Method of UE reporting for execution of URPS rules

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) running an application may implement a method for managing reporting of a routing policy for the UE. The method comprises: (i) evaluating selection policy rules received (302) from a core network (CN) node; (ii) determining (304) a traffic descriptor of the selection policy rule is associated with an application descriptor of the application based on the evaluation of the selection policy rule; and (iii) transmitting (306) reporting information to the CN node according to a selection policy rule in response to the determination.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing date of Provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 381,760, entitled “METHOD OF UE REPORTING FOR URSPRULE ENFORCEMENT,” filed on October 31, 2022. The entire contents of the provisional application are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to applying rules for routing outgoing traffic at a user device. Background Art

[0004] This background description is provided for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present disclosure. The work of the presently named inventors (to the extent that it is described in this background section) and aspects of the specification that otherwise may not be considered prior art at the time of filing are neither explicitly nor implicitly admitted to be prior art to the present disclosure.

[0005] In a wireless communication system, a user equipment (UE) may apply a UE routing policy (URSP) to outgoing traffic to determine how the UE should route traffic for a certain application executed on an operating system (OS), a certain domain, a certain network host, etc. The URSP rule may include (1) a rule priority value, (2) one or more traffic descriptors (TDs), and / or (3) one or more route selection descriptors (RSDs). The rule priority value determines the order in which the UE applies the URSP rules, the traffic descriptor specifies how the UE should match the outgoing traffic with the rule to determine whether the rule is applicable, and the route selection descriptor specifies how the UE should route the traffic if the rule is applicable.

[0006] For example, according to a first URSP rule, the UE should route traffic related to network domain D to an established protocol data unit (PDU) session; according to a second URSP rule, the UE should establish a new PDU session for outgoing traffic addressed to host H; and according to a third URSP rule, the UE should offload all Ethernet traffic to a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as a Wi-Fi network. If the first rule in this example has a higher rule priority value than the second rule, the UE should apply the first rule, rather than the second rule, to outgoing traffic matching the corresponding traffic descriptors of the first rule and the second rule (i.e., traffic related to domain D and addressed to host H).

[0007] The UE may store pre-configured URSP rules locally and also receive URSP rules from a core network (CN). When the UE has both pre-configured rules and CN-specified rules, the UE may apply the CN-specified rules.

[0008] The question of whether and how the network can know when the UE executes the URSP rule for specific traffic still exists. More specifically, the question of how the CN can determine whether and when the UE executes the URSP rule specified by the CN to route application traffic to the PDU session based on the rule after configuring the URSP rule to the UE still exists.

[0009] According to one method, if the URSP rule includes an application descriptor in the TD, and the URSP rule is matched based on the application descriptor, the UE reports the application descriptor in the PDU session establishment or modification when the URSP rule is matched. When the "match all" URSP rule is executed, the UE does not report information to the CN. Alternatively, the UE may use a new identifier, such as a URSP rule ID, and incorporate the URSP rule ID into each of the URSP rules as an identifier of the URSP rule. When the URSP rule is matched and when the UE applies the rule, the UE may report the URSP rule ID of the executed URSP rule to the network in the PDU session establishment or modification.

[0010] However, if the UE needs to report the executed URSP rule information during the PDU session establishment / modification process, the UE generates a lot of signaling with the network. For example, there may be more than one application that can be mapped to a URSP rule. Whenever an application matches a specific URSP rule, the UE indicates the reporting information associated with the executed URSP rule (e.g., the application descriptor or URSP rule ID of the executed URSP rule). Therefore, the UE generates a lot of signaling overhead to report the executed URSP rule.

[0011] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a mechanism that would allow URSP reporting for a limited number of UEs, a limited number of occasions, and / or a limited number of traffic instances and / or applications, thereby reducing the amount of signaling.

[0012] Further, when the CN is aware that the UE executes a URSP rule that routes certain application traffic to a PDU session, the CN may be able to determine the association between the UE and the application. If the UE does not consent to reveal such associations to the network and the network operator, such capabilities are undesirable from a user privacy perspective. Therefore, a mechanism is also needed to ensure that the user has consented to UE reporting of the executed URSP rules. Summary of the invention

[0013] The discussed techniques solve at least the problems discussed above. Specifically, to support UE reporting of executed URSP rules, these techniques provide a mechanism to ensure that UE reporting functionality is available to a limited number of UEs, a limited number of opportunities, and a limited number of traffic instances and / or applications to reduce the amount of signaling. These techniques also provide a mechanism to ensure that the user has consented to UE reporting of executed URSP rules.

[0014] An example embodiment is a method implemented in a UE for managing reporting of a routing policy of a UE running an application. The method includes: evaluating a routing policy rule received from a core network (CN) node; based on the evaluation of the routing policy rule, determining that a traffic descriptor of the routing policy rule includes one or more connection capabilities; and in response to the determination, transmitting reporting information to the CN node according to the routing policy rule.

[0015] Another example embodiment of these technologies is a method implemented in a CN for managing reporting of a routing policy for a UE running an application. The method includes: configuring, by processing hardware, a routing policy rule including a traffic descriptor, the traffic descriptor including one or more connection capabilities of the UE; transmitting, by the processing hardware, the configured routing policy rule to the UE; and receiving, by the processing hardware, reporting information from the UE based on the configured routing policy rule when the traffic descriptor includes one or more connection capabilities of the UE. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 An example communication system is shown in which the routing techniques of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0017] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an example rule for routing, Figure 1 UE can apply this rule to outgoing traffic;

[0018] Figure 3 is a message passing diagram for an example scenario in which the UE reports to the CN the traffic class of the UE routing policy being executed, which scenario may be described in Figure 1 is implemented in the system;

[0019] Figure 4 is with Figure 3 , but where the UE report includes the UE routing policy executed as indicated by the report, the scenario may be Figure 1 is implemented in the system;

[0020] Figure 5 is with Figure 3, but where the UE reports the executed UE routing policy after the validity condition associated with the policy is satisfied, the scenario may be described in Figure 1 is implemented in the system;

[0021] Figure 6 is with Figure 3 , but in which the UE's reporting preference takes precedence when the UE determines whether to report to the CN. This scenario can be seen in Figure 1 is implemented in the system;

[0022] Figure 7 is with Figure 3 , but where the CN configures the UE routing policy with reporting indications or descriptors based on UE subscription information, this scenario can be seen in Figure 1 is implemented in the system;

[0023] Fig. 8A is a message passing diagram for an example scenario in which a UE and a CN perform a registration procedure and the UE provides information about the UE reporting capabilities to the CN, which scenario may be described in Figure 1 is implemented in the system;

[0024] Figure 8B is with Figure 3 , but where the CN configures the UE routing policy based on the UE reported capabilities. This scenario can be seen in Figure 1 is implemented in the system;

[0025] Fig.9A is with Fig. 8A , but where the UE provides the CN with information about the subscriber's consent, this scenario can be seen in Figure 1 is implemented in the system;

[0026] Fig. 9B is with Figure 3 , but where the CN configures the UE routing policy based on subscriber consent, this scenario can be seen in Figure 1 is implemented in the system;

[0027] Fig.10 is a flow chart of an example method 1000, wherein the UE supports a routing selection policy, the method may be Figure 1 is implemented in a system; and

[0028] Fig.11 is a flow chart of an example method 1100, wherein the CN supports a routing policy for a UE, which may be performed in Figure 1 implemented in the system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] UE management reports the UE routing policy (URSP) of the UE running the application to the core network (CN) node. The UE evaluates the routing policy rules received from the CN node. The UE then determines based on the evaluation of the routing policy rules that the traffic descriptor (TD) of the routing policy rule includes one or more connection capabilities. The UE then transmits report information to the CN node in accordance with the routing policy rules in response to the determination.

[0030] Similarly, the CN node manages reporting of URSP rules for UEs running applications. Specifically, the CN node configures URSP rules including a traffic descriptor, which includes one or more connection capabilities of the UE. The CN node transmits the configured URSP rules to the UE. When the traffic descriptor includes one or more connection capabilities of the UE, the CN then receives reporting information from the UE based on the configured routing policy rules.

