Apparatus, method and computer program

Abstract

An apparatus, method and computer program for a first policy control function are provided that cause the first policy control function to: receive at least one first request from a network open interface, the at least one first request is used to determine a first policy for resources to be reserved for a first set of user equipments, the at least one first request comprising: an indication of the number of user equipments included in the first set; and forgoing determining the first policy until the number of the received at least one first request is equal to the number of user equipments included in the first set.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to Indian Provisional Patent Application No. 202241045428 filed on August 9, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if reproduced in full. Technical Field

[0003] Examples described herein relate generally to apparatus, methods, and computer programs, and more particularly (but not limited to) to apparatus, methods, and computer programs for wireless communication systems. Background Art

[0004] A communication system may be viewed as a facility that enables communication between two or more entities (such as communication devices, base stations and / or other network nodes) by providing links between the various entities involved in the communication path.

[0005] The communication system may be a wireless communication system including various networks. Examples of networks in a wireless communication system include public land mobile networks (PLMNs) operating based on radio access technologies specified by various standard organizations (such as those provided by 3GPP), radio access networks, satellite-based communication networks, and different wireless local networks, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs). Radio access networks can typically be divided into cells and are therefore often referred to as cellular networks.

[0006] Wireless communication systems and related equipment typically operate according to a given standard or specification that specifies what the various entities associated with the system are allowed to do and how it should be achieved. Communication protocols and / or parameters for the connection are also typically defined. Examples of standards are what are known as 4G, 5G, and 6G standards. Summary of the invention

[0007] According to a first aspect, a method for a network open function is provided, the method comprising: receiving a reservation request for reserving resources for an application function session from an application function, the reservation request comprising: an indication of multiple user devices for which resources are to be reserved, and an indication that the multiple user devices are to be jointly admitted and / or that resources of the multiple user devices are to be jointly reserved; determining that a first policy control function is associated with a first set of user devices among the multiple user devices; and signaling at least one first request to the first policy control function, the at least one first request being used to determine a first policy regarding resources to be reserved for the first set of user devices, the at least one first request comprising: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set.

[0008] The method may include: determining that a second policy control function is associated with a second set of user devices among a plurality of user devices; and signaling at least one second request to the second policy control function, the at least one second request being used to determine a second policy regarding resources to be reserved for the second set of user devices, the at least one second request including: an indication of the number of user devices included in the second set.

[0009] The method may include: receiving respective indications from the first policy control function and the second policy control function that the first set of user equipment and the second set of user equipment are successfully jointly admitted; and signaling to an application function an indication that the plurality of user equipment are successfully jointly admitted.

[0010] The method may include: receiving an indication from a first policy control function that a first set of user devices are successfully jointly admitted; receiving an indication from a second policy control function that a second set of user devices are not successfully jointly admitted; and signaling an indication to an application function that multiple user devices are not successfully jointly admitted.

[0011] The method may comprise signalling to a first policy control function an indication that the plurality of user equipments were not successfully jointly admitted.

[0012] Signaling at least one first request may include: signaling multiple first requests for resources to be reserved, each of the multiple first requests including: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set, and respectively including: corresponding identifiers of different user devices within the first set of user devices.

[0013] The method may include: receiving an indication from a first policy control function that resources cannot be reserved for at least one user device in a first set of user devices; identifying all policy control functions that serve a flow group associated with the first set of user devices; and signaling to at least one policy control function among all the above policy control functions an indication that the above resources cannot be reserved for at least one user device among a plurality of user devices.

[0014] The method may comprise signalling to the application function an indication that the resource cannot be reserved in relation to at least one user equipment of the plurality of user equipments.

[0015] The method may include: after signaling at least one of the policy control functions, receiving an indication from at least one of the policy control functions that resources cannot be reserved for at least one of the multiple user devices served by at least one of the policy control functions.

[0016] The at least one first request may include at least one of: an identifier of at least one user equipment among the user equipment included in the first set; an identifier of a flow group associated with the first set of user equipment; and an indication that the user equipment in the first set are to be jointly admitted.

[0017] The at least one first request may relate to provision of a multimodal service.

[0018] At least one first request may include supporting information for configuring a low-latency, low-loss, scalable throughput data service.

[0019] According to a second aspect, a method for a first policy control function is provided, the method comprising: receiving at least one first request from a network open interface, the at least one first request being used to determine a first policy regarding resources to be reserved for a first set of user devices, the at least one first request comprising: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set; and abandoning determining the first policy until the number of at least one first request received is equal to the number of user devices included in the first set.

[0020] The method may include: when the number of at least one first request received is equal to the number of user devices included in the first set, attempting to determine the above-mentioned first strategy; and when the first strategy is successfully determined, signaling an indication that the first set of user devices has been successfully jointly admitted to the network; and when the first strategy is not successfully determined, signaling an indication that the first set of user devices has not been successfully jointly admitted to the network.

[0021] The method may include: when the first policy is successfully determined, providing the first policy to a session management function; receiving an indication from the session management function that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first set of user devices; and signaling to a network open function an indication that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first set of user devices.

[0022] The method may include: when the first strategy is successfully determined, receiving an indication from a network open function that at least one user device does not yet have resources reserved for it, the at least one user device and the first set of user devices being associated with the same flow group; signaling to a session management function instructions for releasing and / or reconfiguring resources for each user device in the first set of user devices; and signaling to the network open function an indication that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first set of user devices.

[0023] Receiving at least one first request may include: receiving multiple first requests for resources to be reserved and / or to be retained, each of the multiple first requests including: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set, and respectively including: corresponding identifiers of different user devices within the first set of user devices.

[0024] The at least one first request may include at least one of: an identifier of at least one user equipment among the user equipment included in the first set; an identifier of a flow group associated with the first set of user equipment; and an indication that the user equipment in the first set are to be jointly admitted.

[0025] The at least one first request may relate to provision of a multimodal service.

[0026] At least one first request may include supporting information for configuring a low-latency, low-loss, scalable throughput data service.

[0027] According to a third aspect, a device for a network open function is provided, the device comprising components for: receiving a reservation request for reserving resources for an application function session from an application function, the reservation request comprising: an indication of multiple user devices for which resources are to be reserved, and an indication that the multiple user devices are to be jointly admitted and / or that resources of the multiple user devices are to be jointly reserved; determining that a first policy control function is associated with a first set of user devices among the multiple user devices; and signaling at least one first request to the first policy control function, the at least one first request being used to determine a first policy regarding resources to be reserved for the first set of user devices, the at least one first request comprising: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set.

[0028] The apparatus may include components for: determining that a second policy control function is associated with a second set of user devices among a plurality of user devices; and signaling at least one second request to the second policy control function, the at least one second request being used to determine a second policy regarding resources to be reserved for the second set of user devices, the at least one second request including: an indication of the number of user devices included in the second set.

[0029] The apparatus may include means for receiving respective indications from the first policy control function and the second policy control function that the first set of user equipment and the second set of user equipment are successfully jointly admitted; and signalling to an application function an indication that the plurality of user equipment are successfully jointly admitted.

[0030] The apparatus may include components for: receiving an indication from a first policy control function that a first set of user devices are successfully jointly admitted; receiving an indication from a second policy control function that a second set of user devices are not successfully jointly admitted; and signaling an indication to an application function that multiple user devices are not successfully jointly admitted.

[0031] The apparatus may include means for signaling to the first policy control function an indication that the plurality of user equipments were not successfully jointly admitted.

[0032] The component for signaling at least one first request may include: a component for signaling multiple first requests for resources to be reserved, each of the multiple first requests comprising: an indication of the number of user equipment included in the first set, and respectively comprising: corresponding identifiers of different user equipment within the first set of user equipment.

[0033] The apparatus may include components for: receiving an indication from a first policy control function that resources cannot be reserved with respect to at least one user device in a first set of user devices; identifying all policy control functions that serve a flow group associated with the first set of user devices; and signaling to at least one policy control function among all of the above policy control functions the indication that the above resources cannot be reserved with respect to at least one user device in a plurality of user devices.

[0034] The apparatus may include means for signaling to the application function an indication that the resource cannot be reserved with respect to at least one user equipment of the plurality of user equipments.

[0035] The apparatus may comprise means for receiving, after signalling at least one of the policy control functions, from the at least one of the policy control functions, an indication that resources cannot be reserved with respect to at least one user equipment of a plurality of user equipments served by the at least one of the policy control functions.

[0036] The at least one first request may include at least one of: an identifier of at least one user equipment among the user equipment included in the first set; an identifier of a flow group associated with the first set of user equipment; and an indication that the user equipment in the first set are to be jointly admitted.

[0037] The at least one first request may relate to provision of a multimodal service.

[0038] At least one first request may include supporting information for configuring a low-latency, low-loss, scalable throughput data service.

[0039] According to a fourth aspect, a device for a first policy control function is provided, the device comprising components for: receiving at least one first request from a network open interface, the at least one first request being used to determine a first policy regarding resources to be reserved for a first set of user devices, the at least one first request comprising: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set; and abandoning determining the first policy until the number of at least one first request received is equal to the number of user devices included in the first set.

[0040] The device may include components for: attempting to determine the above-mentioned first strategy when the number of at least one first request received is equal to the number of user devices included in the first set; and when the first strategy is successfully determined, signaling an indication that the first set of user devices are successfully jointly admitted to the network; and when the first strategy is not successfully determined, signaling an indication that the first set of user devices are not successfully jointly admitted to the network.

[0041] The apparatus may include components for: providing the first policy to a session management function when the first policy is successfully determined; receiving an indication from the session management function that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first set of user devices; and signaling to a network open function an indication that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first set of user devices.

[0042] The apparatus may include components for: when the first strategy is successfully determined, receiving from a network open function an indication that at least one user device does not yet have resources reserved for it, the at least one user device and the first set of user devices being associated with the same flow group; signaling to a session management function instructions for releasing and / or reconfiguring resources for each user device in the first set of user devices; and signaling to the network open function an indication that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first set of user devices.

[0043] The component for receiving at least one first request may include: a component for receiving multiple first requests for resources to be reserved and / or to be retained, each of the multiple first requests comprising: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set, and respectively comprising: corresponding identifiers of different user devices within the first set of user devices.

[0044] The at least one first request may include at least one of: an identifier of at least one user equipment among the user equipment included in the first set; an identifier of a flow group associated with the first set of user equipment; and an indication that the user equipment in the first set are to be jointly admitted.

[0045] The at least one first request may relate to provision of a multimodal service.

