Mobile termination early data transmission

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to equipment, a method, a device and a computer readable storage medium for mobile-terminated early data transmission (MT-EDT) of Internet of Things (IoT). The method comprises: in response to detecting, at a first device, a paging for MT-EDT from a second device, sending a paging response to the second device, the paging response comprising at least authentication information negotiated between the first device and a third device, the authentication information being used for authentication at the second device; and receiving the data transmission from the second device. In this way, the application of MT-EDT in Samp; and performance and efficiency in the F mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and in particular to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for Mobile Terminated Early Data Transfer (MT-EDT) for the Internet of Things (IoT). Background Art

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has initiated a study item on supporting Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), especially for non-terrestrial network (NTN) scenarios. This study item is expected to be further developed. Summary of the invention

[0003] In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions for MT-EDT for IoT.

[0004] In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor cause the first device to at least: in response to detecting a paging for MT-EDT from a second device, send a paging response to the second device, the paging response including at least authentication information negotiated between the first device and a third device, the authentication information being used for verification at the second device; and receive data transmission from the second device.

[0005] In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor cause the second device to at least: initiate a paging process for MT-EDT; in response to receiving a paging response including at least authentication information from a first device, verify the validity of the paging response based on expected paging response related information for MT-EDT received from a third device; and in response to determining that the paging response is valid, perform data transmission to the first device.

[0006] In a third aspect, a third device is provided. The third device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third device to at least: generate expected paging response related information based on a paging response for MT-EDT, the paging response including at least authentication information negotiated between the first device and the third device, the authentication information being used for verification at the second device.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: in response to detecting a paging for MT-EDT from a second device at a first device, sending a paging response to the second device, the paging response including at least authentication information negotiated between the first device and a third device, the authentication information being used for verification at the second device; and receiving a data transmission from the second device.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: initiating a paging process for MT-EDT from a second device; in response to receiving a paging response including at least authentication information from a first device, verifying the validity of the paging response based on expected paging response related information for MT-EDT received from a third device; and in response to determining that the paging response is valid, performing data transmission to the first device.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a method is provided, comprising: generating, at a third device, information related to an expected paging response based on a paging response for MT-EDT, the paging response comprising at least authentication information negotiated between the first device and the third device, the authentication information being used for verification at the second device.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a component for sending a paging response to a second device in response to detecting a paging for MT-EDT from a second device, the paging response comprising at least authentication information negotiated between the first device and a third device, the authentication information being used for verification at the second device; and a component for receiving a data transmission from the second device.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a component for initiating a paging process for MT-EDT; a component for verifying the validity of a paging response based on expected paging response related information for MT-EDT received from a third device in response to receiving a paging response including at least authentication information from a first device; and a component for performing data transmission to the first device in response to determining that the paging response is valid.

[0012] In a ninth aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a component for generating information related to an expected paging response based on a paging response for MT-EDT, the paging response including at least authentication information negotiated between a first device and a third device, the authentication information being used for verification at a second device.

[0013] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored, which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to perform a method according to the fifth aspect, the sixth aspect or the seventh aspect.

[0014] Other features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will also be apparent from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The embodiments of the present disclosure are presented in an exemplary sense, and their advantages are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] Figure 1 illustrates an example environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0017] Figure 2 shows a signaling diagram illustrating the process of MT-EDT for IoT according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating an example method of MT-EDT for IoT according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating an example method of MT-EDT for IoT according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating an example method of MT-EDT for IoT according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 6 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0022] Figure 7 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] The same or similar reference numbers may refer to the same or similar elements throughout the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for illustrative purposes and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways except for the way described below.

[0025] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein may have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0026] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0027] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more listed terms.

[0028] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, where a list of two or more elements is combined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0029] As used herein, unless explicitly stated, performing a step “in response to A” does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after “A” occurs, and one or more intermediate steps may be included.