[0031] Figure 1 An example communication system 100 is shown in which routing techniques of the present disclosure may be implemented. The communication system 100 includes a user equipment (UE) 102, which may be any suitable device capable of wirelessly communicating with a core network (CN) 110 via a base station 104.

[0032] In general, UE 102 may determine that certain traffic descriptors associated with a rule specifying routing of outgoing traffic at UE 102 are prohibited (or "forbidden"), and UE 102 should not use these prohibited descriptors when matching outgoing traffic to the rule. Although the present disclosure is primarily directed to URSP rules, these techniques may also be applied to other rule-based routing mechanisms.

[0033] As discussed in more detail below, UE 102 may determine that a rule includes a prohibited traffic descriptor and then ignore the rule when applying the rule set of the URSP. As another example, UE 102 may determine that a rule contains both prohibited and non-prohibited or allowed traffic descriptors. UE 102 may then apply the rule by ignoring the prohibited traffic descriptors and using only the allowed traffic descriptors to match outgoing traffic.

[0034] In another example implementation, UE 102 is allowed to prioritize local configuration over URSP rules received from CN 110. For example, UE 102 may apply local rules instead of rules including prohibited traffic descriptors, or may prioritize the entire set of local rules over URSP rules received from CN 110.

[0035] Still further, UE 102 may pre-request CN 110 not to provide any URSP rules including prohibited traffic descriptors to UE 102. For example, UE 102 may determine that a certain traffic descriptor is prohibited, and transmit a corresponding indication to CN 110. To this end, UE 102 may use an existing protocol for managing URSP rules, or use a dedicated message for indicating prohibited traffic descriptors.

[0036] The UE may also combine at least some of these techniques. For example, if the UE 102 sends an indication of a prohibited traffic descriptor to the CN 110, but the CN 110 still responds with a URSP rule containing the prohibited traffic descriptor (e.g., due to a race condition or because the CN 110 does not support the message from the UE 102), the UE 102 may apply the other techniques discussed above to prevent the application of any rules containing the prohibited traffic descriptors. As another example, the UE 102 may ignore rules that reference only prohibited traffic descriptors, but still apply rules that reference both prohibited and allowed traffic descriptors by utilizing only allowed traffic descriptors. In at least some of the implementations, the UE 102 may treat rules that reference one or more prohibited traffic descriptors as not applicable.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, the base station 104 is communicatively connected to a core network (CN) 110, for example, via an NG interface. In some implementations, the base station 104 is a 5G new radio (NR) base station operating as a g Node B (gNB), and the CN 110 is a 5G core network (5GC). However, in other implementations, the communication system 100 may include one or more base stations operating according to a type of radio access technology (RAT) other than NR, and these base stations may be connected to other types of CNs. Further, in some implementations, the UE 102 also has direct access to other types of access networks via a radio interface, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) 112 (e.g., via an access point (AP) 114).

[0038] Base station 104 is associated with RAN 108 and provides coverage for cell 116. Figure 1 Base station 104 is depicted as being associated with only one cell 116, but it should be understood that base station 104 may also cover multiple cells 116 in some implementations. Figure 1One or more additional cells not shown in the figure. Further, the RAN 108 may include any suitable number of base stations that jointly support one or more RATs. The UE 102, when operating in the cell 116, may be communicatively connected to the RAN 108 via the base station 104, and in turn may be communicatively connected to the CN 110 via the RAN 108.

[0039] The UE 102 is equipped with processing hardware 130, which may include one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs) and at least one non-transitory computer-readable memory 132, which stores instructions that can be executed on one or more general-purpose processors and / or special-purpose processing units. The memory 132 stores an operating system (OS) 140 of the UE 102, which can be any type of suitable mobile or general-purpose operating system. In addition, in some implementations, the memory 132 also stores one or more applications 142. In operation, one or more applications 142 generate outgoing traffic and receive incoming traffic. These applications may include web browsers, mail applications, messaging applications, video and audio players, game applications, etc.

[0040] To communicate with base station 104, CN 110, and various remote hosts, UE 102 implements a communication protocol stack including upper layers 136 and NAS / URSP processing layer 134. Layers 134 and 136 may be implemented using any suitable combination of hardware, software, and firmware. In one example implementation, layers 134 and 136 are sets of instructions that processing hardware 130 executes to perform the rule application techniques discussed herein.

[0041] The upper layer 136 may identify outgoing traffic at the UE and provide the outgoing traffic to the NAS / URSP processing layer 134 for routing. The NAS / URSP processing layer 134 may be a combined layer including both the NAS layer and the URSP processing layer. The NAS layer may manage the establishment and maintenance of communication sessions such as protocol data unit (PDU) sessions. Further, the NAS layer may receive URSP rules from the CN 110 and configure the URSP processing layer with the received URSP rules. The combined NAS / URSP processing layer 134 may manage the application of rules for routing outgoing traffic at the UE 102, as described in further detail below. When the upper layer 136 determines that the application 142 executing on the UE 102 has queued outgoing data for transmission, the upper layer 136 may direct the NAS / URSP processing layer 134 to apply one or more URSP rules and route the outgoing application traffic accordingly.

[0042] The NAS / URSP processing layer 134 in an example implementation includes a UE rules controller 138 that is configured to manage or control the application of rules for routing outgoing traffic and prevent the application of prohibited traffic descriptors.

[0043] The CN 110 may be, for example, a 5G core network (5GC), a less advanced core network (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC)), or conversely, a more advanced core network. The CN 110 is provided in some implementations with: a mobility management entity, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF) 122 configured to manage authentication, registration, mobility, and other related functions; and a policy control entity, such as a policy control function (PCF) 124 for providing mobility and session management policies. The CN 110 also includes, in some implementations, a CN rule controller 128, which is configured to manage, modify, and transmit to the UE 102 (and other UEs) various rules for routing outgoing traffic at the UE 102 (such as a set of rules associated with a URSP). Depending on the implementation, the CN rule controller 128 may operate as a separate entity or as a component of the PCF 124. Depending on the implementation, CN 110 additionally or alternatively includes a user plane function (UPF) 162, a unified data manager (UDM) 164, and / or a session management function (SMF) 166. UPF 162 is generally configured to transmit user plane packets related to audio calls, video calls, Internet traffic, etc., UDM 164 is generally configured to manage network user data, and SMF 166 is generally configured to manage PDU sessions. In some scenarios, PCF 124 provides a policy to UE 102 according to which UE 102 should route outgoing traffic. The policy may include a set of rules that conform to the URSP, as described below. Figure 2 This rule set is discussed in more detail.

[0044] Continue to refer Figure 1, CN 110 communicatively connects UE 102 to various communication networks, including a wide area network, such as the Internet 150, via RAN 108 including base station 104 (and typically multiple other base stations). More specifically, CN 110 may be directly connected to a data network (DN) 168 via an access point name (APN) or data network name (DNN) gateway 152. UE 102 may include outgoing traffic with a traffic descriptor identifying gateway 152, and CN 110 may provide a rule referencing gateway 152. When UE 102 determines that the traffic descriptor referencing gateway 152 is allowable, UE rule controller 138 applies the rule and routes the outgoing traffic according to the rule. Otherwise, when UE 102 determines that the traffic descriptor referencing gateway 152 is prohibited, UE rule controller 138 ignores the rule, modifies the rule, or otherwise processes the rule according to the techniques of the present disclosure. In other example scenarios, outgoing traffic and / or one or more rules may reference a domain 156, a specific host 154 (eg, by host name or Internet Protocol (IP) address), a type of traffic (eg, Ethernet), and the like.

