Wireless transmitting and receiving unit, network node and corresponding method

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a wireless transmit and receive unit (WTRU), a network node and a corresponding method. A network node (e.g., an edge configuration server (ECS)) associated with the first PLMN may receive a first message from the WTRU. The first message may indicate a request notified if a type of network node (e.g., ECS) becomes available for access by the WTRU. The network node may receive a second message from a second network node. The second message may indicate an identification of the second PLMN and may indicate that the WTRU has become registered with the second PLMN. The network node may determine that a third network node (e.g., ECS) of the network node type is available for access by the WTRU in the second PLMN. The network node may determine local transport (LBO) information for the WTRU to establish an LBO packet data unit (PDU) session in the second PLMN and access a third network node.

Description

[0001] This divisional application is a divisional application with the application date of February 7, 2023, application number 202380023359.8, and invention name “ECS discovery associated with roaming”.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 307,503, filed on February 7, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0004] Mobile communications using wireless communications continue to evolve. The fifth generation of mobile communications radio access technology (RAT) may be referred to as 5G New Radio (NR). Previous generation (legacy) mobile communications RAT may be, for example, fourth generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE). Summary of the invention

[0005] Systems, methods, and means for edge configuration server (ECS) discovery associated with roaming are disclosed herein. Events may be detected by the ECS and used as triggers to transmit ECS address configuration information so that the WTRU has information for establishing a connection with the ECS in a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN).

[0006] Systems, methods, and means are disclosed for receiving a request from a WTRU to be notified that a type of network node has become available for use by the WTRU in a visited public land mobile network (PLMN), and for providing configuration information for establishing a session with the type of network node in the visited PLMN.

[0007] The WTRU may be configured to transmit a first message to a network node associated with a first PLMN. The network node may be, for example, an edge configuration server (ECS), which may be associated with the first PLMN and may be configured to receive the first message from the WTRU. The first message may indicate a request for information about the availability of a type of network node to be accessed by the WTRU. The first message may indicate, for example, being notified when a type of network node becomes available for access by the WTRU. For example, the first message may be a service deployment subscription request. The network node may respond with a service deployment subscription response.

[0008] The network node may receive a second message from a second network node, which may be, for example, a network opening function (NEF). The second message may indicate an identity of a second PLMN and may indicate that the WTRU may register with the second PLMN. The second message may include a notification response (e.g., an Nnef_EventExposure_Notify response) generated in response to a subscription request (e.g., an Nnef_EvenExposure_Subscribe request) forwarded by the network node to the second network node.

[0009] The network node may determine that a third network node of the network node type is available for access by the WTRU via the second PLMN. The third network node may be, for example, an ECS. The network node may determine service provisioning information about the WTRU that can be used to access the third network node. For example, the network node may determine local conduction (LBO) information, which may include information for the WTRU to establish an LBO packet data unit (PDU) session in the second PLMN and access the third network node. The LBO information may include, for example, a data network name (DNN), a single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI), and / or an identifier associated with the second PLMN. The network node may transmit a third message including the LBO information to the WTRU.

[0010] The WTRU may receive a third message from the network node. The WTRU may establish a PDU session with a third network node via the second PLMN using the LBO information. For example, the WTRU may establish a PDU session with the third network node using the DNN and S-NSSAI received in the third message. The WTRU may access the third network node to perform a service deployment process and may communicate with a fourth network node in the second PLMN to access edge services. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communication system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented.

[0012] Figure 1B is an example of a method that can be used according to one embodiment. Figure 1A A system diagram of an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) for use within an illustrated communication system.

[0013] Figure 1C is an example of a method that can be used according to one embodiment. Figure 1A System diagram of an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) used within the illustrated communication system.

[0014] Figure 1D is an example of a method that can be used according to one embodiment. Figure 1ASystem diagram of yet another example RAN and yet another example CN for use within the illustrated communication system.

[0015] Figure 2 An example architecture is shown that may allow a WTRU to consume services from an edge application server.

[0016] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example flow for providing discovery of visited public land mobile network (VPLMN) edge configuration server (ECS) information and connection establishment.

[0017] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example flow for providing discovery and connection establishment of VPLMN ECS information with Steering of Roaming (SoR).

[0018] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating example procedures for moving a WTRU to a VPLMN and / or for obtaining access to an ECS. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Figure 1A 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communication system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc. to multiple wireless users. The communication system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through sharing of system resources (including wireless bandwidth). For example, the communication system 100 may employ one or more channel access methods such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero tail unique word DFT spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block filtered OFDM, filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC), etc.

[0020] like Figure 1AAs shown, the communication system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, RAN 104 / 113, CN 106 / 115, public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, Internet 110 and other networks 112, but it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d (any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or “STA”) may be configured to send and / or receive wireless signals and may include user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automated process chain environment), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0021] The communication system 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device that is configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, an NR Node B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. Although the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it should be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0022] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), a relay node, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to send and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as cells (not shown). These frequencies may be in a licensed spectrum, an unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage of wireless services to a specific geographic area, which may be relatively fixed or may change over time. The cell may be further divided into cell sectors. For example, a cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Therefore, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one transceiver for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to send and / or receive signals in a desired spatial direction.