[0046] At least one first request may include supporting information for configuring a low-latency, low-loss, scalable throughput data service.

[0047] According to a fifth aspect, a device for a network open function is provided, the device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising code, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the device to: receive a reservation request from an application function for reserving resources for an application function session, the reservation request comprising: an indication of multiple user devices for which resources are to be reserved, and an indication that the multiple user devices are to be jointly admitted and / or that resources of the multiple user devices are to be jointly reserved; determine that a first policy control function is associated with a first set of user devices among the multiple user devices; and signal at least one first request to the first policy control function, the at least one first request being used to determine a first policy regarding resources to be reserved for the first set of user devices, the at least one first request comprising: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set.

[0048] The device can enable: determining that a second policy control function is associated with a second set of user devices among a plurality of user devices; and signaling at least one second request to the second policy control function, the at least one second request being used to determine a second policy regarding resources to be reserved for the second set of user devices, the at least one second request including: an indication of the number of user devices included in the second set.

[0049] The apparatus may: receive respective indications from the first policy control function and the second policy control function that the first set of user equipment and the second set of user equipment are successfully jointly admitted; and signal the indication that the plurality of user equipments are successfully jointly admitted to the application function.

[0050] The apparatus may: receive an indication from a first policy control function that a first set of user equipment is successfully jointly admitted; receive an indication from a second policy control function that a second set of user equipment is not successfully jointly admitted; and signal an indication to an application function that multiple user equipment are not successfully jointly admitted.

[0051] The apparatus may cause: signaling to the first policy control function an indication that the plurality of user equipments were not successfully jointly admitted.

[0052] Signaling at least one first request may include signaling multiple first requests for resources to be reserved, each of the multiple first requests comprising: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set, and respectively comprising: corresponding identifiers of different user devices within the first set of user devices.

[0053] The device can enable: receiving an indication from a first policy control function that resources cannot be reserved with respect to at least one user device in a first set of user devices; identifying all policy control functions that serve a flow group associated with the first set of user devices; and signaling at least one policy control function among all the above policy control functions that the indication that the above resources cannot be reserved with respect to at least one user device in a plurality of user devices.

[0054] The apparatus may cause: signaling to the application function an indication that the resource cannot be reserved with respect to at least one user equipment of the plurality of user equipments.

[0055] The device may enable: after signaling at least one of the policy control functions, to receive an indication from at least one of the policy control functions that resources cannot be reserved for at least one of the multiple user devices served by at least one of the policy control functions.

[0056] The at least one first request may include at least one of: an identifier of at least one user equipment among the user equipment included in the first set; an identifier of a flow group associated with the first set of user equipment; and an indication that the user equipment in the first set are to be jointly admitted.

[0057] The at least one first request may relate to provision of a multimodal service.

[0058] At least one first request may include supporting information for configuring a low-latency, low-loss, scalable throughput data service.

[0059] According to a sixth aspect, a device for a first policy control function is provided, the device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising code, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the device to: receive at least one first request from a network open interface, the at least one first request being used to determine a first policy regarding resources to be reserved for a first set of user devices, the at least one first request comprising: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set; and abandon determining the first policy until the number of at least one first request received is equal to the number of user devices included in the first set.

[0060] The device may cause: when the number of at least one first request received is equal to the number of user devices included in the first set, to attempt to determine the above-mentioned first strategy; and when the first strategy is successfully determined, to send a signal to the network open function to notify the indication that the first set of user devices has been successfully jointly admitted; and when the first strategy is not successfully determined, to send a signal to the network open function to notify the indication that the first set of user devices has not been successfully jointly admitted.

[0061] The device can enable: when the first policy is successfully determined, providing the first policy to the session management function; receiving an indication from the session management function that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first user device set; and signaling to the network open function an indication that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first user device set.

[0062] The apparatus may enable: when the first strategy is successfully determined, receiving from a network open function an indication that at least one user device does not yet have resources reserved for it, the at least one user device and the first set of user devices being associated with the same flow group; signaling to a session management function instructions for releasing and / or reconfiguring resources for each user device in the first set of user devices; and signaling to the network open function an indication that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first set of user devices.

[0063] Receiving at least one first request may include receiving multiple first requests for resources to be reserved and / or to be retained, each of the multiple first requests comprising: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set, and respectively comprising: corresponding identifiers of different user devices within the first set of user devices.

[0064] The at least one first request may include at least one of: an identifier of at least one user equipment among the user equipment included in the first set; an identifier of a flow group associated with the first set of user equipment; and an indication that the user equipment in the first set are to be jointly admitted.

[0065] The at least one first request may relate to provision of a multimodal service.

[0066] At least one first request may include supporting information for configuring a low-latency, low-loss, scalable throughput data service.

[0067] According to the seventh aspect, a device for a network open function is provided, the device comprising: a receiving circuit system for receiving a reservation request for reserving resources for an application function session from an application function, the reservation request comprising: an indication of multiple user devices for which resources are to be reserved, and an indication that the multiple user devices are to be jointly admitted and / or that resources of the multiple user devices are to be jointly reserved; a determining circuit system for determining that a first policy control function is associated with a first set of user devices among the multiple user devices; and a signaling circuit system for signaling at least one first request to the first policy control function, the at least one first request being used to determine a first policy regarding resources to be reserved for a first set of user devices, the at least one first request comprising an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set.

[0068] The apparatus may include: a determination circuit system for determining that a second policy control function is associated with a second set of user devices among a plurality of user devices; and a signaling circuit system for signaling at least one second request to the second policy control function, the at least one second request being used to determine a second policy regarding resources to be reserved for the second set of user devices. The at least one second request includes: an indication of the number of user devices included in the second set.

[0069] The device may include: a receiving circuit system for receiving corresponding indications from a first policy control function and a second policy control function that a first set of user equipment and a second set of user equipment are successfully jointly admitted; and a signaling circuit system for signaling an indication that multiple user equipment are successfully jointly admitted to an application function.

[0070] The apparatus may include: a receiving circuit system for receiving an indication from a first policy control function that a first set of user devices are successfully jointly admitted; a receiving circuit system for receiving an indication from a second policy control function that a second set of user devices are not successfully jointly admitted; and a signaling circuit system for signaling an indication to an application function that multiple user devices are not successfully jointly admitted.

[0071] The apparatus may include signaling circuitry for signaling to a first policy control function an indication that the plurality of user equipments were not successfully jointly admitted.

[0072] A signaling circuit system for signaling at least one first request may include: a signaling circuit system for signaling multiple first requests for resources to be reserved, each of the multiple first requests including: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set, and respectively including: corresponding identifiers of different user devices within the first set of user devices.

[0073] The apparatus may include: a receiving circuit system for receiving an indication from a first policy control function that resources cannot be reserved with respect to at least one user device in a first set of user devices; identifying all policy control functions that serve a flow group associated with the first set of user devices; and a signaling circuit system for signaling at least one policy control function among all of the above policy control functions that the indication that the above resources cannot be reserved with respect to at least one user device in a plurality of user devices.

[0074] The apparatus may include signaling circuitry for signaling to an application function an indication that the resource cannot be reserved in relation to at least one user equipment of the plurality of user equipments.

[0075] The device may include: a receiving circuit system for receiving an indication from at least one of the policy control functions after signaling at least one of the policy control functions that resources cannot be reserved for at least one of the multiple user devices served by the at least one of the policy control functions.

[0076] The at least one first request may include at least one of: an identifier of at least one user equipment among the user equipment included in the first set; an identifier of a flow group associated with the first set of user equipment; and an indication that the user equipment in the first set are to be jointly admitted.

[0077] The at least one first request may relate to provision of a multimodal service.

[0078] At least one first request may include supporting information for configuring a low-latency, low-loss, scalable throughput data service.

[0079] According to an eighth aspect, a device for a first policy control function is provided, the device comprising: a receiving circuit system for receiving at least one first request from a network open interface, the at least one first request being used to determine a first policy regarding resources to be reserved for a first set of user devices, the at least one first request comprising: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set; and an abandoning circuit system for abandoning determining the first policy until the number of at least one first request received is equal to the number of user devices included in the first set.

[0080] The device may include: an attempting circuit system for attempting to determine the above-mentioned first strategy when the number of at least one first request received is equal to the number of user devices included in the first set; and a signaling circuit system for signaling an indication of successful joint admission to a network open function when the first strategy is successfully determined; and a signaling circuit system for signaling an indication of unsuccessful joint admission to a network open function when the first strategy is not successfully determined.

[0081] The apparatus may include: a providing circuit system for providing the first policy to a session management function when the first policy is successfully determined; receiving an indication from the session management function that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first set of user devices; and a signaling circuit system for signaling to a network open function an indication that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first set of user devices.

[0082] The apparatus may include: when a first strategy is successfully determined, a receiving circuit system for receiving from a network open function an indication that at least one user device does not yet have resources reserved for it, the at least one user device and a first set of user devices being associated with the same flow group; a signaling circuit system for signaling to a session management function instructions for releasing and / or reconfiguring resources for each user device in the first set of user devices; and a signaling circuit system for signaling to the network open function an indication that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first set of user devices.

[0083] A receiving circuit system for receiving at least one first request may include: a receiving circuit system for receiving multiple first requests for resources to be reserved and / or to be retained, each of the multiple first requests including: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set, and respectively including: corresponding identifiers of different user devices within the first set of user devices.

[0084] The at least one first request may include at least one of: an identifier of at least one user equipment among the user equipment included in the first set; an identifier of a flow group associated with the first set of user equipment; and an indication that the user equipment in the first set are to be jointly admitted.

[0085] The at least one first request may relate to provision of a multimodal service.

[0086] At least one first request may include supporting information for configuring a low-latency, low-loss, scalable throughput data service.

[0087] According to a ninth aspect, a non-volatile computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions for causing an apparatus for a network open function to perform at least the following: receiving a reservation request for reserving resources for an application function session from an application function, the reservation request including: indications of multiple user devices for which resources are to be reserved, and indications that the multiple user devices are to be jointly admitted and / or that resources of the multiple user devices are to be jointly reserved; determining that a first policy control function is associated with a first set of user devices among the multiple user devices; and signaling at least one first request to the first policy control function, the at least one first request being used to determine a first policy regarding resources to be reserved for the first set of user devices, the at least one first request including: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set.

[0088] The device can enable: determining that a second policy control function is associated with a second set of user devices among a plurality of user devices; and signaling at least one second request to the second policy control function, the at least one second request being used to determine a second policy regarding resources to be reserved for the second set of user devices, the at least one second request including: an indication of the number of user devices included in the second set.

