Methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media related to quality of experience information in communication network

Abstract

A method is performed by a user equipment. The method includes connecting to a first radio access network (RAN) node of the communication network upon transitioning to a connected state. The method further includes transmitting information relating to the one or more quality of experience measurement sessions configured at the user equipment to the communication network. One or more QoE measurement sessions are configured at a user equipment during a previous instance of the user equipment in a connected state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods, devices, and computer-readable media related to communication networks, and in particular, to quality of experience information in communication networks. Background Art Overview of the QoE Framework "Normal" QoE

[0002] Quality of Experience (QoE) measurements (also referred to as "application layer measurements") have been specified for Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and are being specified for New Radio (NR) in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 17. The purpose of application layer measurements is to measure the end-user experience when using certain applications. Currently, QoE measurements are supported for streaming services and for Mobile Telephone Service over Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) (MTSI) services. For NR, it is likely that at least Virtual Reality (VR) will be added to the list of services for which QoE measurements are specified and supported.

[0003] The solution in LTE and UMTS is similar, where the general principle is as follows. Quality of Experience Measurement Collection (QMC) enables the configuration of application layer measurements in the User Equipment (UE) and the transmission of QoE measurement result files (commonly referred to as QoE reports) to the network by means of Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. The application layer measurement configuration (also referred to as QoE measurement configuration or QoE configuration) received by the Radio Access Network (RAN) from the Operation, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) system or the Core Network (CN) is encapsulated in a transparent container, which is forwarded to the UE in a downlink RRC message. The application layer measurement report (also referred to as QoE report) received by the UE Access Stratum (UE AS) or UE RRC layer from the higher layers (application layer) of the UE is encapsulated in a transparent container and sent to the network in an uplink RRC message. The RAN then forwards the QoE report to the Measurement Collector Entity (MCE).

[0004] In 3GPP Release 17, a new study project for NR, "Study on NR QoE management and optimizations for diverse services", has been approved and concluded. The specification work for 3GPP Release 17 is still in progress. The purpose of the study project is to study solutions for QoE measurement in NR. QoE management in NR will not only collect quality of experience parameters for streaming services, but also take into account typical performance requirements of different services (such as augmented reality (AR) / VR and ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), which will cover at least VR in 3GPP Release 17). Based on the requirements of the service, the NR study also includes a more adaptive QoE management solution that enables network optimization to meet the user experience of different services.

[0005] Configuration data related to QoE measurements (often referred to as application layer measurements in standard specifications) consists of the following items: an indication of the service type, an indication of the area in which the measurements are to be performed (expressed as an area range), an IP address of an entity (often referred to as an MCE, spelled as a measurement collector entity or a measurement collection entity, but the entity may also sometimes be referred to as a trace collection entity) to which the collected measurement results (i.e., QoE reports) should be sent, and a set of instructions on which type of measurements should be performed and the details of how these measurements are to be performed. These instructions are prepared for the application layer in the UE and are placed in a "container" that the network entity that handles it (e.g., forwards it to the UE) and the UE access layer cannot interpret and will not attempt to read. The currently specified service types are MTSI and streaming services (DASH), and in 3GPP Release 17, service type VR will be added and QoE measurements for multicast and broadcast services (MBS) will be specified in 3GPP Release 18. Area ranges are defined in terms of cells or network-related areas. In UMTS, area ranges are defined as either a list of cells, a list of routing areas, or a list of tracking areas. In LTE, the area scope is defined as either a list of cells or a list of tracking areas. In NR, the area scope will be defined as either a list of cells or a list of tracking areas.

[0006] QoE (and in particular QoE configuration) is popular in two flavors: management-based QoE configuration and signaling-based QoE configuration. In both cases, the QoE configuration originates from the OAM system or another management entity (e.g., handling customer satisfaction). All of these entities are referred to as the OAM system in this document (where the OAM system also contains additional entities). With management-based QoE (m-based QoE), the OAM system is typically interested in general QoE statistics from a certain area (configured as area-wide). The m-based QoE configuration is sent directly from the OAM system to the RAN nodes that control the cells within the area scope. Each RAN node then selects UEs within the area scope (and also meets any other relevant conditions, such as supporting the relevant application / service type) and sends the m-based QoE configuration to these UEs.

[0007] With signaling-based QoE (s-based QoE), the OAM system is interested in collecting QoE measurements from a specific UE, for example, because the user of the UE has submitted a complaint. The OAM system sends the s-based QoE configuration to the Home Subscriber Server (HSS) (in Evolved Packet System (EPS) / LTE) or the Unified Data Management (UDM) (in 5GS / NR), which forwards the QoE configuration to the UE's current core network node (CN) (e.g., the Mobility Management Entity (MME) in EPS / LTE or the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) in 5G / NR). The CN then forwards the s-based QoE configuration to the RAN node serving the relevant UE and the RAN forwards it to the UE.

[0008] Forwarded to the UE is a service type indication and a container with measurement instructions. The UE does not know whether the received QoE configuration is m-based or s-based. In traditional systems, the QoE framework is integrated with the tracking functionality and a tracking ID is associated with each QoE configuration. In NR, the QoE functionality will be logically separated from the tracking functionality, but it will still partially reuse the tracking signaling mechanism. In NR, and possibly in LTE, a globally unique QoE reference (formed by Mobile Country Code (MCC) + Mobile Network Code (MNC) + QoE Measurement Collection (QMC) ID, where the QMC ID is a 24-bit string) will be associated with each QoE configuration. The QoE reference is included in the container with the measurement instructions and is also sent to the RAN (i.e., gNB in ​​NR). For communications between the gNB and the UE, the QoE reference is replaced by a shorter identifier denoted as measConfigAppLayerId that is locally unique within the UE (i.e., there is a one-to-one mapping between measConfigAppLayerId and QoE reference for each QoE configuration provided to the UE). The measConfigAppLayerId is stored in the UE access stratum and is also forwarded in an AT command (which is a type of instruction used in communications between the modem part of the UE and the application layer of the UE) together with the service type indication and a container with measurement instructions.

[0009] A report with the collected QoE measurements (QoE Report) is sent from the UE application layer to the UE access layer, which forwards it to the RAN, which forwards it to the MCE. These QoE measurements are placed in a "container" that is uninterpretable to the UE access layer and the RAN. The QoE report can be configured to be periodic or only sent at the end of an application session. In addition, the RAN can instruct the UE to suspend QoE reporting, for example in the case where the cell / gNB is in an overloaded state.

[0010] The RAN is not aware when an application session with an associated QoE measurement session is ongoing and the UE access layer is not automatically aware of this. To mitigate this, a start / stop indication will be introduced which will be sent from the application layer in the UE to the UE AS and from the UE AS to the RAN. The session stop indication may be explicit or may be implicit in the form of a QoE report sent when the application session and the associated QoE measurement session are ended.

[0011] As an implementation based decision, the RAN may decide to release the QoE configuration in the UE at any time. Typically, it is done when the UE has moved outside the area configured for QoE measurements (which as mentioned previously is usually referred to as the area range).

[0012] One opportunity provided by conventional solutions is to also be able to keep QoE measurements throughout the session, even during handover scenarios. It is also discussed to let the UE continue QoE measurements for an ongoing application session until the application session ends, even if the UE moves out of the configured area range in the meantime. RAN Visible QoE (RVQoE)

[0013] An extension to the QoE framework that has been studied for 3GPP Release 17 and is currently being specified in 3GPP is the concept of RAN Visible QoE (RVQoE). Conventional QoE reports are prepared for the MCE, which is an entity external to the RAN (e.g., part of the OAM system), and the RAN cannot read the QoE reports (at least not according to the specification, although gNB / eNB implementations are not prevented from doing so). In contrast, reported RVQoE metrics are prepared for the RAN and passed to the RAN in a format that the RAN understands. The RVQoE metrics are derived from the conventional QoE metrics, collected and compiled by the UE application layer in reports, and passed to the RAN so that the RAN can use the reports for various types of optimizations. As an example, when the RAN receives a RVQoE report during an ongoing application session, the RAN can perform adaptation actions while the application session is ongoing to affect the QoE of the related application session, such as changing various parameters related to the scheduling of the UE and the data flows related to the application session. AT Commands

[0014] AT commands are used for communication between the AS (Radio) layer and the application layer in the UE. AT commands are defined in 3GPP TS 27.007 version 17.3.0. QoE Measurement in Traditional Systems QoE Measurement in UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) UTRAN-Application layer measurement capabilities

[0015] According to 3GPP TS25.331, the UTRAN can request the UE (using the UE Capability Query RRC message) to report its capabilities (as shown in the error! Reference source not found), which describes the UE Capability Query procedure in UTRAN.

[0016] In response, the UE may provide information about its capabilities using the UE CAPABILITY INFORMATION RRC message (as shown in the Error! Reference source not found), which illustrates the transmission of UE capability information in UTRAN.

[0017] The UE may indicate support for QoE measurement and reporting in the UE Capability Information message. The relevant indication is included in the "Measurement Capability" information element (IE), which in turn is included in the "UE Radio Access Capability" IE, which is included in the UE Capability Information message. The relevant definitions are copied from 3GPP TS 25.331 version 16.1.0 below.

[0018] UE capability information message:

[0019] "UE Radio Access Capabilities" IE:

[0020] "Measurement Capability" IE: UTRAN-QoE measurement configuration-RRC signaling To configure QoE measurements in the UE, the UTRAN may send a Measurement Control RRC message containing an “Application Layer Measurement Configuration” IE. Figure 1 The measurement control process under normal UTRAN conditions is described.

[0021] The relevant definitions are copied from 3GPP TS25.331 version 16.1.0 below.

[0022] Measurement control messages:

[0023] “Application Layer Measurement Configuration” IE: UTRAN-QoE measurement report-RRC signaling

[0024] Using the "Measurement Report" RRC message including the "Application Layer Measurement Report" IE, the UE may send the QoE measurement results to the collection entity via the UTRAN. Figure 2 The measurement reporting process under normal UTRAN conditions is described.

[0025] The UE may also perform a cell update to indicate that application layer measurement reporting is available in the UE.

[0026] SRB4 shall be used for measurement report messages carrying the "Application layer measurement report" IE.

[0027] The relevant definitions are copied from 3GPP TS25.331 version 16.1.0 below.

[0028] Measurement report message:

[0029] “Application Layer Measurement Report” IE:

[0030] Community update message:

[0031] “Cell Update Reason” IE: QoE Measurement in Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN) E-UTRAN-Application layer measurement capabilities

[0032] For E-UTRAN, UE capability transfer is used to transfer UE radio access capability information from the UE to E-UTRAN. Figure 3 The UE capability transfer procedure involving E-UTRAN is described.

[0033] The UE-EUTRA-Capability IE is used to convey the E-UTRA UE radio access capability parameters and feature group indicators of mandatory features to the network.

[0034] In the response message "UECapabilityInformation", the UE may include a "UE-EUTRA-Capability" IE. The "UE-EUTRA-Capability" IE may include a "UE-EUTRA-Capability-v1530-IES" IE that may be used by the UE to indicate whether the UE supports QoE measurement collection for streaming services and / or MTSI services. The relevant ASN.1 codes in the ASN.1 definition for the UE-EUTRA-Capability IE are indicated below (most of the ASN.1 codes in the UE-EUTRA-Capability IE definition are omitted for clarity).

[0035] --ASN1START : : : :

[0042] UE-EUTRA-Capabi`ty-v1530-IEs::=SEQUENCE{

[0043] measParameters-v1530MeasParameters-v1530OPTIONAL,

[0044] otherParameters-v1530Other-Parameters-v1530OPTIONAL,

[0045] neighCellSI-AcquisitionParameters-v1530NeighCellSI-AcquisitionParameters-v1530OPTIONAL,

[0046] mac-Parameters-v1530MAC-Parameters-v1530OPTIONAL,

[0047] phyLayerParameters-v1530PhyLayerParameters-v1530OPTIONAL,

[0048] rf-Parameters-v1530RF-Parameters-v1530OPTIONAL,

[0049] pdcp-Parameters-v1530 PDCP-Parameters-v1530 OPTIONAL,

[0050] ue-CategoryDL-v1530 INTEGER(22..26)OPTIONAL,

[0051] ue-BasedNetwPerfMeasParameters-v1530 UE-BasedNetwPerfMeasParameters-v1530 OPTIONAL,

[0052] rlc-Parameters-v1530 RLC-Parameters-v1530OPTIONAL,

[0053] s1-Parameters-v1530 SL-Parameters-v1530OPTIONAL,

[0054] extendedNumberOfDRBs-r15 ENUMERATED{supported}OPTIONAL,

[0055] reducedCP-Latency-r15 ENUMERATED{supported}OPTIONAL,

[0056] laa-Parameters-v1530 LAA-Parameters-v1530OPTIONΛL,

[0057] ue-CategoryUL-v1530 INTEGER(22..26) OPTIONAL,

[0058] fdd-Add-UE-EUTRA-Capabilities-v1530 UE-EUTRA-CapabilityAddXDD-Mode-v1530 OPTIONAL,

[0059] tdd-Add-UE-EUTRA-Capabilities-v1530 UE-EUTRA-CapabilityAddXDD-Mode-v1530 OPTIONAL,

[0060] nonCriticalExtension UE-EUTRA-Capability-v1540-IEs OPTIONAL

[0061] } : : : :

[0068] MeasParameters-v1530::=SEQUENCE{

[0069] qoe-MeasReport-r15 ENUMERATED{supported}OPTIONAL,

[0070] qoe-MTSI-MeasReport-r15 ENUMERATED{supported}OPTIONAL,

[0071] ca-IdleModeMeasurements-r15 ENUMERATED{supported}OPTIONAL,

[0072] ca-IdleModeValidityArea-r15 ENUMERATED{supported}OPTIONAI,

[0073] heightMeas-r15 ENUMERATED{supported}OPTIONAL,

[0074] multipleCellsMeasExtension-r15 ENUMERATED{supported}OPTIONAL

[0075] } : : : :

[0082] --ASN1STOP E-UTRAN-QoE measurement configuration setup and release-RRC signaling

[0084] The RRCConnectionReconfiguration message is used to reconfigure the UE to set up or release the UE for application layer measurements. This is signaled in the measConfigAppLayer-r15 IE within the OtherConfig IE.

[0085] A transparent container measConfigAppLayerContainer IE is set up that specifies the QoE measurement configuration for the application of interest and a serviceType IE that indicates the application (or service) for which the QoE measurement is being configured. Supported services are streaming and MTSI.

[0086] The relevant parts of the ASN.1 code and the field descriptions of the OtherConfigIE are copied from 3GPP TS 36.331 version 16.6.0 below (where fields / parameters not relevant to the context of QoE are omitted for clarity).

[0087] --ASN1START

[0089] OtherConfig-r9::=SEQUENCE{ : : : :

[0094] [[measConfigAppLayer-r15 CHOICE{

[0095] release NULL,

[0096] setup SEQUENCE{

[0097] measConfIgAppLayerContainer-r15 OCTETSTRING(SIZE(1..1000)),

[0098] serviceType-r15ENUMERATED{qoe,qoemtsi,spare6,

[0099] spare5, spare4, spare3,

[0100] spare2, spare1}

[0101] }

[0102] }OPTIONAL, --Need ON : : : :

[0107] } : : :

[0113] --ASN1STOP

[0115] The following is the procedure text related to OtherConfigIE (ie, when the UE receives the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message including OtherConfigIE) and QoE measurement configuration.

[0116] The UE shall: : : :

[0120] 1> If the received otherConfig includes measConfigAppLayer:

[0121] 2>If measConfigAppLayer is set to establish:

[0122] 3> Considering serviceType, forward measConfigAppLayerContainer to the upper layer;

[0123] 3> Consider itself configured to send application layer measurement reports according to 5.6.19;

[0124] 2> Otherwise:

[0125] 3> Notify the upper layer to clear the stored application layer measurement configuration;

[0126] 3> discard the received application layer measurement report information from the upper layer;

[0127] 3> Considers itself not configured to send application layer measurement reports. E-UTRAN-Application Layer Measurement Report

[0128] The purpose of the "Application Layer Measurement Reporting" procedure described in 3GPP TS 36.331 version 16.6.0 and shown below is to transmit application layer measurement reports to the E-UTRAN so that the E-UTRAN can forward the reports to the O&M system, for example to a Measurement Collector Entity (MCE) or a Trace Collector Entity (TCE). Figure 4 Application layer measurement reporting in E-UTRAN is described.

