Reporting qoe reports to sn

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for reporting Quality of Experience (QoE) in a network employing multiple connections. An example method in a user equipment (UE) includes receiving a configuration message from a radio network node, the configuration message including a QoE measurement configuration related to at least one cell of a secondary node (SN) serving the UE. The method further comprises performing the one or more QoE measurements according to the QoE measurement configuration, and sending a report of the one or more QoE measurements to a cell of a master node (MN) serving the UE, where the sending comprises including the report in a message indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and in particular to techniques for reporting Quality of Experience (QoE) measurements in a multi-node connection environment. Background Art

[0002] Overview of the QoE framework and "regular QoE"

[0003] Quality of Experience (QoE) measurements, also known as "application layer measurements", have been specified in 3GPP Release 17 for LTE and UMTS, and for NR. The purpose of application layer measurements is to measure the end-user experience when using certain applications. QoE measurements for streaming services and MTSI (Mobile Telephone Service for IMS) services are supported in LTE and UMTS, and for NR, VR is also supported.

[0004] The solution for conventional QoE is similar in NR, LTE and UMTS, and the overall principle is as follows. Quality of Experience Measurement Collection (QMC) enables the configuration of application layer measurements in the UE and the transmission of QoE measurement result files (commonly referred to as QoE reports) to the network through RRC signaling. The application layer measurement configuration (also referred to as QoE measurement configuration or QoE configuration) received by the RAN from the OAM system or CN is encapsulated in a transparent container, which is forwarded to the UE in a downlink RRC message. The application layer measurement report (also referred to as QoE report) received by the UE access stratum (UE AS) or UE RRC layer from the higher layer (application layer) of the UE is encapsulated in a transparent container and sent to the network in an uplink RRC message. The RAN then forwards the QoE report to the Measurement Collector Entity (MCE).

[0005] Configuration data related to QoE measurements (typically referred to as application layer measurements in standard specifications) is received by the gNB from OAM and consists of: an indication of the service type, an indication of the area in which the measurements are to be performed (expressed as area range), the IP address of the entity to which the collected measurements (i.e., QoE reports) should be sent (typically referred to as MCE, spelled Measurement Collector Entity or Measurement Collection Entity, but this entity may also sometimes be referred to as Trace Collection Entity), and a set of instructions indicating the type of measurements that should be performed and the details of how these measurements are to be performed. These instructions are intended for the application layer in the UE and are placed in a "container" that the network entity that processes (e.g., forwards it to the UE) and the UE access stratum cannot interpret and do not attempt to read.

[0006] This container is forwarded to the UE in RRC signaling along with the indicated service type. For measurements in RRC_CONNECTED, the area is maintained in the gNB and the network ensures that the UE measures in the correct area by configuring when the UE starts and stops measurements. Area scopes are defined in terms of cells or network related areas. In UMTS, area scopes are defined as a list of cells, a list of routing areas or a list of tracking areas. In LTE and NR, area scopes are defined as a list of cells or a list of tracking areas.

[0007] QoE, and in particular QoE configuration, comes in two flavors: management-based QoE configuration and signaling-based QoE configuration. In both cases, the QoE configuration originates from the OAM system or some other management entity that handles customer satisfaction, for example. All of these entities are referred to as the OAM system in this document (where the OAM system also contains additional entities). For management-based QoE (m-based QoE), the OAM system is typically interested in general QoE statistics from a specific area (which is configured as a regional scope). The m-based QoE configuration is sent directly from the OAM system to the RAN node that controls the cell within the regional scope. Each RAN node then selects UEs within the regional scope (while also satisfying any other relevant conditions, such as supporting relevant application / service types) and sends the m-based QoE configuration to these UEs.

[0008] For signaling-based QoE (s-based QoE), the OAM system is interested in collecting QoE measurements from a specific UE, for example because the user of the UE has submitted a complaint. The OAM system sends the s-based QoE configuration to the HSS (in EPS / LTE) or UDM (in 5GS / NR), which forwards the QoE configuration to the UE's current core network node (CN), such as the MME in EPS / LTE or the AMF in 5G / NR. The CN then forwards the s-based QoE configuration to the RAN node serving the relevant UE, and the RAN forwards it to the UE.

[0009] In both cases, what is forwarded to the UE is a service type indication and a container with measurement instructions. The UE does not know whether the received QoE configuration is based on m or s. In traditional systems, the QoE framework is integrated with a pre-existing tracking function, and a tracking ID is associated with each QoE configuration. In NR, the QoE function is logically separated from the tracking function, but the tracking signaling mechanism is still partially reused. In both NR and LTE, a globally unique QoE reference (consisting of MCC+MNC+QMC ID, where the QMC ID is a 24-bit string) will be associated with each QoE configuration. The QoE reference is included in the container with the measurement instructions and is also sent to the RAN (i.e., the gNB in ​​NR). For communication between the gNB and the UE, the QoE reference is replaced by a shorter identifier denoted as measConfigAppLayerId (measurement configuration application layer Id), which is locally unique within the UE, i.e., for each QoE configuration provided to the UE, there is a one-to-one mapping between the measConfigAppLayerId and the QoE reference. The measConfigAppLayerId is stored in the UE access stratum and is also forwarded in an AT command (which is a type of command used in communications between the modem part of the UE and the application layer of the UE) together with a service type indication and a container with measurement instructions.

[0010] Reports with the collected QoE measurements (QoE Reports) are sent from the UE Application Layer to the UE Access Layer, which forwards them to the RAN, which forwards them to the MCE. These QoE measurements are placed in a "container" that is uninterpretable to the UE Access Layer and the RAN. QoE Reports can be configured to be periodic or to be sent only at the end of an application session. In addition, the RAN can instruct the UE to suspend QoE reporting, for example in case the cell / gNB is in an overloaded state.

[0011] The RAN is not aware when an application session with an associated QoE measurement session is ongoing, and the UE access layer is not automatically aware of this. To mitigate this, session start / stop indications have been introduced. These indications are sent from the application layer in the UE to the UE AS and from the UE AS to the RAN. When an application session and the associated QoE measurement session are ended, a session end indication is sent.

[0012] The RAN may decide to release the QoE configuration in the UE at any time as an implementation based decision. Typically this will be performed when the UE has moved outside the area configured for QoE measurements (often referred to as the area range) and the measurement session has ended.

[0013] RAN Visible QoE (RVQoE)

[0014] An extension of the QoE framework that has been implemented in 3GPP Release 17 is the concept of RAN Visible QoE (RVQoE). As described above, conventional QoE reports are intended for the MCE, which is an entity external to the RAN, such as part of the OAM system, and the RAN cannot read the QoE reports (at least not according to the specification, although gNB / eNB implementations are not prevented from doing so). In contrast, the reported RVQoE metrics are intended for the RAN and are delivered to the RAN in a format that the RAN understands. The RVQoE metrics are derived from conventional QoE metrics, collected and compiled by the UE application layer in reports, and delivered to the RAN so that the RAN can use the reports for various types of optimizations. As an example, when the RAN receives a RVQoE report during an ongoing application session, the RAN can perform adaptive actions while the application session is ongoing to affect the QoE of the associated application session, such as changing various parameters related to the scheduling of UEs and data flows associated with the application session.

[0015] End-to-end description of QoE measurements

[0016] The end-to-end signaling for configuring QoE measurements is described in Chapter 4 of 3GPP TS 28.405 v.18.0.0. The activation of management-based QoE in NR is described in Chapter 4 of 3GPP TS 28.405 v.18.0.0 taken from that specification. Figure 1 The activation of signaling-based QoE in NR is shown in Figure 2 It is shown in Figure 2 Taken from Chapter 4.6 of the same specification.