[0089] The apparatus may: receive respective indications from the first policy control function and the second policy control function that the first set of user equipment and the second set of user equipment are successfully jointly admitted; and signal the indication that the plurality of user equipments are successfully jointly admitted to the application function.

[0090] The apparatus may: receive an indication from a first policy control function that a first set of user equipment is successfully jointly admitted; receive an indication from a second policy control function that a second set of user equipment is not successfully jointly admitted; and signal an indication to an application function that multiple user equipment are not successfully jointly admitted.

[0091] The apparatus may cause: signaling to the first policy control function an indication that the plurality of user equipments were not successfully jointly admitted.

[0092] Signaling at least one first request may include: signaling multiple first requests for resources to be reserved, each of the multiple first requests including: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set, and respectively including: corresponding identifiers of different user devices within the first set of user devices.

[0093] The device can enable: receiving an indication from a first policy control function that resources cannot be reserved with respect to at least one user device in a first set of user devices; identifying all policy control functions that serve a flow group associated with the first set of user devices; and signaling at least one policy control function among all the above policy control functions that the indication that the above resources cannot be reserved with respect to at least one user device in a plurality of user devices.

[0094] The apparatus may cause: signaling to the application function an indication that the resource cannot be reserved with respect to at least one user equipment of the plurality of user equipments.

[0095] The device may enable: after signaling at least one of the policy control functions, to receive an indication from at least one of the policy control functions that resources cannot be reserved for at least one of the multiple user devices served by at least one of the policy control functions.

[0096] The at least one first request may include at least one of: an identifier of at least one user equipment among the user equipment included in the first set; an identifier of a flow group associated with the first set of user equipment; and an indication that the user equipment in the first set are to be jointly admitted.

[0097] The at least one first request may relate to provision of a multimodal service.

[0098] At least one first request may include supporting information for configuring a low-latency, low-loss, scalable throughput data service.

[0099] According to the tenth aspect, a non-volatile computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions, and the program instructions are used to enable an apparatus for a first policy control function to perform at least the following: receiving at least one first request from a network open interface, the at least one first request being used to determine a first policy regarding resources to be reserved for a first set of user devices, the at least one first request including: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set; and giving up determining the first policy until the number of at least one first request received is equal to the number of user devices included in the first set.

[0100] The device may enable: when the number of at least one first request received is equal to the number of user devices included in the first set, to attempt to determine the above-mentioned first strategy; and when the first strategy is successfully determined, to send a signal to the network open function to indicate that the first set of user devices has been successfully jointly admitted; and when the first strategy is not successfully determined, to send a signal to the network open function to indicate that the first set of user devices has not been successfully jointly admitted.

[0101] The device can enable: when the first policy is successfully determined, providing the first policy to the session management function; receiving an indication from the session management function that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first user device set; and signaling to the network open function an indication that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first user device set.

[0102] The apparatus may enable: when the first strategy is successfully determined, receiving from a network open function an indication that at least one user device does not yet have resources reserved for it, the at least one user device and the first set of user devices being associated with the same flow group; signaling to a session management function instructions for releasing and / or reconfiguring resources for each user device in the first set of user devices; and signaling to the network open function an indication that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first set of user devices.

[0103] Receiving at least one first request may include receiving multiple first requests for resources to be reserved and / or to be retained, each of the multiple first requests including: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set, and respectively including: corresponding identifiers of different user devices within the first set of user devices.

[0104] The at least one first request may include at least one of: an identifier of at least one user equipment among the user equipment included in the first set; an identifier of a flow group associated with the first set of user equipment; and an indication that the user equipment in the first set are to be jointly admitted.

[0105] The at least one first request may relate to provision of a multimodal service.

[0106] At least one first request may include supporting information for configuring a low-latency, low-loss, scalable throughput data service.

[0107] According to an eleventh aspect, there is provided a computer program product stored on a medium, which may cause an apparatus to perform any of the methods described herein.

[0108] According to a twelfth aspect, an electronic device is provided, which may include an apparatus as described herein.

[0109] According to a thirteenth aspect, there is provided a chipset, which may comprise an apparatus as described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0110] Some examples will now be described, by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0111] Figure 1A and Figure 1B A schematic diagram of a 5G system is shown;

[0112] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a network device is shown;

[0113] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a user equipment is shown;

[0114] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a non-volatile storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, allow the processor to perform one or more of the steps of some example methods;

[0115] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the network is shown;

[0116] Figures 6 to 8 illustrates example signaling;

[0117] 9A to 9C illustrates example signaling; and

[0118] Fig.10 and Fig.11 illustrates example signaling that may be performed by the apparatus described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0119] In the description of the following examples, certain aspects are explained with reference to a mobile communication device capable of communicating via a wireless cellular system and a mobile communication system serving such a mobile communication device. For the sake of brevity and clarity, such aspects are described below with reference to a 5G wireless communication system. However, it should be understood that such aspects are not limited to a 5G wireless communication system and, for example, may be applied to other wireless communication systems (e.g., current 6G proposals).

[0120] Before describing the examples in detail, refer to Figure 1A and Figure 1B Briefly explain some general principles of 5G wireless communication systems.

[0121] Figure 1AA schematic diagram of a 5G system (5GS) 100 is shown. The 5GS may include a user equipment (UE) 102 (which may also be referred to as a communication device or terminal), a 5G access network (AN) (which may be a 5G radio access network (RAN) or any other type of 5G AN, such as an AN including a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) and a trusted non-3GPP gateway function (TNGF) for non-trusted / trusted non-3GPP access, or an AN including a wired access gateway function (W-AGF) for wired access) 104, a 5G core (5GC) 106, one or more application functions (AF) 108, and one or more data networks (DN) 110.

[0122] A 5G RAN may include one or more gNodeB (gNB) distributed unit functions connected to one or more gNodeB (gNB) unit functions. A RAN may include one or more access nodes.

[0123] 5GC 106 may include one or more access and mobility management functions (AMF) 112, one or more session management functions (SMF) 114, one or more authentication server functions (AUSF) 116, one or more unified data management (UDM) functions 118, one or more user plane functions (UPF) 120, one or more unified database (UDR) functions 122, one or more network repository functions (NRF) 128 and / or one or more network open functions (NEF) 124. The role of NEF is to provide secure opening of network services (e.g., voice, data connection, billing, user data, etc.) to other network functions of 5GC and network functions of third parties. Although NRF 128 does not show its interface, it should be understood that this is for clarity reasons and NRF 128 may have multiple interfaces with other network functions.

[0124] 5GC 106 also includes a network data analysis function (NWDAF) 126. NWDAF is responsible for providing network analysis information upon request of one or more network functions or devices within the network. Network functions may also subscribe to NWDAF 126 to receive information from it. Thus, NWDAF 126 is also configured to receive and store network information from one or more network functions or devices within the network. Data collection by NWDAF 126 may be performed based on at least one subscription to an event provided by at least one network function.

[0125] Figure 1BA schematic diagram of a service-based architecture of a 5GC as represented in 3GPP TS23.501 is shown. It should be understood that the schematic diagram is intended to illustrate potential network functions that may be included in a core network, and the principles currently described are not limited to a core network that includes only the described network functions.

[0126] Figure 1B A 5G Core 106' is shown including a UPF 120' connected to an SMF 114' via an N4 interface. The SMF 114' is connected to each of the UDM 122', NEF 124', NWDAF 126', AF 108', Policy Control Function (PCF) 130', AMF 112', and Charging Function 132' via an interconnect medium that also connects these network functions to each other. The 5G Core 106' also includes a Network Repository Function (NRF) 133' and a Network Function 134' connected to the interconnect medium.

[0127] 3GPP refers to a group of organizations that develop and publish different standardized communication protocols. 3GPP develops and publishes documents related to "release" systems (e.g., Release 15, Release 16 and beyond).

[0128] In order to simultaneously manage data traffic of UEs using multiple accesses, an operator may define a policy for flexibly using multiple accesses for different data flows.

[0129] For 3GPP Release 18, 5G System (5GS) enhancements to support extended reality (XR) and media services are being considered (e.g., see 3GPP (TR 23.700-60)).

[0130] At least one of the studies performed for Release 18 XR and media services involves supporting application synchronization (eg, synchronizing playback data for service users of a media service) and Quality of Service (QoS) policy coordination for multimodal traffic among multiple UEs.

[0131] There are several objectives associated with this study. For example, one objective relates to whether (and how) to enable application-related haptic and multimodal data (e.g., audio, video, and haptic data associated with a specific time) to be delivered to users along with applications at similar times for multiple UEs, with an emphasis on the need for policy control enhancements (e.g., QoS policy coordination).

[0132] Another goal involves potential enhancements to policy control to support coordinated processing at the application level.

[0133] Another objective concerns whether (and how) any interaction is performed between the AF and the 5GS for QoS policy coordination among multiple UEs.

[0134] Most of the solutions proposed in 3GPP standardization aim to address how the 5G system (5GS) performs joint admission control and joint QoS requirement satisfaction (its enforcement) for a set of service flows of one or more UEs. In particular, a request for joint QoS is issued by an application function that enumerates service flows and their requirements and provides a strategy for joint admission and joint QoS satisfaction (the so-called "joint strategy"). As used in this article, joint admission control may refer to the 5GS admitting all services in the group or not admitting any service. In addition, as used in this article, joint QoS satisfaction may refer to satisfying QoS requirements for all service flows in the group or not satisfying QoS requirements for any service flow. A service flow may be related to multiple UEs and may involve multiple PCFs. For example, each UE receiving a joint admission flow may be served by a separate PCF.

[0135] To address at least one of these issues, joint admission may be restricted to using the same PCF when creating a protocol data unit (PDU) session, and / or establishment of multimodal communications may use communication overhead in a binding support function (BSF) in the 5GC, and / or the network may pre-define groups of UEs that may be jointly admitted based on the configuration of these UEs in the UDM or UDR.

[0136] These examples are about Figures 6 to 8 To illustrate.

[0137] Figure 6 The diagram illustrates the signaling between various network functions (also called network entities) of the 5GC, which are used to dynamically coordinate between multiple PCFs using a group policy predefined in an application to a group of UEs. Figure 6 It is illustrated that when the PCF receives policy requirements for multiple UEs from multiple sources (eg, from two applications and from other PCFs) simultaneously or within a predetermined duration of each other, the PCF may determine a group policy that satisfies the multiple requirements.