[0023] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0024] More specifically, as noted herein, the communication system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 / 113 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may use Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) to establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117. WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High Speed ​​Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High Speed ​​UL Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0025] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) that may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0026] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR radio access, which may establish the air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0027] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may together implement LTE radio access and NR radio access, for example using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions transmitted to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., eNBs and gNBs).

[0028] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi)), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), etc.

[0029] Figure 1AThe base station 114b in the example may be, for example, a wireless router, a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or an access point, and may utilize any suitable RAT to facilitate wireless connectivity in a local area, such as a business location, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a road, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.) to establish a picocell base station or a femtocell base station. As Figure 1A As shown, base station 114b may have a direct connection to Internet 110. Therefore, base station 114b may not need to access Internet 110 via CN 106 / 115.

[0030] The RAN 104 / 113 may be in communication with the CN 106 / 115, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have different quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, etc. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, prepaid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not described in detail in the specification, the CN 106 / 115 may be configured to provide voice, data, applications and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have different quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, etc. Figure 1A Although not shown in the figure, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may utilize NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) that employs GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0031] The CN 106 / 115 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network that provides plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and / or the Internet Protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP Internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired communication networks and / or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT.

[0032] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communication system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks via different wireless links). Figure 1A The illustrated WTRU 102c may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0033] Figure 1B is a system diagram illustrating an exemplary WTRU 102. Figure 1B As shown, the WTRU 102 may include, among other things, a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0034] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal decoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. Although Figure 1B The processor 118 and the transceiver 120 are depicted as separate components, but it is understood that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0035] The send / receive element 122 may be configured to send a signal to a base station (e.g., base station 114a) or receive a signal from the base station via an air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to send and / or receive an RF signal. In an embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be a transmitter / detector configured to send and / or receive, for example, an IR, UV, or visible light signal. In another embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be configured to send and / or receive both an RF signal and an optical signal. It should be understood that the send / receive element 122 may be configured to send and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0036] Although the transmit / receive element 122 Figure 1B 102 as a single element, but the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0037] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate signals to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate signals received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted herein, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. For example, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11.

[0038] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, and / or a display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display unit) and may receive user input data therefrom. The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in any type of suitable memory, such as a non-removable memory 130 and / or a removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in a memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0039] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control power to other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, etc.

[0040] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to or in lieu of the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) over the air interface 116 and / or determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0041] The processor 118 may also be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software modules and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an electronic compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photos and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, a Bluetooth® module, frequency modulation (FM) radio unit, digital music player, media player, video game player module, Internet browser, virtual reality and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) device, activity tracker, etc. Peripheral device 138 may include one or more sensors, which may be one or more of the following: a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor; an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0042] The WTRU 102 may include a full-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all signals (e.g., associated with specific subframes for UL (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full-duplex radio may include an interference management unit for reducing and / or substantially eliminating self-interference via hardware (e.g., a choke) or via signal processing performed by a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via the processor 118). In one embodiment, the WRTU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all signals (e.g., associated with specific subframes for UL (e.g., for transmission) or downlink (e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous.

[0043] Figure 1C 1 is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 in accordance with an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0044] The RAN 104 may include evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of evolved Node-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the evolved Node-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a.

[0045] Each of the evolved Node Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in UL and / or DL, etc. Figure 1C As shown, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another via an X2 interface.

[0046] Figure 1C The illustrated CN 106 may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (or PGW) 166. While each of the foregoing elements is depicted as being part of the CN 106, it should be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0047] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the evolved Node-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0048] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring the user plane during inter-evolved Node-B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing the context of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0049] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0050] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include or may be in communication with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that acts as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired networks and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0051] Although the WTRU Figures 1A to 1D Although described as wireless terminals, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments such terminals may (eg, temporarily or permanently) employ a wired communications interface with a communications network.

[0052] In a representative embodiment, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0053] A WLAN in infrastructure basic service set (BSS) mode may have an access point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or an interface to a distribution system (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic to and / or carries traffic out of the BSS. Traffic originating from outside the BSS and directed to the STA may be reached by the AP and may be delivered to the STA. Traffic originating from the STA and directed to a destination outside the BSS may be transmitted to the AP to be delivered to the corresponding destination. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be transmitted by the AP, for example, where the source STA may transmit traffic to the AP, and the AP may deliver traffic to the destination STA. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be considered and / or referred to as point-to-point traffic. Point-to-point traffic may be transmitted between the source STA and the destination STA (e.g., directly between them) using direct link establishment (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use 802.11e DLS or 802.11z tunnel DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and STAs within or using the IBSS (eg, all STAs in the STA) may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS communication mode may sometimes be referred to herein as an "ad-hoc" communication mode.