[0045] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an example rule 200 for routing, Figure 1 UE 102 may apply the rule to outgoing traffic to determine how UE 102 should route outgoing traffic. For example, a routing policy such as a URSP received from CN 110 or a local configuration stored at UE 102 includes a policy that complies with Figure 2 The example rule 200 includes a rule priority 212, a traffic descriptor 214, and a routing descriptor 216. Generally, depending on the implementation, a rule includes one or more traffic descriptors and one or more routing descriptors.

[0046] The rule priority field 212 specifies the order in which the UE 102 applies the rule 200 relative to other rules. In some implementations, the rule priority 212 of each rule is different from the rule priority of each other rule within the URSP. The traffic descriptor can specify how the UE 102 should match the outgoing traffic to the rule. For example, if the traffic descriptor 214 of the rule 200 matches the parameters of the outgoing traffic, the UE 102 applies the rule 200 to the outgoing traffic. In some implementations, the URSP includes a rule with the lowest priority, which has a "match all" traffic descriptor, and the UE 102 can apply the "match all" traffic descriptor to any outgoing traffic.

[0047] The traffic descriptor includes, for example, an application identifier of an application 142 executed on the OS 140 of the UE 102. As another example, the traffic descriptor also corresponds to an IP descriptor, such as an IP destination and / or an IP 3-tuple including a destination IP address or an IPv6 network, a port number, and a protocol ID. In some implementations, the traffic descriptor is also a non-IP descriptor, such as a descriptor of Ethernet traffic. In some implementations, the traffic descriptor refers to a specific type of network traffic. Further, as described above, the traffic descriptor in some implementations corresponds to an APN or DNN gateway 152. In further implementations, the traffic descriptor also corresponds to various connection capabilities of the UE 102, such as IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) capabilities, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) capabilities, or other Internet-related capabilities. In yet further implementations, the traffic descriptor is a domain descriptor, such as a domain name (e.g., of domain 156), a host name (e.g., of host 154), or a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) consisting of a domain name and a host name.

[0048] If the rule applies, the routing descriptor 214 specifies how the UE 102 should route the traffic. In some examples, the routing descriptor 216 specifies that the UE 102 should route traffic matching the traffic descriptor 214 of the rule 200 to an established communication session, such as an established protocol data unit (PDU) session. As another example, the routing descriptor 216 instructs the UE 102 to establish a new PDU session for outgoing traffic matching the rule 200. As yet another example, the routing descriptor 216 instructs the UE 102 to offload outgoing traffic matching the rule 200 to a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as a Wi-Fi network.

[0049] In the example scenario, the URSP includes three rules. In some implementations, rule R 1 A rule with a priority of 1 and an application identifier of App 1 In a further implementation, rule R 2 A rule with a priority of 2 and an application identifier of App 2 In a further implementation, rule R 3 has a rule priority of 3 and a traffic descriptor corresponding to the "match all" option. When UE 102 has outgoing traffic, UE 102 evaluates the rules in order of rule priority. Therefore, in this scenario, UE 102 first evaluates the outgoing traffic by determining whether it matches rule R. 1 Traffic descriptor matches (i.e., whether the outgoing traffic is matched with App 1 The flow rate corresponding to the rule R1 Applies to outgoing traffic. If the outgoing traffic is related to App 1 , UE 102 will set rule R 1 Applied to outgoing traffic and according to the rule App 1 One or more routing descriptors to route the traffic. If the outgoing traffic matches rule R 1 If the traffic descriptor does not match, UE 102 determines whether rule R should be applied. 2 , and so on.

[0050] Next, Figure 3 An example scenario 300 is shown for reporting traffic classes of an executed UE routing policy to CN 110. Depending on the implementation, CN 110 includes AMF 122, PCF 124 and / or SMF 166 / UPF 162 / DN 168. In some implementations, CN 110 also communicates with UE 102 directly or indirectly.

[0051] When the traffic class is matched, the UE 102 reports the traffic class of the executed URSP rule as report information. Initially, the PCF 124 configures 302 URSP policy rules for transparent UE policy delivery (e.g., based on 3GPP TS 23.502 clauses 4.2.4.3 and Figure 4 .2.4.3-1 UE Configuration Update (UCU) procedure for transparent UE policy delivery). The UE 102 then evaluates 304 the URSP rules. Depending on the implementation, the user launches an application (e.g., application 142), and the UE 102 evaluates the URSP rules to find a TD that matches the application descriptor. The UE 102 then applies the RSD as described herein. Depending on the implementation, the TD and / or the application descriptor include traffic categories (e.g., based on GSMA recommendations). In some implementations, the traffic categories shared by different application traffic are standardized traffic categories and / or operator-specific traffic categories. In some implementations, the operator-specific traffic categories include any of the following: IMS traffic, Internet traffic, IoT and machine-to-machine type traffic, on-demand downlink streaming, on-demand uplink streaming, vehicular communications, real-time interactive traffic, unified communications traffic, background traffic, location-based traffic, and / or critical communications.

[0052] In some implementations, a traffic class is represented by a traffic descriptor using at least one of the following two options.

[0053] In some implementations, as a first option, the TD includes a new traffic descriptor component, whereby the traffic class component is encoded as a sequence of one octet traffic descriptor component type identifier and traffic descriptor component value fields. For example, the TD includes: 1) matches all traffic descriptors; or 2) at least one of the following components: A) one or more application identifiers (aka application descriptors); B) one or more IP 3-tuples (aka IP descriptors) (e.g., as defined in 3GPP TS 23.503), such as destination IP address, destination port number, and protocol used on top of IP; C) one or more non-IP descriptors (i.e., destination information for non-IP traffic); D) one or more DNNs; E) one or more connection capabilities; and F) one or more domain descriptors (i.e., destination FQDN or regular expression as domain name matching criteria); and / or G) one or more traffic classes.

[0054] In some implementations, as a second option, the TD uses an existing traffic descriptor component with an extended traffic descriptor component value field for traffic class, whereby the traffic class is used to accommodate the connection requirements provided in the existing traffic descriptor component (i.e., the connection capability component). For example, an operator-specific traffic class is included as an operator-specific connection capability. That is, for the connection capability component type, the component value field is extended to indicate the operator-specific traffic class.

[0055] For the "connection capabilities" type, the Traffic Descriptor Component Value field is encoded as the following sequence: one octet per network capability number, followed by one or more octets, each containing a connection capability identifier encoded as described below.

[0056]

[0057] In some examples, the connection capabilities component value is extended to accommodate new traffic classes for future use (eg, the value field is extended from 1 byte to more than 1 byte, such as 2-3 bytes).

[0058] Then, the UE 102 transmits 306 a message including the report information to the AMF 122. Depending on the implementation, the message transmitted by the UE 102 includes a PDU session establishment request message, a UL NAS transmission message, etc. In a further implementation, the report information additionally includes the number of applications within the traffic category that are using the executed URSP rule. For example, when application A (app-A) is first launched based on the executed URSP rule, the UE 102 reports the matched traffic category during the PDU session establishment process and reports the number of applications of the URSP rule executed by the application within the traffic category as 1.

[0059] For another example, after app-A is launched for the first time, when application B (app-B) is launched using the same executed URSP rule as app-A, the UE 102 reports the matched traffic class in the PDU session modification procedure and reports the number of applications that apply the same executed URSP rule within the traffic class as 2. As yet another example, without initiating the PDU session modification procedure, after app-A is launched for the first time, when app-B and application C (app-C) are launched using the same executed URSP rule as app-A, when the allocated periodic UE reporting timer expires, the UE 102 reports the traffic class in the UL NAS transmission message and reports the number of applications that apply the same executed URSP rule within the traffic class as 3.

[0060] Depending on the implementation, the UE 102 transmits 306 the reporting information in any of the following cases: (1) a new IE in a PDU Session Establishment Request message; (2) a new IE in a PDU Session Modification Request message; (3) a new container for UE reporting in an UL NAS Transport message (AMF); (4) a new NAS Session Management message for reporting sent to the SMF via the AMF; and / or (5) a new payload IE or IEs in a Registration Request message for UE reporting information and a new registration type for UE reporting the URSP rules implemented.