[0138] like Figure 6 As shown, this causes the application functions (e.g., AF1, AF2) to provision group policies at the application level and request session establishment policies from the corresponding PCFs. The corresponding PCFs are then configured to exchange policies determined according to the policy requests they receive so that they can modify their determined policies to make them consistent with multiple UEs. In other words, Figure 6 In the example shown in Figure 2, PCFs exchange information to coordinate the strategies they provide for multimodal services.

[0139] Figure 7 Figure 1 illustrates example signaling between various network functions of 5CG when the same PCF is selected for multiple UEs to provide multimodal services. Figure 7In the example shown, the binding support function of the 5GC is to maintain the PCF register. The SMF can query the binding support function whether the binding support function already has an existing PCF that serves the combination of the subscriber permanent identifier (SUPI), the slice identifier (e.g., single network slice selection assistance information), the data network name, and the internal group identifier. When the binding support function sends a response to the query indicating that such an existing PCF exists, the existing PCF can be used for additional UEs that subscribe to receive multimodal services. When the binding support function sends a response to the query indicating that such an existing PCF does not exist, the SMF can select a new PCF for policy establishment.

[0140] Figure 8 An example is illustrated in which QoS policy coordination is performed for Quality of Service (QoS) flows of multiple UEs by using a Binding Support Function (BSF) as a coordinating network function. Figure 8 In the example shown, the PCF signals the BSF after generating its policy charging control rules. The PCF registers itself at the BSF and performs a discovery and subscription process to discover other PCFs relevant to providing multimodal services (and receive updates from them). The PCFs can then update their policies while coordinating with each other. A limitation of using a binding support function (BSF) as a coordinating network function for QoS policy coordination of Quality of Service (QoS) flows for multiple UEs is that it involves sending a lot of signaling between various network functions.

[0141] The following aims to achieve at least one of the above objectives.

[0142] In the following, reference will be made to "multimodality" and "multimodal". These terms can generally be considered to indicate the presence of multiple types of communications within a single medium. For example, a text message can include text (written words) and graphical features (e.g., pictures and emoticons). Similarly, in the current context, the terms "multimodality" and "multimodal" can refer to multiple data types (e.g., visual data, audio data, tactile data, etc.) associated with a single application. Each data type or data type instance can be carried over the network within a separate traffic flow for the multimodal service. Therefore, in general, a multimodal service (or multimodal session) can be considered to include multiple traffic flows (also called service flows) that are associated with a common flow group policy.

[0143] Furthermore, it is understood that multimodal data can be viewed as input data from different types of devices / sensors, and / or output data to different types of destinations for the same task or application (e.g., when the data is provided to one or more UEs). Multimodal data can include more than one unimodal data, and there are strong dependencies between each unimodal data. Unimodal data can be viewed as a single (i.e., only one) type of data.

[0144] It is suggested below that for multimodal services with multiple UEs from an AF, a network exposure function (NEF) may coordinate a particular multimodal session across multiple PCFs. Individual PCFs do not need to coordinate directly with each other.

[0145] Specifically, the following relates to an NEF that identifies the number of UEs in the multiple UEs and identifies the UEs in the multiple UEs when requesting the PCF to determine a group policy for multiple UEs via a PCF request. The PCF request may identify a single (i.e., only one) UE in the multiple UEs. The PCF request may also indicate that the PCF request is related to the establishment of a group policy to be applied with respect to the multiple UEs. In other words, the PCF request may involve requesting joint admission of multiple UEs.

[0146] Then, PCF can wait until it receives similar policy request about each UE in multiple UE from NEF, and then determine the requested policy.In other words, PCF can abandon to establish group policy about multiple UE, until the policy request about each UE in multiple UE has been received.

[0147] The NEF may also forward information related to the multimodal session to the PCF associated with the UE in the group. For example, the forwarded information may include information related to failure of joint QoS satisfaction of the UEs in the group when the radio access network (RAN) is unable to reserve and / or configure resources, and / or information related to joint admission control failure or out-of-sync issues of one or more service flows.

[0148] The presently described embodiments enable the PCF to continue to be the decision maker for determining the policy for service flows within the group and maintain the same policy for multimodal sessions across multiple PCFs. In particular, the NEF can be primarily used to forward messages across the PCFs associated with the jointly admitted / handled UE group to facilitate coordination between them.

[0149] In addition, when multiple PDU sessions for a single UE are managed by multiple PCFs, the NEF can coordinate across multiple PCHs.

[0150] NEF can use a group identifier (labeled as "stream coordination group ID" in this article) to aggregate multimodal sessions. In other words, NEF can group together a set of UEs and a set of PCFs associated with the same multimodal session using a group identifier. This aggregation supports NEF to identify the relevant PCFs in the multimodal session during any failure.

[0151] The RAN can perform consistent marking of Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) to achieve low latency, low loss, scalable throughput (L4S) across all service flows in a flow group to ensure that data rate adaptation requests are also synchronized. For example, when the RAN entity marks 10% of the packets of service flow 1, the RAN entity can do the same for all service flows in the group. The AF can also request a consistent data rate across all service flows in the flow group. ECN is currently defined in draft-ietf-tsvwg-ecn-l4s-id-27 "Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) Protocol for Extremely Low Queuing Delay (L4S)".

[0152] These concepts will refer to 9A to 9C The example further illustrates.

[0153] 9A to 9C The first UE 901, the second UE 902, the third UE 903, the first SMF 904, the second SMF 905, the first PCF 906, the second PCF 907, the NEF 908 and the signaling between the application function 909 are illustrated. The signaling shown in these examples can illustrate multiple PCF processing with joint admission failure. In this example, it is assumed that the first UE 901 and the third UE 903 share a common PCF (e.g., the first PCF 906), and it is assumed that the second UE receives a policy from another PCF (e.g., the second PCF 907).

[0154] exist 9A to 9C In this example, the NEF discovers multiple PCFs associated with or otherwise related to multiple UEs, which are grouped for joint processing and / or joint admission, and the NEF performs authorization. The NEF can use the flow coordination group ID to coordinate operations across multiple PCFs. If a service flow in the service flow associated with the group of service flows fails, the NEF can send (i.e., signal) an indication of the failure to the PCFs in the group of service flows.

[0155] During 9001, a corresponding PDU session is established for each UE.

[0156] At 9002, the AF 909 signals the NEF 908. The AF 909 may signal the NEF 908 at 9002 by sending a request to create an application function session with a predetermined QoS. In other words, the AF 909 may send a request to the NEF 909 to reserve resources associated with at least one PDU session that has been established. The signal (e.g., request) sent by the AF 909 at 9002 may include an Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Update request message service operation. The signal (e.g., request) sent at 9002 may identify a set of service flows associated with multiple UEs. The set of service flows may indicate those service flows that are intended to be played simultaneously, such as a service flow for audio data, a service flow for visual data, a service flow for tactile data, and the like.

[0157] For example, the signal (e.g., request) sent at 9002 may include at least one of the following information: identification of UEs to be jointly processed / admitted (e.g., identification of the first UE 901, identification of the second UE 902, and identification of the third UE 903); a set of service flow descriptions and their QoS requirements associated with each UE in the group of service flows; a flow group QoS policy to be applied across service flows (i.e., a QoS policy for the service flow group); an indication that joint admission will be performed on the identified UEs and / or flows; and an indication that joint satisfaction will be performed on the identified UEs and / or flows; or an indication that communications to be delivered to the identified UEs and / or flows will be delivered synchronously. It should be understood that in some examples, not all of the currently mentioned information may be included in the signal (e.g., request) sent at 9002, while in other examples, all of the currently mentioned information may be included in the signal sent at 9002.

[0158] The signal (e.g., request) sent at 9002 may include an identifier of the group of UEs and / or service flows (labeled as flow group id in this document). The signal (e.g., request) sent at 9002 may include information indicating whether the L4S congestion avoidance mechanism is supported for the service flow of a given AF in 5GS.

[0159] During 9003, NEF 908 authorizes the request received from AF 909 at 9002, and discovers those PCFs associated with each UE included in the request received from AF 909. The authorization of the request received from AF 909 and the discovery of those PCFs associated with each UE included in the request received from AF909 are as described in 3GPP TS23.502 (e.g., see Section 4.15.6.6 (Step 3) of 3GPPTS23.503). For example, NEF 908 can discover the relevant PCFs by querying the binding support function for this information. In this example, the NEF can discover that the first PCF 906 is associated with the first UE and the third UE, and that the second PCF 907 is associated with the second UE 902.

[0160] Based on this discovery, the NEF can determine how many separate requests to send to each PCF to authorize a policy covering the entire service flow group (flow group). These requests are labeled as Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create requests in this article. In practice, the number of separate requests to be sent to each PCF can correspond to the number of different UEs in the group served by each PCF.

[0161] At 9004, the NEF 908 signals the first PCF 906. At 9004, the NEF may signal the first PCF 906 by sending a request for policy authorization regarding the first UE 901. For example, the signal at 9004 (e.g., the request sent by the NEF 908) may include anNpcf_PolicyAuthorization_create request. In addition to information related to the flow group and / or QoS attributes to which the policy will belong, the signal at 9004 (e.g., the request sent by the NEF 908) may also include information for identifying the first UE 901. For example, the signal at 9004 (e.g., a request sent by NEF 908) may include at least one of the following: an address of the first UE 901, an identifier of the first UE 901, an identification of a flow group ID, an identification of a QoS policy for the flow group, a total number of requests for the PCF to cover the entire flow group (two in this example because the first PCF serves both the first UE and the third UE), a QoS requirement, or any policy of the flow group policy (e.g., the above-mentioned joint admission, joint QoS satisfaction, and / or L4S support information). The QoS requirements may include QoS parameters that characterize (or otherwise define) the QoS to be satisfied by the policy of the flow group. In addition, the QoS requirements may include a QoS reference. In addition, where applicable, the QoS requirements may include alternative service requirements for a given UE to which the QoS requirements are to be applied.

[0162] The first PCF 906 may use the number of requests received for the set of service flows to determine when the first PCF has received all requests related to the set of service flows and may proceed to signal the relevant SMFs including complete information related to all service flows / UEs in the set of service flows served by the first PCF 906. This will be discussed later in conjunction with Figure 9A-9C Let’s discuss the PCF signaling SMF in this paper.

