N3 communication link for uplink transmissions and / or downlink transmissions.

[0093] In some cases, the AMF 210 and the M-SMF 220 may communicate with each other via a communication link 270, which may be a Namf / Nsmf communication link for uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission. The M-SMF 220 and the M-UPF 215 may communicate with each other via a communication link 275, which may be an M-N4 communication link for uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission. Additionally or alternatively, the M-SMF 220 and the PCF 225 may communicate with each other via a communication link 280, which may be an Nsmf / Npcf communication link for uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission. The M-UPF 215 and the data network 230 may communicate with each other via a communication link 285, which may be an M-N5 communication link for uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission.

[0094] UE 115-a can support multimedia broadcast and multicast service applications, such as radio broadcast, real-time streaming video service, software delivery, emergency alert, etc. In some cases, the multicast service session for multicast service application supported by UE 115-a can have a predetermined QoS flow. That is, for one or more multicast streams directed to UE 115, a predetermined QoS flow can be implemented for these multicast streams. The QoS flow of a specific multicast stream can have different levels of granularity. For example, a QoS flow can have a priority for one type of business (e.g., real-time streaming video service) and another priority (e.g., higher or lower) for another type of business (e.g., emergency alert). Functions in the wireless communication system 200 (e.g., AMF 210, M-UPF 215, M-SMF 220, PCF 225) can facilitate QoS flows for specific multicast streams requested by UE 115-a.

[0095] The UE 115-a may establish a session, such as a multicast protocol data unit (M-PDU) session, with the data network 230 for a multicast service application. The M-PDU session may provide an M-PDU connection service that may support the transmission of M-PDUs between the UE 115-a and the data network 230. Although one data network 230 is shown, in some cases the UE 115-a may access multiple data networks simultaneously and have multiple protocol data units (PDUs) and / or M-PDU sessions. As part of establishing the multicast session, the UE 115-a and the data network 230 may perform a registration management procedure to establish or release a signaling relationship between the UE 115-a and the data network 230. For example, the UE 115-a may register with the data network 230 to receive a predetermined service (e.g., a multicast service that requires registration), enable mobility tracking, or enable reachability within the data network 230.

[0096] In some cases, UE 115-a may initiate periodic registration, where UE 115-a may undergo periodic registration with each expiration of a registration timer or after a predetermined period of UE inactivity. UE 115-a may use periodic registration to maintain reachability within data network 230. For example, UE 115-a may move to a new tracking area within data network 230. In this example, UE 115-a may initiate mobility registration based on moving to the new tracking area. Data network 230 may track the location of UE 115-a and maintain reachability by registering UE 115-a in the new tracking area.

[0097] Prior to establishing a session with data network 230, UE 115-a may provide predetermined information to (R)AN 205 (e.g., which may be Figure 1 ), the predetermined information may result in session establishment. For example, UE 115-a may provide information such as resource requirements for a requested service, a priority for a requested service, and other information, which the (R)AN 205 may use to select an appropriate data network, such as a data network 230 that may support the requested service (e.g., a multicast service). For example, the data network 230 may support services such as, but not limited to, CIoT, V2X, enTV, GCS, file downloads, and the like. As part of facilitating session establishment between UE 115-a and the data network 230, the (R)AN 205 may select an appropriate access management function, such as the AMF 210.

[0098] The (R)AN 205 may send the provided information to the selected AMF 210. In addition or alternatively, the (R)AN 205 may send additional information such as location information, cell identity, radio access technology type, etc. together with the information provided by the UE 115-a to the selected AMF 210. The selected AMF 210 may perform various processes based on the policy, protocol, or received information. For example, the AMF 210 may support termination of non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, NAS encryption and integrity protection, registration management, connection management, mobility management, access authentication and authorization, security context, etc.

[0099] As part of the session establishment, the AMF 210 may select an appropriate session management function (SMF) for authentication and security functions. The UE 115-a may access the multicast session by establishing an M-PDU session using the AMF 210 that may be configured for the multicast stream. In some examples, the multicast session may have an M-PDU session identifier for the data network 230 (e.g., unique to a public land mobile network (PLMN)). The M-PDU session identifier associated with a particular multicast session may be allocated by an M-SMF such as the M-SMF 220. In some cases, one M-SMF may be used for a multicast session. The M-PDU session identifier may be a combination of a multicast stream identifier and an M-SMF identifier generated by an M-SMF such as the M-SMF 220. The identifier is discoverable to the UE 115-a and one or more other UEs. For example, as part of the discovery of the multicast service session and identifier, the UE 115-a may obtain an overview of the M-PDU session establishment.

[0100] In some cases, as part of session establishment, the UE 115-a may provide an M-PDU session identifier in information that it may request to register (e.g., in a protocol data unit session request). For example, the AMF 210 may select an M-SMF 220 based on the provided M-PDU session identifier and forward some or all of the information provided by the UE 115-a to the M-SMF 220. In this way, the UE 115-a may provide an identifier of a multicast session corresponding to a multicast QoS flow of a multicast service session, which the AMF 210 may use to select the M-SMF 220. The M-SMF 220 may record a UE-specific identifier associated with the UE 115-a that links the M-PDU session to the M-PDU session identifier. The M-SMF 220 may support session establishment, modification, release, UE 115-a IP address allocation and management, termination of NAS signaling related to session management, downlink data notification, and traffic steering configuration for the M-UPF 215 for appropriate traffic routing.

[0101] Figure 3 A wireless communication system 300 supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the wireless communication system 300 can support the delivery of multicast data. The wireless communication system 300 can implement aspects of the wireless communication system 200. For example, the wireless communication system 300 can include UEs 115-b to UE 115-g, which can be Figure 2In addition or alternatively, the wireless communication system 300 may include (R)AN 205-a and (R)AN 205-b, M-UPF 215-a, and data networks 230-a to 230-c, which may be Figure 2 Examples of one or more corresponding devices described in .

[0102] Functions or devices (e.g., UE 115-b to UE 115-g, (R)AN 205-a, (R)AN 205-b, M-UPF 215-a, and data networks 230-a to 230-c) can communicate with each other via communication links (e.g., wireless or wired connections), which may include uplink transmissions and / or downlink transmissions to and / or from the functions or devices shown. For example, UE 115-a to UE 115-d and (R)AN 205-a can communicate with each other via communication link 355, which communication link 355 may include uplink transmissions and / or downlink transmissions, and UE 115-e to UE 115-g and (R)AN 205-b can communicate with each other via communication link 355, which communication link 355 may include uplink transmissions and / or downlink transmissions, and UE 115-e to UE 115-g and (R)AN 205-b can communicate with each other via communication link 355, which communication link 355 may also or alternatively include uplink transmissions and / or downlink transmissions. The M-UPF 215-a, (R)AN 205-a and (R)AN 205-b may communicate with each other via a communication link 365, which may be an M-N3 communication link for uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission. The M-UPF 215-a and the data networks 230-a to 230-c may communicate with each other via a communication link 385, which may be an M-N5 communication link for uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission.

[0103] M-UPF 215-a may be part of a core network such as core network 130-b, which may be Figure 1 The M-UPF 215-a may include user plane functions that enhance multicast functionality. Additionally or alternatively, for example, the M-UPF 215-a may support packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, QoS flow processing, act as an external protocol data unit session point for interconnecting with the data networks 230-a to 230-c, and act as an anchor point for intra-radio access technology mobility and inter-radio access technology mobility. Figure 2In some examples, if a tunnel does not exist, the M-SMF 220 may signal the M-UPF 215 to establish a tunnel for the UE 115-a to the (R)AN 205. The tunnel may be a direct tunnel between the (R)AN 205 and the UE 115-a, which may improve the user experience, for example, by speeding up web page delivery, reducing round-trip delays for conversational services by eliminating handover latency from the user plane.