[0129] A UE capable of application layer measurement reporting in RRC_CONNECTED state may initiate the procedure when configured with application layer measurements (i.e., when the measConfigAppLayer IE has been configured by the E-UTRAN). For this purpose, the UE uses the MeasReportAppLayer RRC message, which contains the measReportAppLayerContainer IE and the serviceType IE.

[0130] According to 3GPP TS 36.331 version 16.6.0, when initiating the application layer measurement reporting procedure, the UE shall:

[0131] 1> If application layer measurement is configured, SRB4 is configured, and the UE has received application layer measurement report information from upper layers:

[0132] 2> Set the measReportAppLayerContainer in the MeasReportAppLayer message to the value of the application layer measurement report information;

[0133] 2> Set the serviceType in the MeasReportAppLayer message to the type of the application layer measurement report information;

[0134] 2> Submit MeasReportAppLayer message to lower layers for transmission via SRB4.

[0135] In ASN.1 code (with associated field descriptions), the MasReportAppLayer message is defined in 3GPP TS 36.331 version 16.6.0 as follows:

[0136] --ASN1START

[0138] MeasReporrAppLayer-r15::=SEQUENCE{

[0139] criticalExtensions CHOICE{

[0140] measReportAppLayer-r15MeasReportAppLayer-r15-IEs,

[0141] criticalExtensionsFuture SEQUENCE{} )

[0143] }

[0145] MeasReportAppLayer-r15-IEs::=SEQUENCE{

[0146] measReportAppLayerContainer-r15 OCTET STRING(SIZE(1..8000)) OPTIONAL,

[0147] serviceType-r15 ENUMERATED{qoe, qoemtsi, spare6, spare5, spare4, spare3, spare2,

[0148] spare1} OPTIONAL,

[0149] nonCriticalExtension MeasReportAppLayer-V1590-IEsOPTIONAI.

[0150] }

[0152] MeasReportAppLayer-v1590-IEs::=SEQUENCE{

[0153] lateNonCriticalExtension OCTET STRINGOPTIONAL,

[0154] nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE{}OPTIONAL

[0155] }

[0157] --ASN1STOP UE application layer measurement configuration

[0159] For signaling-based QoE configuration, the control plane protocol of the S1 interface (ie, S1AP specified in 3GPP TS 36.413 version 16.7.0) is used to signal the configuration from the MME to the RAN (eNB).

[0160] The "UE Application Layer Measurement Configuration" IE defines the configuration information for the QoE Measurement Collection (QMC) function. It is described in Section 9.2.1.128 of 3GPP TS 36.413 Version 16.7.0 as follows (note that this IE is included in the Trace Activation IE, which includes, among other parameters, the Trace Collection Entity IP Address IE): Regional scope of QoE measurement

[0161] According to 3GPP TS 28.405 version 16.0.0, the Area Scope parameter defines the area in terms of cells or Tracking Areas / Routing Areas / Location Areas, where QMC shall occur. If the parameter is not present, QMC shall be performed in the entire Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) specified in the PLMN Target.

[0162] The area range parameter in UMTS is either: - List of cells identified by Cell Global Identity (CGI). A maximum of 32 CGIs can be defined. - A list of routing areas identified by a Routing Area Identification (RAI). A maximum of 8 RAIs can be defined. - A list of location areas identified by Location Area Identifications (LAIs). A maximum of 8 LAIs may be defined.

[0163] The area range parameters in LTE are either: - List of cells identified by E-UTRAN-CGI. A maximum of 32 CGIs can be defined. - List of Tracking Areas identified by Tracking Area Codes (TACs). A maximum of 8 TACs may be defined.

[0164] For NR, the area range parameter will either be: - a list of cells, or - List of tracking areas.

[0165] If a region-based QMC is requested, this parameter is mandatory. RRC_INACTIVE state

[0166] In 5G / NR, the UE can be in any of three different RRC states: RRC_CONNECTED state, RRC_INACTIVE state, and RRC_IDLE state. The RRC_CONNECTED state is a state typically used when the UE is actively communicating. The RRC_INACTIVE state and the RRC_IDLE state are designed to allow the UE to save energy compared to when the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0167] The RRC_IDLE state is the state in which the UE consumes the least energy (and the gNB saves resources by deleting the UE's state information also known as the UE context), but at the expense of a relatively long network access time (e.g., transitioning to the RRC_CONNECTED state).

[0168] The RRC_INACTIVE state has properties that place it between the RRC_CONNECTED state and the RRC_IDLE state.

[0169] The purpose of the RRC_INACTIVE state is to reduce the signaling overhead on the radio and network interfaces and improve UE access latency (compared to the RRC_IDLE state) as well as UE energy consumption. In this state, the core network (CN) still considers the UE to be connected, so although the RRC connection between the gNB and the UE is suspended, the CN-RAN connection for the UE remains active. The gNB that maintains a connection to the CN while the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state is called the anchor gNB. In order to reduce radio interface signaling at connection establishment, UE context information is saved in the UE and in the anchor gNB, which enables the UE to resume its RRC connection when it is paged or has uplink (UL) data or signaling to send. When the CN has user data or control data to send to the UE, the data is sent to the anchor gNB, which then initiates paging of the UE (also known as RAN-initiated paging).

[0170] In the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE can move around in a UE-specific RAN Notification Area (RNA) without informing the network of its location within the RNA. When the UE leaves its configured RNA, the UE informs the network using RNA update signaling in the form of an RRCResumeRequest message with the resumeCause IE set to "rna-Update". If too much time has passed without communication between the UE and the network, the UE sends periodic RNA updates (i.e., RRCResumeRequest messages with the resumeCause IE set to "rna-Update") to the network, even if it has not left its configured RNA.

[0171] When the gNB releases the UE from the RRC_CONNECTED state to the RRC_INACTIVE state using the RRCRelease message, the gNB configures the UE's RNA. There are three different alternatives for how to configure RNA for the UE: - List of cells. The UE is provided with a list of (one or more) global cell IDs of the cells constituting the RNA. - List of RAN areas. A list of (one or more) RAN area IDs is provided to the UE, where the RAN area ID consists of a RAN area code (RANAC) combined with a tracking area code and a PLMN ID (i.e. a RANAC is unique within a tracking area). To enable RNA configuration using a list of RAN areas, each cell shall broadcast a RAN area code (which may optionally be absent in case the network does not use RAN area based RNA configuration). A RAN area consists of a subset (or all) of the cells of one tracking area. - List of Tracking Areas. A list of (one or more) Tracking Area IDs is provided to the UE, where the Tracking Area ID consists of a Tracking Area Code (TAC) combined with a PLMN ID.

[0172] The UE's RNA should not include areas outside the list of tracking areas that the CN has configured for the UE, because crossing this boundary will trigger the UE to send a Registration Request Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message to the CN with the "5GS Registration Type" IE set to "Mobility Registration Update" (i.e., a process known as Tracking Area Update in LTE).

[0173] The RAN can use any of the above configuration alternatives when configuring RNA for the UE, and it can use different configuration methods for different UEs and use different configuration methods for the same UE at different times, but it cannot mix different configuration alternatives into the same RNA configuration for a certain UE at the same time.

[0174] Upon RNA update (or other contact between the UE and the network), the RAN may configure a new RNA for the UE (e.g., if the UE has moved to a new cell) and if the UE has moved to a new gNB, the context of the UE in the RAN is fetched from the old anchor gNB to the new gNB. This is done using the XnAP messages RETRIEVE UE CONTEXT REQUEST and RETRIEVE UE CONTEXT RESPONSE. Additionally, the RAN-CN connection for the UE is moved from the old anchor gNB to the new gNB, which then becomes the new anchor gNB. This is done using the NG Application Protocol (NGAP) messages PATH SWITCH REQUEST and PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE.

[0175] When the RAN switches (i.e. releases) the UE from RRC_CONNECTED to RRC_INACTIVE state, the serving gNB (which becomes the anchor gNB) assigns an identity called I-RNTI to the UE. When the UE's context is taken from the old anchor gNB to the new gNB, the I-RNTI is used to identify both the anchor gNB and the UE's context within the anchor gNB.

[0176] When the UE wants to transition from the RRC_INACTIVE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state due to the reception of paging or due to the arrival of pending UL data (i.e. data originating from the UE and placed in the UL transmission buffer in the UE), the UE sends a request to resume the RRC connection (including suspended radio bearers) containing its I-RNTI (this is the RRCResumeRequest message). The gNB receiving the request uses the included I-RNTI to fetch the UE's context from the old anchor gNB (also called the "last serving gNB"), after which the RRC connection can be resumed. The new gNB then completes the resumption of the RRC connection (by sending a RRCResume message from the new gNB to the UE, to which the UE responds with a RRCResumeComplete message), and deletes the UE context in the old anchor gNB (the last serving gNB).

[0177] A UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state is said to be "camped" on a cell, where it monitors relevant downlink (DL) control signals, such as synchronization signals, system information, and paging. It is assumed that the RRC_INACTIVE UE follows the same cell reselection rules as the UE in the RRC_IDLE state. Therefore, the cell reselection information provided in the system information traditionally used by the UE in the RRC_IDLE state is also applicable to the UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state. This includes, for example, measurement thresholds, reselection thresholds, hysteresis parameters used to avoid "ping-pong" reselection, and potential cell-specific offsets. In addition, in order to control potential inter-frequency and / or inter-radio access technology (RAT) cell reselection, the cell reselection-related system information typically also includes frequency priority and / or RAT priority.

[0178] There are some challenges currently.

[0179] The current 3GPP standard specification allows the UE to retain the QoE measurement configuration while the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state. However, the standard specification does not say anything about the possibility of the UE performing QoE measurements in the RRC_INACTIVE state or about providing the network with information about the period spent in the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0180] Note that, for example, a streaming application may have a buffer of video data that lasts several minutes. This means that a streaming session may well continue to exist for a long period of time without communication, for example, as might happen if the UE is temporarily released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or even the RRC_IDLE state).

[0181] Furthermore, considering that when the UE is released to the RRC_INACTIVE state, an application session with an associated QoE measurement session may be ongoing, and while the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, an application session with an associated QoE measurement session may or may not end, or while the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, a new application session with an associated QoE measurement session may start, there is a problem with the session status (ongoing or not ongoing) indication in the network. That is, since there is no communication between the UE and the network while the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, there is no way to ensure that the session status indication in the network is correct.

[0182] This implies a problem when the session state indication is transmitted from the anchor RAN node (i.e. the old RAN node, e.g. the old gNB) to the new RAN node (e.g. the new gNB) (in the RETRIEVE UE CONTEXT RESPONSE XnAP message in NR) and when the UE resumes the RRC connection in the new RAN node, since the state indication to the new RAN node may be incorrect due to the above. Summary of the invention

[0183] Certain aspects of the disclosure and embodiments thereof may provide solutions to these or other challenges.

[0184] One aspect of the disclosure seeks to solve the above described problem by providing information from the UE to the network about the QoE measurement session(s) (e.g. ongoing, not ongoing, terminated, ...) during the elapsed RRC_INACTIVE period when resuming an RRC connection (e.g., the UE sends this information to the new RAN node where the UE resumes its RRC connection). If retention of the QoE configuration in the RRC_IDLE state is enabled in a future 3GPP release, the solution may also be applicable to the case where the UE is released to the RRC_IDLE state and a new RRC connection is later established (possibly towards a new RAN node).

[0185] The session state information may be enriched or supplemented with additional relevant information such as a period in the RRC_INACTIVE (or RRC_IDLE) state, timestamps of the session state changes, or a list of session state changes that occurred during the duration of the period in the RRC_INACTIVE (or RRC_IDLE) state.

[0186] Relevant information may also be transferred from the old RAN node to the new RAN node (e.g., in the case of the RRC_INACTIVE state, from the anchor RAN node to the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure), such as the latest known session state (which may be overwritten by the latest session state information from the UE, a timestamp of the time when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE (or RRC_IDLE) state, and / or the latest reported value(s) of some(certain) RVQoE metric(s) (e.g., stream buffer level).

[0187] Therefore, according to the disclosed embodiments, when the UE resumes its RRC connection after a period in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE provides the RAN node with session state information related to the QoE measurement session. (Or when the UE establishes an RRC connection after a period in the RRC_IDLE state, the UE provides the RAN node with session state information related to the QoE measurement session.)

[0188] In a first aspect of the disclosure, a method is performed by a user equipment. The method includes: upon transitioning to a connected state, connecting to a first RAN node of a communication network. The method further includes transmitting information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment to the communication network. The one or more QoE measurement sessions were configured at the user equipment during a previous instance of the user equipment being in the connected state.

[0189] In a second aspect of the disclosure, a method is performed by a user equipment. The method comprises: transmitting information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment to a first RAN node of a communication network while in an inactive connectivity state.

[0190] In a third aspect of the disclosure, a method is performed by a first network node of a communication network. The method includes: when a user equipment is connected to the first network node and transitions to a connected state, receiving information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment from one or more of a second network node of the communication network and the user equipment. The one or more QoE measurement sessions were configured at the user equipment during a previous instance of the user equipment being in the connected state.

[0191] In a fourth aspect of the disclosure, a method is performed by a second network node. The second network node serves a user equipment that is released to an inactive or idle connectivity state. The method includes transmitting information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment to a first network node to which the user equipment has subsequently been connected when transitioning to a connected state.

[0192] Certain embodiments may provide (one or more) technical advantages of enabling the network to know the true session state (e.g., QoE measurement session) in the UE when the UE returns to a connected state (e.g., RRC_CONNECTED) after being in an inactive or idle state (e.g., RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE) for a period of time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0193] For a better understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure and to show how it may be implemented, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0194] Figure 5 is a signaling diagram illustrating a UE capability query process;

[0195] Figure 6 is a signalling diagram illustrating the transmission of UE capability information;

[0196] Figure 7 is a signaling diagram illustrating the measurement control process;

[0197] Figure 8 is a signalling diagram illustrating the measurement reporting process;

[0198] Fig. 9 is a signaling diagram illustrating the UE capability transmission process;

[0199] Fig.10 is a signaling diagram illustrating the application layer measurement reporting process;

[0200] Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a method according to some embodiments;

[0201] Figure 8 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a method according to some embodiments;

[0202] Fig. 9 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a method according to some embodiments;

[0203] Fig.10 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a method according to some embodiments;

[0204] Fig.11 An example of a communication system according to some embodiments is shown;

[0205] Fig.12 A UE according to some embodiments is shown;

[0206] Fig.13 shows a network node according to some embodiments;

[0207] Fig.14is a block diagram of a host computer according to various aspects described herein;

[0208] Fig.15 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functionality implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized; and

[0209] Fig.16 is a block diagram illustrating a communication diagram in which a host communicates with a UE via a network node over a partially wireless connection according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0210] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.The embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art. Terminology and generalizations

[0211] The terms "UE," "terminal equipment," and "wireless terminal" are used interchangeably.

[0212] The terms "MCE" and "TCE" are used interchangeably.

[0213] The terms "QoE measurements" and "application layer measurements" are used interchangeably.

[0214] The terms "application layer measurement configuration", "application measurement configuration", "QoE measurement configuration", "QoE configuration", "QoE measurement and reporting configuration", and "QMC configuration" are used interchangeably. Note that the term "QMC configuration file" is not an equivalent term, but instead refers to a portion of the QoE configuration consisting of an XML file containing instructions, etc. of the QoE metrics to be collected.

[0215] The terms "QoE report" and "QoE measurement report" are used interchangeably. Similarly, the terms "RAN visible QoE report", "RAN visible QoE measurement report", "RVQoE report" and "RVQoE measurement report" are used interchangeably.