[0054] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure operating mode or a similar operating mode, the AP may send a beacon on a fixed channel (such as a primary channel). The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., a 20MHz wide bandwidth) or a width dynamically set via signaling. The primary channel may be an operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STA to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, carrier sense multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example, in an 802.11 system. For CSMA / CA, a STA (e.g., each STA) (including the AP) may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a specific STA, the specific STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0055] High throughput (HT) STAs may communicate using a 40 MHz wide channel, for example, via a combination of a primary 20 MHz channel and adjacent or non-adjacent 20 MHz channels to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0056] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, and / or 160MHz wide channels. 40MHz channels and / or 80MHz channels may be formed by combining consecutive 20MHz channels. A 160MHz channel may be formed by combining 8 consecutive 20MHz channels, or by combining two non-contiguous 80MHz channels (this may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration). For the 80+80 configuration, after channel coding, the data may pass through a segment parser that may divide the data into two streams. Each stream may be individually processed by an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) and time domain processing. These streams may be mapped to two 80MHz channels, and data may be sent by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the operations described above for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be transmitted to the medium access control (MAC).

[0057] 802.11af and 802.11ah support operating modes below 1GHz. Channel operating bandwidths and carriers are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah relative to those used in 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5MHz, 10MHz, and 20MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1MHz, 2MHz, 4MHz, 8MHz, and 16MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah may support meter type control / machine type communications, such as MTC devices in macro coverage areas. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, such as limited capabilities, including support for (e.g., only support for) certain bandwidths and / or limited bandwidths. MTC devices may include batteries with battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain very long battery life).

[0058] WLAN systems that can support multiple channels and channel bandwidths (such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah) include channels that can be designated as primary channels. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the maximum common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA (which supports the minimum bandwidth operating mode) from all STAs operating in the BSS. In the example of 802.11ah, for STAs (e.g., MTC-type devices) that support (e.g., only support) 1MHz mode, the primary channel may be 1MHz wide, even if the AP and other STAs in the BSS support 2MHz, 4MHz, 8MHz, 16MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or network allocation vector (NAV) settings may depend on the state of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, because a STA (which only supports the 1MHz operating mode) is transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency band may be considered busy even if most of the frequency bands remain idle and may be available.

[0059] In the United States, the available frequency band for 802.11ah is 902MHz to 928MHz. In South Korea, the available frequency band is 917.5MHz to 923.5MHz. In Japan, the available frequency band is 916.5MHz to 927.5MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is 6MHz to 26MHz, depending on the country code.

[0060] Figure 1D 1 is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 in accordance with an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 113 may employ NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 113 may also be in communication with the CN 115.

[0061] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, the gNBs 180a, 108b may utilize beamforming to send signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a may, for example, use multiple antennas to send wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on an unlicensed spectrum, while the remaining component carriers may be on a licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement coordinated multi-point (CoMP) technology. For example, the WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from the gNB 180a and the gNB 180b (and / or the gNB 180c).

[0062] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with parameter sets that may be scalable. For example, OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframes or Transmission Time Intervals (TTIs) of varying or scalable lengths (e.g., containing varying numbers of OFDM symbols and / or varying absolute time lengths over time).

[0063] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while not accessing other RANs (e.g., such as the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c). In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may use one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as mobility anchor points. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate / connect with the gNB 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating / connecting with another RAN, such as the eNode-B 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement the DC principle to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In a non-standalone configuration, the eNode-B 160a, 160b, 160c may act as a mobility anchor for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the gNB 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for serving the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0064] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards a user plane function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards an access and mobility management function (AMF) 182a, 182b, etc. As shown in FIG. Figure 1D As shown, gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may communicate with each other via an Xn interface.

[0065] Figure 1DThe illustrated CN 115 may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one session management function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possible data networks (DNs) 185a, 185b. Although each of the foregoing elements is depicted as part of the CN 115, it should be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0066] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via the N2 interface and may act as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c, support of network slicing (e.g., handling of different PDU sessions with different requirements), selecting a specific SMF 183a, 183b, management of registration areas, termination of NAS signaling, mobility management, etc. The AMF 182a, 182b may use network slicing to customize CN support for the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c based on the type of services utilized by the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases, such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communication (MTC) access, etc. The AMF 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0067] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to the AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via the N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to the UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115 via the N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b, and configure the traffic routing through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating UE IP addresses, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing downlink data notification, etc. The PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, etc.

[0068] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via the N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, etc.

[0069] The CN 115 may facilitate communication with other networks. For example, the CN 115 may include or may communicate with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that acts as an interface between the CN 115 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 115 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired networks and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to local data networks (DNs) 185a, 185b via the UPFs 184a, 184b via the N3 interfaces to the UPFs 184a, 184b and the N6 interfaces between the UPFs 184a, 184b and the DNs 185a, 185b.

[0070] Given that Figures 1A to 1D as well as Figures 1A to 1D Corresponding to the description of the present invention, one or more or all of the functions described herein with reference to one or more of the following may be performed by one or more simulation devices (not shown): WTRU102a-d, base station 114a-b, evolved Node B 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF182a-b, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b and / or any other device described herein. The simulation device may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more or all of the functions described herein. For example, the simulation device may be used to test other devices and / or simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0071] The simulation device may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a laboratory environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, one or more simulation devices may perform one or more functions or all functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. One or more simulation devices may perform one or more functions or all functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The simulation device may be directly coupled to another device for testing purposes and / or may use over-the-air wireless communications to perform testing.