[0061] In some implementations, at least for case (3) above, if AMF 162 allocates a new IE (e.g., a periodic UE reporting timer) in the Registration Accept message during the Registration Request procedure, the UE 102 periodically reports the executed URSP rules in the UL NAS transport message. In some implementations, the UE 102 reports when the message includes a Registration Type indicated as an Initial Registration or a Mobility Update.

[0062] In some implementations, at least for case (4), the UE 102 reports the executed URSP rules as an indication included in a new NAS session management message sent to the SMF 166 via the AMF 122. The UE 102 sends a new NAS session management message including information about the currently executed URSP rules applied in the different PDU sessions, whereby, in some implementations, the information is or includes at least one of a traffic class, or an application ID, a URSP rule ID (instead of a PDU session establishment / modification request message), etc.

[0063] In some implementations, at least for case (5), the UE report of the executed URSP rules is included in a registration message with a new registration type "UE Report". The UE 102 sends a registration request message including report information for the currently executed URSP rules applied to different PDU sessions in a new payload IE, whereby, in some implementations, the report information includes at least one of a traffic class, or an application ID, a URSP rule ID (instead of a PDU session establishment / modification request message), etc. When the AMF 122 receives the registration request message including the new payload and the registration type indicated as "UE Report", the AMF 122 sends it to the PCF 124.

[0064] Depending on the implementation, the UE 102 sends a PDU Session Establishment Request message including UE reporting information of the executed URSP rules (e.g., based on the PDU Session Establishment procedure (e.g., as described in clause 4.3..2 of TS 23.503)). Specifically, the UE 102 transmits 306 the reporting information to the CN 110 in a UL NAS transport message according to various different techniques. In a first example, the UE 102 transmits 306 the reporting information in a new container type to transmit the corresponding container to the PCF 124 via the AMF 122. In another example, the UE 102 transmits 306 the reporting information in a new container type to transmit the corresponding container to the SMF 166 via the AMF 122. In yet another example, the UE 102 transmits 306 the reporting information in an existing UE policy container type to transmit the corresponding container to the PCF 124 via the AMF 122.

[0065] The AMF 122 and the SMF 166 / UPF 162 / DN 168 then exchange 308 messages to establish a PDU session (e.g., Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext request and / or response messages). After exchanging 308 messages, the AMF 122 then transmits 310 a PDU Session Establishment Accept message to the UE 102 and / or transmits 312 a notification to the PCF 124 including the report information received from the UE 102. In some implementations, the AMF 122 transmits 312 the report information to the PCF 124 in a Namf_Communication_N1MessageNotify message or any other similar message.

[0066] As Figure 3An example of the technology shown is taken as app-A and app-B, which are background traffic belonging to an operator-specific traffic category. URSP rule A includes the traffic category of background traffic as (1) a traffic descriptor component or (2) an existing connection capability component. In such an example, UE 102 receives a URSP policy including URSP rule A. Then, when UE 102 launches app-A, UE 102 finds a match for the traffic descriptor of URSP rule A. UE 102 initiates a PDU session establishment request procedure including PDU session ID-A and parameters specified in RSD based on the executed URSP rule A. UE 102 also indicates reporting information of the traffic category for UE reporting of the executed URSP rule A.

[0067] In some implementations, the report information includes a traffic class component, which in turn includes an operator-specific traffic class component type identifier and / or a component value field indicated as background traffic. In further implementations, the report information includes a connectivity capability component, which in turn includes the following traffic class information: a connectivity capability component type identifier and / or a connectivity capability component value field indicated as background traffic, the background traffic being for the operator-specific traffic class.

[0068] Alternatively, the UE 102 starts app-B, and the UE 102 determines to use the existing PDU session with PDU session ID-A for app-B based on the URSP rule A. If app-B has a different QoS requirement, the UE 102 applies the URSP rule A and initiates a PDU session modification request procedure with the same PDU session ID-A using the requested QoS requirement and indicates the report information.

[0069] In some implementations, the report information includes a traffic class component, which in turn includes an operator-specific traffic class component type identifier and / or a component value field indicated as background traffic. In other implementations, the report information includes a connectivity capability component, which includes the following traffic class information: a connectivity capability component type identifier and / or a connectivity capability component value field indicated as background traffic, which background traffic is for the operator-specific traffic class. In further implementations, the UE 102 additionally indicates the number of applications of the matched traffic class (e.g., 2 in the example above with app-A and app-B).

[0070] In an implementation where app-B has the same QoS requirements, the UE 102 applies URSP rule A without initiating a PDU session modification request procedure for reporting information of the executed URSP rules. In an alternative implementation, the UE 102 reports the matched traffic class and reports the number of applications as 2 for the executed URSP rules in the PDU session modification procedure.

[0071] In yet another alternative example, when app-A has a different QoS requirement, the UE 102 initiates a PDU session modification request procedure for PDU session A with the requested QoS requirement for app-A. The UE 102 applies the URSP rule A without reporting information of the executed URSP rule in the PDU session modification procedure. Alternatively, the UE 102 reports the matched traffic class and reports the number of applications as 1 for the executed URSP rule in the PDU session modification procedure.

[0072] In at least some of the above examples, user privacy is protected by indicating only the operator-specific traffic class of the executed URSP rules. At the same time, there is no PDU session modification request process triggered for the purpose of reporting the executed URSP rules. Thus, depending on the implementation, signaling overhead is reduced while maintaining user privacy.

[0073] In some implementations, in contrast to other systems, where the UE 102 reports the application ID or URSP rule ID of the executed URSP rule (as reporting information), the UE 102 reports the application ID / URSP rule ID for any PDU session modification procedure caused by a newly launched application or an existing application. In further implementations, the UE 102 reports the application ID / URSP rule ID for any PDU session modification procedure caused by a change in the QoS requirements requested by an existing application (which in turn had reported the executed URSP rule during the PDU session establishment procedure).

[0074] In a further example, the URSP rule includes multiple TD components of the same TD component type. In some such examples, when multiple TD components of the same TD component type are included, the UE 102 reports the "matched TD components" of the executed URSP rule. In some implementations, the TD component type includes an operator-specific traffic class component type. In a further implementation, the TD component type includes a connection capability component type (with a value for an operator-specific traffic class).

[0075] If the traffic descriptor contains more than one traffic descriptor component with the same traffic descriptor component type as "traffic class" or "connectivity capabilities", at least one of the traffic classes (component value fields) of the same traffic descriptor component type will be matched with the application information. In some implementations, for UE reporting of executed URSP rules, UE 102 reports information according to various techniques. In some implementations, UE 102 reports the matched traffic class components (traffic class component type ID and traffic class component value) of the executed URSP rules. In further implementations, UE 102 reports the matched traffic classes of the executed URSP rules. Depending on the implementation, the matched traffic class includes the matched connectivity capabilities component, a connectivity capabilities component type ID and the matched connectivity capabilities component value, and / or the matched connectivity capabilities component value.

[0076] Depending on the implementation, if the traffic descriptor contains more than one traffic descriptor component of the same traffic descriptor component type, at least one of the traffic descriptor components of the same traffic descriptor component type shall match the application information.

[0077] In another example, the traffic descriptor contains more than one traffic descriptor component type. In some such examples, when one or more traffic classes and at least one of the following components match, the UE 102 reports the matched traffic class of the executed URSP rule. Depending on the implementation, the components include any or all of the following: (A) one or more application identifiers (aka application descriptors); (B) one or more IP 3-tuples (aka IP descriptors) (i.e., destination IP address, destination port number, and protocol used on top of IP); (C) one or more non-IP descriptors (i.e., destination information for non-IP traffic); (D) one or more DNNs; (E) one or more connection capabilities; and / or (F) one or more domain descriptors (i.e., destination FQDN or regular expression as domain name matching criteria).