[0216] The terms "QoE measurements" and "application layer measurements" refer to the same kind of measurements.

[0217] When referring to a UE, the terms "modem," "radio layer," "RRC layer," and "radio network layer" are used interchangeably.

[0218] When referring to a UE, the terms "access stratum" and "radio layer" are used interchangeably.

[0219] The term "session" is frequently used herein and it may refer to either a QoE measurement session or an application session or an application session to which the QoE measurement is applied.

[0220] An application session and a QoE measurement session that is configured to make measurements on or collect data from an application session are closely related. In this document, this is often reflected by referring to a QoE measurement session as being associated with an application session or by referring to an application session as being associated with a QoE measurement session. When a session for an application of a certain service type is started, and QoE measurements are configured for that service type (i.e., there is a QoE measurement configuration targeting the service type), then a QoE measurement session is also started. Therefore, an application session and the associated QoE measurement session should be started at the same time. Therefore, an application session and the associated QoE measurement session are started simultaneously or with a delay between the initiation of the application session and the start of the QoE measurement session that is small enough to be ignored (under normal circumstances). A possible exception may be if an application session of a certain service type is started and subsequently (while the application session is ongoing) a QoE configuration targeting the service type is received at the UE application layer, and the UE application layer then starts a QoE measurement session to measure the running application session (rather than the alternative option of not starting a QoE measurement session for an already ongoing application session, but instead waiting for the next application session of the targeted service type). The same principle applies to RVQoE measurements. In the following description, unless otherwise stated, it is assumed that an application session and its associated QoE measurement session and / or RVQoE measurement session are started simultaneously or with a negligible delay between the application session and the QoE measurement session. Mechanisms that specifically address the situation where a QoE measurement session and / or RVQoE measurement session is started while an associated application session is already ongoing (i.e., the QoE measurement session and / or RVQoE measurement session is started with a non-negligible delay) may also be covered by the embodiments described herein.

[0221] With the above description of the relationship between an application session and an associated QoE measurement session, it is relevant to discuss the meaning of a "session start" indication (which is a term frequently used in the description). In 3GPP, during the work on specifications utilizing the QoE framework (particularly QoE for NR), it was unclear whether a session start indication referred to an application session or a QoE measurement session. However, the first version 17 of the NR RRC specification (3GPP TS 38.331 version 17.0.0) implied (in the form of the applicationLayerSessionStatus-r17 parameter set to "started" in the MeasurementReportAppLayer message) that a session start indication sent from the UE to the gNB referred to a started QoE measurement session, and the same should then be assumed to apply to a session start indication sent from the UE application layer to the UE AS. Therefore, it is a basic assumption in the description herein that a session start indication refers to a QoE measurement session; however, a session start indication may additionally or alternatively refer to an application session (with an associated QoE configuration).

[0222] The solution proposed in this disclosure is applicable to UMTS, LTE, NR and future radio access technologies (such as 6G).

[0223] All references to the application layer are to the application layer of the UE (since RAN nodes do not have an application layer).

[0224] The solution proposed in this disclosure is applicable to both signaling-based QoE measurement and management-based QoE measurement (but may also be optionally restricted to be applicable to only one of them).

[0225] To transition from the RRC_INACTIVE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state, the UE performs a procedure by which the UE's RRC connection is said to be restored. This procedure may be referred to herein as a recovery procedure, a connection recovery procedure, an RRC connection recovery procedure, or an RRC recovery procedure. This procedure consists of a three-way message exchange between the UE and the network (e.g., gNB), including an RRCResumeRequest or RRCResumeRequest1 message from the UE, followed by an RRCResume message from the network, followed by an RRCResumeComplete message from the UE.

[0226] To transition from the RRC_IDLE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state, the UE performs a procedure to establish an RRC connection for the UE. This procedure may be referred to herein as a connection establishment procedure, an RRC connection establishment procedure, a setup procedure, an RRC setup procedure, or an RRC connection setup procedure. In NR, this procedure consists of a three-way message exchange between the UE and the network (i.e., gNB), including an RRCSetupRequest message from the UE, followed by an RRCSetup message from the network, followed by an RRCSetupComplete message from the UE. In LTE, this procedure consists of a three-way message exchange between the UE and the network (i.e., eNB), including an RRCConnectionRequest message from the UE, followed by an RRCConnectionSetup message from the network, followed by an RRCConnectionSetupComplete message from the UE.

[0227] The embodiments herein are described primarily in 5G / NR terms, implying solutions applied in 5G / NR; however, the disclosed embodiments are also applicable to LTE (in which case, for example, gNBs will be replaced by eNBs), UMTS, and / or future systems (e.g., 6G). For the example of LTE, the messages RRCRelease, RRCResumeRequest / RRCResumeRequest1, RRCResume, RRCResumeComplete, RRCSetupRequest, RRCSetup, RRCSetupComplete, RRCReconfiguration, and MeasurementReportAppLayer in NR correspond to the messages RRCConnectionRelease, RRCConnectionResumeRequest, RRCConnectionResume, RRCConnectionResumeComplete, RRCConnectionRequest, RRCConnectionSetup, RRCConnectionSetupComplete, RRCConnectionReconfiguration, and MeasReportAppLayer in LTE. Disclosed Embodiments

[0228] According to the disclosed embodiments, to address the above described problems, when resuming an RRC connection, information about (one or more) QoE measurement sessions (e.g., ongoing, not ongoing, terminated, ...) during the past RRC_INACTIVE period is provided from the UE to the network (i.e., the UE sends this information to the new RAN node where the UE resumes its RRC connection). For further discussion of these embodiments, see Figure 7 and Fig. 9 . The information may be sent, for example, in a RRCResumeRequest message, a RRCResumeComplete message, a MeasurementReportAppLayer message, a UEAssistanceInformation message or a UEInformationResponse message (upon request from a new RAN node in a UEInformationRequest message, optionally after the UE has indicated the availability of such information in a RRCResumeComplete message) or in newly introduced messages. As an option, the UE shall send session state information to the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC resumption procedure only if the session state is "ongoing". As another option, the UE shall send session state information to the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC resumption procedure only if the session state has changed compared to when the UE entered an inactive state.

[0229] If retention of QoE configuration in RRC_IDLE state is enabled in future 3GPP releases, the above solution may also apply to the case where the UE is released to RRC_IDLE state and a new RRC connection is later established (possibly towards a new RAN node). In this case, the RRC recovery procedure is replaced by the RRC setup procedure, and among the messages described above in which the UE may send session state information, the RRCResumeRequest message is replaced by the RRCSetupRequest message, and the RRCResumeComplete message is replaced by the RRCSetupComplete message, or with a newly defined message. Changes, extensions and additions to the core principles of session state information signaling

[0230] When a UE in RRC_INACTIVE state initiates an RRC resumption procedure towards a new RAN node (e.g. a gNB or eNB), the anchor RAN node (e.g. a gNB or eNB) may transmit the session ongoing / no ongoing status that was valid when the UE was released to RRC_INACTIVE state, but that information may be outdated and incorrect. Therefore, this information may optionally be excluded from the UE context information that is transmitted (e.g. in a RETRIEVE UE CONTEXTRESPONSE XnAP message) from the anchor RAN node to the new RAN node where the UE resumes the RRC connection, or as another option, it may be included in the UE context transmitted from the anchor RAN node to the new RAN node, but will then be overwritten by the information sent from the UE. As a further option, the session state that was valid when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (i.e. ongoing / no ongoing state) is included in the UE context information transmitted from the anchor RAN node to the new RAN node where the UE resumes the RRC connection (e.g. in a RETRIEVE UE CONTEXT RESPONSE XnAP message), and the UE sends the overlay session state information to the new RAN node only if the overlay session state information is different from the session state information sent from the anchor RAN node to the new RAN node (i.e. if the session state information in the UE is different from the session state information when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state).

[0231] It is noted that although the solution embodiments described herein relate to a case in which the UE performs an RRC recovery procedure (or an RRC setup procedure) towards another RAN node other than the RAN node that released the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state), the solution embodiments are also applicable when the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) towards the same RAN node as the RAN node that released the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state), wherein even the cell in which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) may be the same as the cell in which the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state).

[0232] If the UE is in dual connectivity and if the SN has configured the UE for QoE measurements, the SN is the node with knowledge about the session state. In that case, the SN informs the MN about the session state and the MN can inform the new RAN node upon RRC resumption of RRC connection establishment. To accomplish this, the SN can use one of the existing DC-related XnAP procedures (with possible enhancements) or a newly defined procedure.

[0233] It should be noted that the session state related to the QoE configuration may change more than once while the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state. For example, if a QoE measurement session (and its associated application session) that was ongoing when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state ends while the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, and another application session of the same type with an associated QoE measurement session (configured by the same QoE configuration) subsequently starts while the UE is still in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE may indicate that this has occurred, for example by providing a list of session state indications (e.g., in this case, a session stop indication followed by a session start indication) to the RAN node towards which the UE resumes the RRC connection. Optionally, a timestamp may be associated with each provided session state indication.

[0234] In an alternative solution, the UE sends a session ongoing / not ongoing status indication during the resumption procedure only if it has changed compared to the last status indication sent by the UE before transitioning to RRC_INACTIVE. That means that the network does not receive information about session status updates while the UE is in RRC_INACTIVE, but it receives the latest information when the UE is resumed to RRC_CONNECTED. For the case when the state is the same after resumption and the UE does not send any information to the network, the network can forward the session status information from the source to the target node in this solution. This solution can be combined with a solution where the UE signals additional information to the network. Signaling of additional information besides session state

[0235] Additional information that the UE may provide to the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure may include an indication of how long the UE spent in the RRC_INACTIVE state, for example indicated as a duration or as a timestamp of the time when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0236] The UE may transmit information about when a session is ongoing or not ongoing while in RRC_INACTIVE. As an example, from time a to time b, the UE has an ongoing session, from time be to time c, no session is ongoing, from time c to time d, there is an ongoing session, etc. As a simplified option, the UE may indicate a timestamp corresponding to the moment when the session starts and / or ends while in RRC_INACTIVE.

[0237] The anchor RAN node may also provide the new RAN node with more information than the UE's last known session state (i.e., the session state that was valid when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state). Such additional information may include, for example, how long the UE has been in the RRC_INACTIVE state, indicated as a duration or indicated as a timestamp of the time when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state. Still further information that the anchor RAN node may provide to the new RAN node may include one or more latest RVQoE metric values, such as the last stream buffering level reported by the UE before the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state and optionally a timestamp associated with that buffering level. Since the UE's last known session state may be omitted according to the options described above, it is possible that the anchor RAN node may omit the UE's last known session state, but still provide any of the additional / further information described above, such as information about the duration of the UE's RRC_INACTIVE period (possibly in the form of an indication of the time of release to the RRC_INACTIVE state) and / or one or more of the RVQoE metric value(s) most recently reported by the UE. State transition triggers

[0238] The trigger for a UE with an active application session to initiate an RRC recovery procedure may typically be that the application generates uplink data to be transmitted (e.g., a request to an application server, such as a request for streaming data). In another option, the trigger for the RRC recovery procedure may be that the buffer for the application session has been emptied or has fallen below a certain threshold, or that it shows a decreasing trend. In another option, the trigger may be a paging message from the network. The paging message may be triggered by downlink application data to be transmitted to the UE. In the case where the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE may be paged by RAN paging and the reception of the paging will trigger the UE to initiate an RRC recovery procedure to transition to the RRC_CONNECTED state. In the case where the UE is in the RRC_IDLE state (which may be relevant in the context of the present disclosure, particularly if a future 3GPP release enables the UE to retain the QoE configuration in the RRC_IDLE state), the UE may be paged by CN paging and the reception of the paging will trigger the UE to initiate an RRC setup procedure to transition to the RRC_CONNECTED state. The decision to provide session state information from the UE to the new RAN node and / or what information to provide may depend on the nature of the triggering of the RRC resumption (or RRC setup) procedure, which will be further explained below in conjunction with the description of the configuration.

[0239] In one option, the UE may also provide the network with a QoE specific reason for initiating RRC resumption, e.g. as described above (UL data to send, buffer exhausted, etc.). Configuration of UE behavior

[0240] Whether and what type of information the UE should provide session state information when resuming a connection in a RAN node (or performing an RRC setup procedure after a period in the RRC_IDLE state) may be configured by the network.

[0241] As an option, the RAN node that releases the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) may indicate in the message (e.g., the RRCRelease message) that releases the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) instructions for possible session state information reports to be provided from the UE to the RAN node towards which the UE performs a subsequent RRC resumption procedure. Such instructions may, for example, indicate whether the UE should provide its session state information, whether this should be done only if the session state has changed or is different from the session state when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) (e.g., the session state when the UE receives the RRCRelease message), and / or what type of information the UE should provide (e.g., only the latest / current session state or a list of session state indications, and / or additional information (such as the duration of the period in the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state)).

[0242] As another option, the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) may include instructions like the instructions described above in the RRCResume message (or RRCSetup message).

[0243] In another option, the RAN node configures the UE to transmit session state updates in a UEAssistanceInformation message.

[0244] As a further option, the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) may use the UEInformationRequest message to explicitly request the UE to send certain session state information and / or additional information in a UEInformationResponse message (possibly after the UE has indicated the availability of such information in a RRCResumeComplete message (or RRCSetupComplete message)).

[0245] As yet another option, the RAN node towards which the UE performs an RRC resumption procedure (or an RRC setup procedure) may use the RRCReconfigurationRequest message to explicitly request the UE to send certain session state information and / or additional information, for example in a MeasurementReportAppLayer message.

[0246] As a further option which may supplement (eg may be used in parallel with) any of the above options, if the RRC recovery procedure is triggered by paging, the RAN node may include instructions of the type described above in the RRC paging message.

[0247] As yet another option, the instructions may be indicated in the broadcast system information. If this option is used, then in one variant it may be used as a default instruction that may be overridden or supplemented by instructions provided to the UE in any of the ways described above.

[0248] The UE may be configured to transmit all updates of the session state, or it may be configured to transmit session state updates only upon resuming to RRC_CONNECTED if the session state has changed since the UE was transitioned to RRC_INACTIVE (or RRC_IDLE).

[0249] The instructions may be unconditional, but in some variants they may depend on one or more conditions. For example, the instructions or parts of the instructions may be regulated by the type of trigger of the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure), for example making the instructions depend on whether the trigger is a UE internal trigger or a paging.

[0250] In another option, the RAN node may configure the UE to initiate RRC resumption when the session state has changed (eg when a session starts or ends) and provide the session information in conjunction therewith.

[0251] Further conditions may target the case of a UE internal trigger, for example such that the instruction may depend on whether the UE internal trigger is the generation of application data (of an application with an associated QoE configuration to which the instruction applies) or another UE internal trigger.

[0252] Further conditions may target the case where the trigger is a paging, for example so that the instruction may depend on whether the paging is RAN initiated or CN initiated.

[0253] In another example, the instruction or part of the instruction may be conditioned by whether the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) is the same as the old RAN node (i.e. the RAN node that released the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state)) or another RAN node. In this example, a possible further condition may target the case where the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) is the same as the old RAN node, for example such that the instruction may depend on whether the cell in which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) is the same as the cell in which the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) or another cell.

[0254] In another example, the instruction or part of the instruction may be adjusted by whether the cell in which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) is the same as the cell in which the UE is released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) or another cell.