[0104] return Figure 3 , the M-UPF 215-a may establish one multicast core network tunnel to each (R)AN 205 for each multicast service session that has one or more UEs 115 registered in the session. For example, the M-UPF 215-a may establish a first multicast core network tunnel for each multicast service session of the (R)AN 205-a and a second multicast core network tunnel for each multicast service session of the (R)AN 205-b. In some cases, the M-UPF 215-a may transmit the multicast stream to multiple (R)ANs (e.g., (R)AN 205-a and (R)AN 205-b) that may use a multicast general packet radio service (GPRS) tunnel (GTP) to serve other UEs. The GTP tunnel may encapsulate user data as it passes through the core network and, in addition or alternatively, carry bearer-specific signaling traffic between various core network entities (e.g., AMF 210, M-UPF 215, M-SMF 220, PCF 225).

[0105] In some cases, there may be separate GTP tunnels for the user plane and the control plane. For example, a GTP tunnel for the user plane may be used to carry user datagram traffic according to a user datagram protocol, which may be a transport protocol. In another example, a GTP tunnel for the control plane may be used for core network specific signaling (e.g., bearer activation, bearer deletion, bearer modification) according to a user datagram protocol (which may be a transport protocol). In some cases, these tunnels may be established for an (R)AN (such as (R)AN 205) having at least one UE (e.g., UE 115-a) receiving a multicast stream.

[0106] return Figure 2In some examples, each multicast service session may contain one or more QoS flows. In this way, the M-UPF 215 may establish a bearer based on the QoS flows associated with each multicast service session. In some cases, the (R) AN 205 may map the QoS flows in the multicast service session to a multicast radio bearer or one or more unicast radio bearers. In this way, the (R) AN 205 may determine whether to switch from a multicast radio bearer to a unicast radio bearer based on the number of UEs subscribed to the multicast service session and the radio conditions. For example, if the (R) AN 205 is serving UE 115-a, it may establish and use a unicast radio bearer. Otherwise, the (R) AN 205 may establish and use a multicast radio bearer.

[0107] Figure 4 A wireless communication system 400 supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the wireless communication system 400 can implement aspects of the wireless communication systems 100 to 300. For example, the wireless communication system 400 can include UE 115-h and UE 115-i, which can be Figures 1 to 3 In addition or alternatively, the wireless communication system 400 may include (R)AN 205-c and (R)AN 205-d, AMF 210-a, M-UPF 215-a, M-SMF 220-a, and multiple data networks 230-a to 230-c, which may be Figures 1 to 3 The functions (e.g., AMF 210-a, M-UPF 215-b, M-SMF 220-a) may be part of a core network, such as core network 130-c, which may be Figure 1 An example of a core network described in .

[0108] Functions or devices (e.g., UE 115-h and UE 115-i, (R)AN 205-c and (R)AN 205-d, AMF 210-a, M-UPF 215-b, M-SMF 220-a, and data networks 230-d to 230-f) can communicate with each other via communication links (e.g., wireless or wired connections), which may include uplink transmissions and / or downlink transmissions to and / or from the functions or devices shown. For example, UE 115-h and (R)AN 205-c can communicate with each other via communication link 455, which may include uplink transmissions and / or downlink transmissions, and additionally or alternatively, UE 115-i and (R)AN 205-d can communicate with each other via communication link 455, which may include uplink transmissions and / or downlink transmissions. In some cases, the (R)AN 205-c and (R)AN 205-d may communicate with the M-UPF 215-b via a communication link 465, which may be an M-N3 communication link for uplink transmissions and / or downlink transmissions.

[0109] In some cases, the (R)AN 205-c and the AMF 210-a may communicate with each other via a communication link 460, which may be an M-N2 communication link for uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission. The AMF 210-a and the M-SMF 220-a may communicate with each other via a communication link 465, which may be a Namf / Nsmf communication link for uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission. The M-SMF 220-a and the M-UPF 215-b may communicate with each other via a communication link 470, which may be an M-N4 communication link for uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission. The M-UPF 215-b and the data networks 230-d to 230-f may communicate with each other via a communication link 485, which may be an M-N5 communication link for uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission.

[0110] For example, Figure 4Each of the data networks 230-d to 230-f in the example embodiment may support a multicast application that may generate one or more multicast service data streams. For example, the multicast application supported by data network 230-d may generate service data stream 405-a, the multicast application supported by data network 230-e may generate service data stream 405-b, and the multicast application supported by data network 230-f may generate service data stream 405-c. Each service data stream may carry packets for a specific multicast service, such as a streaming video application. In some examples, a service data stream may be identified by a five-tuple template that includes, for example, a source address, a destination address, a source port, a destination port, and a protocol identifier.

[0111] In some cases, each service data stream may have a predetermined QoS. Therefore, each service data stream 405-a to 405-c may be multiplexed into a corresponding QoS stream. For example, service data streams 405-a and 405-b may be multiplexed into QoS 410-a, and service data stream 405-c may be multiplexed into QoS 410-b. In some examples, service data streams 405-a and 405-b may be multiplexed into QoS 410-a because these data streams may be associated with the same type of multicast service (e.g., video stream). After service data stream 405 is multiplexed into corresponding QoS 410, data streams may be forwarded (multiplexed) to corresponding multicast QoS streams 415 at M-UPF 215-b. For example, when a multicast application becomes available at corresponding data network 230, multicast QoS streams 415-a and 415-b may be established at M-UPF 215-b via M-SMF 220-a. In some cases, resources may be allocated when a UE (e.g., UE 115-h and / or UE 115-i) requests access to a multicast application. When UE 115 leaves, multicast QoS flow 415 may not be torn down by (R)AN 205. Instead, the teardown may be performed semi-autonomously or autonomously by M-SMF 220-a.

[0112] return Figure 3, multicast group (e.g., multiple UEs 115) establishment may begin at an M-UPF 215-a, which may deliver the multicast stream to multiple (R)ANs (e.g., (R)AN 205-a and (R)AN 205-b) that are all part of the same multicast group. The M-UPF 215-a may deliver information in the multicast group through UE 115-b to UE 115-g and (R)AN 205-a and (R)AN 205-b according to the Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) while delivering information through a data network 230 (e.g., service and content providers) using protocol independent multicast (PIM), which may be associated with multiple multicast routing protocols of an Internet Protocol network for providing one-to-many and many-to-many distribution of multicast streams.

[0113] refer to Figure 2 In addition or alternatively, the AMF 210 may select a PCF 225 (e.g., based on information provided by the UE 115-a), which may support a unified policy framework to provide policy rules to control plane functions, access subscription information for decision making. For example, the UE 115-a may provide a subscriber permanent identifier, a temporary user identifier (e.g., an identifier of an access management function that previously served the UE 115-a), one or more security parameters, a protocol data unit session state, or any other identifier associated with the UE 115-a requesting registration in the data network 230. The AMF 210 may communicate this information to the PCF 225, which may apply an operator policy for the UE 115-a in the data network 230. After exchanging information between UE 115-a, (R)AN205, AMF 210, M-UPF 215, M-SMF 220, PCF 225 and data network 230, UE115-a can have an established multicast service session with the data network 230, where the multicast service session can support one or more multicast service applications with one or more QoS flows.