[0030] The terms used herein are used only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises", "including", "having", "having", "including" and / or "comprising" when used herein specify the presence of stated features, elements and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0031] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0032] (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as analog implementation and / or digital circuit only) and

[0033] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (where applicable):

[0034] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware and

[0035] (ii) any portion of a hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s), software and memory(s) that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions) and

[0036] (c) Hardware circuits and / or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portions of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but which may not be present when the software is not required to operate.

[0037] The definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As yet another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example (and if applicable to a particular claim element), a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0038] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocol and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there will certainly be communication technologies and systems of future types that can embody the present disclosure. It should not be considered that the scope of the present disclosure is limited to the aforementioned system.

[0039] As used herein, the terms "network equipment", "radio network equipment" and / or "radio access network equipment" refer to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from it. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a Node B (Node B or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNode B or eNB), a NR NB (also known as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node (such as a femto, a pico, a non-terrestrial network (NTN)) or a non-terrestrial network device (such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite), an aircraft network device, etc. In some example embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. In some other example embodiments, part of the radio access network equipment or all of the radio access network equipment may be carried on an air-based or space-based NTN vehicle.

[0040] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless regional loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device such as a digital camera, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless client device (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), consumer electronic devices, equipment operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (eg, a relay node).In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0041] As used herein, the term "resource", "transmission resource", "resource block", "physical resource block" (PRB), "uplink resource" or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource used to perform communication (e.g., communication between a terminal device and a network device), such as a resource in the time domain, a resource in the frequency domain, a resource in the space domain, a resource in the code domain, or any other resource capable of communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated, resources in the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as examples of transmission resources for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Note that the example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0042] Figure 1 1 shows an example communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Figure 1 As shown, the communication network 100 may include a terminal device 110. Hereinafter, the terminal device 110 may also be referred to as a UE 110 or a first device 110. For example, the terminal device may be implemented as an IoT device in the communication network 100.

[0043] The communication network 100 may further include a radio access network (RAN) device 120. Hereinafter, the RAN device 120 may also be referred to as a network device, a BS, a gNB, an eNB, or a second device 120. The terminal device 110 may communicate with the RAN device 120 within the coverage of the cell 102 managed by the RAN device 120.

[0044] In addition, the communication network 100 may further include a core network (CN) device 130. Hereinafter, the CN device 130 may also be referred to as a third device 130. The CN device 130 may serve a terminal device, such as 110 communicating with the RAN device 120.

[0045] In some scenarios, the communication network 100 may refer to an NTN, and the RAN device 120 may be implemented in a satellite and move with the satellite. In some other scenarios, the communication network 100 may also refer to any other suitable network.

[0046] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of network devices and terminal devices shown in is given for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation. Communication network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

[0047] The communication in the communication environment 100 can be implemented according to any appropriate (multiple) communication protocols, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), the fifth generation (5G), the sixth generation (6G), etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. In addition, the communication can utilize any appropriate wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technology currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0048] For IoT NTN, there is a new scenario "Store and Forward (S&F)". S&F can allow satellites to provide services to IoT NTN devices even in periods (when the satellite is not connected to CN devices on the ground) / areas (where the satellite is not connected to CN devices on the ground) when the satellite is not connected to CN devices on the ground (e.g., gateway (GW) or any other CN device or node). Assume an onboard architecture of RAN equipment, and non-simultaneous operation of service links and feeder links. Messages can be stored onboard until there is line of sight with the GW.

[0049] S&F operation may refer to a discontinuous coverage scenario, where the UE may only occasionally and temporarily have coverage from a satellite. It is also possible that the discontinuous coverage scenario may be extended by defining that the satellite is not always connected to the CN equipment. In the following, a RAN device may be referred to as an eNB, a gNB or any other suitable RAN device.

[0050] For example, in Figure 1 In the illustrated example communication network 100, the RAN device 120 may not be connected to the UE 110 and the CN device 130 all the time or simultaneously. If the RAN device 120 can provide a cell 102 for serving the UE 110 when the satellite moves, the UE 110 may be connected to the RAN device 120, and if the RAN device 120 can be connected to the CN 130, the CN 130 may be connected to the RAN device 120. That is, the possibility of UE connection and GW connection may be at different time instances.