[0255] In another example, the instruction or part of the instruction can be regulated by the type of state transition procedure (i.e., which state the UE is leaving to enter the RRC_CONNECTED state), for example, so that the instruction can depend on whether the state transition procedure is an RRC recovery procedure (transitioning the UE from the RRC_INACTIVE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state) or an RRC setup procedure (transitioning the UE from the RRC_IDLE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state). Adaptation of RRC setup and RRC_IDLE state solution

[0256] In 3GPP Release 17, retention of QoE configuration in the RRC_IDLE state is not supported, but this may change in future versions of the 3GPP standard. In anticipation of this potential enhancement of the 3GPP standard, all methods, embodiments, options and variants described above involving the RRC_INACTIVE state may be adapted to be applied in relation to the RRC_IDLE state rather than being applied in relation to the RRC_INACTIVE state. This adaptation involves replacing the RRC recovery procedure with the RRC establishment procedure and removing the XnAP-based (or X2AP-based) context extraction, while maintaining all other basic principles and features of the methods, embodiments, options and variants. (Note that this adaptation to the RRC_IDLE state is to some extent explicitly described for some of the methods, embodiments, options and variants described above.)

[0257] In another embodiment, the RAN node that releases the UE configured with QoE measurements requests a core network entity (e.g. AMF or MME) to store a container with QoE related state information associated with the UE. This container may then be transmitted to the RAN node towards which the UE subsequently performs an RRC setup procedure (i.e., the RAN node controlling the cell in which the UE subsequently transitions to the RRC_CONNECTED state).

[0258] Information previously described in this document as being transferred from the anchor RAN node to the new RAN node using the RETRIEVE UE CONTEXT RESPONSE XnAP message (e.g. the last known session state in the UE) may be transferred from the old RAN node to the new RAN node using this mechanism in the RRC_IDLE state (and the RRC setup procedure) (i.e., by including the information in a container stored in the core network to be transferred to the subsequent RAN node). Extensions

[0259] During the period in the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state, the UE may also collect QoE metrics and / or other information for later reporting in (one or more) QoE reports and / or (one or more) RVQoE reports. In addition to conventional QoE / RVQoE metrics, the UE may also record the time when it is released from the RRC_CONNECTED state to the RRC_INATIVE or RRC_IDLE state and the time when it re-enters the RRC_CONNECTED state (or alternatively the duration spent in the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state). This information can be "integrated" with the QoE metrics in the report in a way that makes it clear which values ​​are collected during which state. Other ways of indicating in which state(s) different values ​​have been collected are also conceivable. For example, the report may indicate in which states certain parts of the report content are collected or indicate the states associated with the collected measurements or samples.

[0260] Other state-related information that may be included in the report may include: the type of trigger for the state transition from the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state (e.g., a UE internal trigger or a UE external trigger (e.g., paging)), and / or if in the case of a UE internal trigger, whether the UE internal trigger is the generation of application data or buffer flushing (in an application session, QoE reporting and / or RVQoE reporting commensurate) or another UE internal trigger, and / or if the UE external trigger is in the form of paging, whether the paging is RAN paging or core network paging. While in RRC_INACTIVE state the UE provides updated session state information to the RAN

[0261] For more information see e.g. Figure 8 When the UE recovers from the RRC_INACTIVE state, a solution that allows the anchor RAN node to keep up-to-date information about the session state information of the UE in RRC_INACTIVE and eventually transfer the correct (up-to-date) session state information to the new RAN node is that the UE can send updated session state information by means of a small data transfer procedure while remaining in RRC_INACTIVE (i.e., without transitioning to the RRC_CONNECTED state).

[0262] The RAN may configure a trigger for the UE to send (updated) session state information. The trigger may be one or any combination of the following: The UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state and an ongoing session ends successfully when the UE is released to RRC_INACTIVE The UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state and the ongoing session is not successfully terminated when the UE is released to RRC_INACTIVE UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state and a new application session starts The UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state and one or more changes occur in the state of an application session that was in progress when the UE was released to RRC_INACTIVE The UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state and one or more changes occur in the state of a new application session started after the UE is released to RRC_INACTIVE The UE has reselected a new cell of the anchor RAN node (or a new cell of another RAN node) The timer has expired (e.g. T380) or is running The data volume is below the threshold The amount of SRB4 data is below the threshold

[0263] Existing SDT procedures can be reused and extended for sending session state information. For example, if the session state information is considered as SRB data and the UE accesses a gNB different from the last serving gNB (anchor RAN node), SRB PDCP PDUs can be transferred between the receiving gNB and the last serving gNB via the XnAPRRC transfer procedure until the last serving gNB terminates the SDT session and moves the UE back to RRC_INACTIVE by sending an RRCRelease message.

[0264] In a possible example of implementation, when the UE is released to RRC_INACTIVE, the possibility of using SDT for sending updated session state information may be signaled from the RAN to the UE by means of a specific flag indicating the possibility of using SDT for SRB4, e.g. introducing a new IE: sdt-SRB4-IndicationENUMERATED{allowed}OPTIONAL .

[0265] At a minimum, the anchor node is provided with updated session state information, whereas the RAN node contacted for the SDT procedure (if different from the anchor node) does not store such information (there is no guarantee as to which RAN node the UE will eventually resume, and the session state information is initially stored in the anchor RAN node. However, if - as part of the SDT procedure - the UE context is relocated, then this information becomes relevant to the RAN node contacted for the SDT procedure and such node may store the updated session state information upon receipt from the UE.

[0266] In a possible solution, the UE may provide updates on session state information to the RAN as part of the RRCResume procedure triggered due to an RNA update (e.g., for UE moving out of RNA, or due to expiration of the T380 timer for periodic RNA updates).

[0267] Figure 7 A method according to a specific embodiment is described. Fig.11 and 12 The method is performed by the UE 1112 or UE 1200 described above.

[0268] The method starts with the UE initially being in a connected state (e.g., an RRC state such as RRC_CONNECTED). The UE may be configured with one or more QoE measurement sessions associated with corresponding application sessions. In step 702, the UE is released to an inactive or idle state (e.g., RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE).

[0269] While in the inactive or idle state, in step 704, the UE may continue to perform QoE measurements on application sessions that survive the transition to the inactive or idle state. For example, a streaming application may have a buffer of video data that lasts for several minutes. This means that a streaming session may well continue to exist for a long period of time without communication, for example, this may occur if the UE is temporarily released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or even the RRC_IDLE state). Additionally or alternatively, while in the inactive or idle state, changes to one or more QoE measurement sessions may occur. For example, a new QoE measurement session (and associated application session) may be started, or a previously ongoing QoE measurement session (and associated application session) may be ended or terminated.

[0270] In step 706, the UE transitions back to the connected state. For example, the UE may resume a previously suspended connection (i.e., move from RRC_INACTIVE to RRC_CONNECTED) or establish a new connection (i.e., move from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED). As part of this transition, the UE connects to a first RAN node. Note that the first RAN node may be the same RAN node to which the UE was previously connected (e.g., in step 702) or a different RAN node.

[0271] In step 708, the UE transmits information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment to the first RAN node.

[0272] The information may be transmitted to the first RAN node in a connection restoration request message (e.g., RRCResumeRequest, RRCResumeRequest1, etc.) or a connection establishment request message (e.g., RRCSetupRequest, RRCConnectionSetup, etc.). Alternatively, the information may be transmitted to the first RAN node in a message confirming establishment of a connection to the first RAN node or restoration of a connection with the first RAN node (e.g., RRCResumeComplete, RRCSetupComplete, etc.), in a response message to a request message from the first RAN node (e.g., a UEInformationResponse message in response to a UEInformationRequest message from the first RAN node), or in any other suitable message (e.g., MeasurementReportAppLayer, UEAssistanceInformation, etc.).

[0273] The information about one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment may include the status of the one or more QoE measurement sessions (e.g., ongoing, not ongoing, terminated, etc.). In one embodiment, the information may include the status of only those QoE measurement sessions that are ongoing. In such an embodiment, the information may include a list of the identities of the QoE measurement sessions, and the status itself (i.e., "ongoing") may be implicit.

[0274] In further embodiments, the information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions may include values ​​of one or more parameters (e.g., session state) that have changed since the user equipment transitioned from a connected state to an inactive state or an idle state in step 702. In this way, the RAN node to which the UE is connected in step 702 may forward information about the QoE measurement session when the UE is released to an inactive or idle state. The information from the UE may include only those parameters that have changed, thereby saving radio resources and signaling overhead.

[0275] The information relating to one or more QoE measurement sessions may additionally or alternatively include one or more of the following: an indication of the amount of time the user device was in an inactive or idle state before transitioning to a connected state; and an indication of when one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not ongoing or how long one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not ongoing while the user device was in an inactive or idle state.

[0276] Thus, the additional information that the UE may provide to the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure may include an indication of how long the UE spent in the RRC_INACTIVE state, for example indicated as a duration or as a timestamp of the time when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0277] The UE may transmit information about when a session is ongoing or not ongoing while in RRC_INACTIVE. As an example, from time a to time b, the UE has an ongoing session, from time be to time c, no session is ongoing, from time c to time d, there is an ongoing session, etc. As a simplified option, the UE may indicate a timestamp corresponding to the moment when the session starts and / or ends while in RRC_INACTIVE.

[0278] Information relating to the one or more QoE measurement sessions may be transmitted to the first RAN node further in response to one or more of: a configuration received from the communications network; and a type of event triggering the user equipment to transition to a connected state.

[0279] For example, a trigger for a UE with an active application session to initiate an RRC recovery procedure may typically be that the application generates uplink data to be transmitted (e.g., a request to an application server, such as a request for streaming data). In another option, the trigger for the RRC recovery procedure may be that the buffer for the application session has been emptied or has fallen below a certain threshold, or that it shows a decreasing trend. In another option, the trigger may be a paging message from the network. The paging message may be triggered by downlink application data to be transmitted to the UE. In the case where the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE may be paged by RAN paging and the receipt of the paging will trigger the UE to initiate an RRC recovery procedure to transition to the RRC_CONNECTED state. In the case where the UE is in the RRC_IDLE state (which may be relevant in the context of the present disclosure, particularly if a future 3GPP release enables the UE to retain the QoE configuration in the RRC_IDLE state), the UE may be paged by CN paging and the receipt of the paging will trigger the UE to initiate an RRC setup procedure to transition to the RRC_CONNECTED state. The decision to provide session state information from the UE to the new RAN node and / or what information to provide may depend on the nature of the triggering of the RRC resumption (or RRC setup) procedure, which will be further explained below in conjunction with the description of the configuration.

[0280] In one option, the UE may also provide the network with a QoE specific reason for initiating RRC resumption, e.g. as described above (UL data to send, buffer exhausted, etc.).

[0281] Whether and what type of information the UE should provide session state information when resuming a connection in a RAN node (or performing an RRC setup procedure after a period in the RRC_IDLE state) may be configured by the network.

[0282] As an option, the RAN node that releases the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) may indicate in the message (e.g., the RRCRelease message) that releases the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) instructions for possible session state information reports to be provided from the UE to the RAN node towards which the UE performs a subsequent RRC resumption procedure. Such instructions may, for example, indicate whether the UE should provide its session state information, whether this should be done only if the session state has changed or is different from the session state when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) (e.g., the session state when the UE receives the RRCRelease message), and / or what type of information the UE should provide (e.g., only the latest / current session state or a list of session state indications, and / or additional information (such as the duration of the period in the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state)).

[0283] As another option, the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC resumption procedure (or RRC setup procedure) may include instructions like the instructions described above in the RRCResume message (or RRCSetup message).

[0284] In another option, the RAN node configures the UE to transmit session state updates in a UEAssistanceInformation message.

[0285] As a further option, the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) may use the UEInformationRequest message to explicitly request the UE to send certain session state information and / or additional information in a UEInformationResponse message (possibly after the UE has indicated the availability of such information in a RRCResumeComplete message (or RRCSetupComplete message)).

[0286] As yet another option, the RAN node towards which the UE performs an RRC resumption procedure (or an RRC setup procedure) may use the RRCReconfigurationRequest message to explicitly request the UE to send certain session state information and / or additional information, for example in a MeasurementReportAppLayer message.

[0287] As a further option which may supplement (eg may be used in parallel with) any of the above options, if the RRC recovery procedure is triggered by paging, the RAN node may include instructions of the type described above in the RRC paging message.

[0288] As yet another option, the instructions may be indicated in the broadcast system information. If this option is used, then in one variant it may be used as a default instruction that may be overridden or supplemented by instructions provided to the UE in any of the ways described above.

[0289] The UE may be configured to transmit all updates of the session state, or it may be configured to transmit session state updates only upon resuming to RRC_CONNECTED if the session state has changed since the UE was transitioned to RRC_INACTIVE (or RRC_IDLE).

[0290] The instructions may be unconditional, but in some variants they may depend on one or more conditions. For example, the instructions or parts of the instructions may be regulated by the type of trigger of the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure), for example making the instructions depend on whether the trigger is a UE internal trigger or a paging.

[0291] In another option, the RAN node may configure the UE to initiate RRC resumption when the session state has changed (eg when a session starts or ends) and provide the session information in conjunction therewith.

[0292] Further conditions may target the case of a UE internal trigger, for example such that the instruction may depend on whether the UE internal trigger is the generation of application data (of an application with an associated QoE configuration to which the instruction applies) or another UE internal trigger.

[0293] Further conditions may target the case where the trigger is a paging, for example so that the instruction may depend on whether the paging is RAN initiated or CN initiated.

[0294] In another example, the instruction or part of the instruction may be conditioned by whether the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) is the same as the old RAN node (i.e. the RAN node that released the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state)) or another RAN node. In this example, a possible further condition may target the case where the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) is the same as the old RAN node, for example such that the instruction may depend on whether the cell in which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) is the same as the cell in which the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) or another cell.

[0295] In another example, the instruction or part of the instruction may be adjusted by whether the cell in which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) is the same as the cell in which the UE is released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) or another cell. In another example, the instruction or part of the instruction may be adjusted by the type of state transition procedure (i.e., which state the UE is leaving to enter the RRC_CONNECTED state), for example, so that the instruction may depend on whether the state transition procedure is an RRC recovery procedure (transitioning the UE from the RRC_INACTIVE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state) or an RRC setup procedure (transitioning the UE from the RRC_IDLE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state).

[0296] Figure 8 A method according to a specific embodiment is described. Fig.11 and Fig.12 The method is performed by the UE 1112 or UE 1200 described above.

[0297] The method begins with the UE initially being in a connected state (e.g., an RRC state such as RRC_CONNECTED) with a connection to a first RAN node. The UE may be configured with one or more QoE measurement sessions associated with corresponding application sessions. In step 802, the UE is released to an inactive state (e.g., RRC_INACTIVE).

[0298] While in the inactive state, the UE transmits information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment to the first RAN node in step 804. The information may be transmitted to the first RAN node by means of one or more small data transmissions (SDTs).

[0299] The information about one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment may include the status of the one or more QoE measurement sessions (e.g., ongoing, not ongoing, terminated, etc.). In one embodiment, the information may include the status of only those QoE measurement sessions that are ongoing. In such an embodiment, the information may include a list of the identities of the QoE measurement sessions, and the status itself (i.e., "ongoing") may be implicit.

[0300] In further embodiments, the information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions may include values ​​of one or more parameters (e.g., session state) that have changed since the user equipment transitioned from a connected state to an inactive state or an idle state in step 702. In this way, the RAN node to which the UE is connected in step 702 may forward information about the QoE measurement session when the UE is released to an inactive or idle state. The information from the UE may include only those parameters that have changed, thereby saving radio resources and signaling overhead.

[0301] The information relating to one or more QoE measurement sessions may additionally or alternatively include one or more of the following: an indication of the amount of time the user device was in an inactive or idle state before transitioning to a connected state; and an indication of when one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not ongoing or how long one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not ongoing while the user device was in an inactive or idle state.

[0302] Thus, the additional information that the UE may provide to the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure may include an indication of how long the UE spent in the RRC_INACTIVE state, for example indicated as a duration or as a timestamp of the time when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0303] The UE may transmit information about when a session is ongoing or not ongoing while in RRC_INACTIVE. As an example, from time a to time b, the UE has an ongoing session, from time be to time c, no session is ongoing, from time c to time d, there is an ongoing session, etc. As a simplified option, the UE may indicate a timestamp corresponding to the moment when the session starts and / or ends while in RRC_INACTIVE.