[0078] If the traffic descriptor contains more than one traffic descriptor component of different traffic descriptor component types, and one of the traffic descriptor component types is related to a traffic class (e.g., "traffic class" or "connectivity capabilities"), all components should match. In some implementations, for UE reporting information of executed URSP rules, the UE 102 reports according to various techniques. In some implementations, the UE 102 reports the matched traffic class components (traffic class component type ID and traffic class component value) of the executed URSP rules. In other implementations, the UE 102 reports the matched connectivity capabilities components of the executed URSP rules. As an example, the UE 102 reports the matched connectivity capabilities components, one connectivity capabilities component type ID and the matched connectivity capabilities component value, and / or the matched connectivity capabilities component value.

[0079] If the traffic descriptor lists one or more application identifiers and one or more connection capabilities, the UE 102 shall assume that the application identifier identifies the application requesting access to the connection capabilities. If the traffic descriptor contains more than one traffic descriptor component type, each of which is different, each traffic descriptor component type shall be matched.

[0080] Figure 4 Shown with Figure 3 4. In the example scenario 400, when the executed URSP rule includes a reporting indication, the UE 102 reports to the CN 110. The PCF 124 configures 402 the URSP policy for transparent UE policy delivery, as previously described with reference to FIG. Figure 3 Element 302. UE 102 evaluates 404 the URSP rules configured 402 by PCF 124 and determines that the URSP rules include a reporting indication in the URSP rules. Based on the reporting indication in the URSP rules, UE 102 applies RSD and reports to the network whether the URSP rules including the reporting indication are executed by UE 102.

[0081] For example, PCF 124 provides two URSP rules including URSP rule A and URSP rule B to UE 102, whereby URSP rule A includes a reporting indication, and URSP rule B does not include a reporting indication. In such an example, if UE 102 executes URSP rule A, the UE indicates the reporting information in the PDU session establishment / modification request. However, in some implementations, if UE 102 executes URSP rule B that does not include a reporting indication, UE 102 does not indicate the reporting information in the PDU session establishment / modification request. Depending on the implementation, PCF 124 uses a variety of further techniques to configure the URSP rule to include a reporting indication. In some examples, the reporting indication is an optional indication. Therefore, if the reporting indication is not included in the URSP rule, UE 102 does not need to send the reporting information. Alternatively, the reporting indication is an active or inactive indicator, which can be enabled or disabled. As another alternative, the reporting indication is a random number (e.g., 0.8) as a reporting threshold. When UE 102 generates a random number greater than the reporting threshold, UE 102 transmits report information of the executed URSP rule.

[0082] The UE 102 then transmits 406 the report information to the AMF 122. Depending on the implementation, the UE 102 transmits 406 the report information to the AMF 122 in a PDU SESSION SETUP REQUEST message or similar such message. The AMF 122 then exchanges 408 context messages with the SMF 166 / UPF 162 / DN 168 (e.g., in a Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext request and response exchange). The AMF 122 then transmits 410 a session establishment accept message (e.g., a PDU SESSION SETUP ACCEPT message) to the UE 102 and / or transmits 412 a notification (e.g., a Namf_Communication_N1MessageNotify message) including the report information to the PCF 124. Elements 406, 408, 410, and 412 are associated with their respective context messages. Figure 3 Corresponding objects 306, 308, 310 and 312 are similar.

[0083] Figure 5 Shown with Figure 31. In the example scenario 500, when the UE 102 satisfies the report validity condition included in the executed URSP rule, the UE 102 reports to the CN 110. Specifically, when the PCF 124 configures 502 the URSP rule, the PCF 124 configures 502 the URSP rule to include the UE report validity condition, which, depending on the implementation, includes any one or all of the following: location (e.g., 3GPP location: TA (tracking area), CID (cell identifier)); time; one or more TD components, TD component types, or TD component values ​​of the executed URSP rule; one or more RSD components, RSD component types, or RSD component values ​​of the executed URSP rule.

[0084] Depending on the implementation, the PCF 124 configures 502 the URSP rules to include a report validity condition according to a number of various techniques. In some implementations, the PCF 124 adds the report validity condition as a new report descriptor or IE to the URSP rules. In other implementations, the PCF 124 adds the report validity condition as a new IE to the RSD (e.g., where the validity condition includes only RSD related information). In still other implementations, the PCF 124 adds the report validity condition as a new IE to the TD (e.g., where the validity condition includes only TD related information).

[0085] Then, in some such implementations, the URSP rule includes: (a) a priority value of the URSP rule that identifies the priority of the URSP rule among all existing URSP rules; (b) a traffic descriptor (TD) that includes: (1) matches all traffic descriptors; or (2) at least one of the following components: (A) one or more application identifiers; (B) one or more IP 3-tuples (i.e., destination IP address, destination port number, and protocol used on top of IP); (C) one or more non-IP descriptors (i.e., destination information for non-IP traffic); (D) one or more DNNs; (E) one or more connection capabilities; and (F) one or more domain descriptors (i.e., destination FQDN or regular expression as domain name matching criteria); and (3) validity conditions (e.g., location, time, and TD components); (c) one or more routing descriptors (RSDs), each of which consists of the priority value of the routing descriptor and any of the following: (1) a PDU session type, and optionally one or more of the following: (A) SSC mode; (B) one or more S-NSSAI; (C) one or more DNNs; (D) null value; (E) preferred access type; (F) multiple access preference; (G) time window; (H) location criteria; (I) PDU session pair ID; and (J) RSN; (2) non-seamless, non-3GPP offload indication; or (3) 5G ProSe layer 3 UE to network relay offload indication. Depending on the implementation, the URSP also includes (4) RSD validity conditions (e.g., location, time, and RSD components); and / or (d) new IE or report descriptor for validity conditions. Depending on the implementation, if the URSP rule is part of a non-subscribed SNPN signaling URSP, the S-NSSAI belongs to the non-subscribed SNPN. Otherwise, the S-NSSAI belongs to the HPLMN or the subscribed SNPN. In some implementations, the mapped HPLMN SST and the mapped HPLMN SD are not included in the S-NSSAI.

[0086] If the URSP rule is executed and the UE report descriptor is matched, the UE indicates the reporting information of the executed URSP rule during the PDU session establishment and PDU session modification procedures.

[0087] In response to evaluating 504 the URSP rules and determining that the validity condition is satisfied, the UE 102 transmits 506 the report information to the AMF 122. Depending on the implementation, the UE 102 transmits the report information in a session establishment request (e.g., a PDU session establishment request) and / or any other similar message. In some implementations, the report information is or includes the information described above with respect to Figure 3In a further implementation, the report information is or includes an application identifier and / or an application descriptor.

[0088] If the URSP rule includes an application descriptor in the TD (see 3GPP TS 23.503, clause 6.6.2.1), and the URSP rule is matched based on the application descriptor, the UE 102 reports the application descriptor via PDU session establishment or modification (i.e., when the URSP rule is matched), and then reports the application descriptor to the AMF 122 and / or PCF 124 of the PDU session, and reports the application descriptor to the PCF 124 of the UE 102. In a further implementation, when a "match all" URSP rule is executed, the UE 102 does not report information to the CN 110.

[0089] Depending on the implementation, the reporting information is or includes a URSP rule ID. In some implementations, if a new identifier (e.g., a URSP rule ID) is incorporated into each of the URSP rules as the identifier of the URSP rule, when the URSP rule is matched and the UE 102 applies it (e.g., in a PDU session establishment or modification message), the UE 102 reports the URSP rule ID of the executed URSP rule to the network. In some implementations, when a "match all" URSP rule is executed, the UE 102 does not report information to the CN 110.

[0090] The AMF 122 then exchanges 508 context messages with the SMF 166 / UPF 162 / DN 168 (e.g., in a Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext request and response exchange). The AMF 122 then transmits 510 a session establishment accept message (e.g., a PDU Session Establishment Accept message) to the UE 102 and / or transmits 512 a notification (e.g., a Namf_Communication_N1MessageNotify message) including report information to the PCF 124. Elements 506, 508, 510, and 512 are associated with their respective Figure 3 Corresponding objects 306, 308, 310 and 312 are similar.