[0163] At 9005, the first PCF 906 performs session binding. However, since the first PCF 906 can determine from the received signal that the PCF 906 expects to receive two requests for the flow group, but the first PCF 906 knows that it has only received one request, the PCF abstains from signaling the SMF about the flow group until the remaining messages / requests are received.

[0164] At 9006, the NEF 908 signals the second PCF 907. The NEF 908 may signal the second PCF 907 at 9006 by signaling a request for policy authorization regarding the second UE 902. For example, the signal at 9006 (e.g., the request sent by the NEF 908) may include an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_create request. In addition to information related to the flow group and / or QoS attributes to which the policy will belong, the signal (e.g., the request sent at 9006) may also include information for identifying the second UE 902. For example, the signal (e.g., the requirement sent at 9007) may include at least one of: an address of the second UE 902, an identifier of the second UE 902, an identification of a flow group ID, an identification of a QoS policy for the flow group, a total number of requests for the PCF to cover the entire flow group (one in this example because the second PCF only serves the second UE), a QoS requirement, or any policy of the flow group policy (e.g., the joint admission, joint QoS satisfaction, and / or L4S support information described above).

[0165] The second PCF 907 may use the number of requests received for the group to determine when the second PCF has received all requests related to the group and may proceed to signal the relevant SMF including complete information related to all service flows / UEs in the group served by the second PCF 907. This will be discussed later in conjunction with Figure 9A-9C Let’s discuss the PCF signaling SMF in this paper.

[0166] During 9007, the second PCF 907 performs session binding. Since the second PCF 907 can determine from the received signaling that the second PCF 907 expects to receive one request for the flow group, and the second PCF 907 knows that it only received one request, the second PCF 907 can proceed to signal the SMF about the flow group.

[0167] For example, for a given flow group ID, the second PCF 907 may immediately proceed to create a group policy across multiple PDU sessions for the second UE 902, and may signal information about the group of flows to the SMF during 9008. For example, the second PCF 907 may signal information about at least one of the following to the SMF during 9008: a flow group ID / policy associated with the flow group, QoS requirements, or a flow group policy about at least one of the following: joint admission, joint QoS satisfaction; or L4S support information. This information to the SMF may correspond to the information received by the second PCF 907 during 9006.

[0168] At 9009, the NEF 908 signals the first PCF 906. The NEF 908 may signal the first PCF 906 at 9009 by signaling a request for policy authorization regarding the third UE 903. For example, the signal at 9009 (e.g., the request sent by the NEF 908) may include anNpcf_PolicyAuthorization_create request. In addition to information related to the flow group and / or QoS attributes to which the policy will belong, the signal at 9009 (e.g., the request sent by the NEF 908) may also include information for identifying the third UE 903. For example, the signaling of 9008 may include at least one of the following: an address of the third UE 903, an identifier of the third UE 903, an identification of the flow group ID, an identification of the QoS policy of the flow group, a total number of requests for the PCF to cover the entire flow group (two in this example because the first PCF serves both the first UE and the third UE), QoS requirements, or any policy of the flow group policy (for example, the above-mentioned joint admission, joint QoS satisfaction and / or L4S support information).

[0169] The first PCF 906 may use the number of requests received for the group to determine when the first PCF has received all requests related to the group and may proceed to signal the relevant SMFs including complete information related to all service flows / UEs in the group served by the first PCF 906. This will be discussed later in conjunction with Figure 9A-9C Let’s discuss the PCF signaling SMF in this paper.

[0170] During 9010, the first PCF 906 performs session binding. Since the first PCF 906 can determine from the received signaling that the PCF 906 expects to receive two requests for the flow group, and the first PCF 906 knows that it has received two requests, the PCF proceeds to signal the SMF about the flow group when all remaining messages / requests have been received.

[0171] During 9011, the first PCF 906 determines that the first PCF 906 has received all requests that it expects to receive for the flow group ID, and proceeds to create a group policy for multiple PDUs related to the flows associated with the first UE and the third UE.

[0172] After the group policy is established, the first PCF 906 communicates with the SMF about the flows of the first UE and the third UE. Such signaling between the first PCF 906 and the SMF may provide the SMF with information about at least one of the following: flow group ID / policy, QoS requirements, or policies for group flows, which may include at least one of the following: joint admission, joint QoS satisfaction, or L4S support information.

[0173] Fig. 9B Picture shows Fig.9A Signalling between the same entities is shown and therefore will employ the same notations.

[0174] Fig. 9B Two different situations are illustrated: 9012 to 9015 relate to the situation where all UEs associated with the group flow have been successfully jointly admitted, while 9016 to 9020 relate to the situation where all UEs associated with the group flow are not successfully jointly admitted. Fig.9A , the first PCF 906 may send a signal at 9012 or 9016, depending on whether the joint admission is successful.

[0175] At 9012, the first PCF 906 signals the NEF 908. The first PCF 906 may signal the NEF 908 by sending a request to the NEF 908. The signal at 9012 (or the message sent by the first PCF 906) may include an indication that joint admission to the flow group with the flow group ID has been successful for flows in the flow group associated with the first UE and the third UE.

[0176] At 9013, the second PCF 907 signals the NEF 908. The second PCF 908 may signal the NEF 908 by sending a message to the NEF 908. The signal at 9013 (or the message sent by the second PCF 907) may include an indication that the joint admission to the flow group with the flow group ID has been successful for the flows in the flow group associated with the second UE 902.

[0177] During 9014, the NEF determines that the NEF 908 has received admission results for all UEs in the flow group and the overall result is indicated as success.

[0178] At 9015, the NEF 908 signals the AF 909. The NEF 908 may signal the AF 909 by sending a message to the AF 909. The signal at 9015 (or the message sent by the NEF 908) may indicate that joint admission has been successfully performed for all UEs in the stream group. After receiving the signal (or message) and in response to the signal (or message), the application function may start sending data services to the UE. For example, the application may proceed to send multimodal data services to the UE.

[0179] As described above, 9016 to 9020 relate to example situations where not all UEs in a flow group are successfully admitted.

[0180] At 9016, the first PCF 906 signals the NEF 908. The first PCF 906 may signal the NEF 908 by sending a message to the NEF 908. The signal at 9016 (or the message sent by the first PCF 906) may include an indication that joint admission to the flow group with the flow group ID has been successful for flows in the flow group associated with the first UE and the third UE.

[0181] At 9017, the second PCF 907 signals the NEF 908. The second PCF 907 may signal the NEF 908 by sending a message to the NEF 908. The signal at 9017 (or the message sent by the second PCF 907) may include an indication that the joint admission of the flow group with the flow group ID was unsuccessful for the flows in the flow group associated with the second UE 902.

[0182] During 9018 , the NEF 908 determines that the NEF 908 has received admission results with respect to all UEs in the flow group, and the overall result is indicated as unsuccessful with respect to the second UE 902 .

[0183] At 9019, the NEF 908 signals the first PCF 906. The NEF 908 may signal the first PCF 906 by sending a message to the first PCF 906. The signal notifies the first PCF 906 that the joint admission was unsuccessful. In an embodiment, the NEF 908 signals the first PCF 906 by sending a message to the first PCF 906, which message may include an indication that the joint admission was unsuccessful. If more than two PCFs are considered, the NEF may notify any PCF that reports a successful result that the joint admission was unsuccessful. The NEF 908 will not notify any PCF that reports an unsuccessful result that the joint admission was unsuccessful. This is because such reporting PCF knows this information and therefore such signaling would be redundant.

[0184] In response to the signal (or message sent) at 9019, the PCF 906 may release any (multiple) resources planned for the first UE 901 and the third UE 903 for the joint admission at 9016. If specified in one / multiple policies, the first SMF 904 and the RAN node (e.g., a base station not shown) will be notified of the failure. This scenario is specific to the joint admission scenario and is not applicable to separate admissions.

[0185] At 9020, the NEF 908 signals the AF 909. The NEF 908 may signal the AF 909 by sending a message to the AF 909. The signal notifies the AF 909 that the joint admission was unsuccessful. In response to this signaling that the joint admission was unsuccessful, the AF 909 may terminate the application function session (e.g., terminate the multimodal session). In an embodiment, the NEF 908 signals the AF 909 by sending a message to the AF 909, which may include an indication that the joint admission was unsuccessful. The AF 909 may terminate the application function session (e.g., terminate the multimodal session) because the AF 909 cannot guarantee a minimum quality of experience for all UEs attempting to join the application function session.

[0186] Fig. 9C The signaling between various network functions of the 5GC and the operations that the NEF 908 of the 5GC may perform in the event that the QoS satisfaction of at least a portion of the UEs included in the flow group fails. The QoS satisfaction may be considered to have failed when the RAN node (e.g., a base station) responsible for performing admission control between at least one UE and the 5GC has allocated insufficient resources and / or radio bearers (according to the policies defined by (multiple) PCFs) to at least one UE in the flow group. The signaling may be as described above with respect to Fig.9A and Fig. 9B Any of the above, and therefore the same symbols will be described below. This signaling can occur Fig.9AAfter the signaling of and / or after the signaling of 9015.

[0187] exist Fig. 9C In the embodiment, a RAN node (e.g., a base station such as a gNB) of the RAN that connects the second UE 902 to the 5GC (the 5GC includes at least the first SMF 904 and the second SMF 905, the first PCF 906 and the second PCF 907, and the NEF 908) signals the second SMF 905. The RAN node may be responsible for performing an admission procedure to admit UE access to the 5CG to receive multimodal services. The signal sent by the RAN node may notify the second SMF 905 that a joint QoS policy satisfaction failure has occurred in the RAN of the second UE 902. In the current context, the joint QoS policy satisfaction failure may be related to the inability of the RAN node to reserve resources (e.g., radio bearers) to satisfy the QoS requirements associated with the flow group.

[0188] At 9021, the second SMF 905 signals the second PCF 907. The second SMF 905 may signal the second PCF 907 by sending a message to the second PCF 907. The signal at 9021 may indicate to the second PCF 907 that the joint QoS for the second UE (and / or any other UE included in the flow group and associated with the second PCF) fails to meet the policy. In an embodiment, the second SMF 905 signals the second PCF 907 by sending a message to the second PCF 907, which may include an indication of the failure of the joint QoS for the second UE to meet the policy.

[0189] In response to the signaling at 9021, the second PCF 907 may release all service flows associated with the flow group ID.