[0304] Information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions may be transmitted in step 804 in response to one or more of the following: an ongoing QoE measurement session successfully ended when the user equipment was released to the inactive connectivity state; an ongoing QoE measurement session did not end successfully when the user equipment was released to the inactive connectivity state; a new application session started; one or more changes in the state of an ongoing application session when the user equipment was released to the inactive connectivity state; one or more changes in the state of an application session started after the user equipment was released to the inactive connectivity state; a timer has expired or is running; the user equipment has reselected a new cell; the amount of data is below a threshold.

[0305] For example, the first RAN node may configure a trigger for the UE to send the (updated) session state information. The trigger may be one or any combination of the following: The UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state and an ongoing session ends successfully when the UE is released to RRC_INACTIVE The UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state and the ongoing session is not successfully terminated when the UE is released to RRC_INACTIVE UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state and a new application session starts The UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state and one or more changes occur in the state of an application session that was in progress when the UE was released to RRC_INACTIVE The UE is in RRC_INACTIVE state and one or more changes occur in the state of a new application session started after the UE is released to RRC_INACTIVE The UE has reselected a new cell of the anchor RAN node (or a new cell of another RAN node) The timer has expired (e.g. T380) or is running The data volume is below the threshold The amount of SRB4 data is below the threshold

[0306] Existing SDT procedures can be reused and extended for sending session state information. For example, if the session state information is considered as SRB data and the UE accesses a gNB different from the last serving gNB (anchor RAN node), SRB PDCP PDUs can be transferred between the receiving gNB and the last serving gNB via the XnAPRRC transfer procedure until the last serving gNB terminates the SDT session and moves the UE back to RRC_INACTIVE by sending an RRCRelease message.

[0307] When the UE is released to RRC_INACTIVE (e.g. in step 802), the possibility of using SDT for sending updated session state information may be signaled from the first RAN node to the UE by means of a specific flag indicating the possibility of using SDT for SRB4, e.g. introducing a new IE: sdt-SRB4-IndicationENUMERATED{allowed}OPTIONAL

[0308] The anchor (first) node is thus provided with updated session state information, whereas the RAN node contacted for the SDT procedure (if different from the anchor node) does not store such information (there is no guarantee as to which RAN node the UE will eventually resume, and the session state information is initially stored in the anchor RAN node. However, if - as part of the SDT procedure - the UE context is relocated, then this information becomes relevant to the RAN node contacted for the SDT procedure and such node may store the updated session state information upon receipt from the UE.

[0309] In a possible solution, the UE may provide updates on session state information to the RAN as part of the RRCResume procedure triggered due to an RNA update (e.g., for the UE moving out of the RNA, or due to expiration of the T380 timer for periodic RNA updates).

[0310] Fig. 9 A method according to a specific embodiment is described. Fig.11 and Fig.13 The method can be performed by the network node 1110 or the network node 1300 described in the embodiment. Figure 7 and Fig.10 Methods to read Fig. 9 method, Figure 7 and Fig.10 The corresponding steps in the UE and the second RAN node are explained respectively.

[0311] The method starts at step 902, where the first RAN node receives information about one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment from the UE when the user equipment is connected to the first network node and transitions to a connected state. For example, the UE may resume a previously suspended connection (i.e., move from RRC_INACTIVE to RRC_CONNECTED) or establish a new connection (i.e., move from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED). As part of this transition, the UE connects to the first RAN node.

[0312] The information may be transmitted to the first RAN node in a connection restoration request message (e.g., RRCResumeRequest, RRCResumeRequest1, etc.) or a connection establishment request message (e.g., RRCSetupRequest, RRCConnectionSetup, etc.). Alternatively, the information may be transmitted to the first RAN node in a message confirming establishment of a connection to the first RAN node or restoration of a connection with the first RAN node (e.g., RRCResumeComplete, RRCSetupComplete, etc.), in a response message to a request message from the first RAN node (e.g., a UEInformationResponse message in response to a UEInformationRequest message from the first RAN node), or in any other suitable message (e.g., MeasurementReportAppLayer, UEAssistanceInformation, etc.).

[0313] The information about one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment may include the status of the one or more QoE measurement sessions (e.g., ongoing, not ongoing, terminated, etc.). In one embodiment, the information may include the status of only those QoE measurement sessions that are ongoing. In such an embodiment, the information may include a list of the identities of the QoE measurement sessions, and the status itself (i.e., "ongoing") may be implicit.

[0314] In a further embodiment, the information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions may include the values ​​of one or more parameters (e.g., session state) that have changed since the user equipment transitioned from a connected state to an inactive state or an idle state. In this way, a RAN node to which the UE was previously connected (e.g., before being released to an inactive or idle state) may forward information about the QoE measurement session when the UE is released to an inactive or idle state (see step 904 below). The information from the UE may include only those parameters that have changed, thereby saving radio resources and signaling overhead.

[0315] The information relating to one or more QoE measurement sessions may additionally or alternatively include one or more of the following: an indication of the amount of time the user device was in an inactive or idle state before transitioning to a connected state; and an indication of when one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not ongoing or how long one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not ongoing while the user device was in an inactive or idle state.

[0316] Thus, the additional information that the UE may provide to the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure may include an indication of how long the UE spent in the RRC_INACTIVE state, for example indicated as a duration or as a timestamp of the time when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0317] The UE may transmit information about when a session is ongoing or not ongoing while in RRC_INACTIVE. As an example, from time a to time b, the UE has an ongoing session, from time be to time c, no session is ongoing, from time c to time d, there is an ongoing session, etc. As a simplified option, the UE may indicate a timestamp corresponding to the moment when the session starts and / or ends while in RRC_INACTIVE.

[0318] Information relating to the one or more QoE measurement sessions may be transmitted to the first RAN node further in response to one or more of: a configuration received from the communications network; and a type of event triggering the user equipment to transition to a connected state.

[0319] For example, a trigger for a UE with an active application session to initiate an RRC recovery procedure may typically be that the application generates uplink data to be transmitted (e.g., a request to an application server, such as a request for streaming data). In another option, the trigger for the RRC recovery procedure may be that the buffer for the application session has been emptied or has fallen below a certain threshold, or that it shows a decreasing trend. In another option, the trigger may be a paging message from the network. The paging message may be triggered by downlink application data to be transmitted to the UE. In the case where the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE may be paged by RAN paging and the receipt of the paging will trigger the UE to initiate an RRC recovery procedure to transition to the RRC_CONNECTED state. In the case where the UE is in the RRC_IDLE state (which may be relevant in the context of the present disclosure, particularly if a future 3GPP release enables the UE to retain the QoE configuration in the RRC_IDLE state), the UE may be paged by CN paging and the receipt of the paging will trigger the UE to initiate an RRC setup procedure to transition to the RRC_CONNECTED state. The decision to provide session state information from the UE to the new RAN node and / or what information to provide may depend on the nature of the triggering of the RRC resumption (or RRC setup) procedure, which will be further explained below in conjunction with the description of the configuration.

[0320] In one option, the UE may also provide the network with a QoE specific reason for initiating RRC resumption, e.g. as described above (UL data to send, buffer exhausted, etc.).

[0321] Whether and what type of information the UE should provide session state information when resuming a connection in a RAN node (or performing an RRC setup procedure after a period in the RRC_IDLE state) may be configured by the network.

[0322] As an option, the RAN node that releases the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) may indicate in the message (e.g., the RRCRelease message) that releases the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) instructions for possible session state information reports to be provided from the UE to the RAN node towards which the UE performs a subsequent RRC resumption procedure. Such instructions may, for example, indicate whether the UE should provide its session state information, whether this should be done only if the session state has changed or is different from the session state when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) (e.g., the session state when the UE receives the RRCRelease message), and / or what type of information the UE should provide (e.g., only the latest / current session state or a list of session state indications, and / or additional information (such as the duration of the period in the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state)).

[0323] As another option, the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC resumption procedure (or RRC setup procedure) may include instructions like the instructions described above in the RRCResume message (or RRCSetup message).

[0324] In another option, the RAN node configures the UE to transmit session state updates in a UEAssistanceInformation message.

[0325] As a further option, the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) may use the UEInformationRequest message to explicitly request the UE to send certain session state information and / or additional information in a UEInformationResponse message (possibly after the UE has indicated the availability of such information in a RRCResumeComplete message (or RRCSetupComplete message)).

[0326] As yet another option, the RAN node towards which the UE performs an RRC resumption procedure (or an RRC setup procedure) may use the RRCReconfigurationRequest message to explicitly request the UE to send certain session state information and / or additional information, for example in a MeasurementReportAppLayer message.

[0327] As a further option which may supplement (eg may be used in parallel with) any of the above options, if the RRC recovery procedure is triggered by paging, the RAN node may include instructions of the type described above in the RRC paging message.

[0328] As yet another option, the instructions may be indicated in the broadcast system information. If this option is used, then in one variant it may be used as a default instruction that may be overridden or supplemented by instructions provided to the UE in any of the ways described above.

[0329] The UE may be configured to transmit all updates of the session state, or it may be configured to transmit session state updates only upon resuming to RRC_CONNECTED if the session state has changed since the UE was transitioned to RRC_INACTIVE (or RRC_IDLE).

[0330] The instructions may be unconditional, but in some variants they may depend on one or more conditions. For example, the instructions or parts of the instructions may be regulated by the type of trigger of the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure), for example making the instructions depend on whether the trigger is a UE internal trigger or a paging.

[0331] In another option, the RAN node may configure the UE to initiate RRC resumption when the session state has changed (eg when a session starts or ends) and provide the session information in conjunction therewith.

[0332] Further conditions may target the case of a UE internal trigger, for example such that the instruction may depend on whether the UE internal trigger is the generation of application data (of an application with an associated QoE configuration to which the instruction applies) or another UE internal trigger.

[0333] Further conditions may target the case where the trigger is a paging, for example so that the instruction may depend on whether the paging is RAN initiated or CN initiated.

[0334] In another example, the instruction or part of the instruction may be conditioned by whether the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) is the same as the old RAN node (i.e. the RAN node that released the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state)) or another RAN node. In this example, a possible further condition may target the case where the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) is the same as the old RAN node, for example such that the instruction may depend on whether the cell in which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) is the same as the cell in which the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) or another cell.

[0335] In another example, the instruction or part of the instruction may be adjusted by whether the cell in which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) is the same as the cell in which the UE is released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) or another cell.

[0336] In another example, the instruction or part of the instruction can be regulated by the type of state transition procedure (i.e., which state the UE is leaving to enter the RRC_CONNECTED state), for example, so that the instruction can depend on whether the state transition procedure is an RRC recovery procedure (transitioning the UE from the RRC_INACTIVE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state) or an RRC setup procedure (transitioning the UE from the RRC_IDLE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state).

[0337] In step 904, which may be an additional or alternative to step 902, the first RAN node receives information about one or more quality of experience (QoE) measurement sessions configured at the user equipment from a second network node of the communications network when the user equipment is connected to the first network node and transitions to a connected state. The second RAN node may be a RAN node to which the UE was previously connected (e.g., when released to an inactive or idle state). Note that where the first RAN node is the same RAN node to which the UE was previously connected (e.g., when released to an inactive or idle mode), step 902 does not apply.

[0338] The information provided by the second RAN node may include any and all of the information set out above in relation to step 902. However, it is noted that the values ​​of the parameters contained in the information may correspond to values ​​when the UE transitions to an idle or inactive state.

[0339] The information provided by the UE may be more up-to-date than the information provided by the second RAN node (e.g., in view of changes to the information while the UE was in an inactive or idle state). In step 906, the first RAN node thus overwrites the values ​​of one or more parameters in the information provided by the second RAN node with the values ​​of the corresponding parameters provided by the UE. (Note that steps 902 and 904 may occur in any order.)

[0340] Thus, when a UE in RRC_INACTIVE state initiates an RRC resumption procedure towards a new first RAN node (e.g. a gNB or eNB), the anchor (second) RAN node (e.g. a gNB or eNB) may transmit the session ongoing / no ongoing status that was valid when the UE was released to RRC_INACTIVE state, but that information may be outdated and incorrect. Thus, this information may optionally be excluded from the UE context information transmitted (e.g. in a RETRIEVE UE CONTEXT RESPONSE XnAP message) from the anchor RAN node to the new RAN node where the UE resumes the RRC connection, or as another option, it may be included in the UE context transmitted from the anchor RAN node to the new RAN node, but will then be overwritten by the information sent from the UE. As a further option, the session state that was valid when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (i.e. ongoing / no ongoing state) is included in the UE context information transmitted from the anchor RAN node (e.g. in a RETRIEVE UE CONTEXT RESPONSE XnAP message) to the new RAN node where the UE resumes the RRC connection and the UE sends the overlay session state information to the new RAN node only if the overlay session state information is different from the session state information sent from the anchor RAN node to the new RAN node (i.e. if the session state information in the UE is different from the session state information when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state).

[0341] It is noted that although the solution embodiments described herein relate to a case in which the UE performs an RRC recovery procedure (or an RRC setup procedure) towards another RAN node other than the RAN node that released the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state), the solution embodiments are also applicable when the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) towards the same RAN node as the RAN node that released the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state), wherein even the cell in which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) may be the same as the cell in which the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state).

[0342] If the UE is in dual connectivity and if the SN has configured the UE for QoE measurements, the SN is the node with knowledge about the session state. In that case, the SN informs the MN about the session state and the MN can inform the new RAN node upon RRC resumption of RRC connection establishment. To accomplish this, the SN can use one of the existing DC-related XnAP procedures (with possible enhancements) or a newly defined procedure.

[0343] Fig.10 A method according to a specific embodiment is described. Fig.11 and Fig.13 The method can be performed by the network node 1110 or the network node 1300 described in the embodiment. Figure 7 and Fig. 9 Methods to read Fig.10 method, Figure 7 and Fig. 9 The corresponding steps in the UE and the first RAN node are explained respectively.

[0344] The method begins with the UE initially being in a connected state (e.g., an RRC state such as RRC_CONNECTED) and connected to a second RAN node. The UE may be configured with one or more QoE measurement sessions associated with respective application sessions. In step 1002, the UE is released to an inactive or idle state (e.g., RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE).

[0345] In step 1004, when the user equipment is connected to the first RAN node and transitions to a connected state, the second network node transmits information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment to the first RAN node. For example, the UE may resume a previously suspended connection (i.e., move from RRC_INACTIVE to RRC_CONNECTED) or establish a new connection (i.e., move from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED). As part of this transition, the UE connects to the first RAN node.

[0346] The information about the one or more QoE measurement sessions may include information about the one or more QoE measurement sessions when the UE is released to an inactive or idle state. Alternatively, while the UE is in an inactive state, the second RAN node may receive information from the UE (see, e.g., above). Figure 8 ). In this case, the information supplied to the first RAN node may correspond to information as updated while the UE is in an inactive state.

[0347] The information about one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment may include the status of the one or more QoE measurement sessions (e.g., ongoing, not ongoing, terminated, etc.). In one embodiment, the information may include the status of only those QoE measurement sessions that are ongoing. In such an embodiment, the information may include a list of the identities of the QoE measurement sessions, and the status itself (i.e., "ongoing") may be implicit.

[0348] The information relating to one or more QoE measurement sessions may additionally or alternatively include one or more of the following: an indication of the amount of time the user device was in an inactive or idle state before transitioning to a connected state; and an indication of when one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not ongoing or how long one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not ongoing while the user device was in an inactive or idle state.

[0349] Thus, the further information that may be provided to the first RAN section may include an indication of how long the UE spent in the RRC_INACTIVE state, for example indicated as a duration or as a timestamp of the time when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0350] The second RAN node may transmit information about when a session is ongoing or not ongoing while being in RRC_INACTIVE. As an example, from time a to time b, the UE has an ongoing session, from time be to time c, no session is ongoing, from time c to time d, there is an ongoing session, etc. As a simplified option, the second RAN node may indicate a timestamp corresponding to the moment when the session starts and / or ends while being in RRC_INACTIVE.