[0091] Figure 6 Shown with Figure 31. In the example scenario 600, when the UE 102 indicates a preference for reporting to the CN 110, the UE 102 reports to the CN 110. Specifically, the UE preference takes precedence over the UE reporting of the executed URSP rules in at least the following cases: (1) if the UE preference does not enable the UE 102 to report the executed URSP rules, the UE 102 does not report the application ID, URSP rule ID, traffic category, etc. of the executed URSP rules as described herein; and (2) if the UE preference does not enable the UE 102 to report the executed URSP rules and the executed URSP rules include a reporting indication or a reporting descriptor, the UE 102 does not report the application ID, URSP rule ID, traffic category, etc. of the executed URSP rules as described herein.

[0092] Depending on the implementation, the UE 102 also indicates the UE preference for UE reporting of the executed URSP rules with finer granularity. For example, in some implementations, the UE preference is affected by different traffic categories. In further implementations, the UE preference is affected by different application identifiers.

[0093] Thus, PCF 124 configures 602 the URSP rules, and UE 102 evaluates 604 the URSP rules, as described above with respect to Figures 3 to 5 As described above. However, the UE 102 also determines whether the UE preference instructs the UE 102 to include reporting information, and ultimately takes precedence over the UE preference. In the example scenario 600, the UE preference indicates that reporting information is not included, so the UE 102 transmits 606 a PDU Session Establishment Request without any reporting information. Similarly, the AMF 122 exchanges 608 context messages with the SMF 166 / UPF 162 / DN 168 before transmitting 610 a PDU Session Establishment Accept message to the UE 102, as described above. In some implementations, the UE preference includes an indication of user consent to the UE 102 to report, which addresses user privacy issues inherent in reporting in other cases.

[0094] Figure 7 Shown with Figure 3 100. In the example scenario 700, the PCF 124 configures the URSP rules with reporting indicators or descriptors based on the subscription information from the UE 102 (as described above with respect to Figure 4 and Figure 5 Specifically, when the UE subscription information indicates that reporting is supported, preferred, allowed, etc. by the UE 102, the PCF 124 configures 702 the URSP rule to include a reporting indication or a reporting descriptor.

[0095] In some implementations, the subscription information is stored in the UDM or UDR 164. Depending on the implementation, the subscription information is or includes one or more of the following: user consent (e.g., user consent for UE 102 reporting the executed URSP rules); subscribed S-NSSAI, which includes the network slices to which UE 102 subscribes (in some roaming cases, UE 102 indicates the network slices applicable to the subscription serving the PLMN); and / or a subscribed DNN list, which includes a list of subscribed DNNs for UE 102 and is used to determine a list of local area network data networks (LADNs) available to UE 102.

[0096] In some examples, a user consent check is performed to ensure that the PCF 124 requests UE reporting of executed URSP rules only from UEs 102 that have user consent for UE reporting of executed URSP rules (e.g., UEs 102 for which the consent is stored in UE subscriptions). In a further example, the PCF 124 requests the UE 102 to report the executed URSP rules only if the UE 102 has an S-NSSAI for a specific subscription included in the RSD of the URSP rules. As another example, the PCF 124 requests the UE 102 to report the executed URSP rules only if the UE 102 has a DNN for a specific subscription included in the RSD of the URSP rules.

[0097] In the example of scenario 700, events 704, 706, 708, and 710 occur similarly to events 604, 606, 608, and 610, respectively.

[0098] Fig. 8A An example scenario 800A is shown in which UE 102 transmits a registration request including UE reporting capabilities to CN 110. Specifically, PCF 124 configures URSP rules based on stored information related to reporting capabilities of UE 102 to report information of implemented URSP rules. UE 102 transmits an indication of the capability of UE 102 to report information of implemented URSP rules during the registration procedure.

[0099] The UE 102 initially transmits 852 a registration request message to the AMF 122 in the CN 110. In some implementations, the registration request message includes URSP feature support (e.g., a feature in extended 5GSM capabilities) for the UE 102 to indicate support for UE reporting of the executed URSP rules.

[0100] When the AMF 122 in the CN 110 receives 852 a Registration Request message (e.g., an Extended 5GSM Capabilities for URSP Feature Support with a UE Policy Container IE, a Payload Container Type IE set to a UE Policy Container, and UE Report Information of the URSP Rules Executed), the AMF 122 discovers 854 a PCF instance from the NRF and creates a PCF association for the UE 102. The AMF 122 then forwards 856 the UE Report Information of the URSP Rules Executed (e.g., in an Npcf message) to the associated PCF 124 of the UE 102. The AMF 122 also responds 858 to the UE 102 with a Registration Accept message.

[0101] PCF 124 stores information about reported UE capabilities for enforced URSP rules and accesses this information when configuring URSP policies for UE 102.

[0102] When the PCF determines to configure or update the UE policy related to the URSP policy based on the UCU process (for example, as described in 3GPP TS23.502 clause 4.2.4.3), the PCF configures the URSP rules in the URSP policy based on the stored information related to the UE's ability to report information about the executed URSP rules so as to deliver the UE policy to the UE. In some implementations, if the UE capability for reporting information of executed URSP rules is indicated as supported, at least one of the following solutions is applied: (1) the UE 102 indicates an application identifier and / or an application descriptor or a URSP rule ID during a PDU session establishment or a PDU session modification process for the UE 102 to report the executed URSP rules; (2) the UE 102 reports the traffic class; (3) the UE 102 reports the traffic class based on the reporting indication of the executed URSP rules; (4) the UE 102 reports the traffic class based on the matched report descriptor of the executed URSP rules; (5) if the UE 102 indicates support for the UE reporting information of the executed URSP rules, the UE 102 considers the UE preference when determining whether to report the information associated with the executed URSP rules; and / or (6) if the UE 102 indicates support for the UE reporting information of the executed URSP rules, the PCF 124 checks the UE subscription information and determines the configuration of the URSP rules.

[0103] Figure 8B Shown with Figure 7 In the example scenario 800B similar to the scenario 700 shown in FIG. 800B, the PCF 124 of the CN 110 configures 802 URSP rules based on the reporting capabilities of the UE 102, as described above with respect to Fig. 8AThen, the system performs the following operations respectively similar to those described above. Figure 7 Events 804, 806, 808 and / or 810 of events 704, 706, 708 and / or 710 described above.

[0104] In an alternative implementation, the UE 102 transmits user consent for the UE 102 to report information of the implemented URSP rules in a UL NAS transport message. In some such implementations, the UL NAS transport message includes a new container type to allow the UE 102 to include subscriber consent for the UE 102 to report information of the implemented URSP rules to the AMF 122 in a corresponding container. Using the new container type, the AMF 122 sends the report information to the PCF 124.

[0105] Fig.9A Shown with Fig. 8A Example scenario 900A is similar to illustrated scenario 800A. In scenario 900A, UE 102 transmits a registration request message to CN 110, the registration request message including an indication of subscriber consent for UE 102 to report the implemented URSP rules.

[0106] In some implementations, the UE 102 transmits 952 a registration request message (e.g., a NAS message) to the AMF 124 in the CN 110, the registration request message including a new subscriber consent IE of the UE 102 to indicate subscriber consent to the UE 102 reporting the information of the executed URSP rules. When the AMF 124 in the CN 110 receives the registration request message with the subscriber consent to the UE 102 reporting the executed URSP rules, the AMF 122 sends 954 a service message (e.g., a Nudm message) to the UDM 164, indicating the subscriber consent to the UE 102 reporting the information of the executed URSP rules. In a further implementation (not shown), the UE 102 additionally or alternatively transmits an uplink message (e.g., a UL NAS transport message) including a new container type (e.g., a subscriber consent container) to allow the UE 102 to include an indication of subscriber consent for the UE 102 to report information about the executed URSP rules to the AMF 122. In some implementations, the AMF 122 sends 956 the container to the UDM 164.