[0051] NTN connectivity for Cellular IoT is one of the main use cases for Cellular IoT over NTN. In these scenarios, the nature of IoT data traffic and the available features in terrestrial IoT features play an important role in defining solutions for IoT-NTN in S&F mode in discontinuous coverage scenarios.

[0052] For example, IoT data traffic may refer to small data transmissions with few transmission packets in most cases, and application acknowledgement (ACK) is optional. In addition, periodic data transmissions may not be time-critical for IoT data traffic, and urgent transmissions (exception reports) may need to reach the application within a specific duration.

[0053] Some IoT features are defined to enhance NTN connectivity with discontinuous coverage in S&F mode, for example, an EDT mechanism has been proposed. In EDT, a single user packet can be transmitted during the random access procedure. No Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection is established for EDT.

[0054] For MT-EDT, the RAN device may need to trigger a paging procedure for EDT. If the UE initiates the MO EDT procedure and sends a paging response, the RAN device may obtain the payload from the CN device and send the payload to the UE in a random access message (e.g., in message 4). This interaction may require the RAN device / satellite to have connectivity with both the UE and the CN device.

[0055] However, in S&F mode, the RAN device / satellite may be connected to the CN device only for a period of time. Similarly, the RAN device / satellite has a connection with the UE for a period of time. The RAN device / satellite may not have connections with the UE and the CN device at the same time.

[0056] Therefore, MT-EDT may not work well in this scenario because (1) based on the last connected geo-fixed cell ID, the RAN device may not be covering the cell to which the UE last connected; (2) if the RAN connection is lost, the paging attempt may fail, and the CN device cannot deliver the payload to the RAN device, and there may be no opportunity to deliver the MT-EDT data; (3) due to the discontinuous connection between the RAN device / satellite and the UE, and the discontinuous connection between the RAN device / satellite and the CN device, MT-EDT may require multiple encodings to deliver the MT-EDT data to the UE; (4) the RAN node cannot ask the CN to verify the UE because the RAN is only connected to the UE at this time.

[0057] According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, a solution for MT-EDT for IoT is provided. In the solution, the UE negotiates with the CN device the content of the paging response to further paging for MT-EDT. The CN device may provide the content of the paging response to the RAN device. If the paging process is triggered from the RAN device and the UE detects the paging, the UE may send the negotiated paging response to the RAN device. If the RAN device verifies that the paging response is valid, the RAN device sends downlink data to the UE. In this way, the performance and efficiency of MT-EDT in S&F mode may be significantly improved.

[0058] It should be understood that the CN equipment may be referred to as NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMM / SMF / LMF / LMC, which may include a network control element (NCE), and / or a serving gateway (SGW), and / or an MME (mobility management entity) and / or an SGW (serving gateway) function, and / or a user data management function (UDM), and / or a PCF (policy control) function, and / or an access and mobility (AMF) function, and / or a session management (SMF) function, a location management function (LMF), a location management component (LMC) and / or an authentication server (AUSF) function, and which provides connection to another network (such as a telephone network and / or a data communication network (e.g., the Internet)), and which is configured to perform any 5G and / or NR operations in addition to or instead of other standard operations at the time of this application. NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMM / SMF / LMF / LMC are configurable to perform operations according to example embodiments of the present invention in LTE, NR, 5G and / or any standards-based communication technology implemented or discussed at the time of this application.

[0059] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0060] Reference now Figure 2 , which shows a signaling diagram 200 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2 As shown, signaling diagram 200 involves UE 110, RAN equipment 120 and CN equipment 130. For discussion purposes, reference is made to Figure 1 To describe the signaling diagram 200. Figure 2 A single UE 110 and a single RAN device 120 are illustrated in FIG. 1 , but it should be understood that there may be multiple UEs and multiple RAN devices that perform similar operations as described below with respect to the UE 110 and the RAN 120, respectively.