[0017] Configuration and reporting of QoE and RVQoE measurements in RRC

[0018] according to Figure 3 As shown in the signaling flow, the configuration of QoE and RVQoE measurements is performed through the RRC message RRCReconfiguration and the report is sent in the RRC message MeasurementReportAppLayer.

[0019] RRCReconfiguration contains the information element AppLayerMeasConfig (application layer measurement configuration), which contains a configuration container for configuring conventional QoE or RRC parameters for configuring RVQoE. This information element (IE) is defined as follows:

[0020] -------------------------Begin 3GPP specification excerpt----------------------------

[0021] -AppLayerMeasConfig

[0022] IE AppLayerMeasConfig indicates the configuration of application layer measurements.

[0023] AppLayerMeasConfig Information Element

[0024]

[0025]

[0026]

[0027] -----------------------END 3GPP SPECIFICATION EXCERPT-----------------------------

[0028] The MeasurementReportAppLayer contains the report container for regular QoE or the RRC parameters for reports for RVQoE:

[0029] -----------------------BEGIN 3GPP SPECIFICATION EXCERPT-----------------------------

[0030] -MeasurementReportAppLayer

[0031] The MeasurementReportAppLayer message is used to send application layer measurement reports.

[0032] Signaling Radio Bearer: SRB4

[0033] RLC-SAP:AM

[0034] Logical channel: DCCH

[0035] Direction: UE to network

[0036] MeasurementReportAppLayer Message

[0037]

[0038]

[0039]

[0040] -----------------------END 3GPP SPECIFICATION EXCERPT-----------------------------

[0041] In existing specifications, the network can configure RVQoE only if there is also a corresponding configuration of regular QoE in the UE.

[0042] QoE metrics for streaming services

[0043] Specifications on QoE metrics for progressive download and 3GP-DASH services can be found in clause 10 of 3GPP TS 26.247.

[0044] The following metrics SHOULD be supported by progressive download clients that support the QoE reporting feature:

[0045] - average throughput,

[0046] - Initial playback delay

[0047] - Buffer Level

[0048] - Playlist

[0049] -Device information.

[0050] The following metrics should be supported by 3GP-DASH clients that support the QoE reporting feature:

[0051] - represents a list of switching events,

[0052] - average throughput,

[0053] - initial playback delay,

[0054] - buffer level,

[0055] - Playlists,

[0056] -MPD information,

[0057] -Device information.

[0058] AT-Commands

[0059] AT commands are used for communication between the AS (radio) layer and the application layer in the UE. AT commands are defined in 3GPP TS 27.007 version 17.6.0. AT commands are used in QoE to transfer configuration from the RRC layer to the application, and to transfer reports from the application layer to the RRC layer.

[0060] 3GPP Dual Connectivity

[0061] In 3GPP Rel-12, the LTE feature Dual Connectivity (DC) was introduced to enable the UE to be connected in two cell groups, each controlled by an LTE access node eNB (labeled as the main eNB, i.e., MeNB, and the secondary eNB, i.e., SeNB). The UE still has only one RRC connection with the network. In 3GPP, the Dual Connectivity (DC) solution has since been gradually developed and is now also specified for NR and between LTE and NR. Multi-Connectivity (MC) is the case when there are more than 2 nodes involved. With the introduction of 5G, the term MR-DC (Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity, see also 3GPP TS 37.340) is defined as a generic term for all dual connectivity options, which include at least one NR access node. Using the MR-DC generalized terminology, the UE is connected in a primary cell group (MCG) controlled by a primary node (MN) and a secondary cell group (SCG) controlled by a secondary node (SN).

[0062] In addition, in MR-DC, when dual connectivity is configured for the UE, carrier aggregation can also be used in each of the two cell groups MCG and SCG. In this case, in the primary cell group MCG controlled by the master node (MN), the UE can use one PCell and one or more SCells. And in the secondary cell group SCG controlled by the secondary node (SN), the UE can use one primary SCell (PSCell, also known as the primary SCG cell in NR) and one or more SCells. This combination is Figure 4 In the figure. In NR, the primary cell of the primary or secondary cell group is sometimes also called a special cell (SpCell). Therefore, the SpCell in the MCG is the PCell and the SpCell in the SCG is the PSCell.

[0063] There are different ways to deploy 5G networks with or without interworking with LTE (also known as E-UTRA) and Evolved Packet Core (EPC). In principle, NR and LTE can be deployed without any interworking, represented by NR Standalone (SA) operation, also known as Option 2, i.e. gNBs in NR can be connected to the 5G Core network (5GC) and eNBs in LTE can be connected to the EPC, with no interconnection between the two, also known as Option 1.

[0064] On the other hand, the first supported version of NR uses dual connectivity, denoted as EN-DC (E-UTRAN-NR Dual Connectivity), also known as Option 3, as Figure 5As depicted in . In such a deployment, dual connectivity between NR and LTE is applied, where the UE is connected to both the LTE radio interface to the LTE access node (LTE Uu in the figure) and the NR radio interface to the NR access node (NRUu in the figure). In addition, in EN-DC, the LTE access node acts as a master node controlling the main cell group MCG (in this case referred to as the main eNB, i.e., MeNB), and the NR access node acts as a secondary node controlling the secondary cell group SCG (in this case sometimes also referred to as a secondary gNB, i.e., SgNB). The SgNB may not have a control plane connection to the core network (EPC), instead, the control plane connection is provided by the MeNB, and in this case NR. This is also referred to as "non-independent NR", or "NSA NR" for short. Note that in this case, the functionality of the NR cell is limited and will be used for connected mode UEs as boosters and / or diversity legs, but RRC_IDLE UEs cannot reside on these NR cells.

[0065] With the introduction of 5GC, other options may also be valid. As mentioned above, option 2 supports standalone NR deployments with gNB connected to 5GC. Similarly, LTE can also be connected to 5GC using option 5 (also known as eLTE, E-UTRA / 5GC or LTE / 5GC, and the node can be referred to as ng-eNB). In these cases, both NR and LTE are considered part of NG-RAN (and both ng-eNB and gNB can be referred to as NG-RAN nodes).

[0066] It is worth noting that there are other variants of dual connectivity between LTE and NR that have been standardized as part of NG-RAN connected to 5GC. Under the umbrella of MR-DC are:

[0067] ●EN-DC (Option 3): LTE is the primary node and NR is the secondary node (using EPC CN, such as Figure 5 Depicted in

[0068] NE-DC (Option 4): NR is the primary node and LTE is the secondary node (using 5GCN)

[0069] NGEN-DC (Option 7): LTE as primary node and NR as secondary node (using 5GCN)

[0070] NR-DC (a variant of Option 2): Dual connectivity, where both the master node MN controlling the MCG and the secondary node SN controlling the SCG are NR (using 5GCN, such as Figure 6 ). Summary of the invention

[0071] A problem with the prior art is that if the UE is configured to perform QoE measurements from a secondary node (SN), it is currently not possible for the UE to send SN-related QoE reports to the SN. Different solutions have been discussed to send reports directly to the SN using SRB3 or the new SRB5, but SRB3 / 5 may not always be implemented or configured. Typically, the MN instructs the SN to set up a direct SRB towards the UE.

[0072] The techniques and apparatus described herein solve this problem by providing a method for a UE to indirectly send a QoE report intended for a secondary node (SN) in a transmit message via a primary node (MN) and then via an XnAP message from the MN to the SN. The transmit message from the UE may be sent over SRB4.

[0073] Also disclosed herein are methods for a MN or SN to determine whether to configure a UE with QoE / RVQoE measurements intended to be sent to the SN, and updates to network procedures to enable such configuration. Configuration of QoE measurements may also be included in a transmission message via the MN to the UE.