[0072] One or more simulation devices may perform one or more (including all) functions without being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the simulation device may be used in a test lab and / or a test scenario in a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network to enable testing of one or more components. One or more simulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communication via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the simulation device to send and / or receive data.

[0073] The application layer can be used to support edge services. The application layer architecture can be used to provide edge services. Figure 2 An example architecture is shown that may allow a WTRU to consume services from an edge application server. Figure 2 An architectural diagram of the edge service application layer is shown in FIG. An edge configuration server (ECS) may be provided. The ECS may be a server that provides services to an edge enabled client (EEC). The EEC may be a client that may be hosted in a WTRU and provides services to an application client (AC) that may be hosted in a WTRU.

[0074] Provisioning may be a service provided by the ECS to the EEC. The ECS may provide edge data network (EDN) configuration information to the EEC. The EDN configuration information may include information about edge enabling servers (EES) that may be available for use by the EEC. The EDN configuration information may include information about the EEC that may be used to establish a connection with the EES.

[0075] The EEC may receive information about one or more EESs from the ECS. The EEC may use this information to contact and / or register with the EESs.

[0076] ECS discovery can be a process by which an EEC can be configured with information about how to contact the ECS. Information about how to contact the ECS may include a uniform resource identifier (URI), a fully qualified domain name (FQDN), and / or an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the ECS. The information may include an ECS provider identifier that may be associated with the ECS. As described herein, the information may include spatial validity conditions for the ECS (e.g., each ECS). The spatial validity conditions may include a geographic service area, a list of tracking areas TA, and / or a list of countries that can access the ECS (e.g., a list of mobile country codes (MCCs)). This information may be collectively referred to as ECS address configuration information.

[0077] ECS discovery may be based on ECS address configuration information that may be provisioned in the EEC, provisioned in an application client, and / or configured by a user of the WTRU (eg, via a graphical user interface (GUI)).

[0078] If the WTRU establishes a protocol data unit (PDU) session, the WTRU may indicate in a protocol configuration option (PCO) that it supports the ability to receive and transmit ECS address configuration information to the EEC via a non-access stratum (NAS). If the WTRU supports this feature, the WTRU may receive the ECS address configuration information from a session management function (SMF) via the PCO during PDU session establishment and / or during a PDU session modification procedure. Unless the WTRU is roaming and using local block origination (LBO), the SMF in the home PLMN (HPLMN) may, for example, always provide the PCO and the ECS address configuration may come from the HPLMN.

[0079] The ECS address configuration information may be derived from the HPLMN identifier in a non-roaming scenario, or from the VPLMN identifier in a roaming scenario.

[0080] The ECS address configuration information may include the information listed in Table 1.

[0081] Table 1: ECS address configuration information

[0082]

[0083] Roaming guidance may be provided. Roaming guidance may be a technique whereby a roaming WTRU may be encouraged to roam to a preferred roam-to network indicated by the HPLMN.

[0084] The Steering Application Function for Roaming (SOR-AF) may be an application function that may provide a list of preferred PLMN / access technology combinations to the User Data Management (UDM). The UDM may provide the preferred PLMN / access technology combinations to the Access and Mobility Function (AMF), and the AMF may transmit the preferred PLMN / access technology combinations to the WTRU via a NAS message. The NAS message carrying the preferred PLMN / access technology combination may be a Registration Accept message, and the information element carrying the preferred PLMN / access technology combination to the WTRU may be a SOR transparent container.

[0085] The SOR-AF may provide an application programming interface (API) that may be called by the UDM. The API may include Nsoraf_SoR_Get and / or Nsoraf_SoR_Response service operations. The Nsoraf_SoR_Get service operation may be used by the UDM to request SoR information for the WTRU, and / or the Nsoraf_SoR_Response service operation may be used by the SOR-AF to provide SoR information to the UDM.

[0086] If the WTRU is roaming, the edge computing resources available to the WTRU may change. For example, if the WTRU moves from one PLMN to a second PLMN, the services provided by the second PLMN may be different from the services provided by the first PLMN.

[0087] As described herein, communication between the EEC in the WTRU and the ECS in the network may be how the EEC discovers what services are available to the EEC. Multiple methods may be supported for how the EEC may discover the ECS available in the HPLMN. The ability of the EEC to discover what ECS is available in the VPLMN may be limited.

[0088] The ECS address configuration information may be derived from the VPLMN identifier when roaming. For example, a method that may derive (e.g., only derive) an ECS identifier from a VPLMN identifier may allow (e.g., only allow) an EEC to discover a single ECS of a VPLMN. The discovery operation may not take into account the WTRU's location, subscription, desired services, or the fact that a network operator may deploy multiple ECSs.