[0107] After receiving 956 the service message, the UDM 164 stores 955 (e.g., in UE subscription information) the subscriber's consent to the URSP rules implemented by the UE 102 report. The UDM 164 then responds 957 to the message from the AMF 122 (e.g., via a Nudm response message), and the AMF 122 in turn transmits 958 a registration accept message to the UE 102.

[0108] Fig. 9B Shown with Figure 7 In the example scenario 900B similar to the scenario 700 shown in FIG. 900B, the PCF 124 of the CN 110 configures 902 URSP rules based on the subscriber consent for reporting to the UE 102, as described above with respect to FIG. Fig.9A described.

[0109] Specifically, when the PCF determines to provide or update UE policies related to URSP rules (e.g., based on the UCU procedure in 3GPP TS 23.502 clause 4.2.4.3), the PCF 124 configures 902 URSP rules based on subscription information related to subscriber consent to the executed URSP rules to deliver the UE policies to the UE 102. In some implementations, the PCF 124 configures 902 URSP rules based on stored information related to subscriber consent to the UE reporting information of the executed URSP rules to deliver to the UE 102, thereby obtaining subscriber consent to the UE reporting information of the executed URSP rules by the network (e.g., in a NAS message).

[0110] In some implementations, if subscriber consent to the UE 102 reporting the executed URSP rules is indicated as supported, the UE 102 performs one or more techniques after evaluating 904 the URSP rules. Depending on the implementation, (1) UE 102 indicates an "application identifier / application descriptor" or a URSP rule ID during a PDU session establishment or PDU session modification process for UE 102 to report the executed URSP rule; (2) UE 102 reports a traffic category; (3) UE 102 reports a traffic category based on a reporting indication for the executed URSP rule; (4) UE 102 reports a traffic category based on a matched reporting validity condition of the executed URSP rule; (5) if UE 102 indicates support for UE 102 reporting information of the executed URSP rule, UE 102 considers UE preference when determining whether to perform UE reporting of the executed URSP rule; and / or (6) if UE 102 indicates support for UE 102 reporting information of the executed URSP rule, PCF 124 checks UE subscription information and determines the configuration of the URSP rule.

[0111] Then, the system performs operations similar to those described above. Figure 7 Events 906, 908 and / or 910 of events 704, 706, 708 and / or 710 described above.

[0112] Fig.10A UE (eg, Figure 1 Flowchart of an example method 1000 for routing selection strategy in a UE 102 of a network. At block 1002, the UE evaluates the routing strategy from a CN node (e.g., Figure 1 The routing policy rules (e.g., Figures 3 to 9B At block 1004, the UE determines, based on the evaluation, that the traffic descriptor of the routing policy rule includes one or more connection capabilities (e.g., as described above with respect to Figure 3 At block 1006, the UE transmits reporting information to the CN node in response to the determination according to the routing policy rules (eg, Figures 3 to 9B Events 306, 406, 506, 606, 706, 806 and 906).

[0113] Fig.11 1 shows a method for supporting a UE (e.g., a UE running an application) in a CN node (e.g., CN 110 (e.g., including AMF 122, PCF 124, UDM / UDR 164, SMF 166, UPF 162, and / or DN 168)). Figure 1 Flowchart of an example method 1100 for configuring a routing policy for a UE 102 of a CN node. At block 1102, a CN node configures a routing policy rule including a traffic descriptor (e.g., Figures 3 to 9B In some implementations, the traffic descriptor includes (e.g., is configured to include) connection capabilities (e.g., Figures 4 to 8B Events 402, 502, 602, 702 and 802, and as to Figure 3 At block 1104, the CN node transmits the configured routing policy rule to the UE (e.g., Figures 3 to 9B At block 1106, the CN node receives report information from the UE according to the configured routing policy rules (e.g., Figures 3 to 9B In some implementations, when the traffic descriptor includes one or more connection capabilities of the UE, the CN node receives the report information (e.g., as described above with respect to Figure 3 described above).

[0114] The following list of examples reflects the various embodiments expressly contemplated by the present disclosure:

[0115] Example 1. A method for managing reporting of a routing selection policy for a user equipment (UE) running an application, the method being implemented in the UE and comprising: evaluating, by processing hardware, a selection policy rule received from a core network (CN) node; determining, by the processing hardware and based on the evaluation of the selection policy rule, that a traffic descriptor of the routing selection policy rule is associated with an application descriptor of the application; and transmitting, by the processing hardware and in response to the determination, reporting information to the CN node.

[0116] Example 2. The method of Example 1, wherein the transmitting is based on a UE reporting preference indicating that the UE is to report.

[0117] Example 3. The method of Example 2, wherein the UE reporting preference is a UE reporting preference for a specific traffic class.

[0118] Example 4. The method of Example 2, wherein the UE reporting preference is a UE reporting preference for a specific application identifier.

[0119] Example 5. A method as described in any of the preceding examples, the method comprising: determining that the traffic category of the application matches the traffic category of the routing policy rule; wherein the transmission is in response to determining that the traffic category of the application matches the traffic category of the routing policy rule.

[0120] Example 6. A method as described in any of the preceding examples, wherein the traffic category is at least one of: (i) Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) traffic, (ii) Internet traffic, (iii) Internet of Things (IoT) or machine-to-machine traffic, (iv) on-demand downlink streaming traffic, (v) on-demand uplink streaming traffic, (vi) vehicular communication traffic, (vii) real-time interactive traffic, (viii) unified communication traffic, (ix) background traffic, (x) location-based traffic, or (xi) critical communication traffic.

[0121] Example 7. A method as described in any of the preceding examples, wherein the traffic descriptor includes a traffic class identifier.

[0122] Example 8. The method of Example 7, wherein the traffic class identifier comprises a traffic descriptor component type identifier.

[0123] Example 9. The method of Example 7, wherein the traffic class identifier comprises a connection capability component type identifier.

[0124] Example 10. The method of any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the report information is included in a report information element included in a session establishment message.

[0125] Example 11. The method of any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the report information is included in a report information element included in a session modification message.

[0126] Example 12. The method of any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the report information is included in a session management message.

[0127] Example 13. The method of any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the report information is included in a registration request message.

[0128] Example 14. The method of any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the report information is included in a report information container included in an uplink message.

[0129] Example 15. A method as described in any of Examples 7 to 14, wherein: the traffic class identifier is a first traffic class identifier; the traffic descriptor includes a second traffic class identifier; and the transmission is responsive to determining that: (i) at least one of the first traffic class identifier or the second traffic class identifier matches a traffic class identifier of the application, and (ii) the first traffic class identifier and the second traffic class identifier share a traffic class component type.

[0130] Example 16. The method of Example 15, wherein the traffic class component type is an operator-specific traffic class component type.

[0131] Example 17. A method as described in Example 15, wherein the traffic class component type is a connection capability component type, and at least one of the first traffic class identifier or the second traffic class identifier matches the traffic class identifier of the application when: (i) a connection capability component value of at least one of the first traffic class identifier or the second traffic class identifier matches a connection capability component value of the traffic class identifier of the application; or (ii) a connection capability component type identifier of at least one of the first traffic class identifier or the second traffic class identifier matches a connection capability component type identifier of the traffic class identifier of the application.

[0132] Example 18. A method as described in any of Examples 7 to 14, wherein: the traffic class identifier is a first traffic class identifier; the traffic descriptor includes a second traffic class identifier; and the transmission is responsive to determining that: (i) one or more application identifiers are matched, (ii) one or more Internet Protocol (IP) descriptors are matched, (iii) one or more non-IP descriptors are matched, (iv) one or more data network names are matched, (v) one or more connection capabilities are matched, or (vi) one or more domain descriptors are matched.

[0133] Example 19. The method of any one of Examples 1 to 4, the method comprising: determining, based on an evaluation of the routing selection policy rule, that the selection policy rule includes a reporting indication; wherein the transmitting is in response to determining that the routing selection policy rule includes the reporting indication.