[0351] The second RAN node may configure the UE regarding circumstances (eg, triggers for transmitting information, types of information that should be transmitted, etc.) under which the UE should transmit information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions to the first RAN node itself.

[0352] For example, a trigger for a UE with an active application session to initiate an RRC recovery procedure may typically be that the application generates uplink data to be transmitted (e.g., a request to an application server, such as a request for streaming data). In another option, the trigger for the RRC recovery procedure may be that the buffer for the application session has been emptied or has fallen below a certain threshold, or that it shows a decreasing trend. In another option, the trigger may be a paging message from the network. The paging message may be triggered by downlink application data to be transmitted to the UE. In the case where the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE may be paged by RAN paging and the receipt of the paging will trigger the UE to initiate an RRC recovery procedure to transition to the RRC_CONNECTED state. In the case where the UE is in the RRC_IDLE state (which may be relevant in the context of the present disclosure, particularly if a future 3GPP release enables the UE to retain the QoE configuration in the RRC_IDLE state), the UE may be paged by CN paging and the receipt of the paging will trigger the UE to initiate an RRC setup procedure to transition to the RRC_CONNECTED state. The decision to provide session state information from the UE to the new RAN node and / or what information to provide may depend on the nature of the triggering of the RRC resumption (or RRC setup) procedure, which will be further explained below in conjunction with the description of the configuration.

[0353] In one option, the UE may also provide the network with a QoE specific reason for initiating RRC resumption, e.g. as described above (UL data to send, buffer exhausted, etc.).

[0354] Whether and what type of information the UE should provide session state information when resuming a connection in a RAN node (or performing an RRC setup procedure after a period in the RRC_IDLE state) may be configured by the network.

[0355] As an option, the RAN node that releases the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) may indicate in the message (e.g., RRCRelease message) that releases the UE to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) in step 1002 instructions for possible session state information reports to be provided from the UE to the RAN node towards which the UE performs a subsequent RRC resumption procedure. Such instructions may, for example, indicate whether the UE should provide its session state information, whether this should be done only if the session state has changed or is different from the session state when the UE was released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) (e.g., the session state when the UE receives the RRCRelease message), and / or what type of information the UE should provide (e.g., only the latest / current session state or a list of session state indications, and / or additional information (such as the duration of the period in the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state)).

[0356] As yet another option, the instructions may be indicated in the broadcast system information. If this option is used, then in one variant it may be used as a default instruction that may be overridden or supplemented by instructions provided to the UE in any of the ways described above.

[0357] The UE may be configured to transmit all updates of the session state, or it may be configured to transmit session state updates only upon resuming to RRC_CONNECTED if the session state has changed since the UE was transitioned to RRC_INACTIVE (or RRC_IDLE).

[0358] The instructions may be unconditional, but in some variants they may depend on one or more conditions. For example, the instructions or parts of the instructions may be regulated by the type of trigger of the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure), for example making the instructions depend on whether the trigger is a UE internal trigger or a paging.

[0359] In another option, the second RAN node may configure the UE to initiate RRC resumption when the session state has changed (eg when a session starts or ends) and provide the session information in conjunction therewith.

[0360] Further conditions may target the case of a UE internal trigger, for example such that the instruction may depend on whether the UE internal trigger is the generation of application data (of an application with an associated QoE configuration to which the instruction applies) or another UE internal trigger.

[0361] Further conditions may target the case where the trigger is a paging, for example so that the instruction may depend on whether the paging is RAN initiated or CN initiated.

[0362] In another example, the instruction or part of the instruction may be conditioned by whether the first RAN node is the same as the second RAN node or a different RAN node. In this example, a possible further condition may target the case where the RAN node towards which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) is the same as the old RAN node, for example such that the instruction may depend on whether the cell in which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) is the same as the cell in which the UE is released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) or another cell.

[0363] In another example, the instruction or part of the instruction may be adjusted by whether the cell in which the UE performs the RRC recovery procedure (or RRC setup procedure) is the same as the cell in which the UE is released to the RRC_INACTIVE state (or RRC_IDLE state) or another cell.

[0364] In another example, the instruction or part of the instruction can be regulated by the type of state transition procedure (i.e., which state the UE is leaving to enter the RRC_CONNECTED state), for example, so that the instruction can depend on whether the state transition procedure is an RRC recovery procedure (transitioning the UE from the RRC_INACTIVE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state) or an RRC setup procedure (transitioning the UE from the RRC_IDLE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state).

[0365] Fig.11 An example of a wireless communication network 1100 is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0366] In an example, a communication system 1100 includes a telecommunications network 1102 including an access network 1104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 1106, including one or more core network nodes 1108. The access network 1104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 1110a and 1110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 1110) or any other similar third generation partnership project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. The network nodes 1110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 1112a, 1112b, 1112c, and 1112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 1112) to the core network 1106 via one or more wireless connections.

[0367] Example wireless communications over wireless connections include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. In addition, in different embodiments, the communication system 1100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that can facilitate or participate in the transfer of data and / or signals, whether via a wired connection or a wireless connection. The communication system 1100 may include any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system and / or be connected to any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system via an interface.

[0368] UE 1112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network node 1110 and other communication devices. Similarly, network node 1110 is arranged, capable, configured and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UE 1112 and / or with other network nodes or devices in telecommunication network 1102 to enable and / or provide network access (such as wireless network access) and / or to perform other functions (such as management in telecommunication network 1102).

[0369] In the depicted example, the core network 1106 connects the network node 1110 to one or more hosts (such as the host 1116). These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, the network node may be directly coupled to the host. The core network 1106 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 1108) constructed by hardware and software components. The features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to UE, network nodes, and / or hosts, so that their descriptions are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 1108. The example core network node includes a mobile switching center (MSC), a mobility management entity (MME), a home subscriber server (HSS), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), an authentication server function (AUSF), a subscription identifier de-hiding function (SIDF), a unified data management (UDM), a security edge protection agent (SEPP), a network open function (NEF), and / or a user plane function (UPF) One or more functions.

[0370] The host 1116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than the operator or provider of the telecommunications network 1102 and / or the access network 1104, and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The host 1116 may host various applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include the provision of live and / or pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services (e.g., retrieval and compilation of data about various environmental conditions detected by multiple UEs), analysis functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for alarm and monitoring centers, or any other such functions performed by a server.

[0371] on the whole, Fig.11 The communication system 1100 enables connectivity between UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system can be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards, including but not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable next generation standards (e.g., 6G); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (WiFi); and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-wave, Near Field Communication (NFC), ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0372] In some examples, the telecommunication network 1102 is a cellular network implementing 3GPP standardized features. Thus, the telecommunication network 1102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to the telecommunication network 1102. For example, the telecommunication network 1102 may provide ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or providing massive machine type communication (mMTC) / massive IoT services to yet other UEs.

[0373] In some examples, UE 1112 is configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE may be designed to transmit information to access network 1104 on a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from access network 1104. In addition, the UE may be configured to operate in a single-RAT or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, the UE may operate with any one or a combination of Wi-Fi, NR (new air interface), and LTE, i.e., be configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) new air interface dual connectivity (EN-DC).

[0374] exist Fig.11In the example illustrated in , the hub 1114 communicates with the access network 1104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 1112c and / or 1112d) and a network node (e.g., network node 1110b). In some examples, the hub 1114 may be any of a controller, a router, a content source, and an analysis node, or other communication devices described herein with respect to the UE. For example, the hub 1114 may be a broadband router for enabling access to the core network 1106 for the UE. As another example, the hub 1114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UE. The command or instruction may be received from the UE, the network node 1110, or may be received through an executable code, a script, a process, or other instructions in the hub 1114. As another example, the hub 1114 may be a data collector that acts as a temporary storage device for UE data, and in some embodiments, analysis or other processing of the data may be performed. As another example, the hub 1114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, speaker, or other media delivery device, the hub 1114 can retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, and the hub 1114 then provides the VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In yet another example, the hub 1114 acts as a proxy server or coordinator for the UEs, particularly if one or more of the UEs are low-energy IoT devices.

[0375] Hub 1114 can have constant / persistent or intermittent connection to network node 1110b. Hub 1114 can also consider different communication schemes and / or scheduling between hub 1114 and UE (e.g., UE 1112c and / or 1112d) and hub 1114 and core network 1106. In other examples, hub 1114 is connected to core network 1106 and / or one or more UEs via wired connection. In addition, hub 1114 can be configured to be connected to M2M service provider and / or connected to another UE by direct connection through access network 1104. In some scenarios, UE can establish wireless connection with network node 1110 while still being connected via hub 1114 via wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, hub 1114 can be a dedicated hub, that is, a hub whose main function is to route communication from network node 1110b to UE / route communication from UE to network node 1110b. In other embodiments, the hub 1114 may be a non-dedicated hub, ie, a device operable to route communications between UEs and network node 1110b, but otherwise capable of operating as a communications origin and / or endpoint for certain data channels.

[0376] Fig.12 UE 1200 according to some embodiments is shown. As used herein, UE refers to a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with a network node and / or other UEs. Examples of UEs include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cellular phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablet computers, laptop computers, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), vehicle mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless devices, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs, machine type communications (MTC) UEs, and / or enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs.

[0377] The UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communications, for example, by implementing 3GPP standards for direct link communications, dedicated short range communications (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, the UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated device. Instead, the UE may represent a device that is intended to be sold to or operated by a human user but may not be, or may not be, initially associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, the UE may represent a device that is not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user but may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart meter).

[0378] UE 1200 includes a processing circuit 1202 that is operatively coupled to an input / output interface 1206, a power supply 1208, a memory 1210, a communication interface 1212, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof, via a bus 1204. Some UEs may utilize Fig.12 All or a subset of the components shown in . The level of integration between components may vary from one UE to another UE. In addition, some UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0379] The processing circuit 1202 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine that operates to execute instructions stored in the memory 1210 as a machine-readable computer program. The processing circuit 1202 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors such as a microprocessor or a digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuit 1202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). The processing circuit 1202 may be operable to provide UE 1200 functionality, either alone or in combination with other UE 1200 components (such as the memory 1210). For example, the processing circuit 1202 may be configured to cause the UE 1202 to perform as described in reference Figure 7 and / or Figure 8 The method described.

[0380] In an example, the input / output interface 1206 may be configured to provide an interface or multiple interfaces to an input device, an output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of output devices include speakers, sound cards, video cards, displays, monitors, printers, actuators, transmitters, smart cards, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 1200. Examples of input devices include touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive displays, cameras (e.g., digital cameras, digital video cameras, webcams, etc.), microphones, sensors, mice, trackballs, directional pads, trackpads, rollers, smart cards, and the like. A presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. The sensor may be, for example, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, a light sensor, a proximity sensor, a biosensor, or the like, or any combination thereof. An output device may use an interface port of the same type as an input device. For example, a universal serial bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0381] In some embodiments, the power supply 1208 is configured as a battery or a battery pack. Other types of power supplies such as an external power supply (e.g., an electrical socket), a photovoltaic device, or a power cell may be used. The power supply 1208 may also include a power supply circuit for delivering power from the power supply 1208 itself and / or an external power supply to various parts of the UE 1200 via an interface or input circuit such as a power cable. The delivered power may be used, for example, for charging the power supply 1208. The power supply circuit may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification to the power from the power supply 1208 to make the power suitable for the corresponding components of the UE 1200 being powered.

[0382] The memory 1210 may be or be configured to include a memory such as a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a hard disk, a removable cartridge, a flash drive, etc. In one example, the memory 1210 includes one or more application programs 1214 (such as an operating system, a web browser application, a widget, a gadget engine, or other application) and corresponding data 1216. The memory 1210 may store any of a variety of different operating systems or a combination of operating systems for use by the UE 1200.

[0383] The memory 1210 may be configured to include multiple physical drive units such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high density digital versatile disk (HD-DVD) optical drive, internal hard drive, Blu-ray optical drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical drive, external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro DIMM SDRAM, such as a smart card memory of a tamper-proof module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) (including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIM) such as USIM and / or ISIM), other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC commonly referred to as a "SIM card". The memory 1210 may allow the UE 1200 to access instructions, applications, etc. stored on a temporary or non-temporary storage medium to unload data or upload data. An article of manufacture, such as an article of manufacture utilizing a communication system, may be tangibly embodied as or contained in memory 1210 , which may be or include a device-readable storage medium.

[0384] The processing circuit 1202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using a communication interface 1212. The communication interface 1212 may include one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1222. The communication interface 1212 may include one or more transceivers for communicating, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., a network node in an access network or another UE). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1218 and / or a receiver 1220 adapted to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocation, etc.). In addition, the transmitter 1218 and the receiver 1220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 1222) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively, the transmitter 1218 and the receiver 1220 may be implemented separately.

[0385] In some embodiments, the communication functionality of the communication interface 1212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near field communication, location-based communication such as using a global positioning system (GPS) to determine location, another similar communication functionality, or any combination thereof. The communication may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards such as IEEE 802.11, code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, new radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / Internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), QUIC, hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.

[0386] Regardless of the type of sensor, the UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensor via its communication interface 1212, via a wireless connection to a network node. The data captured by the UE's sensor may be delivered via another UE, via a wireless connection to a network node. The output may be periodic (e.g., every 14 minutes if it reports a sensed temperature), random (e.g., balancing the load of reports from several sensors), in response to a trigger event (e.g., sending an alarm when moisture is detected), in response to a request (e.g., a user-initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0387] As another example, the UE includes an actuator, motor, or switch associated with a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input, the state of the actuator, motor, or switch can change. For example, the UE can include a motor that adjusts the control surface or rotor of an unmanned aircraft in flight based on the received input or controls a robotic arm that performs a medical procedure based on the received input.

[0388] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (IoT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, including but not limited to urban wearable technology, extended industrial applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such IoT devices are the following devices or devices embedded in the following: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electric meter, a robotic vacuum cleaner, a voice-controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electric door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a monitoring system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR), a wearable device for tactile enhancement or sensory enhancement, a sprinkler, an animal or item tracking device, a sensor for monitoring plants or animals, an industrial robot, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device like a heart rate monitor or a remotely controlled surgical robot. In addition to the above, the present invention also provides a method for implementing a UE in a manner that is suitable for use in an IoT device. Fig.12 In addition to the other components described in the UE 1200 shown in FIG. 1 , a UE in the form of an IoT device includes circuits and / or software depending on the intended application of the IoT device.

[0389] As yet another specific example, in an IoT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another UE and / or a network node. The UE in this case may be an M2M device, which may be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As a specific example, a UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, bus, truck, ship, and airplane, or other equipment capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operating status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0390] In fact, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE may be a drone or may be integrated into a drone and provide speed information of the drone (obtained by a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller for operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the speed of the drone. The first and / or second UE may also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE may include a sensor and an actuator and handle the transfer of data from both the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0391] Fig.13A network node 1300 according to some embodiments is shown. As used herein, a network node refers to a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or devices in a telecommunications network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and NRNodeBs (gNBs)).

[0392] Base stations may be classified based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, in other words, their transmit power level), and thus, depending on the amount of coverage provided, a base station may be referred to as a femto base station, a pico base station, a micro base station, or a macro base station. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio device. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0393] Other examples of network nodes include a multi-transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access node, a multi-standard radio (MSR) device such as an MSR BS, a network controller such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transmission point, a transmission node, a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), an operation and maintenance (O&M) node, an operation support system (OSS) node, a self-organizing network (SON) node, a positioning node (e.g., an evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC)), and / or a minimization of drive tests (MDT).

[0394] The network node 1300 includes a processing circuit 1302, a memory 1304, a communication interface 1306 and a power supply 1308, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof. The network node 1300 may be composed of multiple physically separated components (e.g., NodeB components and RNC components or BTS components and BSC components, etc.), and the multiple physically separated components may each have their own corresponding components. In certain scenarios where the network node 1300 includes multiple separated components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separated components may be shared between several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may be considered as a single independent network node in some instances. In some embodiments, the network node 1300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such an embodiment, some components may be duplicated (e.g., independent memories 1304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 1310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1300 may also include multiple sets of components for various illustrations of different wireless technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, radio frequency identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technologies, integrated into the network node 1300. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within the network node 1300.