[0089] If the WTRU is using an LBO connection, the WTRU may receive ECS address configuration information from the VPLMN. The WTRU may know the Data Network Name (DNN) / Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI) combination, which may be used to establish an LBO connection, which may be used to obtain ECS address configuration information and / or communicate with the ECS. The home network operator may preferably avoid allowing the WTRU to use an LBO connection so that traffic (e.g., all or most traffic) may be routed, for example, controlled by the home network. The system may allow the home network to provide the WTRU with ECS address configuration information for the ECS in the VPLMN. This feature may allow the WTRU to discover services in the VPLMN and / or give the HPLMN a measure of control over what services the WTRU discovers in the VPLMN and when the WTRU discovers services in the VPLMN.

[0090] The home network may use the application layer infrastructure of the system described herein to provide the WTRU with ECS address configuration information for the ECS in the VPLMN. The WTRU may use this information to perform service deployment with the ECS in the VPLMN. Events may be detected by the ECS and used as triggers to transmit the ECS address configuration information, and the ECS address configuration information may be enhanced so that the WTRU may have sufficient information to establish a connection with the ECS in the VPLMN.

[0091] The ECS may use the roaming steering features in the system to guide the WTRU towards a VPLMN that may provide the WTRU with access to a suitable ECS.

[0092] The home network may use the system's NAS infrastructure to provide the WTRU with ECS address configuration information for the ECS in the VPLMN.

[0093] Application layer based redirection may be used herein. The EEC may transmit a service provisioning subscription request to the ECS. The subscription request may include connectivity information, such as a PLMN ID and / or a service set identifier (SSID). The service provisioning subscription request may be enhanced to include an indication that the EEC desires to be notified when an ECS (e.g., a new ECS) becomes available for use by the WTRU.

[0094] The ECS may be triggered to transmit a service deployment notification to the EEC. The service deployment notification may include a list of EDN configuration information. The list of EDN configuration information may include information about the EES. If the ECS detects that the WTRU may be in a location (e.g., a new location), the service deployment notification may be triggered. The ECS may use pre-deployed policies and / or information provided in the AC profile in the service deployment subscription request to determine what EES information to transmit to the EEC.

[0095] The service provisioning notification may be enhanced to include ECS address configuration information. For example, if the ECS receives a service provisioning subscription request with new connectivity information from the EEC, or if the ECS detects that the WTRU has moved to a VPLMN, the ECS may be triggered to transmit the ECS address configuration information.

[0096] For example, if the ECS receives a monitoring event notification from a network exposure function (NEF), the ECS may be triggered to transmit the ECS address configuration information to the EEC. For example, the ECS may call the Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation of the NEF to indicate to the NEF that the ECS wants to be notified if the WTRU hosting the EEC may be roaming and the PLMN ID of the WTRU that the ECS wants to be notified. If the WTRU may be roaming, the NEF may call the Nnef_EventExposure_Notify service operation to the ECS. The Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation may be used to provide a roaming indication and / or a PLMN ID to the ECS. The Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe and Nnef_EventExposure_Notify services may be referred to as monitoring event APIs. If the ECS receives a roaming status indication and / or the PLMN ID of the WTRU hosting the EEC, the ECS may be triggered to transmit the ECS address configuration information to the EEC.

[0097] The ECS address configuration information that may be transmitted to the EEC may include the information listed in Table 1 of this document and may be enhanced to include a PLMN ID. The PLMN ID may be used to indicate a PLMN in which the ECS may be able to access. If the EEC receives the ECS address configuration information, the EEC may be triggered to perform a service deployment process with one of the ECSs identified in the ECS address configuration information. The EEC may receive information from the mobile terminal (MT) portion of the WTRU that triggers the EEC to perform a service deployment process with one of the ECSs. The information received from the MT portion of the WTRU may include a roaming indication and / or a PLMN ID, and the EEC may use the PLMN ID to determine what ECS to contact for service deployment.

[0098] The ECS address configuration information may be enhanced to include a DNN and / or S-NSSAI. If the WTRU determines that it is in a PLMN where it wants to contact an ECS, the WTRU may use the DNN / S-NSSAI combination when establishing a PDU session to communicate with the ECS. Providing a DNN and / or S-NSSAI that can be used by the WTRU in a VPLMN allows the DNN / S-NSSAI combination to be used by the network to trigger an LBO session that can be used to access the associated ECS. Table 2 lists the information that may be transmitted in the ECS address configuration information and includes information that supports the WTRU in forming a connection with an ECS in a VPLMN.

[0099] Table 2: Enhanced ECS address configuration information

[0100]

[0101] The means described herein may provide the ECS with the option of transmitting multiple sets of ECS address configuration information to the EEC, and a set of ECS address configuration information (e.g., each set of ECS address configuration information) may be associated with a different PLMN ID. When the EEC receives the PLMN ID from the MT portion of the UE, the EEC may determine what ECS to contact. For example, the EEC may store the ECS address configuration information, use the ECS address configuration information if it detects a PLMN change, and / or may not need to request the ECS address configuration information (e.g., new ECS address configuration information) if there may be a PLMN change.