[0074] Methods for retrieving QoE measurements from the UE are also included, as are network aspects of the retrieval.The solution is applicable to both signaling-based and management-based QoE measurements, and a dedicated method for the case of management-based QoE measurements is included.

[0075] The disclosed technology, apparatus and system provide the possibility to indirectly send SN-related QoE reports to the SN in a transfer message via the MN, wherein the transfer message can be first sent from the UE to the MN on SRB4, and then sent from the MN to the SN via XnAP.

[0076] The disclosed solution enables the UE to send a QoE report intended for the SN to the SN, even if no direct communication towards the SN is configured (e.g. according to SRB3 or correspondingly). With this solution, the QoE report can be sent without having to attach any explicit information to the MN, such as an indication that the report is intended for the SN. The report can also be sent at any time, i.e. even if the UE has no information to send to the MN at that time. This makes the solution flexible and clear in terms of how the report is sent and for which node the report is intended, and allows the report to be sent directly to the network when received by the AS layer in the UE. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0077] Figure 1 Illustrate activation of management-based QoE in NR.

[0078] Figure 2Illustrate activation of signaling-based QoE in NR.

[0079] Figure 3 is a signaling flow diagram showing the configuration of QoE and RVQoE measurements.

[0080] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating dual connectivity combined with carrier aggregation in MR-DC.

[0081] Figure 5 EN-DC is shown.

[0082] Figure 6 NR-DC is shown.

[0083] Figure 7 is a signaling flow diagram illustrating signaling according to the disclosed technology.

[0084] Figure 8 , Fig. 9 and Fig.10 are process flow diagrams illustrating example methods performed by a UE, a MN, and a SN, respectively.

[0085] Fig.11 An example communication system is shown in which the disclosed techniques may be employed.

[0086] Fig.12 is a block diagram of an example UE.

[0087] Fig.13 is a block diagram of an example network node.

[0088] Fig.14 An example host is shown.

[0089] Fig.15 A virtualized environment is shown.

[0090] Fig.16 It is a communication diagram of a host communicating with a UE 1606 via a network node through a partial wireless connection. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0091] Before describing the example embodiments in detail, it should be noted that the embodiments reside primarily in a combination of device components and processing steps related to inter-node coordination (e.g., for reporting in a multi-node connection environment). Therefore, components have been represented by conventional symbols in the drawings where appropriate, and only those specific details relevant to understanding the embodiments are shown so as not to obscure the present disclosure with details that will readily become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description.

[0092] As used herein, relational terms such as "first" and "second", "top" and "bottom", etc., may be used only to distinguish one entity or element from another entity or element, without necessarily requiring or implying any physical or logical relationship or order between such entities or elements. The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the concepts described herein. As used herein, the singular forms of "one" and "the" are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the terms "include" and / or "comprise" when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof.

[0093] In the embodiments described herein, connection terms "in communication with..." and the like may be used to indicate electrical or data communication, which may be achieved, for example, by physical contact, induction, electromagnetic radiation, radio signals, infrared signals, or optical signals. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that multiple components may interoperate, and modifications and variations in achieving electrical and data communication are possible.

[0094] In some embodiments described herein, the terms "coupled," "connected," and the like may be used herein to indicate a connection, although not necessarily a direct connection, and may include wired and / or wireless connections. The term "network node" used herein may be any kind of network node (and / or node) included in a radio network, and may also include any of the following: a base station (BS), a radio base station, a base transceiver station (BTS), a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), a gNode B (gNB), an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB), a Node B, a multi-standard radio (MSR) radio node (such as an MSR BS), a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, a donor node controlled relay, a radio access point (AP), a transmission point, a transmission node, a remote radio unit (RRU) remote radio head (RRH), a core network node (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), a self-organizing network (SON) node, a coordination node, a positioning node, an MDT node, etc.), an external node (e.g., a third-party node, a node outside the current network), a node in a distributed antenna system (DAS), a spectrum access system (SAS) node, an element management system (EMS), etc. The network node may also include a test device. As used herein, the term "radio node" may also be used to refer to a UE such as a wireless device (WD) or a radio network node.

[0095] In some embodiments, non-limiting terms user equipment (UE) or wireless device (WD) are used interchangeably. UE herein can be any type of user equipment (e.g., wireless device) capable of communicating with a network node or another UE via a radio signal, such as user equipment (UE). UE can also be a radio communication device, a target device, a device-to-device (D2D) UE, a machine type UE, or a UE capable of machine-to-machine communication (M2M), a low-cost and / or low-complexity UE, a sensor equipped with a UE, a tablet computer, a mobile terminal, a smart phone, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, or a narrowband IoT (NB-IOT) device, etc. Although UE is described, any WD can be implemented. In addition, UE can be considered to be the same as WD, and is not limited to a specific type of wireless device.

[0096] In addition, in some embodiments, the general term "radio network node" is used. It can be any kind of radio network node, which can include any of the following: base station, radio base station, base transceiver station, base station controller, network controller, RNC, evolved Node B (eNB), Node B, gNB, multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), IAB node, relay node, access point, radio access point, remote radio unit (RRU) remote radio head (RRH).

[0097] In one or more embodiments, one or more of the following may apply:

[0098] ●The solution in this paper is described on the example of two RAN nodes serving a UE in NR-DC, but it can be generalized to any number of nodes serving a UE simultaneously.

[0099] ●The solution in this paper is described on the example of NR-DC, but it can also be generalized to Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) or connectivity options with more than two RAN nodes.

[0100] The terms "application layer measurement configuration", "application measurement configuration", "QoE measurement configuration", "QoE configuration", "QoE measurement and reporting configuration" and "QMC configuration" are used interchangeably. Note, however, that "QMC configuration file" is not an equivalent term, but refers to the portion of the QoE configuration that consists of an XML file that contains instructions for the QoE metrics to be collected, etc.

[0101] • All references to the application layer are to the application layer of the UE (since RAN nodes do not have an application layer).

[0102] • The term “service” is often used as a shorthand for “service type.” Thus, “service” and “service type” may be used interchangeably, for example, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

[0103] • The solution proposed in this invention can be applied to both signaling-based QoE measurement and management-based QoE measurement (but can also be optionally constrained to be applied to only one of them).

[0104] • The terms "QoE report" and "QoE measurement report" are used interchangeably. Similarly, the terms "RAN visible QoE report", "RAN visible QoE measurement report", "RVQoE report" and "RVQoE measurement report" are used interchangeably.

[0105] • When referring to the UE, the terms "access stratum" and "radio layer" are used interchangeably.

[0106] • The term "session" may refer to a QoE measurement session or an application session or an application session for which QoE measurements are applied.

[0107] • The term "session" may refer to a QoE measurement session or an application session or an application session for which QoE measurements are applied.

[0108] ● The solution proposed in this invention is applicable to UMTS, LTE and NR as well as future RATs such as 6G.

[0109] • The solution is described on the example of management-based QoE measurements (ie, their corresponding RVQoE measurements), but it is equally applicable to management-based and signaling-based QoE measurements and their corresponding RVQoE measurements.

[0110] Note that although terminology from one particular wireless system, such as 3GPP LTE and / or New Radio (NR), may be used in the present disclosure, this should not be viewed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned systems. Other wireless systems, including but not limited to Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), may also benefit from utilizing the ideas encompassed within the present disclosure.

[0111] It is further noted that the functions described herein as being performed by a user equipment or a network node may be distributed across multiple user equipments (UEs) and / or network nodes. In other words, it is contemplated that the functions of the network nodes and user equipment described herein are not limited to being performed by a single physical device and, in fact, may be distributed across several physical devices.