[0190] At 9022, the second PCF 907 signals the NEF 908. The second PCF 907 may signal the NEF 908 by sending a message to the NEF 908. The signal at 9023 may indicate to the NEF 908 that the joint QoS for the second UE (and / or any other UE included in the flow group and associated with the second PCF) failed to meet the policy. The signal may include an identifier of the flow group id. In an embodiment, the second PCF signals the NEF 908 by sending a message to the NEF, which may include an indication of the joint QoS for the second UE failing to meet the policy.

[0191] In response to the signal at 9022, during 9023, the NEF 908 identifies the corresponding flow group id and the relevant PCFs to which the joint failure information must be delivered. The relevant PCFs are PCFs associated with other UEs included in the flow group. In this example, the relevant PCFs include the first PCF.

[0192] At 9024, the NEF 908 signals the first PCF 906. The NEF 908 may signal the first PCF 906 by sending a message to the first PCF 906. The signal at 9024 may indicate to the first PCF that there is a joint QoS satisfaction failure with respect to the flow group id. The signal may include an identifier of the flow group id. In an embodiment, the NEF 908 signals the first PCH 906 by sending a message to the first PCF 906, which may include an indication that there is a joint QoS satisfaction failure with respect to the flow group id.

[0193] At 9025, the NEF 908 signals the AF 909. The NEF 908 may signal the AF 909 by sending a message to the AF 909. The signal may indicate that there is a joint QoS satisfaction failure with respect to the stream group id. The signal may include an identifier of the stream group id. The signal at 9025 may indicate which UE included in the stream group caused the joint QoS satisfaction failure event to occur. The signal 9025 may identify the UE that caused the joint QoS satisfaction failure event to occur. For example, in this example, this signaling at 9025 may include an identifier of the second UE 902. In an embodiment, the NEF 908 signals the AF 909 by sending a message, which may include an identifier of the stream group id, an indication of which UE among the UEs included in the stream group caused the joint QoS satisfaction failure event, and / or information identifying the UE that caused the joint QoS satisfaction failure event to occur.

[0194] At 9026, the first PCF 906 signals the first SMF 904. The first PCF 906 may signal the first SMF 904 by sending a message to the first SMF 904. The signal may indicate to the first SMF 904 that resource flows established with respect to the first UE 901 will be released and / or reconfigured. For example, the signal may indicate to the first SMF 904 that resource flows established with respect to the joint admission policy of the first UE 901 will be released and / or reconfigured so that they are no longer consistent with the joint admission policy. Although not shown, the first SMF 904 may cause the release and / or reconfiguration of these resources with respect to the first UE 901 in response to the signal at 9026. In some embodiments, the first PCF 906 signals the first SMF 904 by sending a message to the first SMF 904, which message may include an indication that resource flows established with respect to the first UE 901 will be released and / or reconfigured.

[0195] At 9027, the first PCF 906 signals the first SMF 904. The first PCF 906 may signal the first SMF 904 by sending a message to the first SMF 904. The signal may indicate to the first SMF 904 that the resource flows established with respect to the third UE 903 will be released and / or reconfigured. For example, the signal may indicate to the first SMF 904 that the resource flows established with respect to the joint admission policy of the third UE 903 will be released and / or reconfigured so that they are no longer consistent with the joint admission policy. Although not shown, the first SMF 904 may cause the release and / or reconfiguration of these resources with respect to the third UE 903 in response to the signal at 9027. In this embodiment, the first PCF 906 signals the first SMF 904 by sending a message to the first SMF 904, which message may include an indication that the resource flows established with respect to the third UE 903 will be released and / or reconfigured.

[0196] At 9028, the first PCF 906 signals the NEF 908. The signal may indicate that resources associated with the joint QoS multimodal session have been released and / or reconfigured. The first PCF 906 may indicate the release and / or reconfiguration by signaling to the NEF 908 an indication that a joint QoS satisfaction failure has occurred for at least one of the first UE and the third UE.

[0197] Fig.10 and Fig.11 The diagram illustrates example operations that may be performed by a network function implemented on the apparatus described herein. In particular, Fig.10 and Fig.11 Picture shows 9A to 9C Therefore, it can be understood that even without any explicit disclosure, 9A to 9C The features of the example can also be implemented in the following operations. In addition, it should be understood that 9A to 9C The features of the example can be used to understand the following operations.

[0198] Fig.10 The diagram illustrates the operations that can be performed by a network open function (NEF) implemented on a device. It should be understood that a device implementing NEF may only implement or include NEF, or may implement or include other network functions of 5GC.

[0199] At 1001, the NEF receives a reservation request from an application function for reserving resources for an application function session (e.g., a multimodal session), the reservation request including: an indication of multiple user devices for which resources are to be reserved, and an indication that the multiple user devices are to be jointly admitted and / or that resources of the multiple user devices are to be jointly reserved.

[0200] At 1002, the NEF determines that a first policy control function is associated with a first set of user equipments among a plurality of user equipments. The first set may include a single user equipment. The first set may include a plurality of user equipments.

[0201] At 1003, the NEF signals a first policy control function for at least one first request, the at least one first request determining a first policy regarding resources to be reserved for a first set of user equipment, the at least one first request comprising: an indication of the number of user equipment included in the first set.

[0202] The NEF may: determine that the second policy control function is associated with a second set of user equipment in the plurality of user equipments; and (e.g., in response to the determination) signal at least one second request to the second policy control function, the at least one second request being used to determine a second policy regarding resources to be reserved for the second set of user equipments, the at least one second request comprising: an indication of the number of user equipments included in the second set. The second set may include a single user equipment. The second set may include a plurality of user equipments.

[0203] The NEF may receive respective indications from the first policy control function and the second policy control function that the first set of user equipment and the second set of user equipment are successfully jointly admitted; and signal the indication that the plurality of user equipment are successfully jointly admitted to the application function. The indication that the plurality of user equipment are successfully jointly admitted may correspond to an indication that at least one group policy is established for both the first set and the second set.

[0204] The NEF may receive an indication from a first policy control function that a first set of user devices are successfully jointly admitted (e.g., an indication that a group policy is established for the first set), receive an indication from a second policy control function that a second set of user devices are not successfully jointly admitted (e.g., an indication that a group policy is not established for the second set), and signal an indication to an application function that multiple user devices are not successfully jointly admitted.

[0205] The NEF may signal an indication to the first policy control function that the plurality of user equipments were not successfully jointly admitted.

[0206] Signaling at least one first request may include: signaling a plurality of first requests for resources to be reserved, each of the plurality of first requests including: an indication of the number of user equipment included in the first set, and respectively including: a corresponding identifier of a different user equipment within the first set of user equipment. In other words, each first request may correspond to and uniquely identify a single (i.e., only one) user equipment included in the first set, while also providing an indication of the number of user equipment included in the first set. When the first set includes a plurality of user equipment, a plurality of first requests may be signaled.

[0207] Similarly, signaling at least one second request may include: signaling a plurality of second requests for resources to be reserved, each of the plurality of second requests including: an indication of the number of user devices included in the second set, and respectively including: a corresponding identifier of a different user device within the second set of user devices. In other words, each second request may correspond to and uniquely identify a single (i.e., only one) user device included in the second set, while also providing an indication of the number of user devices included in the second set. When the second set includes a plurality of user devices, a plurality of second requests may be signaled.

[0208] The NEF may receive an indication from a first policy control function that resources cannot be reserved for at least one user equipment in the first set of user equipment; identify all policy control functions that serve the flow group associated with the first set of user equipment; and signal at least one of all the policy control functions that the above-mentioned resources cannot be reserved for at least one user equipment in the plurality of user equipment. At least one of all the policy control functions may be a PCF that is not responsible for establishing a policy for at least one user equipment in the first set of user equipment for which resources cannot be reserved. The NEF may abandon signaling an indication that resources cannot be reserved to any PCF responsible for establishing a policy for at least one user equipment in the first set of user equipment for which resources cannot be reserved. It should be understood that the "cannot reserve resources for at least one user equipment in the first set of user equipment" mentioned here indicates that there is a QoS satisfaction failure in reserving resources for the at least one user equipment in the first set of user equipment. In other words, the RAN entity (configured to provide network access to at least one user equipment in the first set of user equipment) cannot reserve resources (e.g., bearer and / or time / frequency resources) that satisfy the policy established by the PCF for at least one user equipment in the first set of user equipment.

[0209] The NEF may signal to the application function an indication that the above-mentioned resources cannot be reserved with respect to at least one user equipment of the plurality of user equipments.

[0210] The NEF may, after signaling at least one of the policy control functions, receive an indication from at least one of the policy control functions that resources cannot be reserved for at least one of the plurality of user devices served by the at least one of the policy control functions.

[0211] Fig.11 The diagram illustrates example operations that may be performed by a first policy control function (PCF) implemented on a device. It should be understood that a device implementing a PCF may implement or include only a PCF, or may implement or include other network functions of a 5GC, such as Fig.10 The first policy control function can be a combination of the above Fig.10 The first policy control function may correspond to the above combined Fig.10 The second strategy control function.

[0212] At 1101, a first PCF receives at least one first request from a network open interface, the at least one first request being used to determine a first policy regarding resources to be reserved for a first set of user devices, the at least one first request comprising: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set.

[0213] At 1102, the first PCF abandons determining the first policy until the number of the received at least one first request is equal to the number of user equipments included in the first set.

[0214] The first PCF may attempt to determine the above-mentioned first strategy when the number of at least one first request received is equal to the number of user devices included in the first set; and when the first strategy is successfully determined, send a signal to the network open function to indicate that the first set of user devices has been successfully jointly admitted; and when the first strategy is not successfully determined, send a signal to the network open function to indicate that the first set of user devices has not been successfully jointly admitted.

[0215] When the first policy is successfully determined, the first PCF may provide the first policy to a session management function; receive an indication from the session management function that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first set of user devices; and signal to a network open function an indication that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first set of user devices.

[0216] When the first strategy is successfully determined, the first PCF may receive an indication from the network open function that at least one user device does not yet have resources reserved for it, the at least one user device and the first set of user devices being associated with the same flow group; signal to the session management function an instruction to release and / or reconfigure resources for each user device in the first set of user devices; and signal to the network open function an indication that resources are not reserved for at least one user device in the first set of user devices.

[0217] Receiving at least one first request may include receiving multiple first requests for resources to be reserved and / or to be retained, each of the multiple first requests comprising: an indication of the number of user devices included in the first set, and respectively comprising: corresponding identifiers of different user devices within the first set of user devices.