[0114] In some cases, UE 115-a may move to a new tracking area within data network 230. In this example, UE 115-a may initiate a mobility registration based on moving to the new tracking area. Data network 230 may track the location of UE 115-a and maintain reachability by registering UE 115-a in the new tracking area. When UE 115-a moves from a source (R)AN (e.g., (R)AN 205) to a target (R)AN (e.g., such as R)AN 206 when moving to a new tracking area, Figure 3205-b shown in Figure 2), several factors may be evaluated when transmitting a multicast service session that may be active for UE 115-a. For example, even if the target (R)AN belongs to the same data network (e.g., data network 230), a scheduled multicast service may be restricted to a specific area. Thus, example factors may include determining whether UE 115-a is in a service area for the multicast service session. Another factor may include determining whether the M-UPF 215 serving the active multicast service session is coupled to the target (R)AN. In addition or alternatively, another factor may include determining whether the target (R)AN already has a UE that is receiving the multicast service session. Furthermore, another factor may include determining whether reliability is required (i.e., whether the multicast service session can tolerate frame loss when switching from a source radio access network (SRAN) to a target RAN).

[0115] The multicast service session may be restricted to a subset of the registration area of ​​the UE 115-a (which may be referred to herein as a multicast service area). The multicast service area may include multiple tracking areas in which the multicast service is available. A tracking area may be an area in which the UE 115-a may roam without changing the coverage area of ​​the AMF 210 and / or the M-SMF 220. As part of the session establishment, multicast service area information (e.g., an indication of the coverage area of ​​the multicast service) may be provided to the UE 115-a and the AMF 210.

[0116] To support multicast service areas, the M-SMF 220 may subscribe to mobility events for UEs including UE 115-a registered in a multicast service session. Additionally or alternatively, when the UE is outside the multicast service area, the M-SMF 220 may ignore or reject a request from the UE to join a multicast service session. In some cases, if the UE 115-a moves out of the multicast service area, the M-SMF 220 may terminate the multicast session to the UE 115-a and notify the M-UPF 215 that the corresponding N3 tunnel to the UE 115-a may be terminated additionally or alternatively.

[0117] When UE 115-a does roam out of the multicast service area, in some cases AMF 210 may perform a handover procedure for UE 115-a (e.g., based on X nhandover process). For example, AMF 210 may include the M-PDU session identifier as well as the M-PDU session in the handover command to the target (R)AN. In some cases, if the target (R)AN is already serving a multicast session, information about the multicast session may be sent to the source (R)AN (e.g., (R)AN 205) and sent by the target (R)AN to UE 115-a, so that UE 115-a can discover the multicast stream from the target (R)AN. Alternatively, AMF 210 may avoid including the M-PDU session identifier as well as the M-PDU session in the handover command to the target (R)AN. In some examples, for example, if the target (R)AN does not support multicast services, it may reject the M-PDU session entirely.

[0118] In some cases, AMF 210 may include an M-PDU session identifier and an M-PDU session in a message to a new AMF associated with a target (R)AN. Each data network (e.g., PLMN) may have an M-UPF associated with it that is connected to a traffic source (e.g., a multicast application). For example, data network 230 is associated with M-UPF 215, which may be referred to as an anchor M-UPF in addition or alternatively. In some cases, M-UPF 215 may change. For example, if UE 115-a moves into a cell that is not served by M-UPF 215, M-UPF 215 may trigger an M-UPF associated with the cell to establish a tunnel between UE 115-a and the (R)AN associated with the cell. M-UPF 215 may then forward traffic associated with the multicast service to a new M-UPF associated with the cell where UE 115-a now resides via an N9 tunnel.

[0119] According to the above technology, the wireless communication system 200 can alleviate the problems associated with the existing wireless communication system by supporting network deployment, which separates transmission from service, specifies transmission using 5G core network functions, and provides multicast services based on service requirements using appropriate 5G core network functions. In addition or alternatively, the technology described herein can improve the reliability and efficiency of the wireless communication system 200. For example, when no UE is available for receiving multicast services, precious resources will be prevented from being wasted by (R) AN. In addition, the UE can be in a connection mode for receiving multicast services, thereby avoiding situations when (R) AN may waste precious resources (e.g., bandwidth, power). When serving a single UE or multiple UEs, the technology described herein can allow (R) AN to switch between unicast and multicast to improve efficiency and reliability. In some cases, the wireless communication system 200 can support retransmission of multicast frames based on confirmation and non-confirmation feedback from the UE. In addition or alternatively, the wireless communication system 200 can support usage-based billing for multicast services.

[0120] In addition or alternatively, the techniques described herein can improve the reliability and efficiency of the wireless communication system 200 by allowing the UE to operate with DRX or enhanced DRX (eDRX) behavior. That is, when multicast traffic is scheduled, the UE may be able to switch to idle mode and wake up for paging. To support this feature, each multicast session may have its own DRX cycle. This may allow each multicast session DRX cycle to adapt to the latency requirements of the multicast session. Therefore, according to the techniques described herein, the wireless communication system 200 can support multicast services in new radio network deployments by enabling multicast transmission in the 5G core network, RAN to UE communications (e.g., handling reception of multicast services in idle mode, reliability of reception, enabling retransmissions), security of multicast services (e.g., encryption of multicast data services), and power saving features of the UE (e.g., DRX of UE receiving multicast services).

[0121] Figure 5A and Figure 5B An example of a process flow 500 for supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the process flow 500 can implement aspects of wireless communication systems 100 to 400. For example, UE 115-j, (R)AN 205-e, AMF 210-b, M-UPF 215-c, M-SMF 220-b, PCF 225-a, unified data management (UDM) 505, and data network 230-g can be reference UEs 115-j, ... Figures 1 to 4 Examples of corresponding functions and devices are described.

[0122] In the following description of process flow 500, operations between UE 115-j, (R)AN 205-e, AMF 210-b, M-UPF 215-c, M-SMF 220-b, PCF 225-a, UDM 505, and data network 230-g may be sent in an order different from the exemplary order shown, or operations performed by UE 115-j, (R)AN 205-e, AMF210-b, M-UPF 215-c, M-SMF 220-b, PCF 225-a, UDM 505, and data network 230-g may be performed in a different order or at a different time. In addition or alternatively, predetermined operations may be omitted from process flow 500, or other operations may be added to process flow 500.

[0123] refer to Figure 5A , at 510, the UE 115-j sends a registration and service request to the (R)AN 205-e, which may share information provided in the request with the AMF 210-b. For example, the UE 115-j may register with the (R)AN 205-e indicating multicast capabilities. In addition or alternatively, the UE 115-j may request a network slice that supports the multicast service that the UE 115-j wants to obtain. At 515, the UE 115-j may perform multicast service discovery. For example, the UE 115-j may discover the multicast service requested via a service advertisement server in the data network 230-g coupled thereto.

[0124] At 520, UE 115-j may send an M-PDU session establishment request to AMF 210-b. For example, UE 115-j may request to join a specific M-PDU session, which may be identified based on an M-PDU session identifier (e.g., provided by UE 115-j). At 525, AMF 210-b may select M-SMF 220-b. For example, AMF 210-b may select M-SMF 220-b using the M-PDU session identifier provided by UE 115-j. At 530-a, AMF 210-b may send a message (e.g., Namf_PDUSession_CreateSMContextRequest) to M-SMF 220-b requesting UE 115-j to join the identified M-PDU session.

[0125] At 535, the M-SMF 220-b may retrieve registration information and subscription information associated with the UE 115-j and determine whether the UE 115-j may join the identified M-PDU session provided by the data network 230-g. Based on the determination, at 530-b, the M-SMF 220-b may send a response message (e.g., Namf_PDUSession_CreateSMContextResponse) to the AMF 210-b indicating that the UE 115-j is allowed to join the identified M-PDU session.