[0112] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that the terms used herein should be interpreted as having the same meaning as they have in the context of this specification and the relevant art, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined as such herein.

[0113] In several embodiments in the following solution description, the RAN sends a request for (one or more) RVQoE reports to the UE. Such a request may equivalently be referred to as an indication to the UE for sending (one or more) RVQoE reports, or an indication of satisfaction or RAN events (or (one or more) RAN events) that trigger RVQoE reporting.

[0114] The terms "Handover Command" and "Handover Command" are used interchangeably in this article. The two terms refer to that the UE configuration of the target node (of conventional handover) or the candidate target node (of conditional handover) is compiled for the UE to be subjected to handover or conditional handover during the (conditional) handover preparation phase. The UE configuration is compiled in the form of an RRC reconfiguration (RRCReconfiguration) message delivered to the UE via the source node. The RRC reconfiguration is associated with a specific target cell or a candidate target cell, and when / if the UE accesses the relevant (candidate) target cell controlled by the (candidate) target node, the UE applies the RRC reconfiguration. Formally speaking, a "handover command" is an RRC inter-node message that is delivered from a target node or a candidate target node to a source node during the preparation of a handover or conditional handover. It is carried by the HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE XnAP message in the "Target NG-RAN node To Source NG-RAN node Transparent Container" IE. The "Handover Command" RRC inter-node message contains the RRC reconfiguration that the UE should apply when accessing the target cell or candidate target cell. The source node forwards the RRC reconfiguration (i.e., the handover command) to the UE. In this solution description, the term "handover command" is also used to refer to the RRC reconfiguration when it is stored in the UE as part of the CHO configuration. This is also referred to as condRRCReconfig-r16 IE in the CondReconfigToAddMod-r16 IE (which contains the CHO configuration).

[0115] Many of the field (i.e., parameter) names or IE names in the RRC configuration for NR (3GPP TS 38.331 Version 17.1.0) are referred to as names with a suffix indicating the 3GPP standard version (e.g., "-r17" indicates 3GPP Release 17), or as the same name without the suffix. The version with the suffix is ​​then used in the ASN.1 code, while the version without the suffix is ​​used in other text in the specification. In this document, when applicable (i.e., when both versions of a field name are present in 3GPP TS 38.331 Version 17.1.0), the two versions of the name are used interchangeably. For example, the names "AppLayerMeasConfig" and "AppLayerMeasConfig-r17" refer to the same IE.

[0116] The RAN node can be gNB, eNB, en-gNB, ng-eNB, gNB-CU, gNB-CU-CP, gNB-CU-UP, eNB-CU, eNB-CU-CP, eNB-CU-UP, IAB node, IAB donor DU, IAB donor CU, IAB-DU, IAB-MT, O-CU, O-CU-CP, O-CU-UP, O-DU, O-RU, O-eNB, non-real-time RAN intelligent controller (non-RT RIC), real-time RAN intelligent controller (RT-RIC).

[0117] The solution applies equally to QoE and RAN-visible QoE measurement and reporting, which means, among other things, that considerations for QoE configuration, QoE measurement, and QoE reporting also apply to RVQoE configuration, RVQoE measurement, and RVQoE reporting.

[0118] Transmitting QoE reports to SN in dual connectivity

[0119] Please note that in all method descriptions in this disclosure, QoE can be replaced by RVQoE, that is, the methods are equally applicable to RVQoE as they are to QoE.

[0120] In addition, the methods described herein generally include a description of how a QoE report destined for a secondary node (SN) can be sent via a primary node (MN) associated with the SN, encapsulated in other messages. Although not explicitly described in the following method description, this forwarding principle can also be used to send a QoE report from a UE via a SN to a MN associated with the SN, where the QoE report is encapsulated in other messages in a similar manner.

[0121] Sending QoE reports using transfer messages

[0122] Figure 7 The diagram illustrates the use of transmit messages to transmit QoE configurations and QoE reports from / to a SN in accordance with at least some embodiments of the disclosed technology.

[0123] These techniques may be understood to include a method for QoE measurement reporting in a wireless terminal (also referred to as a user equipment—UE) configured with dual connectivity, the method comprising:

[0124] • Receive a message from the Master Node (MN) indicating the configuration of QoE measurements, where some or all QoE reports are intended for Secondary Nodes (SN).

[0125] o This message is an RRC reconfiguration message, which contains the configuration of the SCG associated with the secondary node (SN) (and optionally the configuration of the MCG associated with the primary node (MN)).

[0126] o The SCG configuration is included in the field nr-SecondaryCellGroupConfig of OCET STRING as RRCReconfiguration;

[0127] ○ The RRC reconfiguration in the OCET STRING contains the QoE configuration, where the QoE configuration includes the configuration of the QoE measurements to be performed in the SN.

[0128] ○ The message contains an instruction to the UE to instruct the UE to include a QoE report generated according to the configuration of the QoE measurement in the (one or more) ULInformationTransferMRDC (UL Information Transfer MRDC) RRC message to be sent to the MN. Specifically, according to the instruction, the (one or more) QoE report should be included in the (one or more) MeasurementReportAppLayer RRC message, where each such message is included in the ULInformationTransferMRDC RRC message.

[0129] ■ The instruction may also include, explicitly or implicitly (by the standard specification), that the UE shall send(s) ULInformationTransferMRDC RRC message(s) on SRB4.

[0130] ■ Alternatively, the instruction may also include explicitly or implicitly (by the standard specification) that the UE shall send (one or more) ULInformationTransferMRDC RRC message(s) on SRB1.

[0131] ○ Alternatively, the message is a newly defined RRC message.

[0132] ● Apply the SCG configuration containing the configuration for QoE measurements. Forward the relevant parts of the QoE configuration to the application layer.

[0133] ● When a session in the application layer starts, measurements are started in the application layer. QoE reports are forwarded from the application layer to the AS layer according to the configuration.

[0134] When a QoE report is received in the AS layer:

[0135] ○ Set the content of the ULInformationTransferMRDC message according to the previously received instructions. ULInformationTransferMRDC contains the MeasurementReportAppLayer message, which contains the QoE report;

[0136] ○Submit ULInformationTransferMRDC message to MN on SRB4.

[0137] ○ Alternatively, a ULInformationTransferMRDC is submitted to the MN over SRB1.

[0138] o Alternatively, the newly defined message is sent to the SN on an existing or newly defined SRB.

[0139] o Alternatively, a message containing the QoE report is sent to the SN over SRB3.

[0140] The technology also includes a method in a master node (MN), the method comprising:

[0141] • (optionally) receiving a message from a secondary node (SN) indicating that the SN has received the management-based QoE configuration, wherein the message may optionally include an identification of the management-based QoE configuration, such as a QoE reference.

[0142] • (Optionally) request the Secondary Node (SN) to prepare a configuration of QoE measurements for the UE, where some or all QoE reports will be sent from the UE to the SN.

[0143] ○The message is an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST (S-node modification request) or an S-NODEADDITION REQUEST (S-node addition request) message or a newly defined XnAP message.

[0144] o The decision whether to request the SN to prepare the configuration of QoE measurements for the UE may be based on one or more of the following:

[0145] ■Is QoE configuration management-based or signaling-based?

[0146] ■ Whether the MN has received a message from the SN indicating that the SN has received the management-based QoE configuration.

[0147] ■ The service type for which the QoE configuration is targeted, for example, if the service type is MBS, the decision may be different from the decision if the service type is MTSI.

[0148] ■ Any of the data radio bearers (DRBs) is a split DRB or all DRBs are non-split DRBs, or any of the DRBs is a non-split DRB or all DRBs are split DRBs.