[0218] In About Fig.10 and Fig.11 In all of the above examples discussed in the examples, at least one first request may include at least one of the following: an identifier of at least one user device among the user devices included in the first set; an identifier of a flow group associated with the first set of user devices; and an indication that the user devices in the first set are to be jointly admitted.

[0219] In addition, Fig.10 and Fig.11 In both of the above examples, at least one first request may relate to the provision of a multimodal service.

[0220] In addition, Fig.10 and Fig.11 In both of the above examples, at least one first request may include supporting information for configuring a low-latency, low-loss, scalable throughput data service.

[0221] It should be appreciated that while the above examples are discussed in the context of a first PCF and a second PCF, the presently described techniques are not limited to only two PCFs and may be applied when a UE associated with a particular joint admission is associated with more than two PCFs.

[0222] The presently described techniques have a number of advantages. For example, the presently described techniques support the use of NEFs to handle multiple PCFs in an optimized path for a multimodal call flow (and generally support the handling of multiple PCFs for joint admission).

[0223] Furthermore, since the presently described techniques are implemented by 5GC entities (i.e., NEF and PCF), the AF providing multimodal services (which may include third-party functions located in a different management domain from the 5GC entity) may not have to be aware of the complexity and / or configuration of the 5GC. This may help maintain the security and / or integrity of the 5GC.

[0224] Furthermore, the presently described techniques indicate that there is no need for coordination across multiple PCFs for joint policy processing, which provides scalability in the 5GC.

[0225] Figure 2 An example of a control device for a communication system is shown, for example, coupled to and / or used to control a station of an access system, such as a RAN node, such as a base station, gNB, a central unit of a cloud architecture or a node of a core network, such as an MME or S-GW, a scheduling entity, such as a spectrum management entity, or a server or host, such as a device hosting an NRF, NWDAF, AMF, SMF, UDM / UDR, etc. The control device may be integrated with a node or module of the core network or RAN, or located externally thereto. In some examples, the base station includes a separate control device unit or module. In other examples, the control device may be another network element, such as a radio network controller or a spectrum controller. The control device 200 may be arranged to provide control of communications in a service area of ​​the system. The device 200 includes at least one memory 201, at least one data processing unit 202, 203, and an input / output interface 204. Via the interface, the control device may be coupled to a receiver and a transmitter of the device. The receiver and / or the transmitter may be implemented as a radio front end or a remote radio head. For example, the control device 200 or the processor 201 may be configured to execute appropriate software code to provide control functionality.

[0226] Now refer to Figure 3 describing in more detail possible wireless communication devices, Figure 3A schematic partial cross-sectional view of a communication device 300 is shown. Such a communication device is generally referred to as a user equipment (UE) or terminal. Suitable mobile communication devices can be provided by any device capable of sending and receiving radio signals. Non-limiting examples include a mobile station (MS) or mobile device, such as a mobile phone or a so-called 'smart phone', a computer equipped with a wireless interface card or other wireless interface facilities (such as a USB dongle), a personal data assistant (PDA) or a tablet computer equipped with wireless communication functions, or any combination of these, etc. The mobile communication device can provide, for example, communications for carrying data such as voice, e-mail (email), text messages, multimedia, etc. Therefore, a user can be given and provided with a variety of services via his communication device. Non-limiting examples of these services include two-way or multi-way calls, data communications or multimedia services, or simply access to a data communication network system (such as the Internet). Users can also be provided with broadcast or multicast data. Non-limiting examples of content include downloads, television and radio programs, videos, advertisements, various alarms and other information.

[0227] A wireless communication device may be, for example, a mobile device, i.e., a device that is not fixed to a particular location; or a fixed device. A wireless device may or may not require human interaction to communicate. As used herein, the term UE or "user" is used to refer to any type of wireless communication device.

[0228] The wireless device 300 may receive signals over the air or radio interface 307 via appropriate means for receiving, and may transmit signals via appropriate means for transmitting radio signals. Figure 3 In the wireless device, the transceiver arrangement is schematically represented by a block 306. The transceiver arrangement 306 may be provided, for example, by a radio component and an associated antenna arrangement. The antenna arrangement may be arranged internally or externally to the wireless device.

[0229] The wireless device is typically equipped with at least one data processing entity 301, at least one memory 302 and possibly other components 303 for software and hardware assisted execution of the tasks it is designed to perform, including controlling access to and communications with access systems and other communication devices. The data processing, storage and other related control means may be provided on appropriate circuit boards and / or in a chipset. This feature is indicated by reference numeral 304. The user may control the operation of the wireless device by means of a suitable user interface such as a keypad 305, voice commands, a touch-sensitive screen or touchpad, a combination thereof, etc. A display 308, a speaker and a microphone may also be provided. In addition, the wireless communication device may include appropriate connectors (wired or wireless) to other devices and / or for connecting external accessories (e.g., a hands-free device).

[0230] Figure 4Schematic representations of non-volatile storage media 400a (e.g., a computer compact disk (CD) or digital versatile disk (DVD)) and 400b (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) memory stick) storing instructions and / or parameters 402 that, when executed by a processor, allow the processor to perform Fig.10 methods, and / or Fig.11 The method of, and / or one or more of the steps of a method otherwise described previously.

[0231] As described herein, various aspects are described in the detailed description of the examples and in the claims. Generally, some examples may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, but the examples are not limited thereto. Although various examples may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representation, it is well understood that, as non-limiting examples, the boxes, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0232] These examples may be implemented by computer software stored in a memory and executable by at least one data processor of the entity involved, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. Furthermore, in this regard, it should be noted that any process (e.g. Fig.10 process, and / or Fig.11 The software may be stored on physical media such as memory chips or memory blocks implemented within a processor, magnetic media such as hard disk or floppy disk, and optical media such as DVD and its data variants CD, etc.

[0233] The memory may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The data processor may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a gate-level circuit, and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture.

[0234] Alternatively or additionally, some examples may be implemented using a circuit system. The circuit system may be configured to perform one or more of the previously described functions and / or method steps. The circuit system may be provided in a base station and / or a communication device and / or a core network entity.

[0235] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0236] (a) Pure hardware circuit implementation (such as implementation in analog and / or digital circuit systems only)

[0237] now);

[0238] (b) A combination of hardware circuits and software, such as:

[0239] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and

[0240] (ii) any portion of hardware processor(s) (including digital signal processor(s)) with software, software and memory(s) that work together to enable an apparatus (such as a communication device or base station) to perform the various functions previously described; and

[0241] (c) Hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portion(s) of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may be absent when not required for operation.

[0242] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example, an integrated device.

[0243] The above description provides a complete and informative description of some examples by way of non-limiting examples. However, various modifications and adaptations may be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art in view of the above description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims. However, all such and similar modifications to these teachings will still fall within the scope of the claims.

[0244] In the above, different examples are described using radio access architectures based on Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-Advanced, LTE-A) or New Radio (NR, 5G) as examples of access architectures to which the described techniques may be applied, however, the examples are not limited to such architectures. By appropriately adjusting parameters and procedures, these examples may also be applied to other types of communication networks with appropriate means. Some examples of other options for suitable systems are Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN or WiFi), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Personal Communications Service (PCS), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), systems using Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology, sensor networks, mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), and Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or any combination thereof.

[0245] Figure 5 An example of a simplified system architecture is depicted, showing only some elements and functional entities, all of which are logical units, the implementation of which may differ from what is shown. Figure 5 The connections shown are logical connections; the actual physical connections may be different. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the system typically also includes Figure 5 Other functions and structures than those shown.

[0246] However, the examples are not limited to the systems given as examples, but a person skilled in the art may apply the solution to other communication systems having the necessary properties.

[0247] Figure 5 The example of FIG. 4 shows a portion of an exemplary radio access network. For example, the radio access network may support sidelink communications as described in more detail below.

[0248] Figure 5 Devices 500 and 502 are shown. Devices 500 and 502 are configured to be wirelessly connected to a node 504 on one or more communication channels. Node 504 is also connected to a core network 506. In one example, node 504 may be an access node, such as an (e / g)NodeB that provides services for devices in a cell. In one example, node 504 may be a non-3GPP access node. The physical link from a device to a (e / g)NodeB is referred to as an uplink or reverse link, while the physical link from a (e / g)NodeB to a device is referred to as a downlink or forward link. It should be understood that (e / g)NodeB or its functions may be implemented using entities such as any node, host, server, or access point suitable for such use.

[0249] A communication system typically includes more than one (e / g)NodeB, in which case the (e / g)NodeBs may also be configured to communicate with each other via wired or wireless links designed for this purpose. These links may be used for signaling purposes. A (e / g)NodeB is a computing device configured to control the radio resources of the communication system to which it is coupled. A NodeB may also be referred to as a base station, an access point, or any other type of interface device, including a relay station capable of operating in a wireless environment. The (e / g)NodeB includes or is coupled to a transceiver. From the transceiver of the (e / g)NodeB, a connection to an antenna unit is provided, which establishes a bidirectional radio link to the device. The antenna unit may include multiple antennas or antenna elements. The (e / g)NodeB is also connected to a core network 506 (CN or next generation core NGC). Depending on the deployed technology, the (e / g)NodeB is connected to a serving and packet data network gateway (S-GW+P-GW) or a user plane function (UPF) for routing and forwarding user data packets, and for providing the device with connectivity to one or more external packet data networks, and to a mobility management entity (MME) or an access mobility management function (AMF) for controlling access and mobility of the device.

[0250] Examples of devices are subscriber units, user devices, user equipment (UE), user terminals, terminal equipment, mobile stations, mobile devices, etc.

[0251] The device generally refers to a mobile or static device (e.g., a portable or non-portable computing device), including wireless mobile communication devices that operate with or without a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), including but not limited to the following types of devices: mobile phones, smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, devices using wireless modems (alarm or measurement devices, etc.), laptops and / or touch screen computers, tablets, game consoles, notebook computers, and multimedia devices. It should be understood that the device can also be an almost exclusive uplink-only device, an example of which is a camera or video camera that loads images or video clips to a network. The device can also be a device with the ability to operate in an Internet of Things (IoT) network, in which case objects are able to transmit data on the network without human-to-human interaction or human-to-computer interaction, for example for smart grids and connected vehicles. The device can also use the cloud. In some applications, the device may include a user-portable device with a radio component (such as a watch, headphones, or glasses), and the calculation is performed in the cloud.

[0252] The device illustrates a type of device to which resources on the air interface are allocated and assigned, so any features of the device described herein can be implemented with corresponding means, such as a relay node. An example of such a relay node is a layer 3 relay (self-backhaul relay) toward a base station. The device (or, in some examples, a layer 3 relay node) is configured to perform one or more of the user equipment functions.