[0395] The processing circuit 1302 may include: a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or a combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide network node 1300 functionality, either alone or in combination with other network node 1300 components such as memory 1304. For example, the processing circuit 1302 may be configured to cause the network node to perform as described in reference Fig. 9 and / or Fig.10 The method described.

[0396] In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1312 and baseband processing circuitry 1314. In some embodiments, radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1312 and baseband processing circuitry 1314 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units such as a radio unit and a digital unit. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1312 and baseband processing circuitry 1314 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0397] The memory 1304 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including, without limitation, permanent storage devices, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drive, compact disk (CD) or digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data and / or instructions that can be used by the processing circuit 1302. The memory 1304 may store any suitable instructions, data or information, including applications, software, computer programs including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuit 1302 and utilized by the network node 1300. The memory 1304 may be used to store any calculations performed by the processing circuit 1302 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1306. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1302 and the memory 1304 are integrated.

[0398] The communication interface 1306 is used in the wired or wireless transmission of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks and / or UEs. As illustrated, the communication interface 1306 includes (one or more) ports / (one or more) terminals 1316 used to send data to the network and receive data from the network, for example, via a wired connection. The communication interface 1306 also includes a radio front-end circuit 1318 that can be coupled to the antenna 1310 or is a part of the antenna 1310 in some embodiments. The radio front-end circuit 1318 includes a filter 1320 and an amplifier 1322. The radio front-end circuit 1318 can be connected to the antenna 1310 and the processing circuit 1302. The radio front-end circuit can be configured to adjust the signal transmitted between the antenna 1310 and the processing circuit 1302. The radio front-end circuit 1318 can receive digital data to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 1318 can use a combination of filters 1320 and / or amplifiers 1322 to convert the digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 1310. Similarly, when data is received, antenna 1310 may collect the radio signal and then convert the radio signal into digital data via radio front end circuit 1318. The digital data may be passed to processing circuit 1302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0399] In some alternative embodiments, the network node 1300 does not include a separate radio front end circuit 1318, instead the processing circuit 1302 includes the radio front end circuit and is connected to the antenna 1310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuit 1312 is part of the communication interface 1306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1306 includes one or more ports or terminals 1316, the radio front end circuit 1318, and the RF transceiver circuit 1312 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1306 communicates with the baseband processing circuit 1314, which is part of the digital unit (not shown).

[0400] Antenna 1310 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 1310 may be coupled to radio front end circuit 1318 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 1310 is separate from network node 1300 and connectable to network node 1300 via an interface or port.

[0401] Antenna 1310, communication interface 1306 and / or processing circuit 1302 may be configured to perform any receiving operation and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and / or signal may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 1310, communication interface 1306 and / or processing circuit 1302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and / or signal may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network device.

[0402] The power supply 1308 provides power to the various components of the network node 1300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). The power supply 1308 may also include or be coupled to a power management circuit to provide power to the components of the network node 1300 for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1300 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., an electrical grid, an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface such as a cable, whereby the external power source provides power to the power circuit of the power supply 1308. As another example, the power supply 1308 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack that is connected to or integrated into the power circuit. If the external power source fails, the battery may provide backup power.

[0403] Embodiments of network node 1300 may include Fig.13 Additional components beyond those shown in the figure are used to provide certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 1300 may include a user interface device to allow information to be entered into the network node 1300 and to allow information to be output from the network node 1300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostics, maintenance, repair, and other management functions for the network node 1300.

[0404] Fig.14 According to various aspects described herein, it may be Fig.11 1400 of an embodiment of the host 1116 of the present invention. As used herein, the host 1400 can be or include various combinations of hardware and / or software, including processing resources in a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, a container, or a server farm. The host 1400 can provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0405] Host 1400 includes processing circuitry 1402, which is operatively coupled to input / output interface 1406, network interface 1408, power supply 1410, and memory 1412 via bus 1404. Other components may be included in other embodiments. The features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to, for example, Fig.12 and Fig.13 Those features of the devices described in the previous figures make their description generally applicable to corresponding components of the host 1400.

[0406] The memory 1412 may include one or more computer programs, including one or more host applications 1414 and data 1416, which may include user data (e.g., data generated by the UE for the host 1400 or data generated by the host 1400 for the UE). An embodiment of the host 1400 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application 1414 may be implemented in a container-based architecture, and the host application 1414 may provide support for video codecs (e.g., generic video coding (VVC), high-efficiency video coding (HEVC), advanced video coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, advanced audio coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including code conversion for multiple different categories, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., mobile phones, desktop computers, wearable display systems, head-up display systems). The host application 1414 may also provide user authentication and permission checks and may periodically report health, routing, and content availability to a central node (such as a device in a core network or on the edge). Thus, the host 1400 can select and / or instruct different hosts for the UE to use for over-the-top services. The host application 1414 can support various protocols, such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0407] Fig.151500 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualized environment 1500 in which functions implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of an apparatus or device that can include a virtualized hardware platform, storage device, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device or component thereof described herein and is related to the implementation in which at least a portion of functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein can be implemented as virtual components performed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1500 hosted by one or more hardware nodes in a hardware node (such as a hardware computing device operated as a network node, UE, core network node, or host). In addition, in an embodiment in which a virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), the node can be fully virtualized.

[0408] Application 1502 (which may alternatively be referred to as a software instance, a virtual appliance, a network function, a virtual node, a virtual network function, etc.) is run in a virtualized environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0409] Hardware 1504 includes processing circuitry, memory storing software and / or instructions executable by the hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as network interfaces, input / output interfaces, and the like. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1506 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1508a and 1508b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1508), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in connection with some embodiments described herein. Virtualization layer 1506 may present a virtual operating platform that appears to be networked hardware to VMs 1508.

[0410] VM 1508 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage devices, and can be run through a corresponding virtualization layer 1506. Different embodiments of instances of virtual device 1502 can be implemented on one or more of VMs 1508, and the implementation can be made in different ways. Virtualization of hardware is referred to as network function virtualization (NFV) in some contexts. NFV can be used to integrate many network device types onto industry standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage devices that can be located in data centers and customer premises equipment.

[0411] In the context of NFV, VMs 1508 may be software implementations of physical machines that run programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1508 and the portion of hardware 1504 on which that VM executes, whether it is hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with other VMs in the VM, forms an independent virtual network element. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling a specific network function running in one or more VMs 1508 on top of hardware 1504 and corresponds to an application 1502.

[0412] The hardware 1504 may be implemented in a standalone network node with general or specific components. The hardware 1504 may implement some functions with the aid of virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 1504 may be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., such as in a data center or CPE), where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1510, which in particular also oversees the lifecycle management of the application 1502. In some embodiments, the hardware 1504 is coupled to one or more radio units, each of which includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio unit may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces, and may be used in combination with virtual components to provide radio capabilities to virtual nodes, such as radio access nodes or base stations. In some embodiments, a control system 1512 may be used to provide some signaling, which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0413] Fig.16 A communication diagram is shown in which a host 1602 communicates with a UE 1606 via a network node 1604 over a partially wireless connection according to some embodiments. Fig.16 To describe the UE discussed in the previous paragraphs (such as Fig.11 UE 1112a and / or Fig.12 UE 1200), network nodes (such as Fig.11 The network node 1110a and / or Fig.13 network nodes 1300) and hosts (such as Fig.11 Host 1116 and / or Fig.14 Host 1400) according to various embodiments of the example implementation.

[0414] Like the host 1400, embodiments of the host 1602 include hardware, such as a communication interface, a processing circuit, and a memory. The host 1602 also includes software that is stored in or accessible by the host 1602 and executable by the processing circuit. The software includes a host application that can be operable to provide services to a remote user, such as a UE 1606 connected via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1650 extending between the UE 1606 and the host 1602. In providing services to the remote user, the host application can provide user data transmitted using the OTT connection 1650.

[0415] The network node 1604 includes hardware that enables it to communicate with the host 1602 and the UE 1606. The connection 1660 can be direct or through a core network (such as Fig.11 The intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0416] UE 1606 includes hardware and software, which is stored in UE 1606 or accessible by UE 1606 and can be executed by the processing circuit of UE. The software includes a client application such as a web browser or an operator-specific "app" that can be operated to provide services to human or non-human users via UE 1606 under the support of host 1602. In the host 1602, the executing host application can communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1650 terminated at UE 1606 and host 1602. When providing services to users, the client application of the UE can receive request data from the host application of the host and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1650 can transmit both request data and user data. The client application of the UE can interact with the user to generate user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1650.

[0417] The OTT connection 1650 may extend via a connection 1660 between the host 1602 and the network node 1604 and via a wireless connection 1670 between the network node 1604 and the UE 1606 to provide a connection between the host 1602 and the UE 1606. The connection 1660 and the wireless connection 1670 over which the OTT connection 1650 may be provided have been abstractly drawn to illustrate communications between the host 1602 and the UE 1606 via the network node 1604, without explicit reference to any intermediate devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0418] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1650, in step 1608, the host 1602 provides user data, which can be executed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a specific human user interacting with the UE 1606. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with the UE 1606, and the UE 1606 shares data with the host 1602 without explicit human interaction. In step 1610, the host 1602 initiates a transmission carrying the user data toward the UE 1606. The host 1602 may initiate the transmission in response to a request transmitted by the UE 1606. The request may be prompted by human interaction with the UE 1606 or by operation of a client application executed on the UE 1606. According to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the transmission may pass through the network node 1604. Therefore, in step 1612, according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the network node 1604 transmits the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host 1602 to the UE 1606. In step 1614 , UE 1606 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be executed by a client application executing on UE 1606 associated with a host application executed by host 1602 .

[0419] In some examples, the UE 1606 executes a client application that provides user data to the host 1602. The user data may be provided as a reaction to data received from the host 1602 or in response to data received from the host 1602. Thus, in step 1616, the UE 1606 may provide the user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via the input / output interface of the UE 1606. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data is provided, the UE 1606 initiates a transmission of the user data toward the host 1602 via the network node 1604 in step 1618. In step 1620, the network node 1604 receives the user data from the UE 1606 and initiates a transmission of the received user data toward the host 1602 in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure. In step 1622, the host 1602 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1606.

[0420] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to UE 1606 using OTT connection 1650, where wireless connection 1670 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments can improve the data rate, latency, power consumption, etc. of UE and / or network nodes, and thereby provide benefits such as reduced user waiting time, relaxed restrictions on file size, improved content resolution, better responsiveness, extended battery life, etc.

[0421] In an example scenario, plant status information may be collected and analyzed by host 1602. As another example, host 1602 may process audio and video data that may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating a map. As another example, host 1602 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling traffic congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, host 1602 may store surveillance videos uploaded by a UE. As another example, host 1602 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR, or AR that it may broadcast, multicast, or unicast to a UE. As other examples, host 1602 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time-critical power loads for balancing power generation demand, location services, representation services (such as compiled graphs from data collected from remote devices, etc.), or any other function for collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing, and / or transmitting data.

[0422] In some examples, a measurement process may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, latency, and other factors that are improved by one or more embodiments. In response to changes in the measurement results, there may be further optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1650 between the host 1602 and the UE 1606. The measurement process and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in the software and hardware of the host 1602 and / or the UE 1606. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in other devices through which the OTT connection 1650 passes or may be associated with other devices through which the OTT connection 1650 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement process by providing the values ​​of the monitoring quantities illustrated above or providing the values ​​of other physical quantities by which the software can calculate or estimate the monitoring quantities. The reconfiguration of the OTT connection 1650 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routing selections, etc.; the reconfiguration does not require direct changes to the operation of the network node 1604. Such processes and functionality may be known and implemented in the art. In certain embodiments, the measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. by the host 1602. The measurements may be achieved because software uses the OTT connection 1650 to cause messages to be transmitted, particularly empty or "dummy" messages to be transmitted, while monitoring propagation time, errors, etc.

[0423] Although the computing devices (e.g., UE, network node, host) described herein may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may include computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may include any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. The determination, calculation, acquisition, or similar operations described herein may be performed by a processing circuit, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with the information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information to process the information and make a determination as a result of the processing. In addition, although the components are depicted as being located within a larger box or a single box nested within multiple boxes, in reality, the computing device may include multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be divided between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be divided between a processing circuit and a communication interface. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware, and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0424] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by a processing circuit executing instructions stored in a memory, which in some embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by a processing circuit without executing instructions stored on an independent or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of those specific embodiments, the processing circuit may be configured to perform the described functionality, regardless of whether instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to just the processing circuit or to other components of the computing device, but are generally enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or by end users and wireless networks.