[0149] ■ QFI(s) associated with SCG DRB(s) and / or QFI(s) associated with MCG DRB(s).

[0150] ■The load experienced in the SN (e.g., traffic load or processing load) and / or the load experienced in the SCG (e.g., traffic load).

[0151] ■The load experienced in the SN (e.g., traffic load or processing load) and / or the load experienced in the SCG (e.g., traffic load).

[0152] o The message may include an identification of a QoE configuration, such as a QoE reference.

[0153] o The message may include an indication of the type of service with which the QoE configuration should be associated.

[0154] ● receiving (in response (in case the above request is sent to the SN)) a message from the SN, the message comprising a message,

[0155] For example, an RRCReconfiguration message, which may be in the form of an OCTET STRING, and wherein the RRCReconfiguration message includes configuration of QoE measurements, where some or all QoE reports will be sent from the UE to the SN.

[0156] ○The message is S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE (S-node modification request confirmation) or S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE (S-node addition request confirmation) or S-NODEMODIFICATION REQUIRED (S-node modification required) message or S-NODE CHANGE REQUIRED (S-node change required message) or the newly defined XnAP message.

[0157] • Send a message to the UE indicating the configuration of QoE measurements, where some or all QoE reports are intended for a secondary node (SN).

[0158] o The message is an RRCReconfiguration message, which contains (optionally, the configuration of the MCG associated with the master node (MN)) and the configuration of the SCG associated with the secondary node (SN).

[0159] o The SCG configuration is included in the field nr-SecondaryCellGroupConfig of the OCTET STRING as RRCReconfiguration;

[0160] o The RRCReconfiguration within the OCTET STRING contains the QoE configuration, where the QoE configuration includes the configuration for QoE measurements to be performed in the UE and intended for the SN.

[0161] ○ The message contains an instruction to the UE, which instructs the UE to include a QoE report generated according to the configuration of the QoE measurement in the (one or more) ULInformationTransferMRDC RRC message to be sent to the MN. Specifically, according to the instruction, the (one or more) QoE report should be included in (one or more) MeasurementReportAppLayerRRC message, where each such message is included in the ULInformationTransferMRDC RRC message.

[0162] ■ The instruction may also include, explicitly or implicitly (by the standard specification), that the UE shall send(s) ULInformationTransferMRDC RRC message(s) on SRB4.

[0163] ■ Alternatively, the instruction may also include, explicitly or implicitly (by standard specification), that the UE shall send (one or more) ULInformationTransferMRDC RRC message(s) on SRB1.

[0164] ● Receive ULInformationTransferMRDC RRC message. ULInformationTransferMRDC includes MeasurementReportAppLayer message, which includes QoE report generated according to QoE configuration;

[0165] ■ Receive a ULInformationTransferMRDC message on SRB4, wherein the ULInformationTransferMRDC message contains a MeasurementReportAppLayer message, which contains a QoE report.

[0166] ■ Alternatively, a ULInformationTransferMRDC message is received on SRB1, wherein the ULInformationTransferMRDC message contains a MeasurementReportAppLayer message, which contains the QoE report.

[0167] • Sending a RRC TRANSFER message to the secondary node (SN), wherein the RRC TRANSFER message contains a MeasurementReportAppLayer message, which contains the QoE report.

[0168] The technology also includes a method in a secondary node (SN), the method comprising:

[0169] • (optionally) sending a message to the Master Node (MN) indicating that the SN has received the management-based QoE configuration, wherein the message may optionally include an identification of the management-based QoE configuration, such as a QoE reference.

[0170] ● (Optional) Receive a message from a Master Node (MN) containing a request to prepare a configuration of QoE measurements for the UE, where some or all QoE reports will be sent from the UE to the SN.

[0171] ○The message is an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST (S-node modification request) or an S-NODEADDITION REQUEST (S-node addition request) message or a newly defined XnAP message.

[0172] o The message may include an identification of a QoE configuration, such as a QoE reference.

[0173] o The message may include an indication of the type of service with which the QoE configuration should be associated.

[0174] ●Prepare a configuration for QoE measurement for the UE, which configuration may be in the form of an RRCReconfiguration message, or may be included in the RRCReconfiguration message (i.e., the preparation may consist of preparing a QoE measurement configuration, such as in the form of an AppLayerMeasConfig IE, and including the QoE measurement configuration, such as the AppLayerMeasConfig IE, in the RRCReconfiguration message.

[0175] • Sending a message to the MN, the message comprising an RRCReconfiguration message which may be in the form of an OCTET STRING, and wherein the RRCReconfiguration message comprises configuration of QoE measurements for which some or all QoE reports are to be sent from the UE to the SN.

[0176] ○The message is S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE (S-node modification request confirmation) or S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE (S-node addition request confirmation) or S-NODEMODIFICATION REQUIRED (S-node modification required) message or S-NODE CHANGE REQUIRED (S-node change required message) or the newly defined XnAP message.

[0177] • Receive an RRC TRANSFER message from a Master Node (MN), wherein the RRC TRANSFER message contains a MeasurementReportAppLayer message containing a QoE report generated by the UE according to the QoE measurement configuration prepared by the SN.

[0178] The technology also includes a method in a secondary node (SN) (e.g., a source SN node of a SN change SN initiation procedure), the method comprising:

[0179] - Send an XnAP message which requests the Master Node (MN) to retrieve QoE measurements from the UE, some or all of which QoE reports will be sent from the UE to the SN.

[0180] ○The XnAP message is an S-NODE CHANGE REQUIRED message, an S-NODEMODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message, an S-NODE ADDITIONREQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message, an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUIRED message, an S-NODE CHANGE REQUIRED message or a newly defined XnAP message.

[0181] o The QoE report requested by the SN based on the QoE configuration is sent from the MN to the UE according to the above method.

[0182] o The request is explicit (eg, including a flag or IE of ENUMERATED type or another type of IE in the above XnAP message) or implicit (eg, the request is implicitly indicated by sending the above XnAP message (eg, according to a standard specification).

[0183] - (optionally, eg depending on the type of XnAP message in which the above request is sent), receiving a response message from the MN confirming the request sent by the SN.

[0184] ● Receiving a message from the MN, the message comprising a MeasurementReportAppLayer message in the form of an OCTET STRING, and wherein the MeasurementReportAppLayer message comprises (one or more) QoE reports, wherein the (one or more) QoE reports are to be sent from the UE to the SN.

[0185] ○The message is S-NODE CHANGE CONFIRM or S-NODECHANGE REFUSE message or a newly defined XnAP message.

[0186] o A MeasurementReportAppLayer message is sent from the MN to the SN and includes a QoE report for the SN obtained by the MN from the UE, e.g. as part of an SN change procedure initiated by the SN, wherein the MN, before sending a successful confirmation of the SN change procedure to the SN (using an S-NODE CHANGECONFIRM XnAP message) or before sending an indication to the SN to reject the SN change (using an S-NODE CHANGE XnAP message): 1) sends an RRCReconfiguration message, optionally including an indication for requesting the UE to provide (one or more) QoE report(s) to be sent to the SN, 2) receives (one or more) QoE report(s) from the UE to be forwarded to the SN

[0187] o The QoE report for the SN included in the message received from the SN is obtained based on the QoE configuration sent from the MN to the UE according to the above method

[0188] The technology also includes a method in a secondary node (SN) (e.g., a source SN node of a SN release SN initiation procedure), the method comprising:

[0189] • Request the Master Node (MN) to retrieve QoE measurements from the UE, some or all of which QoE reports will be sent from the UE to the SN.

[0190] ○The message is S-NODE RELEASE REQUIRED or the newly defined XnAP message.