[0061] like Figure 2As shown, to support MT-EDT in S&F mode (or S&F MT-EDT), UE 110 may exchange capabilities for supporting S&F MT-EDT with CN device 130, and negotiate 202 with CN 130 the content of a paging response for a further paging procedure initiated for MT-EDT. Hereinafter, the term EDT may also refer to SDT.

[0062] For example, UE 110 may negotiate authentication information for a paging response with CN device 130. For example, the authentication information may be a security token. It should be understood that other suitable authentication information may also be used.

[0063] In some embodiments, UE 110 may negotiate with CN device 130 different paging responses for multiple further consecutive MT-EDTs. The fields included in the corresponding content of the paging response may be changed in sequence, for example, incrementally across multiple consecutive MT-EDTs. In this way, the use of static paging responses across multiple EDTs may be avoided. That is, for each new MT-EDT paging attempt, UE 110 may employ a different paging response.

[0064] It should be understood that the negotiated paging response is pre-agreed between the UE 110 and the CN device 130. It is also possible that the negotiated paging response may be renegotiated or configured by the CN device 130.

[0065] If the RAN device 120 is connected to the CN device 130 , the CN device 130 may send 204 a paging message for MT-EDT and other relevant information, such as the last connected cell information and / or the number of packets, to the RAN device 120 .

[0066] In some scenarios, the RAN 120 may determine 206 that the RAN 120 is not currently serving the UE 110 (in the last connected cell), but may later deliver MT-EDT to the UE 110. For example, the RAN 120 moves along a predetermined orbit of a satellite, and the RAN device 120 may know that it may later move to a cell serving the UE 110.

[0067] In this case, the RAN device 120 may send 208 a request for information associated with the MT-EDT to the CN device 130. The request may be sent from the RAN device 120 to the CN device 130 via an S1 message, which may be represented by, for example, a field called "Get-DL-Data-for-late-forwarding" or "S1-DL-Data-Request-SF". The request may include at least one of a number of packets to be sent in the MT-EDT, a reference cell identity, or a request for authentication information for a paging response, which may be represented by a field called "NAS-security-token-DL-Fetching".

[0068] If the CN device 130 receives the request, the CN device 130 may provide 210 to the RAN device a response including information associated with a paging response, which may be referred to as an expected paging response or a non-access stratum (NAS) level paging response. The NAS level paging response may be sent via a control message such as an S1 message. It should be understood that the expected paging response used below may also be considered a NAS paging response.

[0069] For example, the response sent from the CN device 130 to the RAN device 120 may include downlink data to be sent to the UE 110 in the MT-EDT, authentication information for the paging response, and / or a timer indicating the validity of the authentication information, which may be indicated, for example, via at least one of the following fields: "DL-NAS-Transport message for SF", "NAS-Paging-response", or "Validity-timer for UE connectivity". In this way, if the RAN device 120 obtains a NAS-level paging response, the RAN device 120 may compare the paging response received from the UE 110 with the information obtained from the NAS-level paging response to verify whether the received paging response is valid (assuming that the fields in the paging response for MT-EDT have fixed values).

[0070] The case where RAN 120 requests information associated with a paging response has been described above. As another option, if CN device 130 knows that RAN device 120 will serve UE 110 in the future, CN device 130 may also directly send paging and MT-EDT packets. For example, CN device 130 may transmit a paging message for MT-EDT (transmitted in action 204) and a response including information associated with a paging response (transmitted in action 210) to RAN device 120.

[0071] If the RAN device 120 detects that it begins serving the cell in which the UE 110 is located, the RAN device 120 may trigger 212 a paging procedure. For example, the RAN device 120 may send a paging message, which may be an RRC message.

[0072] After detecting the paging, the UE 110 may send 214 a paging response that has been negotiated with the CN 130 to the RAN device 120 by initiating a mobile originated EDT (MO-EDT). In an example embodiment, the paging response may be sent as part of an RRCConnectionResumeRequest message for MO-EDT optimized for the user plane Cellular IoT (CIoT) Evolved Packet System (EPS), or part of an RRCEarlyDataRequest message for MO-EDT optimized for the control plane CIoT 5G System (5GS), or any other RRC message. As another option, the UE 110 may be allowed to send only the negotiated authentication information. It should be understood that when the UE 110 receives the paging, the RAN device 120 does not have a connection with the UE 110.