[0126] At 540, the UE 115-j may perform secondary authentication with the data network 230-g. For example, once the UE 115-j is determined to be able to join the identified M-PDU session, secondary authentication between the UE 115-j and the data network 230-g may be performed. At 545, the M-SMF 220-b may select the PCF 225-a, which may support a unified policy framework, thereby providing policy rules to control plane functions, access to subscription information for decision making. At 550, the M-SMF 220-b may perform session management policy establishment or session management function initiated session management policy association modification.

[0127] In some cases, there may be multiple types of user plane functions for a multicast session. An example type may include an anchor M-UPF, which may be pre-selected during configuration of a multicast application for a data network 230-g (e.g., a PLMN) or when a UE 115-j is established for a multicast service area. Another example type may include a secondary M-UPF, which may be used if the anchor M-UPF is unable to serve the (R)AN to which the UE 115-j is coupled. Figure 5B At 555, the M-SMF 220-b may select an appropriate M-UPF 215-c. At 560, the M-SMF 220-b may perform SMF-initiated session management policy modification.

[0128] At 565-a, the M-SMF 220-b may send an N4 request to the M-UPF 215-c, which may create or modify an N4 session for the M-UPF 215-c (or secondary multicast user plane function) toward the UE 115-j that has joined the multicast service area. The M-UPF 215-c may create a charging record for the UE 115-j based on the information received from the M-SMF 220-b. In some cases, an N4 session may be established for the multicast protocol data unit session identifier of the M-UPF 215-c. In some examples, more than one UE (e.g., in addition to the UE 115-j) may be attached to the N4 session. At 565-b, the M-UPF 215-c may send an N4 response to the M-SMF 220-b.

[0129] When a UE 115-j from a (R)AN 205-e establishes an M-PDU session for a multicast service session, the following operations may be performed. The (R)AN 205-e may be notified of the air link resources and the core network tunnel to be created to the M-UPF 215-c. For example, at 570-a, the M-SMF 220-b may send a message (e.g., Namf_communication_N1N2MessageTransfer) to the AMF 210-b, which may receive the message at 570-b and send a reply message (e.g., Namf_communication_N1N2MessageTransfer Accept) to the M-SMF 220-b. At 575-a, the AMF 210-b may send an N2 protocol data unit session request to the (R)AN 205-e. At 580, a PDU Session Establishment Accept may be exchanged between the UE 115-j, the (R)AN 205-e, and the AMF 210-b. At 575-b, the (R)AN 205-e may send an N2 Protocol Data Unit Session Response to the AMF 210-b.

[0130] Figure 6 An example of a process flow 600 for supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The process flow 600 can support handover without changing the multicast user plane functionality. In some examples, the process flow 600 can implement aspects of wireless communication systems 100 to 400. For example, the UE 115-k, the source (R)AN 205-f, the target (R)AN 205-g, the AMF 210-c, the M-SMF 220-c, and the M-UPF 215-d can be reference Figures 1 to 4 Examples of corresponding functions and devices are described.

[0131] In the following description of process flow 600, operations between UE 115-k, source (R) AN 205-f, target (R) AN 205-g, AMF 210-c, M-SMF 220-c, and M-UPF 215-d may be sent in an order different from the exemplary order shown, or operations performed by UE 115-k, source (R) AN 205-f, target (R) AN 205-g, AMF 210-c, M-SMF 220-c, and M-UPF 215-d may be performed in a different order or at a different time. In addition or alternatively, predetermined operations may be omitted from process flow 600, or other operations may be added to process flow 600.

[0132] At 605, the UE 115-k, the source (R)AN 205-f, and the target (R)AN 205-g may perform handover preparation. The handover preparation may include identifying the target (R)AN 205-g based on evaluating one or more factors for transmitting a multicast service session that may be active for the UE 115-k. For example, even if the target (R)AN 205-g belongs to the same data network, the scheduled multicast service may be restricted to a specific area. Thus, an example factor may include determining whether the UE 115-k is in the service area of ​​the multicast service session. In addition or alternatively, another factor may include determining whether the target (R)AN 205-g already has a UE that is receiving the multicast service session. In addition, another factor may include determining whether reliability is required (i.e., whether the multicast service session can tolerate frame loss when switching from the source (R)AN 205-f to the target (R)AN 205-g).

[0133] At 610, the target (R)AN 205-g may send a path switch request (e.g., N2 path switch request) to the AMF 210-c. The path switch request may include all PDU sessions and M-PDU sessions that may be transmitted to the target (R)AN 205-g. At 615, the AMF 210-c may forward information associated with the target (R)AN 205-g (e.g., an identifier of the target (R)AN 205-g) and all PDU session and M-PDU session information in a message (e.g., Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContextRequest) to the M-SMF 220-c.

[0134] At 620, the M-SMF 220-c may send a message to the M-UPF 215-d to update the tunnel to establish the target (R)AN 205-g and terminate the tunnel to the source (R)AN 205-f. For example, for an M-PDU session, the M-SMF 220-c may update the M-UPF 215-d of the target (R)AN 205-g. That is, if there is a core network tunnel serving the multicast service area of ​​the target (R)AN 205-g, the M-SMF 220-c may update the UE 115-k information with the new core network tunnel information. Alternatively, if the new core network tunnel targets the (R)AN 205-g, the M-UPF 215-d establishes a new tunnel to the target (R)AN 205-g and starts sending multicast frames to the target (R)AN 205-g.

[0135] At 625, the M-UPF 215-d may send a reply message to the M-SMF 220-c. For example, when there are no more UEs for the multicast service session at the source (R)AN 205-f, the M-UPF 215-d may terminate the core network tunnel for the multicast service session and send a dependency message to the M-SMF 220-c, indicating the termination of the old core network tunnel and the establishment of the new core network tunnel. At 630, the M-UPF 215-d may provide an N3 end marker to the source (R)AN 205-f, indicating the termination of the previously established core network tunnel. At 635, the M-UPF 215-d may send downlink multicast data (e.g., frames) to the target (R)AN 205-g, and at 640, the target (R)AN 205-g may forward the downlink multicast data to the UE 115-k.

[0136] At 645, the M-SMF 220-c may provide the AMF 210-c with information of the transmitted PDU and the M-PDU session in a message (e.g., Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContextResponse). At 650, the AMF 210-c may send a message (e.g., N2 Path Switch Request Confirmation) to the target (R)AN 205-g. At 655, the AMF 210-c may release resources allocated to the source (R)AN 205-f. At 660, the registration process may be completed between the UE 115-k, the source (R)AN 205-f, the target (R)AN 205-g, and the AMF 210-c.

[0137] Fig. 7A and Figure 7BAn example of a process flow 700 for supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In some examples, the process flow 700 can implement aspects of wireless communication systems 100 to 400. For example, the UE 115-1, the source (R) AN 205-h, the target (R) AN 205-i, the AMF 210-d, the M-UPF 215-e, the anchor M-UPF 215-f, and the M-SMF 220-d can be reference Figures 1 to 4 Examples of corresponding functions and devices are described.

[0138] In the following description of process flow 700, operations between UE 115-1, source (R) AN 205-h, target (R) AN 205-i, AMF 210-d, M-UPF 215-e, anchor M-UPF 215-f, and M-SMF 220-d may be sent in an order different from the exemplary order shown, or operations performed by UE 115-1, source (R) AN 205-h, target (R) AN 205-i, AMF 210-d, M-UPF 215-e, anchor M-UPF 215-f, and M-SMF 220-d may be performed in a different order or at a different time. In addition or alternatively, predetermined operations may be omitted from process flow 700, or other operations may be added to process flow 700.