[0425] For the avoidance of doubt, the following numbered statements set forth the disclosed embodiments: Group A Embodiment 1. A method performed by a user equipment, the method comprising: When transitioning to the Connected state: a first Radio Access Network RAN ​​node connected to the communications network; and Information related to one or more quality of experience (QoE) measurement sessions configured at a user equipment is transmitted to a communication network. 2. The method of embodiment 1, wherein one or more QoE measurement sessions are configured at the user equipment by a first RAN node or a second RAN node of the communication network. 3. The method of embodiment 1 or 2, wherein one or more QoE measurement sessions are configured at the user equipment during a previous instance of the user equipment being in a connected state. 4. The method of any of Embodiments 3, wherein the information related to the one or more QoE measurement sessions includes values ​​of one or more parameters that have changed since the user equipment transitioned from a previous instance of being in a connected state to an inactive state or an idle state. 5. The method as described in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein transitioning to a connected state comprises one of: resuming a connection from an inactive state; and establishing a connection from an idle state. 6. The method as in any preceding embodiment, wherein the information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment comprises a status of the one or more QoE measurement sessions. 7. The method of embodiment 6, wherein the status of the QoE measurement session comprises one of: ongoing; not ongoing; and terminated. 8. A method as described in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at a user device includes one or more of the following: an indication of the amount of time the user device was in an inactive or idle state before transitioning to a connected state; and an indication of when one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not in progress or how long one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not in progress while the user device was in an inactive or idle state. 9. The method as in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment comprises information of one or more ongoing QoE measurement sessions. 10. The method as in any preceding embodiment, wherein the information related to the one or more QoE measurement sessions is transmitted to the first RAN node in a connection restoration request message or a connection establishment request message. 11. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 9, wherein information related to the one or more QoE measurement sessions is transmitted to the first RAN node in a message confirming establishment of a connection to the first RAN node or restoration of a connection with the first RAN node. 12. The method as in any one of embodiments 1 to 9, wherein information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions is transmitted to the first RAN node in response to a request message received from the first RAN node. 13. A method as described in any of the preceding embodiments, wherein information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions is further transmitted to the first RAN node in response to one or more of the following: a configuration received from the communication network; and a type of event that triggers the user equipment to transition to a connected state. 14. A method performed by a user equipment, the method comprising: When in inactive connectivity state: Information related to one or more quality of experience (QoE) measurement sessions configured at a user equipment is transmitted to a first radio access network (RAN) node of a communication network. 15. The method of embodiment 14, wherein information related to the one or more QoE measurement sessions is transmitted to the first RAN node via one or more small data transmissions. 16. The method of embodiment 14 or 15, wherein the information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment includes a status of the one or more QoE measurement sessions. 17. The method of embodiment 16, wherein the status of the QoE measurement session comprises one of: ongoing; not ongoing; and terminated. 18. The method as in any one of embodiments 14 to 17, wherein the user equipment is released to an inactive connectivity state by the first RAN node. 19. A method as described in any of embodiments 14 to 18, wherein information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions is transmitted in response to one or more of the following: an ongoing QoE measurement session ends successfully when the user equipment is released to an inactive connectivity state; an ongoing QoE measurement session ends unsuccessfully when the user equipment is released to an inactive connectivity state; a new application session starts; one or more changes in the state of an ongoing application session when the user equipment is released to an inactive connectivity state; one or more changes in the state of an application session that starts after the user equipment is released to an inactive connectivity state; a timer has expired or is running; the user equipment has reselected a new cell; the amount of data is lower than a threshold. 20. The method of any of the preceding embodiments, further comprising: Provide user data; and The user data is forwarded to the host via a transmission to a network node. Group B Example 21. A method performed by a first network node of a communication network, the method comprising: When the user equipment is connected to the first network node and transitions to a connected state, Information related to one or more quality of experience (QoE) measurement sessions configured at the user equipment is received from one or more of a second network node of the communication network and the user equipment. 22. The method of embodiment 21, wherein one or more QoE measurement sessions are configured at the user equipment by a first network node or a second network node of the communication network. 23. The method of embodiment 21 or 22, wherein one or more QoE measurement sessions are configured at the user equipment during a previous instance of the user equipment being in a connected state. 24. A method as described in any of the embodiments of embodiment 23, wherein information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions is received from a user device, and the information related to the one or more QoE measurement sessions includes values ​​of one or more parameters that have changed since the user device transitioned from a previous instance in a connected state to an inactive state or an idle state. 25. The method of embodiment 24, wherein information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions is received from the user equipment and the second network node, and wherein the information received from the second network node is overwritten by the information received from the user equipment. 26. The method of any one of embodiments 21 to 25, wherein the user equipment transitioning to a connected state comprises one of: resuming a connection from an inactive state; and establishing a connection from an idle state. 27. The method as in any one of embodiments 21 to 26, wherein the information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment comprises a status of the one or more QoE measurement sessions. 28. The method of embodiment 27, wherein the status of the QoE measurement session comprises one of: ongoing; not ongoing; and terminated. 29. A method as described in any of embodiments 21 to 28, wherein the information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at a user device includes one or more of the following: an indication of the amount of time the user device was in an inactive or idle state before transitioning to a connected state; and an indication of when one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not in progress or how long one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not in progress while the user device was in an inactive or idle state. 30. The method as in any one of embodiments 21 to 29, wherein the information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment includes information of one or more ongoing QoE measurement sessions. 31. The method as in any one of embodiments 21 to 30, wherein information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions is received from the user equipment in a connection restoration request message or a connection establishment request message. 32. The method of any one of embodiments 21 to 30, wherein information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions is received from a user equipment in a message confirming establishment of a connection to the first RAN node or restoration of a connection with the first RAN node. 33. The method as in any one of embodiments 21 to 30, wherein the information related to the one or more QoE measurement sessions is received from the user equipment in response to a request message transmitted by the first network node to the user equipment. 34. A method as described in any of embodiments 21 to 33, wherein information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions is further received from the user equipment in response to one or more of the following: configuration of the user equipment performed by the communication network; and the type of event that triggers the user equipment to transition to a connected state. 35. A method performed by a second network node, the second network node serving a user equipment released to an inactive or idle connectivity state, the method comprising: Information related to one or more quality of experience (QoE) measurement sessions configured at the user equipment is transmitted to a first network node to which the user equipment has subsequently been connected upon transitioning to the connected state. 36. The method of embodiment 35, wherein the information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment comprises a status of the one or more QoE measurement sessions. 37. The method of embodiment 36, wherein the status of the QoE measurement session comprises one of: ongoing; not ongoing; and terminated. 38. A method as described in any of embodiments 35 to 37, wherein the information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment includes one or more of the following: an indication of the amount of time the user equipment was in an inactive or idle state before transitioning to a connected state; an indication of the time when the user equipment was released to the inactive or idle connectivity state; an indication of the final values ​​of one or more QoE parameters reported to the second network node before the user equipment was released to the inactive or idle connectivity state; and an indication of when one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not ongoing or how long one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not ongoing while the user equipment was in an inactive or idle state. 39. The method as in any one of embodiments 35 to 38, wherein the information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment includes information of one or more ongoing QoE measurement sessions. 40. The method of any of the preceding embodiments, further comprising: obtain user data; and Forwards user data to the host or user device. Group C Example 41. A user equipment, comprising: A processing circuit configured to cause the user equipment to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments in Group A; and A power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the processing circuit. 42. A network node, the network node comprising: a processing circuit configured to cause the network node to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments of Group B; A power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the processing circuit. 43. A user equipment (UE), the UE comprising: an antenna configured to transmit and receive wireless signals; a radio front end circuit connected to the antenna and to the processing circuit and configured to condition signals passed between the antenna and the processing circuit; The processing circuit is configured to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments in Group A; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow information to be input into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuit and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuit; and A battery is connected to the processing circuit and is configured to provide power to the UE. 44. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), The UE includes a communication interface and a processing circuit, and the communication interface and the processing circuit of the UE are configured to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments in Group A to receive user data from the host. 45. The host as described in the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node, and the network node is configured to communicate with the UE to transmit user data from the host to the UE. 46. ​​The host of any of the preceding two embodiments, wherein: The processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application to provide user data; and The host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application. 47. A method implemented by a host, the host operating in a communication system further comprising a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Providing user data to the UE; and A transmission carrying user data is initiated to the UE via a cellular network including a network node, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of the embodiments in Group A to receive the user data from the host. 48. The method according to the preceding embodiment further comprises: At the host, a host application associated with the client application executing on the UE is executed to receive user data from the UE. 49. The method according to the preceding embodiment, further comprising: At the host, transmitting input data to a client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, Wherein user data is provided by the client application in response to input data from the host application. 50. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), The UE includes a communication interface and a processing circuit, and the communication interface and the processing circuit of the UE are configured to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments in Group A to transmit user data to the host. 51. The host as described in the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node, and the network node is configured to communicate with the UE to transmit user data from the UE to the host. 52. The host of any of the preceding two embodiments, wherein: The processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application to provide user data; and The host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application. 53. A method implemented by a host, the host being configured to operate in a communication system further comprising a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: At the host, user data transmitted by the UE to the host via the network node is received, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the embodiments in Group A to transmit the user data to the host. 54. The method according to the preceding embodiment further comprises: At the host, a host application associated with the client application executing on the UE is executed to receive user data from the UE. 55. The method according to the preceding embodiment further comprises: At the host, transmitting input data to a client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, Wherein user data is provided by the client application in response to input data from the host application. 56. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and A network interface configured to initiate transmission of user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node being configured to perform any of the operations of any of the embodiments in Group B to transmit user data from a host to the UE. 57. A host as described in the above embodiment, wherein: The processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides user data; and The UE includes processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with a host application to receive a transmission of user data from the host. 58. A method implemented in a host, the host being configured to operate in a communication system further comprising a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Providing user data to the UE; and A transmission carrying user data is initiated to the UE via a cellular network including a network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of the embodiments in Group B to transmit the user data from the host to the UE. 59. The method as described in the preceding embodiment further comprises transmitting, at the network node, user data provided by the host for the UE. 60. The method of any of the preceding 2 embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application. 61. A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top service, the communication system comprising: A host, the host comprising: a processing circuit configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with an over-the-top service; and A network interface, the network interface being configured to initiate transmission of user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to a UE, the network node having a communication interface and a processing circuit, the processing circuit of the network node being configured to perform any of the operations of any of the embodiments in Group B to transmit user data from a host to a UE. 62. The communication system as described in the above embodiment further comprises: Network nodes; and / or User equipment. 63. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and A network interface configured to receive user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and a processing circuit, the processing circuit of the network node being configured to perform any of the operations of any of the embodiments in Group B to receive user data from a user equipment (UE) for a host. 64. A host as described in the above embodiment, wherein: The processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application to provide user data; and The host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application. 65. A host as described in any of the two preceding embodiments, wherein initiating reception of user data includes requesting user data. 66. A method implemented by a host, the host being configured to operate in a communication system further comprising a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: At the host, reception of user data from the UE is initiated, the user data originating from a transmission that the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of the embodiments in Group B to receive the user data from the UE for the host. 67. The method as described in the previous embodiment further includes transmitting the received user data to the host at the network node.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user device (1200), the method comprising: When transitioning to the Connected state: connecting (706) to a first radio access network RAN ​​node of a communications network; as well as transmitting (708) to the communication network information related to one or more quality of experience (QoE) measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200), wherein the one or more QoE measurement sessions were configured at the user equipment during a previous instance of the user equipment (1200) being in the connected state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: The one or more QoE measurement sessions are configured at the user equipment (1200) by the first RAN node or the second RAN node of the communication network.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein: The information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions includes values ​​of one or more parameters that have changed since the user equipment (1200) transitioned from the previous instance of being in the connected state to an inactive state or an idle state.

4. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein: Transitioning to the connection state includes one of: resuming a connection from an inactive state; and establishing a connection from an idle state.

5. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200) includes a status of the one or more QoE measurement sessions.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein: The status of the QoE measurement session includes one of: ongoing; not ongoing; and terminated.

7. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The information relating to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200) comprises one or more of: an indication of the amount of time the user equipment (1200) was in an inactive or idle state before transitioning to the connected state; and an indication of when one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not in progress or for how long one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not in progress while the user equipment (1200) was in an inactive or idle state.

8. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200) includes information of one or more ongoing QoE measurement sessions.

9. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein: transmitting the information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions to the first RAN node: In a connection restoration request message or a connection establishment request message; in a message confirming establishment of a connection to, or restoration of a connection with, the first RAN node; or In response to a request message received from the first RAN node.

10. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The information relating to one or more QoE measurement sessions is further transmitted to the first RAN node in response to one or more of: a configuration received from the communications network; and a type of trigger for transitioning the user equipment (1200) from an inactive state or an idle state to the connected state.

11. A method performed by a user equipment (1200), the method comprising: While in an inactive connectivity state: Information about one or more quality of experience (QoE) measurement sessions configured at the user equipment is transmitted (804) to a first radio access network (RAN) node of the communication network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein: The information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions is transmitted to the first RAN node by means of one or more small data transmissions.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein: The information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200) includes a status of the one or more QoE measurement sessions.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein: The status of the QoE measurement session includes one of: ongoing; not ongoing; and terminated.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein: The user equipment (1200) is released to the inactive connectivity state by the first RAN node.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein: The information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions is transmitted in response to one or more of the following: a QoE measurement session that was in progress when the user equipment (1200) was released to the inactive connectivity state successfully ended; a QoE measurement session that was in progress when the user equipment (1200) was released to the inactive connectivity state did not end successfully; a new application session started; one or more changes in the state of an application session that was in progress when the user equipment (1200) was released to the inactive connectivity state; one or more changes in the state of an application session that started after the user equipment (1200) was released to the inactive connectivity state; a timer has expired or is running; the user equipment (1200) has reselected a new cell; the amount of data is below a threshold.

17. A method performed by a first network node of a communication network, the method comprising: When the user equipment (1200) is connected to the first network node and changes to a connected state, Information relating to one or more quality of experience (QoE) measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200) is received (902, 904) from one or more of a second network node of the communication network and the user equipment (1200), wherein the one or more QoE measurement sessions were configured at the user equipment (1200) during a previous instance of the user equipment (1200) being in the connected state.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein: The one or more QoE measurement sessions are configured at the user equipment (1200) by the first network node or the second network node of the communication network.

19. The method according to any one of claims 17 or 18, wherein: The information relating to one or more QoE measurement sessions is received from the user equipment (1200), and the information relating to one or more QoE measurement sessions comprises values ​​of one or more parameters that have changed since the user equipment (1200) transitioned from the previous instance of being in the connected state to an inactive state or an idle state.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein: The information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions is received from the user equipment (1200) and the second network node, and wherein the information received from the second network node is overwritten by the information received from the user equipment (1200).

21. The method of any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein: The user equipment (1200) transitioning to the connection state comprises one of: resuming a connection from an inactive state; and establishing a connection from an idle state.

22. The method of any one of claims 17 to 21, wherein: The information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200) includes a status of the one or more QoE measurement sessions.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein: The status of the QoE measurement session includes one of: ongoing; not ongoing; and terminated.

24. The method of any one of claims 17 to 23, wherein: The information relating to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200) comprises one or more of: an indication of the amount of time the user equipment (1200) was in an inactive or idle state before transitioning to the connected state; and an indication of when one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not in progress or for how long one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not in progress while the user equipment (1200) was in an inactive or idle state.

25. The method of any one of claims 17 to 24, wherein: The information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200) includes information of one or more ongoing QoE measurement sessions.

26. The method of any one of claims 17 to 25, wherein: receiving, from the user equipment (1200), said information relating to one or more QoE measurement sessions: In a connection restoration request message or a connection establishment request message; in a message confirming establishment of a connection to the first network node or restoration of a connection with the first network node; or In response to a request message transmitted by the first network node to the user equipment (1200).

27. The method of any one of claims 17 to 26, wherein: The information relating to one or more QoE measurement sessions is further received from the user equipment (1200) in response to one or more of: configuration of the user equipment (1200) by the communication network; and a type of trigger for transitioning the user equipment (1200) from an inactive state or an idle state to the connected state.

28. A method performed by a second network node, the second network node serving a user equipment (1200) released to an inactive or idle connectivity state, the method comprising: Information about one or more quality of experience (QoE) measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200) is transmitted (1004) to a first network node to which the user equipment (1200) has subsequently been connected when transitioning to a connected state.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein: The information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200) includes a status of the one or more QoE measurement sessions.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein: The status of the QoE measurement session includes one of: ongoing; not ongoing; and terminated.

31. The method of any one of claims 28 to 30, wherein: The information relating to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200) comprises one or more of: an indication of the amount of time the user equipment (1200) was in an inactive or idle state before transitioning to the connected state; an indication of the time at which the user equipment (1200) was released to the inactive or idle connectivity state; an indication of final values ​​of one or more QoE parameters reported to the second network node before the user equipment (1200) was released to the inactive or idle connectivity state; and an indication of when one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not ongoing or for how long one or more QoE measurement sessions were or were not ongoing while the user equipment (1200) was in the inactive or idle state.

32. The method of any one of claims 28 to 31, wherein: The information related to one or more QoE measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200) includes information of one or more ongoing QoE measurement sessions.

33. A user equipment (1200), comprising: A processing circuit (1202) configured to cause the user equipment (1200): When transitioning to the Connected state: connecting (706) to a first radio access network RAN ​​node of a communications network; as well as transmitting (708) to the communications network information relating to one or more quality of experience (QoE) measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200), wherein the one or more QoE measurement sessions were configured at the user equipment (1200) during a previous instance of the user equipment (1200) being in the connected state; as well as A power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the processing circuit.

34. The user equipment (1200) of claim 33, wherein: The processing circuit (1202) is further configured to cause the user equipment (1200) to perform the method according to any one of claims 2 to 10.

35. A user equipment (1200), comprising: A processing circuit (1202) configured to cause the user equipment (1200): While in an inactive connectivity state: transmitting (804) information about one or more quality of experience (QoE) measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200) to a first radio access network (RAN) node of the communication network, and A power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the processing circuit.

36. The user equipment (1200) of claim 30, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to cause the UE (1100) to perform the method according to any one of claims 13 to 17.

37. A first network node, the first network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to: When the user equipment (1200) is connected to the first network node and changes to a connected state, receiving (902, 904) information about one or more quality of experience (QoE) measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200) from one or more of a second network node of the communication network and the user equipment (1200), wherein the one or more QoE measurement sessions were configured at the user equipment (1200) during a previous instance of the user equipment (1200) being in the connected state; and A power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the processing circuit.

38. The first network node of claim 37, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to cause the first network node to perform the method according to any one of claims 18 to 27.

39. A second network node, the second network node serving a user equipment (1200) released to an inactive or idle connectivity state, the second network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the second network node to: transmitting (1004) information about one or more quality of experience (QoE) measurement sessions configured at the user equipment (1200) to a first network node to which the user equipment (1200) has subsequently been connected when transitioning to a connected state; as well as A power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the processing circuit.

40. The second network node of claim 39, wherein: The processing circuit is further configured to cause the second network node to perform the method according to any one of claims 29 to 32.

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