[0073] The RAN device 120 may verify 216 whether the paging response and / or authentication information received from the UE 110 is valid based on the information obtained from the CN device 130. For example, the RAN device 120 may check whether the content included in the received paging response matches the content included in the information obtained from the CN device 130. Alternatively, the RAN device 120 may check the authentication information based on a timer of the validity of the authentication information. It should be understood that the authentication information needs to be refreshed when the UE 110 moves out of the current serving cell or when the timer expires. In this case, the timer can be used to prevent the RAN 120 from pushing data for any UE from the CN device 130, for example, when the timer expires.

[0074] If the RAN device 120 determines that the paging response and / or authentication information received from the UE 110 is valid, the RAN device 120 may trigger 218 the MT-EDT or RRC connection to send downlink data to the UE 110 .

[0075] Alternatively, MT-EDT delivery may be performed without a NAS-level paging response. For example, if the MT-EDT content is short and intended for a simple action at the MTC device (i.e., UE 110), the security check on the paging response may be avoided in a small data transfer (SDT) mode. In this case, the CN device 130 does not need to provide a "NAS-level paging response" for verification. The RAN device 120 may identify the binding between the paging identifier and the AS message based on the identifier given in the RRC message.

[0076] Through the solution of the present invention, MT-EDT can work well even if the RAN device may not have connections with both the UE and the CN device at the same time. In this way, paging failures and low transmission efficiency can be avoided, thereby ensuring system performance and security.

[0077] It should be understood that the solutions mentioned below for EDT can also be used for SDT.

[0078] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing an example method 300 of MT-EDT for IoT according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 300 may be implemented in a manner such as Figure 1 For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 Method 300 is described.

[0079] At 310 , if the first device 110 detects paging for MT-EDT from the second device, then at 320 , the first device sends a paging response to the second device, the paging response including at least authentication information negotiated between the first device and the third device for verification at the second device.

[0080] In some example embodiments, the paging response is sent from the first device to the second device via MSG 3 or RRC signaling in a random access procedure.

[0081] In some example embodiments, the first device may negotiate with the third device a paging response for MT-EDT, the authentication information being included in the paging response.

[0082] In some example embodiments, for a plurality of consecutive mobile terminated early data transmissions, respective paging responses having different fields are negotiated between the first device and the third device, and wherein the different fields are used in sequence for the plurality of consecutive mobile terminated early data transmissions.

[0083] At 330 , the first device 110 receives a data transmission from the second device.

[0084] In some example embodiments, the first device may receive a data transmission from the second device via an MT-EDT procedure or an RRC connection.

[0085] In some example embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device, the second device comprises a radio access network device, and the third device comprises a core network device.The first device, the second device, and the third device operate in a store-and-forward mode.

[0086] Figure 4FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example method 400 of MT-EDT for IoT according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 400 may be implemented in a manner such as Figure 1 The second device 120 is shown as being implemented. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 Method 400 is described.

[0087] At 410, the second device 120 initiates a paging procedure for MT-EDT.

[0088] At 420 , if the second device 120 receives a paging response including at least authentication information from the first device, the second device verifies the validity of the paging response based on expected paging response related information for MT-EDT received from the third device at 430 .

[0089] In some example embodiments, the second device may verify the validity of the paging response for authentication of the first device.

[0090] In some example embodiments, the second device may obtain the expected paging response related information from the third device. The expected paging response related information may include at least one of the following: a downlink NAS transmission message, an expected paging response, a validity timer for a connection of the first device, or a validity timer for a lifetime of an expected paging response.

[0091] In some example embodiments, the expected paging response related information is obtained via a control message such as an S1 message.

[0092] In some example embodiments, if the second device receives an indication from the third device that the first device is to be served by the second device, the second device may send a request for information related to an expected paging response to the third device. The request may include at least one of the following: the number of packets to be transmitted, a reference cell identifier, or an authentication information acquisition request.