[0139] refer to Fig. 7A , at 705, UE 115-1, source (R) AN 205-h, and target (R) AN 205-i may perform handover preparation. Handover preparation may include identifying a target (R) AN 205-i based on evaluating one or more factors for transmitting a multicast service session that may be active for UE 115-1. For example, even if the target (R) AN 205-i belongs to the same data network, a scheduled multicast service may be restricted to a specific area. Thus, an example factor may include determining whether UE 115-k is in a service area for the multicast service session. Additionally or alternatively, another factor may include determining whether the target (R) AN 205-i already has a UE that is receiving the multicast service session. Furthermore, another factor may include determining whether reliability is required (i.e., whether the multicast service session can tolerate frame loss when switching from the source (R) AN 205-h to the target (R) AN 205-i).

[0140] At 710, the target (R)AN 205-i may send a path switch request (e.g., N2 path switch request) to the AMF 210-d. The path switch request may include all PDU sessions and M-PDU sessions that may be transmitted to the target (R)AN 205-i. At 715, the AMF 210-d may forward information associated with the target (R)AN 205-i (e.g., an identifier of the target (R)AN 205-i) and all PDU session and M-PDU session information in a message (e.g., Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContextRequest) to the M-SMF 220-d. In some cases, the M-SMF 220-d may determine that an intermediate M-UPF is required to serve the target (R)AN 205-i. At 720, since an intermediate M-UPF is required to serve the target (R)AN 205-i, the M-SMF 220-d may select the M-UPF 215-e.

[0141] At 725, if the M-SMF 220-d does not have an N4 connection to the M-UPF 215-e for the multicast service session, the M-SMF 220-d may send an N4 session establishment request to the M-UPF 215-e. At 730, the M-UPF 215-e may send an N4 session establishment response to the M-SMF 220-d. The M-SMF 220-d may update the UE state at the anchor M-UPF 215-f and provide information associated with the M-UPF 215-e to the anchor M-UPF 215-f. For example, at 735, the M-SMF 220-d may send an N4 session modification request to the anchor M-UPF 215-f, indicating that the M-UPF 215-e may be used to route the multicast service to the (R)AN 205-i. At 740, the anchor M-UPF 215-f may send an N4 session modification response to the M-SMF 220-d.

[0142] refer to Figure 7B At 745, the anchor M-UPF 215-f may send the downlink multicast data (e.g., M-PDU session frames) to the M-UPF 215-e. At 750, the M-UPF 215-e may send the downlink multicast data to the target (R)AN 205-i. At 755, the target (R)AN 205-i may send the downlink multicast data to the UE 115-1.

[0143] At 760, the M-SMF 220-d may provide the information of the transmitted PDU and M-PDU session to the AMF 210-d in a message (e.g., Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContextResponse). At 765, the AMF 210-d may send a message (e.g., N2 Path Switch Request Confirmation) to the target (R)AN 205-i.

[0144] At 770, the UE 115-1 may send uplink data to the target (R)AN 205-i. At 775, the target (R)AN 205-i may forward the uplink data to the M-UPF 215-e. At 780, the M-UPF 215-e may forward the uplink data to the anchor M-UPF 215-f. At 785, the AMF 210-d may release resources allocated to the source (R)AN 205-h. At 790, the registration process may be completed between the UE 115-1, the source (R)AN 205-h, the target (R)AN 205-i, and the AMF 210-d.

[0145] Figure 8 A block diagram 800 of a device 805 supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 805 may be an example of aspects of a UE 115 as described herein. The device 805 may include a receiver 810, a UE communication manager 815, and a transmitter 820. Additionally or alternatively, the device 805 may include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0146] The receiver 810 may receive information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to multicast idle mode behavior and paging, etc.), such as packets, user data, or control information. The information may be delivered to other components of the device 805. The receiver 810 may be a reference Fig.10 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1020 are described. The receiver 810 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0147] The UE communication manager 815 may send a request to establish a multicast session, the request identifying the multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow; receive, from a base station in wireless communication with the device 805, an indication of one or more of activation of at least one multicast quality of service flow or communication resources for use by the device 805 to receive multicast packets for the multicast service session from a content provider via a tunnel between a first network node and the base station, the tunnel established for the multicast service session in response to the sent request from the device 805 based on identifying that the multicast service session lacks an existing tunnel between the first network node and the base station; receive information (e.g., related thereto) of at least one multicast quality of service flow, the multicast packets carrying downlink data from the base station according to the indicated communication resources and the identified DRX cycle; and identify the DRX cycle for the multicast service session. The UE communication manager 815 may be an example of aspects of the UE communication manager 1015 described herein.

[0148] The communication manager 815 or its subcomponents may be implemented in hardware, code executed by a processor (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the UE communication manager 815 or its subcomponents may be performed by a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designated to perform the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0149] The UE communication manager 815 or its subcomponents may be physically located at various locations, including being distributed so that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, according to various aspects of the present disclosure, the UE communication manager 815 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components. In some examples, the UE communication manager 815 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to input / output (I / O) components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or combinations thereof according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0150] The transmitter 820 can transmit signals generated by other components of the device 805. In some examples, the transmitter 820 can be co-located with the receiver 810 in the transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 820 can be a reference Fig.10 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1020 are described. The transmitter 820 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0151] Fig. 9A block diagram 900 of a device 905 supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 905 may be an example of aspects of the device 805 or UE 115 as described herein. The device 905 may include a receiver 910, a UE communication manager 915, and a transmitter 935. Additionally or alternatively, the device 905 may include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0152] The receiver 910 may receive information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to multicast idle mode behavior and paging, etc.), such as packets, user data, or control information. The information may be delivered to other components of the device 905. The receiver 910 may be a reference Fig.10 An example of an aspect of the transceiver 1020 described herein. The receiver 910 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas. The receiver 910 may receive, from a base station in wireless communication with the device 905, an indication of activation of at least one multicast quality of service flow or one or more of communication resources for use by the device 905 to receive multicast packets for a multicast service session from a content provider via a tunnel between a first network node and the base station, the tunnel being established for the multicast service session in response to a request sent from the device 905 based on identifying that the multicast service session lacks an existing tunnel between the first network node and the base station. The receiver 910 may receive information of at least one multicast quality of service flow, the multicast packets carrying downlink data from the base station according to the indicated communication resources and the identified DRX cycle.

[0153] The UE communication manager 915 can be an example of aspects of the UE communication manager 815 described herein. The UE communication manager 915 can include a multicast component 920 and a state component 925. The UE communication manager 915 can be an example of aspects of the UE communication manager 1015 described herein. The multicast component 920 can identify a DRX cycle for a multicast service session. The state component 925 can switch between a sleep state and an awake state to receive information of at least one multicast service quality flow, and the multicast packet carries downlink data from the base station according to the identified DRX cycle. In some examples, the state component 925 can switch between the sleep state and the awake state according to a second DRX cycle to enable the device 905 to receive multicast packets for a second multicast service session. In some examples, the state component 925 can switch between the sleep state and the awake state according to the second DRX cycle to enable the device 905 to receive unicast transmissions from the base station.

[0154] The transmitter 935 can transmit signals generated by other components of the device 905. In some examples, the transmitter 935 can be co-located with the receiver 910 in the transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 935 can be a reference Fig.10 An example of aspects of the transceiver 1020 is described. The transmitter 935 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas. The transmitter 935 may send a request to establish a multicast session, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow.