[0102] Figure 3 Describes an example discovery and connection establishment process for VPLMN ECS information. Figure 3 As shown, a process may be provided on how the EEC may perform an enhanced service provisioning process with the ECS in the HPLMN to connect to the ECS in the VPLMN and / or receive provisioning information from the ECS in the VPLMN. The EEC may transmit a service provisioning subscription request to the ECS. The subscription request may include connectivity information such as the PLMN ID and / or SSID, and an indication that the EEC desires to be notified when an ECS (e.g., a new ECS) becomes available for use by the WTRU. The ECS may respond to the service provisioning request of the EEC.

[0103] The ECS may use the Nnef_EventExposure service of the NEF to request the roaming status of the WTRU and / or the ID of the PLMN to which the WTRU is registered. The ECS may receive a notification as to whether the WTRU is roaming and / or the identity of the PLMN to which the WTRU is registered. The ECS may transmit service deployment information to the WTRU. The service deployment information may point the WTRU to the ECS associated with the PLMN, which is indicated when the ECS receives a notification as described herein. The service deployment information may include information from Table 2. The WTRU may use the received DNN / S-NSSAI combination to establish a PDU session. The PDU session may be an LBO session (e.g., anchored in a VPLMN). The EEC may use the PDU session to communicate with the ECS in the VPLMN and perform a service deployment process. The WTRU may be able to access edge services of the VPLM (e.g., EES).

[0104] Application layer based redirection may be provided.The WTRU may determine the PLMN ID of the network it is registered with, and the PLMN ID may direct the WTRU to an ECS that lists other ECSs available to the WTRU in the VPLMN.

[0105] As described herein, the WTRU may determine contact information (e.g., an IP address) of the ECS. This determination may be based on an FQDN that may be configured by a user (e.g., via a GUI), an FQDN that may be derived from a VPLMN ID or HPLMN ID, an FQDN that may be preconfigured in an application client, and / or an FQDN that may be preconfigured in the EEC. The EEC may use the FQDN to perform a DNS lookup and determine the IP address of the ECS.

[0106] The EEC may transmit a service provisioning request to the IP address of the ECS to obtain a list of EDN configuration information. The service provisioning process may be enhanced so that the ECS may return ECS address configuration information for alternative ECSs that may be able to provision the EEC.

[0107] Enhancements to the service deployment process may allow the EEC to use an identifier (e.g., a single identifier such as an FQDN) to determine multiple sets of ECS address configuration information. The EEC may be triggered, for example, by an ECS identified by a single identifier to perform a service deployment process with multiple other ECSs identified by the ECS address configuration information.

[0108] The ECS may be an ECS that may be configured to respond (eg, always respond) to a service provisioning request with one or more sets of ECS address configuration information.

[0109] The ECS may use information in the EEC's service deployment request to determine to respond to the EEC with one or more sets of ECS address configuration information. For example, the service deployment request may have included connectivity information. The connectivity information may have indicated an SSID and / or PLMN ID that the WTRU may be using to obtain network connectivity. The ECS may use the SSID and / or PLMN ID to determine what ECS address configuration information to transmit to the WTRU. For example, if the WTRU is registered via the PLMN identified in the service deployment request, the ECS address configuration information that may be transmitted to the WTRU may be accessible to the WTRU.

[0110] Upon receiving the service deployment request from the EEC, the ECS may use the Nef_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation of the NEF to indicate to the NEF that the ECS wants to be notified when the WTRU hosting the EEC is roaming and the PLMN ID of the WTRU that the ECS wants to be notified of. If this information is provided to the ECS, the ECS may use the VPLMN ID to determine what ECS address configuration information to transmit to the WTRU.

[0111] The service deployment request of the EEC may include location information. The ECS may use the location information of the WTRU to determine what ECS address configuration information to transmit to the WTRU. For example, the ECS may determine that a nearby VPLMN may be able to provide services that the EEC may want to access, and the ECS may transmit the ECS address configuration information so that the EEC can use the information to perform service deployment procedures with other ECSs.

[0112] The ECS may act as a SOR-AF and provide updated SoR information to the UDM. The UDM may provide the SoR information to the AMF so that it may be delivered to the WTRU via a NAS message as described herein. Receipt of the SoR transparent container may trigger the WTRU to move to a VPLMN (e.g., a new VPLMN) and indicate to the EEC that the WTRU is now registered in the new VPLMN, so that the EEC knows to use the ECS address configuration information received from the ECS and associated with the VPLMN (e.g., the new VPLMN).

[0113] As described herein and shown in Table 2, the ECS address configuration information may have been enhanced with a PLMN ID and / or a DNN / S-NSSAI combination. The EEC may establish a PDU session using the DNN / S-NSSAI combination and may perform a service provisioning procedure with the ECS of a VPLMN (eg, a new VPLMN).

[0114] Figure 4 Describes an example flow for VPLMN ECS information discovery and connection establishment with SoR. Figure 4 As shown, a process may be provided on how the EEC may perform an enhanced service provisioning process with the ECS in the HPLMN. The HPLMN may direct the WTRU to roam to another PLMN to allow the WTRU to connect and receive provisioning information from the ECS in the VPLMN.