[0093] In some example embodiments, the request is sent via a control message such as an S1 message.

[0094] At 440 , if the second device determines that the paging response is valid, the second device may perform a data transmission to the first device at 450 .

[0095] In some example embodiments, the second device may determine that the paging response is valid if fields included in the paging response received from the first device match an expected paging response.

[0096] In some example embodiments, the second device may determine that the paging response is valid if the validity timer has not expired.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the second device may perform data transmission via an MT-EDT procedure or an RRC connection.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device, the second device comprises a radio access network device, and the third device comprises a core network device.The first device, the second device, and the third device operate in a store-and-forward mode.

[0099] Figure 5 1 is a flow chart showing an example method 500 of MT-EDT for IoT according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 500 may be implemented in a Figure 1 The third device 130 is shown as being implemented. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 Method 500 is described.

[0100] At 510, the third device 130 generates expected paging response related information based on a paging response for mobile terminated early data transmission, the paging response including at least authentication information negotiated between the first device and the third device, the authentication information being used for verification at the second device.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the expected paging response related information may include at least one of: a downlink NAS transmission message, an expected paging response, a validity timer for a connection of the first device, or a validity timer for a lifetime of an expected paging response.

[0102] In some example embodiments, if the third device receives a request for expected paging response related information from the second device, the third device may provide the expected paging response related information to the second device.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the request may include at least one of: a number of packets to be transmitted, a reference cell identity, or an authentication information acquisition request.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the third device may negotiate with the first device a paging response for MT-EDT, the authentication information being included in the paging response.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device, the second device comprises a radio access network device, and the third device comprises a core network device.The first device, the second device, and the third device operate in a store-and-forward mode.

[0106] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 300 (e.g., implemented at first device 110) may include a component for performing the corresponding steps of method 300. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for sending a paging response to the second device in response to detecting a paging for MT-EDT from the second device, the paging response including at least authentication information negotiated between the first device and a third device, the authentication information being used for verification at the second device; and a component for receiving a data transmission from the second device.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for negotiating a paging response for the MT-EDT with the third device, the authentication information being included in the paging response.

[0109] In some example embodiments, for a plurality of consecutive mobile terminated early data transmissions, respective paging responses having different fields are negotiated between the first device and the third device, and wherein the different fields are used for the plurality of consecutive mobile terminated early data transmissions in sequence.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the means for sending the paging response includes means for sending the paging response from the first device to the second device via MSG 3 or RRC signaling in a random access procedure.

[0111] In some example embodiments, means for receiving a data transmission may include means for receiving a data transmission via an MT-EDT procedure or an RRC connection.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device, the second device comprises a radio access network device, and the third device comprises a core network device.The first device, the second device, and the third device operate in a store-and-forward mode.

[0113] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 400 (e.g., implemented at second device 120) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 400. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for initiating a paging procedure for MT-EDT; a component for verifying the validity of the paging response based on expected paging response related information for MT-EDT received from a third device in response to receiving a paging response from a first device including at least authentication information; and a component for performing data transmission to the first device in response to determining that the paging response is valid.

[0115] In some example embodiments, means for verifying the validity of the paging response may include means for verifying the validity of the paging response for authentication of the first device.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: a component for obtaining expected paging response related information from a third device. The expected paging response related information may include at least one of the following: a downlink NAS transmission message, an expected paging response, a validity timer for a connection of the first device, or a validity timer for a lifetime of an expected paging response.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the expected paging response related information is obtained via a control message such as an S1 message.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for sending a request for information related to an expected paging response to a third device. The request may include at least one of the following: a number of packets to be transmitted, a reference cell identifier, or an authentication information acquisition request.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the request is sent via a control message such as an S1 message.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for determining that the paging response is valid in response to a field included in the paging response received from the first device matching an expected paging response.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for determining that the paging response is valid in response to the validity timer not expiring.

[0122] In some example embodiments, means for performing data transmission may include means for performing data transmission via an MT-EDT procedure or an RRC connection.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device, the second device comprises a radio access network device, and the third device comprises a core network device.The first device, the second device, and the third device operate in a store-and-forward mode.