[0155] Fig.10 A block diagram of a system 1000 including a device 1005 supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 1005 may be an example of or include components of a device 805, a device 905, or a UE 115 as described herein. The device 1005 may include components for two-way voice and data communications, including components for sending and receiving communications, including an I / O controller 1010, a UE communication manager 1015, a transceiver 1020, an antenna 1025, a memory 1030, and a processor 1040. These components may be coupled via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1045).

[0156] I / O controller 1010 can manage input and output signals for device 1005. Additionally or alternatively, I / O controller 1010 can also manage peripheral devices that are not integrated into device 1005. In some cases, I / O controller 1010 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some cases, I / O controller 1010 can utilize a variety of communication protocols such as TCP / IP or HTTP. 1005. In some cases, the I / O controller 1010 may represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, or similar device. In some cases, the I / O controller 1010 may be implemented as part of a processor. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 1005 via the I / O controller 1010 or via hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 1010.

[0157] The UE communication manager 1015 can send a request to establish a multicast session, which identifies a multicast service session including at least one multicast service quality flow; receive an indication of activation of at least one multicast service quality flow or one or more of communication resources for device 1005 to use to receive multicast packets for the multicast service session from a content provider via a tunnel between a first network node and the base station from a base station in wireless communication with the device 1005, the tunnel being established for the multicast service session in response to the request sent from the device 1005 based on identifying that the multicast service session lacks an existing tunnel between the first network node and the base station; receive information of at least one multicast service quality flow, which multicast packets carry downlink data from the base station according to the indicated communication resources and the identified DRX cycle; and identify the DRX cycle of the multicast service session.

[0158] The transceiver 1020 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links as described above. For example, the transceiver 1020 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. In addition or alternatively, the transceiver 1020 can include a modem to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to an antenna for transmission, and demodulate packets received from the antenna. In some cases, the device 2005 may include a single antenna 1025. However, in some cases, the device may have more than one antenna 1025, which may be able to send or receive multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously.

[0159] Memory 1030 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). Memory 1030 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 1035 including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, memory 1030 may contain, among other things, a basic input / output system (BIOS), which may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0160] Processor 1040 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, DSP, CPU, microcontroller, ASIC, FPGA, programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1040 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1040. Processor 1040 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 1030) to enable device 1005 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging). Code 1035 may include instructions for implementing aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communications. Code 1035 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a system memory or other type of memory. In some cases, code 1035 may not be directly executed by processor 1040, but may enable a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0161] Fig.11 A block diagram 1100 of a device 1105 supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 1105 may be an example of aspects of a network entity as described herein. The device 1105 may include a receiver 1110, a network communication manager 1115, and a transmitter 1120. Additionally or alternatively, the device 1105 may include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0162] The receiver 1110 may receive information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to multicast idle mode behavior and paging, etc.), such as packets, user data, or control information. The information may be delivered to other components of the device 1105. The receiver 1110 may be a reference Fig.14 Examples of aspects of transceiver 1420 are described. Receiver 1110 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0163] The network communications manager 1115 may receive a request to establish a multicast session for a UE via a base station in wireless communication with the UE, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow; identifying that the multicast service session lacks a tunnel from a second network node to the base station via which multicast packets for the multicast service session are transmitted from a content provider to the UE; and in response to the received request from the UE, establish a tunnel between the second network node and the base station. The network communications manager 1115 may be an example of aspects of the network communications manager 1415 described herein.

[0164] The network communication manager 1115 or its subcomponents may be implemented in hardware, in code executed by a processor (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the network communication manager 1115 or its subcomponents may be performed by a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0165] The network communications manager 1115 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, the network communications manager 1115 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the network communications manager 1115 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to input / output (I / O) components, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or combinations thereof in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0166] Transmitter 1120 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 1105. In some examples, transmitter 1120 can be co-located with receiver 1110 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 1120 can be a reference Fig.14 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1420 are described. The transmitter 1120 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0167] Fig.12 A block diagram 1200 of a device 1205 supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 1205 may be an example of aspects of the device 1105 or a network entity (e.g., M-SMF, AMF, M-UPF, RAN, etc.) as described herein. The device 1205 may include a receiver 1210, a network communication manager 1215, and a transmitter 1230. Additionally or alternatively, the device 1205 may include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0168] The receiver 1210 may receive information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to multicast idle mode behavior and paging, etc.), such as packets, user data, or control information. The information may be delivered to other components of the device 1205. The receiver 1210 may be a reference Fig.14 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1420 are described. The receiver 1210 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0169] Receiver 1210 may receive a request to establish a multicast session for a UE via a base station in wireless communication with the UE, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast service quality flow. In some examples, receiver 1210 may receive an indicator of a handover of the UE from a base station in wireless communication with the UE to a target base station.

[0170] The network communications manager 1215 can be an example of aspects of the network communications manager 1115 as described herein. The network communications manager 1215 can include a multicast component 1220 and a tunnel component 1225. The network communications manager 1215 can be an example of aspects of the network communications manager 1415 as described herein.

[0171] Multicast component 1220 can identify that the multicast service session lacks a tunnel from the second network node to the base station via which to transmit multicast packets of the multicast service session from the content provider to the UE. Tunnel component 1225 can establish a tunnel between the second network node and the base station in response to the received request from the UE.

[0172] Transmitter 1230 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 1205. In some examples, transmitter 1230 can be co-located with receiver 1210 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 1230 can be a reference Fig.14 An example of an aspect of the transceiver 1420 described. The transmitter 1230 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas. The transmitter 1230 may send a request from the device 1105 (first network node) to the second network node for the second network node to establish a tunnel between the second network node and the base station.

[0173] Fig.13 A block diagram 1300 of a network communication manager 1315 supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The network communication manager 1315 can be an example of aspects of the network communication manager 1115, the network communication manager 1215, or the network communication manager 1415 described herein. The network communication manager 1315 can include a multicast component 1320, a tunnel component 1325, an identifier component 1330, a context component 1335, and a service area component 1340. Each of these modules can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0174] Multicast component 1320 can identify that the multicast service session lacks a tunnel from the second network node to the base station via which multicast packets for the multicast service session are transmitted from the content provider to the UE. Tunnel component 1325 can establish a tunnel between the second network node and the base station in response to the received request from the UE.

[0175] The identifier component 1330 may generate an identifier for the multicast service session, wherein the request to identify the multicast service session includes an identifier generated by the first network node. Additionally or alternatively, the request to identify the multicast service session includes a quality of service stream identifier. In some examples, the quality of service stream identifier is unique within a service area. In some examples, the identifier component 1330 may combine the multicast stream identifier generated by the M-SMF with the M-SMF identifier of the first network node to generate an identifier for the multicast service session.

[0176] The context component 1335 can modify the context of the multicast session for the UE in response to the received indicator. The service area component 1340 can identify that the target base station is outside the multicast service area of ​​the multicast service session, wherein modifying the context includes rejecting the request to register the UE in the multicast session and tearing down the multicast session of the UE. In some examples, identifying that the target base station is within the multicast service area of ​​the multicast service session, wherein modifying the context includes registering the UE in the multicast session.

[0177] Fig.14 A block diagram of a system 1400 including a device 1405 supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 1405 may be an example of or include components of a device 1105, a device 1205, or a network entity as described herein. The device 1405 may include components for two-way voice and data communications, including components for sending and receiving communications, including an I / O controller 1410, a network communication manager 1415, a transceiver 1420, an antenna 1425, a memory 1430, and a processor 1435. These components may be coupled via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1445).

[0178] I / O controller 1410 can manage input and output signals for device 1405. In addition or alternatively, I / O controller 1410 can also manage peripheral devices that are not integrated into device 1405. In some cases, I / O controller 1410 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some cases, I / O controller 1410 can utilize a computer such as a 1405. In some cases, the I / O controller 1410 may represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, or similar device. In some cases, the I / O controller 1410 may be implemented as part of a processor. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 1405 via the I / O controller 1410 or via hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 1410.