[0253] Various techniques described in this article can also be applied to cyber-physical systems (CPS) (systems of cooperating computing elements that control physical entities). CPS can enable the implementation and utilization of a large number of interconnected information and communication technologies, ICTs, devices (sensors, actuators, processors, microcontrollers, etc.) embedded in physical objects in different locations. Mobile cyber-physical systems are a subcategory of cyber-physical systems, where the physical system in question has inherent mobility. Examples of mobile physical systems include mobile robots and electronic devices transported by humans or animals.

[0254] Furthermore, although the apparatus is depicted as a single entity, different units, processors and / or memory units (not all of which are present in the Figure 5 ) can be implemented.

[0255] 5G enables the use of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, many more base stations or nodes than LTE (the so-called small cell concept), including macro sites that operate in cooperation with smaller sites and use various radio technologies depending on service requirements, use cases and / or available spectrum. 5G mobile communications support a wide range of use cases and related applications, including video streaming, augmented reality, different data sharing methods and various forms of machine-type applications (such as (massive) machine-type communications (mMTC), including vehicle safety, different sensors and real-time control). 5G is expected to have multiple radio interfaces, such as below 6 GHz or above 24 GHz, cmWave and mmWave, and can also be integrated with existing traditional radio access technologies (such as LTE). At least in the early stages, integration with LTE can be implemented as a system in which macro coverage is provided by LTE and 5G radio interface access comes from small cells by aggregation to LTE. In other words, 5G plans to support both inter-RAT operability (such as LTE-5G) and inter-RI operability (inter-radio interface operability, such as below 6GHz-cmWave, 6 or above 24GHz-cmWave and mmWave). One of the concepts considered to be used in 5G networks is network slicing, in which multiple independent and dedicated virtual subnets (network instances) can be created within the same infrastructure to run services with different requirements for latency, reliability, throughput and mobility.

[0256] LTE network architecture is fully distributed in the radio and fully centralized in the core network. Low-latency applications and services in 5G require content to be close to the radio, which gives rise to local bursting and multi-access edge computing (MEC). 5G enables analysis and knowledge generation to be performed at the data source. This approach requires the use of resources that may not be continuously connected to the network, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and sensors. MEC provides a distributed computing environment for application and service hosting. It also enables the storage and processing of content close to the cellular subscriber for faster response times. Edge computing covers a wide range of technologies such as wireless sensor networks, mobile data collection, mobile signature analysis, collaborative distributed peer-to-peer self-organizing networks and processing (also categorized as local cloud / fog computing and grid / mesh computing), dew computing, mobile edge computing, cloudlet, distributed data storage and retrieval, autonomous self-healing networks, remote cloud services, augmented and virtual reality, data caching, Internet of Things (massive connectivity and / or latency critical), critical communications (autonomous vehicles, traffic safety, real-time analysis, time-critical control, healthcare applications).

[0257] The communication system can also communicate with other networks 512, such as a public switched telephone network, a VoIP network, the Internet, or a private network, or utilize services provided by them. The communication network can also be capable of supporting the use of cloud services, for example, at least a portion of the core network operations can be performed as a cloud service (this is in Figure 5 514). When performed away from the core network, this may also be referred to as edge computing. The communication system may also include a central control entity that provides facilities for networks of different operators to cooperate, for example, in spectrum sharing.

[0258] Edge computing technology can be introduced into the radio access network (RAN) by leveraging network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN). The use of edge cloud technology can mean that access node operations are at least partially performed in a server, host or node that is operably coupled to a remote radio head or base station including radio components. Node operations can also be distributed among multiple servers, nodes or hosts. The application of cloudRAN architecture enables RAN real-time functions to be performed at or near remote antenna sites (in distributed units DU 508), while non-real-time functions can be performed in a centralized manner (in centralized units CU 510).

[0259] It should also be understood that the division of work between core network operations and base station operations may be different from LTE or even non-existent. Some other technological advances that may be used are big data and all-IP, which can change the way networks are built and managed. 5G (or New Radio NR) networks are designed to support multiple hierarchical structures where edge computing servers can be placed between the core and the base station or nodeB (gNB). An example of edge computing is MEC, as defined by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute. It should be understood that MEC (and other edge computing protocols) can also be applied to 4G networks.

[0260] 5G can also make use of satellite communications to enhance or supplement the coverage of 5G services, for example by providing backhaul. Possible use cases are to provide service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (IoT) devices or passengers on board, mobile broadband (MBB), or to ensure service availability for critical communications and future railway / maritime / aeronautical communications. Satellite communications can make use of geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite systems, but also low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, in particular mega-constellations (systems in which hundreds of (nano) satellites are deployed). Each satellite in a mega-constellation can cover several satellite-enabled network entities creating ground cells. Ground cells can be created by ground relay nodes, or by gNBs located on the ground or in satellites.

[0261] The depicted system is only an example of a part of a radio access system, and in practice, the system may include multiple (e / g)NodeBs, which may access multiple radio cells, and the system may also include other devices, such as physical layer relay nodes or other network elements. At least one of the (e / g)NodeBs may be a home (e / g)nodeB. In addition, in a geographical area of ​​the radio communication system, multiple different kinds of radio cells and multiple radio cells may be provided. A radio cell may be a macro cell (or umbrella cell), which is a large cell, which typically has a diameter of up to tens of kilometers, or a smaller cell, such as a micro cell, a femto cell or a pico cell. Figure 5 The (e / g)NodeB can provide any type of these cells. A cellular radio system can be implemented as a multi-layer network comprising several types of cells. Typically, in a multi-layer network, an access node.

Claims

1. A method for network open function, the method comprising: receiving, from an application function, a reservation request for reserving resources for an application function session, the reservation request comprising: an indication of a plurality of user equipment for which resources are to be reserved, and an indication that the plurality of user equipment are to be jointly admitted and / or that resources of the plurality of user equipment are to be jointly reserved; determining that a first policy control function is associated with a first set of user equipments among the plurality of user equipments; and At least one first request is signaled to the first policy control function, the at least one first request being used to determine a first policy regarding resources to be reserved for the first set of user equipment, the at least one first request comprising: an indication of the number of user equipment included in the first set.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising: determining that a second policy control function is associated with a second set of user equipments among the plurality of user equipments; as well as At least one second request is signaled to the second policy control function, the at least one second request being used to determine a second policy regarding resources to be reserved for the second set of user equipment, the at least one second request comprising: an indication of the number of user equipment included in the second set.

3. The method according to claim 2, comprising: receiving respective indications from the first policy control function and the second policy control function that the first set of user equipment and the second set of user equipment are successfully jointly admitted; as well as An indication that the plurality of user equipments are successfully jointly admitted is signaled to the application function.

4. The method according to claim 2, comprising: receiving, from the first policy control function, an indication that the first set of user equipment is successfully jointly admitted; receiving, from the second policy control function, an indication that the second set of user equipment was not successfully jointly admitted; as well as An indication that the plurality of user equipments were not successfully jointly admitted is signaled to the application function.

5. The method according to claim 4, comprising: An indication that the plurality of user equipments were not successfully jointly admitted is signaled to the first policy control function.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein signaling the at least one first request comprises: A plurality of first requests for resources to be reserved are signaled, each of the plurality of first requests comprising: an indication of the number of the user equipments included in the first set and respectively comprising: corresponding identifiers of different user equipments within the first set of user equipments.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: receiving, from the first policy control function, an indication that resources cannot be reserved in relation to at least one user equipment in the first set of user equipment; identifying all policy control functions serving a flow group associated with the first set of user equipment; as well as An indication that the resources cannot be reserved with respect to at least one user equipment of the plurality of user equipments is signaled to at least one policy control function of all policy control functions.

8. The method according to claim 7, comprising: An indication that the resource cannot be reserved with respect to at least one user equipment of the plurality of user equipments is signaled to the application function.

9. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 8, comprising: After signaling the at least one of the policy control functions, an indication is received from the at least one of the policy control functions that resources cannot be reserved with respect to at least one of the plurality of user equipment served by the at least one of the policy control functions.

10. A method for a policy control function, the method comprising: receiving at least one first request from a network open interface, the at least one first request for determining a first policy regarding resources to be reserved for a first set of user equipment, the at least one first request comprising: an indication of a number of user equipment included in the first set; and Determining the first policy is abandoned until the number of the received at least one first request is equal to the number of the user equipments included in the first set.

11. The method according to claim 10, comprising: attempting to determine the first policy when the number of at least one first request received is equal to the number of the user equipments included in the first set; as well as When the first policy is successfully determined, signaling to the network open function an indication that the first set of user equipment has been successfully jointly admitted; as well as When the first policy is not successfully determined, an indication that the first set of user equipments is not successfully jointly admitted is signaled to the network open function.

12. The method according to claim 11, when the first strategy is successfully determined, the method comprises: providing said first policy to a session management function; receiving from the session management function an indication that resources are not reserved with respect to at least one user equipment in the first set of user equipment; as well as An indication that resources are not reserved in relation to at least one user equipment in the first set of user equipments is signaled to the network open function.

13. The method according to claim 11, when the first strategy is successfully determined, the method comprises: receiving, from the network open function, an indication that at least one user equipment does not yet have resources reserved therefor, the at least one user equipment and the first set of user equipment being associated with the same flow group; signaling to a session management function instructions for releasing and / or reconfiguring resources for each user equipment in the first set of user equipment; as well as An indication that resources are not reserved in relation to at least one user equipment in the first set of user equipments is signaled to the network open function.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the receiving the at least one first request comprises: A plurality of first requests for resources to be reserved and / or to be retained are received, each of the plurality of first requests comprising: an indication of the number of the user equipment included in the first set and respectively comprising: corresponding identifiers of different user equipment within the first set of user equipment.

15. A method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the at least one first request comprises at least one of the following: an identifier of at least one user device among the user devices included in the first set; an identifier of a flow group associated with the first set of user devices; and an indication that the user devices in the first set will be jointly admitted.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the at least one first request relates to the provision of a multimodal service.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the at least one first request comprises: Support information for configuring low-latency, low-loss, scalable throughput data services.

18. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

19. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; as well as At least one memory stores instructions for network opening functions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

20. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 10 to 17.

21. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; as well as At least one memory stores instructions for policy control functions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 10 to 17.

22. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

23. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 10 to 17.

24. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

25. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 10 to 17.

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