[0134] Example 20. The method of Example 19, wherein the reporting indication is a numerical reporting threshold, the method further comprising: generating a random reporting number; wherein the transmitting is further responsive to determining that the random reporting number satisfies the numerical reporting threshold.

[0135] Example 21. A method as described in any of Examples 1 to 4, wherein the routing policy rule includes a reporting condition, the method comprising: determining that the reporting condition is met based on the evaluation of the routing policy rule; wherein the transmission is in response to determining that the reporting condition is met.

[0136] Example 22. A method as described in Example 21, wherein the reporting condition includes a condition associated with at least one of: (i) the location of the UE; (ii) the time of reporting; (iii) the existence of a traffic descriptor component of the routing policy rule; (iv) the type of the traffic descriptor component of the routing policy rule; (v) the value of the traffic descriptor component of the routing policy rule; (vi) the existence of the routing descriptor component of the routing policy rule; (vii) the type of the routing descriptor component of the routing policy rule; or (viii) the value of the routing descriptor component of the routing policy rule.

[0137] Example 23. The method of Example 21 or 22, wherein the reporting condition is included in a reporting descriptor of the routing policy rule.

[0138] Example 24. The method of Example 21 or 22, wherein the reporting condition is included in the traffic descriptor of the routing policy rule.

[0139] Example 25. The method of Example 21 or 22, wherein the reporting condition is included in a routing descriptor of the routing policy rule.

[0140] Example 26. A user equipment (UE) comprising processing hardware and configured to implement a method according to any one of Examples 1 to 25.

[0141] Example 27. A method for managing reporting of routing selection policies for a user equipment (UE) running an application, the method being implemented in a node of a core network (CN) and comprising: configuring, by the processing hardware, routing selection policy rules based on at least one of: (i) UE subscription information, (ii) UE reporting capabilities, or (iii) UE subscriber consent; transmitting, by the processing hardware, the configured routing selection policy rules; and receiving, by the processing hardware, reporting information from the UE based on the configured routing selection policy rules.

[0142] Example 28. The method of Example 27, wherein the configured routing policy rule includes at least one of: (i) a traffic class, (ii) a reporting indication, or (iii) a reporting condition.

[0143] Example 29. A method as described in Example 27 or 28, wherein the configuration is based on UE subscription information, and the UE subscription information includes at least one of the following: (i) an indication of user consent for reporting; (ii) subscribed network slice selection data; or (iii) a subscribed data network name list.

[0144] Example 30. A method as described in Example 27 or 28, wherein the configuration is based on the UE reporting capability, the method comprising: receiving an indication of the UE reporting capability from the UE; and generating an association between the UE and a policy control function associated with the routing policy rule based on the indication of the UE reporting capability; wherein the configuration is further based on the association.

[0145] Example 31. The method of Example 30, the method comprising receiving an indication of user consent for reporting from the UE.

[0146] Example 32. The method of Example 30, wherein the generating occurs at an access and mobility management function of a CN, the method comprising: transmitting an indication of the UE reporting capability to a policy control function of the CN; and storing the UE reporting capability via the policy control function.

[0147] Example 33. The method of Example 27, wherein the configuring is based on the UE subscriber consent, the method comprising: receiving an indication of the UE subscriber consent from the UE; and storing the UE subscriber consent.

[0148] Example 34. The method of Example 33, wherein the storing occurs at a unified data manager of the CN, the method comprising transmitting the indication of the UE subscriber's consent to the unified data manager.

[0149] Example 35. The method of Example 33, wherein the receiving the indication of the UE subscriber consent comprises receiving a UE subscriber container including the UE subscriber consent.

[0150] Example 36. The method of Example 33, wherein receiving the indication of the UE subscriber's consent comprises receiving a registration request message including the indication of the UE subscriber's consent.

[0151] Example 37. The method of Example 33, wherein receiving the indication of consent of the UE subscriber comprises receiving an uplink transmission message including the indication of consent of the UE subscriber.

[0152] Example 38. A core network (CN) node comprising processing hardware and configured to implement a method according to any one of Examples 27 to 37.

[0153] The following additional considerations apply to the preceding discussion.

[0154] The user device (e.g., UE 102) in which the technology of the present disclosure can be implemented can be any suitable device capable of wireless communication, such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a mobile game console, a point of sale (POS) terminal, a health monitoring device, a drone, a camera, a media streaming dongle or another personal media device, a wearable device such as a smart watch, a wireless hotspot, a femtocell, or a broadband router. Further, in some cases, the user device can be embedded in an electronic system, such as a head unit (headunit) or an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) of a vehicle. Further still, the user device can be operated as an Internet of Things (IoT) device or a mobile Internet device (MID). Depending on the type, the user device may include one or more general-purpose processors, a computer-readable memory, a user interface, one or more network interfaces, one or more sensors, etc.

[0155] Certain embodiments are described in the present disclosure as including logic or multiple components or modules. A module may be a software module (e.g., a code or machine-readable instruction stored on a non-temporary machine-readable medium) or a hardware module. A hardware module is a tangible unit that is capable of performing certain operations and may be configured or arranged in a particular manner. A hardware module may include a dedicated circuit system (circuitry) or logic that is permanently configured to perform certain operations (e.g., as a dedicated processor, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), etc.). A hardware module may also include programmable logic or circuit systems (e.g., as contained in a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that are temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. The decision to implement a hardware module with a dedicated and permanently configured circuit system or with a temporarily configured circuit system (e.g., configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations.

[0156] When implemented in software, the techniques may be provided as part of an operating system, as a library used by multiple applications, as a specific software application, etc. The software may be executed by one or more general-purpose processors or one or more special-purpose processors.

Claims

1. A method for supporting a routing selection strategy of a user equipment UE running an application, the method being implemented in the UE and comprising: Evaluate routing policy rules received from core network CN nodes; determining, based on the evaluation of the routing policy rule, that a traffic descriptor of the routing policy rule includes one or more connection capabilities; as well as Responsive to the determination, reporting information is transmitted to the CN node according to the routing policy rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting is based on a UE reporting preference indicating that the UE is to report the reporting information.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising: Wherein the transmitting is further responsive to determining that a traffic class of the application matches a traffic class of the routing policy rule.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the traffic category of the routing policy rule is at least one of: (i) Internet Protocol IP Multimedia Subsystem IMS traffic, (ii) Internet traffic, (iii) Internet of Things IoT or machine-to-machine traffic, (iv) on-demand downlink streaming traffic, (v) on-demand uplink streaming traffic, (vi) vehicular communication traffic, (vii) real-time interactive traffic, (viii) unified communication traffic, (ix) background traffic, (x) location-based traffic, or (xi) critical communication traffic.

5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the report information is included in a report information element included in a session establishment message.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the report information is included in a report information element included in a session modification message.

7. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising: The transmitting is further responsive to determining that the routing policy rule includes a reporting indication.

8. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein The routing policy rule includes a reporting condition, and the method includes: The transmitting is further responsive to determining that the reporting condition is met.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the reporting condition is included in the traffic descriptor of the routing policy rule.

10. A user equipment UE comprising processing hardware and configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A method for supporting a routing strategy of a user equipment UE running an application, the method being implemented in a node of a core network (CN) and comprising: configuring a routing policy rule including a traffic descriptor including one or more connection capabilities of the UE; Transmitting the configured routing policy rule to the UE; as well as When the traffic descriptor includes the one or more connection capabilities of the UE, reporting information is received from the UE according to the configured routing policy rules.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the configured routing policy rule comprises at least one of: (i) a traffic class, (ii) a reporting indication, or (iii) a reporting condition.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, comprising: receiving an indication of the connection capabilities from the UE; as well as generating an association between the UE and a policy control function associated with the routing policy rule based on the indication of the connection capability; Wherein the configuring is further based on the associating.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the generating occurs at an access and mobility management function of the CN, the method comprising: transmitting an indication of the connection capabilities to a policy control function of the CN; as well as The connection capabilities are stored via the policy control function.

15. A core network CN node comprising processing hardware and configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 11 to 14.

Images