[0115] As reference Figure 4 As described, the EEC may transmit a service deployment request to the ECS. The request may include connectivity information, such as a PLMN ID and / or an SSID. The ECS may use the Nnef_EventExposure service of the NEF to request the roaming status of the WTRU, the ID of the PLMN to which the WTRU is registered, and / or the location of the WTRU. The ECS may receive a notification about whether the WTRU is roaming, the identity of the PLMN to which the WTRU is registered, and / or the location of the WTRU. The ECS may use the received PLMN ID and / or location information to determine the ECS address configuration information to be transmitted for other ECSs that may be able to deploy the EEC. Other ECSs may be ECSs that are more suitable for serving the WTRU based on the current location of the WTRU or the PLMN to which the WTRU is registered. For example, an ECS acting as a SOR-AF may transmit a transparent SoR container to the WTRU. The transparent SoR container may be used to guide the WTRU toward a VPLMN associated with the ECS address configuration information provided to the WTRU as described herein. The WTRU may use the received DNN / S-NSSAI combination to establish a PDU session. The PDU session may be an LBO session (eg, anchored in the VPLMN). The EEC may use the PDU session to communicate with the ECS in the VPLMN and perform service provisioning procedures. The WTRU may be able to access edge services (eg, EES) of the VPLNM.

[0116] NAS-based redirection may be provided. As described herein, the SoR-AF of the home network may provide the preferred PLMN / access technology combination to the WTRU. The ECS in the home network may act as the SoR-AF. In this case, the WTRU may be directed to the VPLMN to obtain the desired service. The desired service may be an edge-based service. The SoR-AF may transmit the ECS address configuration information to the WTRU. For example, the SOR transparent container may be enhanced to carry the information from Table 2 to the WTRU.

[0117] The information from Table 2 received in the SOR transparent container may be used by the WTRU in the PLMN selection process. For example, the WTRU may choose to assign a lower priority to a PLMN that may not be associated with the ECS. For example, the SOR transparent container may list 3 PLMN / access technology combinations that are not associated with the ECS address configuration information (e.g., any ECS address configuration information), and the SOR transparent container may list 2 PLMN / access technology combinations associated with the ECS address configuration information. If the EEC is installed on the WTRU and is accessing edge services, the WTRU may choose to prioritize the 2 PLMN / access technology combinations associated with the ECS address configuration information.

[0118] After performing PLMN selection and registering to one of the PLMNs that may be associated with the ECS address configuration information, the WTRU may establish a PDU session using the DNN / S-NSSAI combination from the ECS address configuration information. The WTRU may use the FQDN and / or IP address from the ECS address configuration information to contact the ECS and / or perform service provisioning procedures. The WTRU may receive the FQDN or IP address in the PDU Session Establishment Accept message.

[0119] Figure 5 An example flow for moving a WTRU to a VPLMN and obtaining access to an ESC is depicted. Figure 5 As shown, the WTRU process may use roaming guidance information to discover the ECS in the VPLMN. The WTRU may receive a transparent SoR container that has been enhanced with ECS address configuration information (e.g., the contents of Table 1) from the first PLMN. The WTRU may use the information from the SoR container to perform an enhanced PLMN selection process, wherein the WTRU prioritizes the PLMNs based on the ECSs to which the PLMNs can provide access. The WTRU may use the ECS address configuration information to determine what services the PLMN can provide access to. The WTRU may perform a registration process with the selected PLMN. The selected PLMN may be different from the first PLMN. The WTRU may use the DNN / S-NSSAI combination from the ECS address configuration information to establish a PDU session in the selected PLMN, which may be used to communicate with the ECS of the selected PLMN. The MT portion of the WTRU may provide the ECS contact information to the EEC. The EEC may use the PDU session to communicate with the ECS in the selected PLMN (i.e., VPLMN) and perform a service deployment process.

[0120] The WTRU may receive a list of equivalent PLMNs from the AMF, and the list may be enhanced so that it includes the ECS address configuration information listed in Table 2.

[0121] Thus, systems, methods, and means for receiving a request from a WTRU to be notified that a network node of a type has become available for use by the WTRU in a visited public land mobile network (PLMN), and for providing configuration information for creating a session with a network node of the type in the visited PLMN, have been disclosed. A network node, which may be, for example, an edge configuration server (ECS), may be associated with a first PLMN and may be configured to receive a first message from a WTRU. The first message may indicate a request to be notified when a network node of a type becomes available for access by the WTRU. The network node may receive a second message from a second network node, which may be, for example, a network exposure function (NEF). The second message may indicate an identity of a second PLMN and may instruct the WTRU to register with the second PLMN. The network node may determine that a third network node of the network node type is available for access by the WTRU in the second PLMN. The third network node may be, for example, an ECS. The network node may determine service provisioning information about the WTRU that is available for access to the third network node. For example, the network node may determine local routing (LBO) information that may include information for the WTRU to establish an LBO packet data unit (PDU) session in the second PLMN and communicate with the third network node.

[0122] Although the features and elements described herein are described in particular combinations, each feature or element may be used alone without the other features and elements of the preferred embodiments, or in various combinations with or without the other features and elements.