[0191] ○ QoE reports requested by SN based on QoE configuration are sent from MN to UE according to the above method

[0192] o The request is explicit (e.g., by including a flag in the above XnAP message) or implicit (e.g., by sending the above XnAP message)

[0193] • Receive (response) a message from the MN, the message comprising a MeasurementReportAppLayer message in the form of an OCTET STRING, and wherein the MeasurementReportAppLayer message comprises QoE reports, some or all of which are to be sent from the UE to the SN.

[0194] ○The message is S-NODE RELEASE CONFIRM or the newly defined XnAP message.

[0195] o A MeasurementReportAppLayer message is sent from the MN to the SN and includes a QoE report for the SN obtained by the MN from the UE, e.g., as part of an SN release procedure initiated by the SN, where the MN, before sending a successful confirmation of the SN release procedure to the SN (using an S-NODE RELEASECONFIRM XnAP message): 1) sends an RRCReconfiguration message optionally including an indication requesting the UE to provide QoE report(s) to be sent to the SN, and 2) receives from the UE the QoE report(s) to be forwarded to the SN. The QoE report may be sent to the SN, e.g., via a UE CONTEXT RELEASE XnAP message.

[0196] o The QoE report for the SN included in the message received by the SN from the SN is obtained based on the QoE configuration sent from the MN to the UE according to the above method. When the UE is configured with EN-DC or NE-DC, the transmission message is used

[0197] The same method can be used for UEs configured with EN-DC or NE-DC. In the case of EN-DC, the UE can send an LTE ULInformationTransferMRDC message to the LTE MN, which contains a MeasurementReportAppLayer (which contains a QoE report) message for transmission to the NRSN in an RRC TRANSFER message. In the case of NE-DC, the UE can send an NRULInformationTransferMRDC message to the MN, which contains an LTE message MeasReportAppLayer (which contains a QoE report) for transmission to the SN in an RRC TRANSFER message.

[0198] Solutions for the case of management-based QoE measurement

[0199] Typically, management-based QoE measurements are configured for a group of UEs, where the QoE measurement configuration is the same for all UEs. In the context of the present disclosure, each of the messages exchanged in the above-described communications between the MN and the SN may be applied to two or more UEs for which the SN configures management-based QoE measurements, rather than to a single UE, where all of these UEs will have the SN node as a secondary node and the MN node as a primary node.

[0200] In one variant, the message from the SN to the MN requesting the MN to retrieve measurements from the UEs may include identifiers of multiple UEs from which measurements are desired. The UEs may be identified, for example, by their XnAP UE IDs. The corresponding response from the MN may contain confirmations regarding all or some of the UEs.

[0201] In another variant, the message may contain only an indication that the QoE configuration contained in the message from the SN to the MN involves management-based QoE measurement, without indicating a separate UE ID. In this case, the MN determines the UEs that will be configured with the management-based QoE configuration and informs the SN which UEs it has selected.

[0202] Regarding measurement reporting for management-based QoE for a group of UEs, the UEs may individually send their reports to the SN via the MN. In another variant, the MN collects one or more incoming reports from the UEs and then forwards them jointly to the SN.

[0203] The above considerations can be applied to all methods described in Sections 6.3.1 and 6.3.2.

[0204] Example Implementation

[0205] An example implementation of the above solution in 3GPP TS 38.331 may be similar to the following (additions in bold, underline and italics):

[0206] -------------------------Start proposed 3GPP specification--------------------------

[0207] 6.2.2 Message Definition [..]

[0209] –ULInformationTransferMRDC

[0210] The ULInformationTransferMRDC message is used for uplink transmission of MR-DC-specific information (e.g., for transmitting NR or E-UTRA RRC MeasurementReport messages, MeasurementReportAppLayer Message , FailureInformation message, UEAssistanceInformation message, RRCReconfigurationComplete message or NR or E-UTRA RRC MCGFailureInformation message).

[0211] Signaling radio bearer: SRB1, SRB3, SRB4

[0212] RLC-SAP:AM

[0213] Logical channel: DCCH

[0214] Direction: UE to network

[0215] ULInformationTransferMRDC message

[0216]

[0217]

[0218]

[0219] -----------------------End of proposed 3GPP specification----------------------------

[0220] An example implementation of the above solution in 3GPP TS 38.423 may be similar to the following (additions in bold, underline and italics)

[0221] -----------------------Start proposed 3GPP specification----------------------------

[0222] 9.1.2.20RRC Transmission

[0223] This message is sent by the M-NG-RAN-NODE to the S-NG-RAN-NODE to transfer an RRC message, or from the S-NG-RAN-NODE to the M-NG-RAN-NODE to report the DL RRC message delivery status.

[0224] In case of RACH-based SDT without UE context relocation, this message is also sent by the new NG-RAN-NODE to the old NG-RAN-NODE, or from the old NG-RAN-NODE to the new NG-RAN-NODE, to convey the RRC message containing the SDT SRB.

[0225] Direction: M-NG-RAN node → S-NG-RAN node or S-NG-RAN node → M-NG-RAN node (dual connectivity).

[0226] Direction: new NG-RAN node → old NG-RAN node or old NG-RAN node → new NG-RAN node (SDT).

[0227]

[0228]

[0229]

[0230]

[0231] 9.1.2.17 S-NODE RELEASE REQUIRED (S-node release required)

[0232] This message is sent by the S-NG-RAN node to request the release of all resources for a specific UE at the S-NG-RAN node.

[0233] Direction: S-NG-RAN node → M-NG-RAN node.

[0234]

[0235]

[0236] 9.1.2.18 S-NODE RELEASE CONFIRM (S-Node Release Confirmation)

[0237] This message is sent by the M-NG-RAN node to confirm the release of all resources for a specific UE at the S-NG-RAN node.

[0238] Direction: M-NG-RAN node → S-NG-RAN node.

[0239]

[0240] -----------------------End of proposed 3GPP specification----------------------------

[0241] In view of the above technology, it will be understood that Figure 8 An example method in a UE, or more generally, an example method in a wireless device operating in LTE or NR or other wireless networks is illustrated. The illustrated method is intended to be a generalization of at least some of the above techniques and encompasses these techniques. Figure 8Where the terminology used in the description of the illustrated method differs slightly from the examples and illustrations provided above, the terminology used below should be understood to be interchangeable with or inclusive of like terms used above, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0242] As shown at block 810, the method includes receiving a configuration message from a radio network node, the configuration message including a quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration associated with at least one cell of a secondary node (SN) serving a UE. The method also includes performing one or more QoE measurements according to the QoE measurement configuration, such as shown at block 820. As shown at block 830, the method also includes sending a report of the one or more QoE measurements to a cell of a primary node (MN) serving the UE, wherein the sending includes including the report in a message indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN.

[0243] In some embodiments, the message sent to the MN is of a message type indicating that the included reports are to be transmitted to the SN, for example, a ULInformationTransferMRDC message type as described in detail above. In some of these embodiments, the configuration message received by the UE includes an indication that measurements related to at least one cell of the SN are to be sent in a ULInformationTransferMRDC message. In various embodiments, the configuration message may indicate that the UE is to send (one or more) ULInformationTransferMRDC messages on SRB4 or SRB1.

[0244] Any one or more of the above-discussed variations related to techniques performed by or with a UE are applicable to Figure 8 The method shown in .