[0179] The network communication manager 1415 can receive a request to establish a multicast session for a UE via a base station that wirelessly communicates with the UE, the request identifying a multicast service session that includes at least one multicast service quality flow; identifying that the multicast service session lacks a tunnel from a second network node to the base station via which multicast packets of the multicast service session are transmitted from a content provider to the UE; and establishing a tunnel between the second network node and the base station in response to the received request from the UE.

[0180] The transceiver 1420 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links as described above. For example, the transceiver 1420 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. In addition or alternatively, the transceiver 1420 can include a modem to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and demodulate the packets received from the antenna. In some cases, the device 1405 may include a single antenna 1425. However, in some cases, the device 1405 may have more than one antenna 1425, which may be able to send or receive multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously.

[0181] Memory 1430 may include RAM and ROM. Memory 1430 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 1440 including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform various functions described herein. In some cases, memory 1430 may contain, among other things, a BIOS that may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0182] Processor 1435 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, DSP, CPU, microcontroller, ASIC, FPGA, programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1435 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1435. Processor 1435 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 1430) to enable device 1405 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks that support multicast idle mode behavior and paging). Code 1440 may include instructions for implementing aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communications. Code 1440 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a system memory or other type of memory. In some cases, code 1440 may not be directly executed by processor 1435, but may enable a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0183] Fig.151500 is a flow chart of a method 1500 for supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1500 may be implemented by a UE 115 or a component thereof as described herein. For example, the method 1500 may be implemented by a UE 115 or a component thereof as described herein. Figures 8 to 10 The described UE communication manager performs the operations of method 1500. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0184] At 1505, the UE may send a request to establish a multicast session, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow. The operation of 1505 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the reference Figures 8 to 10 Aspects of the operations of transmitter execution 1505 are described.

[0185] At 1510, the UE may receive, from a base station in wireless communication with the UE, an indication of one or more of activation of at least one multicast service quality flow or communication resources for use by the UE to receive multicast packets for a multicast service session from a content provider via a tunnel between a first network node and the base station, the tunnel established for the multicast service session in response to a request sent from the UE based on identifying that the multicast service session lacks an existing tunnel between the first network node and the base station. The operations of 1510 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, the operations of 1510 may be performed by reference to Figures 8 to 10 Aspects of the operations of receiver performance 1510 are described.

[0186] At 1515, the UE may identify a DRX cycle for the multicast service session. The operations of 1515 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the DRX cycle may be determined by reference to Figures 8 to 10 Aspects of the operations of the multicast component performing 1515 are described.

[0187] At 1520, the UE may receive information of at least one multicast quality of service flow, the multicast packet carrying downlink data from the base station according to the indicated communication resources and the identified DRX cycle. The operation of 1520 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the reference Figures 8 to 10 Aspects of the operations of receiver performance 1520 are described.

[0188] Fig.16 1600 is a flow chart of a method 1600 for supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1600 may be implemented by a UE 115 or a component thereof as described herein. For example, the method 1600 may be implemented by a UE 115 or a component thereof as described herein. Figures 8 to 10The described UE communication manager performs the operations of method 1600. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0189] At 1605, the UE may send a request to establish a multicast session, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow. The operation of 1605 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the reference Figures 8 to 10 Aspects of the operations of transmitter execution 1605 are described.

[0190] At 1610, the UE may receive, from a base station in wireless communication with the UE, an indication of one or more of activation of at least one multicast service quality flow or communication resources for use by the UE to receive multicast packets for a multicast service session from a content provider via a tunnel between a first network node and the base station, the tunnel established for the multicast service session in response to a request sent from the UE based on identifying that the multicast service session lacks an existing tunnel between the first network node and the base station. The operations of 1610 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, the operations of 1610 may be performed by reference to Figures 8 to 10 Aspects of the operations of receiver performance 1610 are described.

[0191] At 1615, the UE may identify a DRX cycle for the multicast service session. The operations of 1615 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the DRX cycle may be determined by reference to Figures 8 to 10 Aspects of the operations of the multicast component execution 1615 are described.

[0192] At 1620, the UE may transition between a sleep state and an awake state to receive information of at least one multicast quality of service flow, the multicast packet carrying downlink data from the base station according to the identified DRX cycle. The operation of 1620 may be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, the reference Figures 8 to 10 Aspects of the operations of the described state component execution 1620.

[0193] At 1625, the UE may receive information of at least one multicast quality of service flow, the multicast packet carrying downlink data from the base station according to the indicated communication resources and the identified DRX cycle. The operation of 1625 may be performed according to the method described herein. In some examples, the reference Figures 8 to 10 Aspects of the operations of receiver performance 1625 are described.

[0194] Fig.171700 is a flowchart of a method 1700 for supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1700 may be implemented by a network entity or a component thereof as described herein. For example, the method 1700 may be implemented by a network entity or a component thereof as described herein. Figures 11 to 14 The described network communication manager performs the operations of method 1700. In some examples, the network entity may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the network entity to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the network entity may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0195] At 1705, a network entity may receive a request to establish a multicast session for a UE via a base station in wireless communication with the UE, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow. The operation of 1705 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the reference Figures 11 to 14 Aspects of the operations of receiver performance 1705 are described.

[0196] At 1710, the network entity may identify that the multicast service session lacks a tunnel from the second network node to the base station via which multicast packets for the multicast service session are transmitted from the content provider to the UE. In some examples, the network entity may be the first network node. The operations of 1710 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the operations of 1710 may be performed by reference to Figures 11 to 14 Aspects of the operations of the multicast component 1710 are described.

[0197] At 1715, the network entity may establish a tunnel between the second network node and the base station in response to the received request from the UE. The operations of 1715 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the reference Figures 11 to 14 Aspects of the operations of tunnel component execution 1715 are described.

[0198] Fig.18 1800 is a flowchart of a method 1800 for supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1800 may be implemented by a network entity or a component thereof as described herein. For example, the method 1800 may be implemented by a network entity or a component thereof as described herein. Figures 11 to 14 The described network communication manager performs the operations of method 1800. In some examples, the network entity may execute an instruction set to control the functional elements of the network entity to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the network entity may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0199] At 1805, a network entity may receive a request to establish a multicast session for a UE via a base station in wireless communication with the UE, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow. The operation of 1805 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the reference Figures 11 to 14 Aspects of the operations of receiver performance 1805 are described.

[0200] At 1810, the network entity may generate an identifier for the multicast service session, wherein the request to identify the multicast service session includes the identifier generated by the first network node. Additionally or alternatively, the request to identify the multicast service session includes a quality of service flow identifier. In some examples, the quality of service flow identifier is unique within the service area. The operations of 1810 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the request to identify the multicast service session may be performed by a reference node. Figures 11 to 14 The described identifier component performs aspects of the operations of 1810.

[0201] At 1815, the network entity may combine the multicast stream identifier generated by the multicast session management function (M-SMF) with the M-SMF identifier of the first network node to generate an identifier of the multicast service session. The operations of 1815 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the multicast stream identifier may be generated by the reference Figures 11 to 14 Aspects of the operations of the identifier component 1815 are described.

[0202] At 1820, the network entity may identify that the multicast service session lacks a tunnel from the second network node to the base station via which multicast packets for the multicast service session are transmitted from the content provider to the UE. The operations of 1820 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the multicast service session may be performed by reference to Figures 11 to 14 Aspects of the operations of the multicast component execution 1820 are described.