[0124] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 500 (e.g., implemented at third device 130) may include a component for performing the corresponding steps of method 500. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: means for generating expected paging response related information based on a paging response for a mobile terminated early data transmission, the paging response including at least authentication information negotiated between the first device and a third device, the authentication information being verified at the second device.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the expected paging response related information may include at least one of the following: an expected paging response, a validity timer for a connection of the first device, or a validity timer for a lifetime of the expected paging response.

[0127] In some example embodiments, means for providing the expected paging response related information includes means for providing the expected paging response related information to the second device in response to receiving a request for the expected paging response related information from the second device.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the request may include at least one of: a number of packets to be transmitted, a reference cell identity, or an authentication information acquisition request.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for negotiating with the first device a paging response for the MT-EDT, the authentication information being included in the paging response.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the first device comprises a terminal device, the second device comprises a radio access network device, and the third device comprises a core network device.The first device, the second device, and the third device operate in a store-and-forward mode.

[0131] Figure 6 600 is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 600 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 The UE 110, RAN device 120 or CN device 130 are shown. As shown in the figure, the device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to the processor 610, and one or more communication modules 640 coupled to the processor 610.

[0132] The communication module 640 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 640 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary to communicate with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 640 may include at least one antenna.

[0133] As non-limiting examples, processor 610 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network, and may include one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 600 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock of a synchronized main processor.

[0134] The memory 620 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 624, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), optical disk, laser disk, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that will not persist for the duration of a power outage.

[0135] The computer program 630 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 610. The instructions of the program 630 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 630 may be stored in a memory, such as ROM 624. The processor 610 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 630 into the RAM 622.

[0136] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of a program 630, so that the device 600 may execute the Figures 2 to 5 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the program 630 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 600 (such as in the memory 620) or in other storage devices accessible to the device 600. The device 600 may load the program 630 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 622 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), not a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM compared to ROM).

[0138] Figure 7 An example of a computer readable medium 700 is shown which may be in the form of a CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 700 has a program 630 stored thereon.

[0139] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0140] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as those included in a program module executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform any method as described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed. Machine executable instructions for program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0141] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device so that the program code enables the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented when executed by the processor or controller. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0142] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0143] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or apparatuses, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media would include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0144] In addition, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in sequence, or performing all of the operations shown to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but should be interpreted as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Unless explicitly stated, certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, unless explicitly stated, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0145] Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: In response to detecting a paging for a mobile terminated early data transmission from a second device, sending a paging response to the second device, the paging response including at least authentication information negotiated between the first device and a third device, the authentication information being used for authentication at the second device; as well as A data transmission is received from the second device.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to: The paging response for the mobile terminated early data transmission is negotiated with the third device, the authentication information being included in the paging response.

3. The first device of claim 1 , wherein for a plurality of consecutive mobile terminated early data transmissions, corresponding paging responses having different fields are negotiated between the first device and the third device, and wherein the different fields are used in sequence for the plurality of consecutive mobile terminated early data transmissions.

4. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first device is caused to: The data transmission is received from the second device via the mobile terminated early data transmission procedure or a radio resource control connection.

5. The first device of claim 1, wherein the paging response is sent from the first device to the second device via message 3 in a random access procedure or radio resource control signaling.

6. A first device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device, the second device comprises a radio access network device, and the third device comprises a core network device, and wherein the terminal device, the radio access network device and the core network device operate in a store-and-forward mode.

7. A second device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: Initiate a paging procedure for mobile terminated early data transmission; in response to receiving a paging response including at least authentication information from the first device, verifying validity of the paging response based on expected paging response related information for the mobile terminated early data transmission received from the third device; as well as In response to determining that the paging response is valid, the data transmission to the first device is performed.

8. The second device of claim 7, wherein the second device is further caused to: The validity of the paging response is verified for authentication of the first device.