[0245] Fig. 9 An example method in a network node operating as a master node (MN) is illustrated. Likewise, the illustrated method is intended to be a generalization of at least some of the above-described techniques and encompass these techniques. Fig. 9 Where the terminology used in the description of the illustrated method differs slightly from the examples and illustrations provided above, the terminology used below should be understood to be interchangeable with or inclusive of like terms used above, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0246] As shown at block 910, the illustrated method includes sending a configuration message to a UE, the configuration message including a quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration associated with at least one cell of a secondary node (SN) serving the UE. The method also includes, as shown at block 920, subsequently receiving from the UE a report of one or more QoE measurements associated with at least one cell of the SN, wherein the report is included in a message indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN. As shown at block 930, the method also includes sending the report to the SN.

[0247] In some embodiments, the message received from the UE is of a message type indicating that the included reports are to be transmitted to the SN. For example, the message type may be of a ULInformationTransferMRDC message type. In some of these embodiments, the configuration message sent to the UE may include an indication that measurements associated with at least one cell of the SN are to be sent by the UE to the MN in a ULInformationTransferMRDC message. In some embodiments, the configuration message indicates that the UE is to send (one or more) ULInformationTransferMRDC messages on SRB4 or SRB1.

[0248] In some embodiments, the method includes receiving the QoE measurement configuration from the SN before sending the QoE measurement configuration to the UE. Fig. 9 As shown at box 905 in .

[0249] Any one or more of the variations discussed above with respect to techniques performed by or with a MN are applicable to Fig. 9 The method shown in .

[0250] Fig.10 An example method in a network node operating as a master node (SN) is illustrated. Again, the illustrated method is intended to be a generalization of some of the above techniques and encompass these techniques. Fig.10 Where the terminology used in the description of the illustrated method differs slightly from the examples and illustrations provided above, the terminology used below should be understood to be interchangeable with or inclusive of like terms used above, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0251] As shown at block 1010, Fig.10 The method shown includes sending a quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration related to at least one cell of the SN to a network node operating as a master node (MN) relative to the UE for transmission to the UE. As shown at block 1020, the method also includes receiving from the MN a report of one or more QoE measurements made by the UE according to the QoE measurement configuration.

[0252] In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a request from the MN for preparing a configuration for QoE measurement before sending the QoE measurement configuration, wherein the sending of the QoE measurement configuration is in response to the request. Fig.10 As shown in box 1005.

[0253] Any one or more of the variations discussed above with respect to techniques performed by or in conjunction with SN are applicable to Fig.10 The method shown in .

[0254] Fig.11 An example of a communication system 1100 is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0255] In this example, the communication system 1100 includes a telecommunications network 1102 including an access network 1104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 1106 including one or more core network nodes 1108. The access network 1104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 1110a and 1110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 1110), or any other similar third generation partnership project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. The network nodes 1110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 1112a, 1112b, 1112c, and 1112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 1112) to the core network 1106 via one or more wireless connections.

[0256] Example wireless communications over wireless connections include sending and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transferring information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. In addition, in different embodiments, the communication system 1100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals, whether via a wired connection or a wireless connection. The communication system 1100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar types of systems.

[0257] UE 1112 may be any of a variety of communication devices, including wireless devices that are arranged, configured and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network node 1110 and other communication devices. Similarly, network node 1110 is arranged, capable, configured and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UE 1112 and / or with other network nodes or devices in telecommunication network 1102 to enable and / or provide network access (such as wireless network access) and / or perform other functions (such as management in telecommunication network 1102).

[0258] In the depicted example, the core network 1106 connects the network node 1110 to one or more hosts, such as the host 1116. These connections may be direct or indirect connections via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, the network node may be directly coupled to the host. The core network 1106 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 1108) constructed with hardware and software components. The features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UE, network node, and / or host, so that the description is generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 1108. The example core network node includes a mobile switching center (MSC), a mobility management entity (MME), a home subscriber server (HSS), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), an authentication server function (AUSF), a subscription identifier de-hiding function (SIDF), a unified data management (UDM), a security edge protection agent (SEPP), a network open function (NEF), and / or a user plane function (UPF) One or more functions.

[0259] The host 1116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than the operator or provider of the access network 1104 and / or the telecommunications network 1102, and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The host 1116 may host various applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include real-time and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services (such as retrieving and compiling data about various environmental conditions detected by multiple UEs), analysis functions, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for alarm and monitoring centers, or any other such functions performed by a server.

[0260] As a whole, Fig.11The communication system 1100 implements the connection between UE, network node and host. In this sense, the communication system can be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures such as specific standards, including but not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standards (e.g., 6G); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standards, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC), ZigBee, LiFi and / or any low power wide area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0261] In some examples, telecommunication network 1102 is a cellular network implementing 3GPP standardized features. Thus, telecommunication network 1102 can support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to telecommunication network 1102. For example, telecommunication network 1102 can provide ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services to some UEs while providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or provide massive machine type communication (mMTC) / massive IoT services to additional UEs.

[0262] In some examples, UE 1112 is configured to send and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to a request from access network 1104, the UE can be designed to send information to access network 1104 according to a predetermined schedule. Additionally, the UE can be configured to operate in a single RAT or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, the UE can operate using any one or a combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio), and LTE, i.e., configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio-Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0263] In this example, the hub 1114 communicates with the access network 1104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 1112c and / or 1112d) and a network node (e.g., network node 1110b). In some examples, the hub 1114 can be a controller, a router, a content source, and analysis, or any of the other communication devices described herein with respect to the UE. For example, the hub 1114 can be a broadband router that enables the UE to access the core network 1106. As another example, the hub 1114 can be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UE. The commands or instructions can be received from the UE, the network node 1110, or received through executable code, scripts, processes, or other instructions in the hub 1114. As another example, the hub 1114 can be a data collector that acts as a temporary storage device for UE data, and in some embodiments, analysis or other processing of the data can be performed. As another example, the hub 1114 can be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, speaker, or other media delivery device, the hub 1114 can retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, and then the hub 1114 provides it to the UE directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In another example, the hub 1114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UE, particularly when one or more of the UEs are low-energy IoT devices.

[0264] Hub 1114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to network node 1110b. Hub 1114 may also allow different communication schemes and / or scheduling between hub 1114 and UE (e.g., UE 1112c and / or 1112d) and between hub 1114 and core network 1106. In other examples, hub 1114 is connected to core network 1106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. In addition, hub 1114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider via access network 1104 and / or to another UE via a direct connection. In some scenarios, a UE may establish a wireless connection with network node 1110 while still being connected via hub 1114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, hub 1114 may be a dedicated hub, that is, its primary function is to route communications from network node 1110b to UE / from UE to network node 1110b. In other embodiments, hub 1114 may be a non-dedicated hub, that is, a device operable to route communications between UEs and network node 1110b, but also capable of operating as a communications origin and / or endpoint for certain data channels.

[0265] Fig.12UE 1200 according to some embodiments is shown. As used herein, UE refers to a device capable of, configured, arranged and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with a network node and / or other UEs. Examples of UEs include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cellular phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablet computers, laptops, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless devices, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs, machine type communications (MTC) UEs, and / or enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs.

[0266] The UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communications, for example by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communications, dedicated short-range communications (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, the UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user owning and / or operating the associated device. Instead, the UE may represent a device that is intended to be sold to or operated by a human user, but the device may not be associated with a particular human user, or may not initially be associated with that particular human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, the UE may represent a device that is not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user, but the device may be associated with a user or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart meter).