[0203] At 1825, the network entity may establish a tunnel between the second network node and the base station in response to the received request from the UE. The operations of 1825 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the reference Figures 11 to 14 Aspects of the operations of tunnel component 1825 are described.

[0204] Fig.19 1900 is a flowchart of a method 1900 for supporting multicast idle mode behavior and paging according to aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1900 may be implemented by a network entity or a component thereof as described herein. For example, the method 1900 may be implemented by a network entity or a component thereof as described herein. Figures 11 to 14The described network communication manager performs the operations of method 1900. In some examples, the network entity may execute an instruction set to control the functional elements of the network entity to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the network entity may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0205] At 1905, a network entity may receive a request to establish a multicast session for a UE via a base station in wireless communication with the UE, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow. The operation of 1905 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the reference Figures 11 to 14 Aspects of the operations of receiver performance 1905 are described.

[0206] At 1910, the network entity may identify that the multicast service session lacks a tunnel from the second network node to the base station via which multicast packets for the multicast service session are transmitted from the content provider to the UE. In some examples, the network entity may be the first network node. The operations of 1910 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the operations of 1910 may be performed by reference to Figures 11 to 14 Aspects of the operations of the described multicast component execution 1910.

[0207] At 1915, the network entity may establish a tunnel between the second network node and the base station in response to the received request from the UE. The operations of 1915 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the reference Figures 11 to 14 Aspects of the operations of tunnel component execution 1915 are described.

[0208] At 1920, the network entity may receive an indicator of a handover of the UE from a base station in wireless communication with the UE to a target base station. The operations of 1920 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the reference Figures 11 to 14 Aspects of the operations of receiver performance 1920 are described.

[0209] At 1925, the network entity may modify the context of the multicast session for the UE in response to the received indicator. The operations of 1925 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the context of the multicast session may be modified by reference to Figures 11 to 14 Aspects of the operations of the described context component execution 1925.

[0210] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible examples, and that the operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified, and other examples are possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

[0211] The technology described herein can be used in various wireless communication systems, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) and other systems. CDMA systems can implement radio technologies such as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), etc. CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 versions can be generally referred to as CDMA2000 1X, 1X, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) is generally referred to as CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, high rate packet data (HRPD), etc. UTRA includes broadband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. TDMA systems can implement radio technologies such as global system for mobile communications (GSM).

[0212] OFDMA systems can implement radio technologies such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are parts of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). LTE, LTE-A, and LTE-A Pro are versions of UMTS using E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-APro, NR, and GSM are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). The technology described herein can be used for the systems and radio technologies mentioned herein as well as other systems and radio technologies. Although aspects of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-APro, or NR systems may be described for example purposes, and LTE, LTE-A, LTE-APro, or NR terminology may be used in many descriptions, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE, LTE-A, LTE-APro, or NR applications.

[0213] A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access by a UE through a service subscription with a network provider. A small cell may be associated with a lower power base station compared to a macro cell, and the small cell may operate in the same or different frequency bands (e.g., authorized, unauthorized, etc.) as the macro cell. According to various examples, a small cell may include a pico cell, a femto cell, and a micro cell. For example, a pico cell may cover a smaller geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by a UE through a service subscription with a network provider. In addition or alternatively, a femto cell may cover a smaller geographic area (e.g., a home) and may provide restricted access by a UE associated with the femto cell (e.g., a UE in a closed subscriber group (CSG), a UE of a home user, etc.). An eNB for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro eNB. An eNB for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell eNB, a pico eNB, a femto eNB, or a home eNB. An eNB may support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells and may additionally or alternatively support communications using one or more component carriers.

[0214] The wireless communication system or systems described herein may support synchronous operation or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the base stations may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations may be roughly aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the base stations may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations may not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be used for synchronous operation or asynchronous operation.

[0215] The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different processes and technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the specification may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0216] The various illustrative blocks and modules described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. Additionally or alternatively, a processor may be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such example).

[0217] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on or transmitted via a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Other examples are within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein may be implemented with a processor, hardware, firmware, hard coding, or a combination of any of these. Additionally or alternatively, the features that implement the functions may be physically located in different locations, including distributed, so that portions of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0218] Computer-readable media include non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, and the communication media include any media that is convenient for transmitting a computer program from one place to another.Non-transitory storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general-purpose computer or a special-purpose computer.As an example and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage devices, disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or can be used to carry or store required program code components and any other non-transitory media that can be accessed by a general-purpose computer or a special-purpose computer or a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor in the form of instructions or data structures.In addition, any connection is appropriately referred to as non-transitory computer-readable media.For example, if a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio and microwaves are used to transmit software from a website, server or other remote source, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio and microwaves are included in the definition of medium. Disks and optical disks as used herein include CDs, laser discs, optical disks, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical disks reproduce data optically with lasers. Additionally or alternatively, combinations of the above are included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0219] As used herein, including in the claims, "or" used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items beginning with a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list, so that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). In addition, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be interpreted as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary step described as "based on condition A" can be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase "based at least in part on."

[0220] In the drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference number. In addition, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference number with a dash and a second reference number that distinguishes the similar components. If only the first reference number is used in the specification, the description applies to any of the similar components having the same first reference number, regardless of the second reference number or other subsequent reference numbers.

[0221] The descriptions set forth herein in conjunction with the accompanying drawings describe examples and do not represent all examples that may be implemented or within the scope of the claims. The term "exemplary" as used herein means "used as an example, instance, or illustration," rather than "preferred" or "superior to other examples." To provide an understanding of the described techniques, this detailed description includes specific details. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0222] The description herein is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate various modifications, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication at a user equipment UE, comprising: Sending a request to establish a multicast session, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow; receiving, from a base station in wireless communication with the UE, an indication of one or more of activation of the at least one multicast service quality flow or communications resources for use by the UE to receive multicast packets for the multicast service session from a content provider; Identify a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the multicast service session; as well as Information of the at least one multicast quality of service flow is received, the multicast packet carrying downlink data from the base station according to the indicated communication resources and the identified DRX cycle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The request identifying the multicast service session includes a quality of service flow identifier.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The quality of service flow identifier is unique within a service area.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first network node comprises a Multicast User Plane Function M-UPF.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The method further comprises switching between a sleep state and an awake state to receive the multicast packet from the base station according to the identified DRX cycle.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: The sleep state and the awake state are switched between according to a second DRX cycle for the UE to receive multicast packets for a second multicast service session.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: The sleep state and the awake state are transitioned between according to a second DRX cycle for the UE to receive unicast transmissions from the base station.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The request identifying the multicast service session comprises a multicast packet data unit, M-PDU, session identifier.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The M-PDU session identifier includes a combination of a multicast stream identifier generated by a multicast session management function M-SMF and an M-SMF identifier.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The quality of service flow identifier is unique to a public land mobile network PLMN associated with the base station.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: The quality of service flow identifier is received from a second network node, wherein the quality of service flow identifier is generated by the second network node.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The request identifying the multicast service session includes a data network name DNN.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The multicast service session includes a plurality of multicast quality of service flows.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The multicast service session includes a tunnel between the first network node and the base station.

15. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: means for sending a request to establish a multicast session, the request identifying a multicast service session including at least one multicast quality of service flow; means for receiving, from a base station in wireless communication with the apparatus, an indication of one or more of activation of the at least one multicast quality of service flow or communication resources for the apparatus to receive multicast packets for the multicast service session from a content provider; means for identifying a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the multicast service session; as well as Means for receiving the multicast packet from the base station according to the indicated communication resources and the identified DRX cycle.

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