[0123] Although the implementations described herein may consider 3GPP specific protocols, it should be understood that the implementations described herein are not limited to such scenarios and are applicable to other wireless systems. For example, although the solutions described herein consider LTE, LTE-A, New Radio (NR) or 5G specific protocols, it should be understood that the solutions described herein are not limited to such scenarios and are also applicable to other wireless systems.

[0124] The processes described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, and / or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer and / or a processor. Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, electronic signals (sent via a wired or wireless connection) and / or computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), registers, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media (such as, but not limited to, built-in hard disks and removable disks), magneto-optical media, and optical media (such as compact disk (CD)-ROM disks and / or digital versatile disks (DVDs)). A processor associated with the software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for a WTRU, a terminal, a base station, an RNC, and / or any host computer.

Claims

1. A wireless transmit and receive unit (WTRU), the wireless transmit and receive unit (WTRU) comprising: A processor, the processor being configured to: transmitting a first message to a network node associated with a first public land mobile network (PLMN), the first message indicating a request for service provisioning; receiving a second message from the network node, the second message including an identifier of an edge configuration server (ECS) in a second PLMN serving the WTRU and including at least one of: a data network name (DNN) for establishing a PDU session for contacting the ECS in the second PLMN or single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) for establishing a PDU session for contacting the ECS in the second PLMN; as well as A PDU session is established with the ECS in the second PLMN using at least one of the DNN or the S-NSSAI.

2. The WTRU of claim 1 , Wherein the processor configured to transmit the first message to the network node associated with a first PLMN is further configured to transmit the first message to an ECS in the first PLMN.

3. The WTRU of claim 1 , The first message includes a service deployment subscription request.

4. The WTRU of claim 1 , The second message from the network node includes a notification to redirect the WTRU to the ECS in the second PLMN.

5. The WTRU of claim 1 , Wherein the identifier of the ECS in the second PLMN serving the WTRU comprises an address of the ECS in the second PLMN serving the WTRU.

6. A method comprising: A wireless transmit and receive unit (WTRU) transmits a first message to a network node associated with a first public land mobile network (PLMN), the first message indicating a request for service provisioning; the WTRU receiving a second message from the network node, the second message including an identifier of an edge configuration server (ECS) in a second PLMN serving the WTRU and including at least one of: a data network name (DNN) for establishing a PDU session for contacting the ECS in the second PLMN or single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) for establishing a PDU session for contacting the ECS in the second PLMN; and The WTRU establishes a PDU session with the ECS in the second PLMN using at least one of the DNN or the S-NSSAI.

7. The method according to claim 6, Wherein transmitting the first message to the network node associated with a first PLMN includes transmitting the first message to an ECS in the first PLMN.

8. The method according to claim 6, The first message includes a service deployment subscription request.

9. The method according to claim 6, The second message from the network node includes a notification to redirect the WTRU to the ECS in the second PLMN.

10. The method according to claim 6, Wherein the identifier of the ECS in the second PLMN serving the WTRU comprises an address of the ECS in the second PLMN serving the WTRU.

11. A network node, comprising: A processor, the processor being configured to: receiving a first message from a wireless transmit and receive unit (WTRU) associated with a first public land mobile network (PLMN), the first message indicating a request for service provisioning; transmitting a request to subscribe to a roaming status of the WTRU; receiving an indication that the WTRU is roaming and an identification of a second PLMN serving the WTRU; determining an edge configuration server (ECS) in the second PLMN serving the WTRU; as well as A second message is transmitted to the WTRU, wherein the second message includes an identifier of the ECS in the second PLMN serving the WTRU and includes at least one of the following: a data network name (DNN) for establishing a PDU session for contacting the ECS in the second PLMN or single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) for establishing a PDU session for contacting the ECS in the second PLMN.

12. The network node according to claim 11, Wherein the processor configured to receive the first message from the WTRU associated with the first PLMN is further configured to receive a service provisioning subscription request.

13. The network node according to claim 11, Wherein the processor configured to transmit the request to subscribe to the roaming status of the WTRU is further configured to invoke a network opening function (NEF) to subscribe to the roaming status of the WTRU.

14. The network node according to claim 11, Wherein the processor configured to receive an indication that the WTRU is roaming and the identification of the second PLMN serving the WTRU is further configured to receive a NEF notification including the indication that the WTRU is roaming and the identification of the second PLMN serving the WTRU.

15. The network node according to claim 11, Wherein the identifier of the ECS in the second PLMN serving the WTRU comprises an address of the ECS in the second PLMN serving the WTRU.

16. A network node associated with a first public land mobile network (PLMN), the network node comprising: A processor, the processor being configured to: receiving a first message from a WTRU, wherein the first message indicates a request for information regarding availability of a network node type to be accessed by the WTRU; receiving a second message from a second network node, wherein the second message indicates an identity of a second PLMN and instructs the WTRU to register with the second PLMN; determining, based on the WTRU being registered with the second PLMN, that a third network node of the network node type is available for access by the WTRU in the second PLMN; determining local band-offset (LBO) information, the LBO information comprising information for the WTRU to establish an LBO packet data unit (PDU) session in the second PLMN and access the third network node; as well as A third message is transmitted to the WTRU, the third message including the LBO information.

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