9. The second device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the second device is further caused to: The expected paging response related information is obtained from a third device, where the expected paging response related information includes at least one of the following: Downlink non-access layer transmission message, Expected paging response, or a validity timer for the connection to the first device, or A validity timer for a time-to-live of the expected paging response.

10. The second device according to claim 9, wherein the expected paging response related information is obtained via a control message.

11. The second device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the second device is further caused to: Responsive to fields included in the paging response received from the first device matching the expected paging response, it is determined that the paging response is valid.

12. The second device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the second device is further caused to: In response to the validity timer not expiring, the paging response is determined to be valid.

13. The second device according to any one of claims 7 to 12, wherein the second device is further caused to: According to determining that an indication that the first device is to be served by the second device is received from the third device, sending a request for the expected paging response related information to the third device, the request comprising at least one of the following: The number of packets to be transmitted, Reference cell identity, or Request to obtain authentication information. The second device of claim 13 , wherein the request is sent via a control message.

15. The second device according to any one of claims 7 to 14, wherein the second device is further caused to: The data transmission is performed via the mobile terminated early data transmission procedure or a radio resource control connection.

16. The second device according to any one of claims 7 to 15, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device, the second device comprises a radio access network device, and the third device comprises a core network device, and wherein the terminal device, the radio access network device and the core network device operate in a store-and-forward mode.

17. A third device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third device to at least: An expected paging response related information is generated based on a paging response for mobile terminated early data transmission, the paging response including at least authentication information negotiated between the first device and the third device, the authentication information being used for authentication at the second device.

18. The third device according to claim 17, wherein the expected paging response related information comprises at least one of the following: Downlink non-access layer transmission message, Expected paging response, or a validity timer for the connection to the first device, or A validity timer for a time-to-live of the expected paging response.

19. The third device according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the third device is caused to: In response to receiving a request for the expected paging response related information from a second device, providing the expected paging response related information to the second device.

20. The third device according to claim 19, wherein the request for information related to the expected paging response comprises at least one of the following: The number of packets to be transmitted, Reference cell identity, or Request to obtain authentication information.

21. The third device according to claim 17, wherein the third device is caused to: A paging response for the mobile terminated early data transmission is negotiated with the first device, the authentication information being included in the paging response.

22. A third device according to any one of claims 17 to 21, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device, the second device comprises a radio access network device, and the third device comprises a core network device, and wherein the terminal device, the radio access network device and the core network device operate in a store-and-forward mode.

23. A method comprising: At the first device, in response to detecting paging for a mobile terminated early data transmission from a second device, sending a paging response to the second device, the paging response including at least authentication information for the mobile terminated early data transmission negotiated between the first device and a third device; and A data transmission is received from the second device.

24. A method comprising: initiating a paging procedure for mobile terminated early data transmission from a second device; in response to receiving a paging response including at least authentication information from the first device, verifying validity of the paging response based on expected paging response related information for the mobile terminated early data transmission received from the third device; as well as In response to determining that the paging response is valid, the data transmission to the first device is performed.

25. A method comprising: generating, at the third device, expected paging response related information based on negotiation with the first device for a paging response for a mobile terminated early data transmission; as well as The expected paging response related information is provided to the second device.

26. An apparatus comprising: means for sending a paging response to a second device in response to detecting paging for a mobile terminated early data transmission from the second device, the paging response comprising at least authentication information for the mobile terminated early data transmission negotiated between the first device and a third device; as well as Means for receiving a data transmission from the second device.

27. An apparatus comprising: means for initiating a paging procedure for mobile terminated early data transmission; means for, in response to receiving a paging response including at least authentication information from the first device, verifying validity of the paging response based on information related to an expected paging response for the mobile terminated early data transmission received from a third device; as well as Means for performing the data transmission to the first device in response to determining that the paging response is valid.

28. An apparatus comprising: Means for generating information related to an expected paging response based on a paging response for a mobile terminated early data transmission, the paging response including at least authentication information negotiated between the first device and a third device, the authentication information being used for authentication at the second device.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are used to cause an apparatus to at least perform the method according to claim 22, the method according to claim 23, and the method according to claim 24.

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