[0267] UE 1200 includes a processing circuit 1202, which is operatively coupled to an input / output interface 1206, a power supply 1208, a memory 1210, a communication interface 1212, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof, via a bus 1204. Some UEs may utilize Fig.12 All or a subset of the components shown in . The level of integration between components may vary from one UE to another UE. In addition, some UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0268] The processing circuit 1202 is configured to process instructions and data, and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute instructions stored in the memory 1210 as a machine-readable computer program. The processing circuit 1202 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic and appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors such as microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs), and appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuit 1202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0269] In this example, the input / output interface 1206 can be configured to provide one or more interfaces to an input device, an output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of output devices include speakers, sound cards, video cards, displays, monitors, printers, actuators, transmitters, smart cards, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device can allow a user to capture information into the UE 1200. Examples of input devices include touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive displays, cameras (e.g., digital cameras, digital video cameras, web cameras, etc.), microphones, sensors, mice, trackballs, direction pads, trackpads, rollers, smart cards, etc. A presence-sensitive display can include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. The sensor can be, for example, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device can use an interface port of the same type as an input device. For example, a universal serial bus (USB) port can be used to provide input devices and output devices.

[0270] In some embodiments, the power supply 1208 is configured as a battery or a battery pack. Other types of power supplies may be used, such as an external power supply (e.g., an electrical socket), a photovoltaic device, or a power battery. The power supply 1208 may also include a power circuit for delivering power from the power supply 1208 itself and / or an external power supply to various parts of the UE 1200 via an input circuit or an interface such as a power cable. The delivered power may be used, for example, to charge the power supply 1208. The power circuit may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification to the power from the power supply 1208 so that the power is suitable for the various components of the UE 1200 to which the power is supplied.

[0271] The memory 1210 may be or be configured to include a memory such as a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a hard disk, a removable tape cartridge, a flash drive, etc. In one example, the memory 1210 includes one or more application programs 1214, such as an operating system, a web browser application, a widget, a gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1216. The memory 1210 may store any of a variety of operating systems or a combination of operating systems for use by the UE 1200.

[0272] The memory 1210 may be configured to include a plurality of physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital versatile disk (HD-DVD) optical drive, an internal hard drive, a Blu-ray optical drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), an external micro DIMM SDRAM, a smart card memory (such as a tamper-proof module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC), including one or more user identity modules (SIMs), such as USIM and / or ISIM), other memories, or any combination thereof. The UICC may be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC commonly referred to as a “SIM card”. The memory 1210 may allow the UE 1200 to access instructions, applications, etc. stored on a temporary or non-temporary storage medium to offload data or upload data. An article of manufacture, such as an article of manufacture utilizing a communication system, may be tangibly embodied as or in memory 1210, which may be or include a device-readable storage medium.

[0273] The processing circuit 1202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using a communication interface 1212. The communication interface 1212 may include one or more communication subsystems and may include an antenna 1222 or be communicatively coupled to the antenna 1222. The communication interface 1212 may include one or more transceivers for communication, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or network node in the access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1218 and / or a receiver 1220 suitable for providing network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocation, etc.). In addition, the transmitter 1218 and the receiver 1220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 1222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or may be implemented separately alternatively.

[0274] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functionality of the communication interface 1212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near field communication, location-based communication such as using a global positioning system (GPS) to determine location, another similar communication functionality, or any combination thereof. Communication may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, new radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / Internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), QUIC, hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), and the like.

[0275] Regardless of the type of sensor, the UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensor via a wireless connection to a network node through its communication interface 1212. The data captured by the UE's sensor may be transmitted to the network node via another UE via a wireless connection. The output may be periodic (e.g., every 15 minutes if it reports a sensed temperature), random (e.g., in order to load balance reports from multiple sensors), in response to a trigger event (e.g., sending an alarm when moisture is detected), in response to a request (e.g., a user-initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0276] As another example, the UE includes an actuator, motor, or switch associated with a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input, the state of the actuator, motor, or switch can change. For example, the UE can include a motor that adjusts a control surface or rotor of a drone in flight based on the received input, or adjusts a robotic arm performing a medical procedure based on the received input.

[0277] When in the form of an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a UE may be a device used in one or more application areas including, but not limited to, urban wearable technology, extended industrial applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such IoT devices are the following devices or devices embedded in the following devices: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a television, connected lighting, an electric meter, a robotic vacuum cleaner, a voice-activated smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / humidity sensor, an electric door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system (such as a heat pump), an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR), a wearable device for tactile enhancement or sensory enhancement, a sprinkler, an animal or item tracking device, a sensor for monitoring plants or animals, an industrial robot, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device (such as a heart rate monitor or a remotely controlled surgical robot). In addition to the description of Fig.12 In addition to the other components described for the UE 1200 shown in FIG. 1 , a UE in the form of an IoT device includes circuitry and / or software depending on the intended application of the IoT device.

[0278] As another specific example, in an IoT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and sends the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another UE and / or a network node. In this case, the UE may be an M2M device, which may be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As a specific example, a UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, bus, truck, ship, and airplane, or other device that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operating status or capable of performing other functions associated with its operation.

[0279] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE may be or be integrated into a drone and provide the drone's speed information (obtained via a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller for operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the speed of the drone. The first and / or second UE may also include more than one of the above functions. For example, the UE may include a sensor and an actuator and handle the communication of data for the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0280] Fig.13 A network node 1300 according to some embodiments is shown. As used herein, a network node refers to a device capable of, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or other network nodes or devices in a telecommunications network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and NRNodeBs (gNBs)).

[0281] Base stations may be classified based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, based on their transmit power level), and thus may be referred to as a femto base station, a pico base station, a micro base station, or a macro base station, depending on the amount of coverage provided. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), which is sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. Portions of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0282] Other examples of network nodes include a multi-transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access node, a multi-standard radio (MSR) device such as an MSR BS, a network controller such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transmission point, a transmission node, a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), an operation and maintenance (O&M) node, an operation support system (OSS) node, a self-organizing network (SON) node, a positioning node (e.g., an evolved serving mobile positioning center (E-SMLC)) and / or a minimization of drive tests (MDT).

[0283] The network node 1300 includes a processing circuit 1302, a memory 1304, a communication interface 1306, and a power supply 1308. The network node 1300 may be composed of multiple physically separated components (e.g., a NodeB component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), each of which may have its own corresponding components. In certain scenarios where the network node 1300 includes multiple separated components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separated components may be shared between several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may be considered as a single separated network node in some cases. In some embodiments, the network node 1300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such an embodiment, some components may be repeated (e.g., separate memories 1304 for different RATs), and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 1310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1300 may also include multiple sets of various illustrated components for different wireless technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, radio frequency identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technologies, integrated into the network node 1300. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within the network node 1300.

[0284] The processing circuit 1302 may include a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic that is operable to provide the functionality of the network node 1300 alone or in conjunction with other network node 1300 components (such as memory 1304).

[0285] In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1312 and baseband processing circuitry 1314. In some embodiments, radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1312 and baseband processing circuitry 1314 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units, such as a radio unit and a digital unit. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1312 and baseband processing circuitry 1314 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0286] The memory 1304 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including but not limited to persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drive, compact disk (CD) or digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data and / or instructions that can be used by the processing circuit 1302. The memory 1304 may store any suitable instructions, data or information, including computer programs, software, applications, including one or more of logic, rules, codes, tables and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuit 1302 and utilized by the network node 1300. The memory 1304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuit 1302 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1306. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1302 and the memory 1304 are integrated.

[0287] The communication interface 1306 is used for wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks and / or UEs. As shown in the figure, the communication interface 1306 includes one or more ports / terminals 1316, for example, sending data to the network and receiving data from the network through a wired connection. The communication interface 1306 also includes a radio front-end circuit 1318, which can be coupled to the antenna 1310, or in some embodiments is a part of the antenna 1310. The radio front-end circuit 1318 includes a filter 1320 and an amplifier 1322. The radio front-end circuit 1318 can be connected to the antenna 1310 and the processing circuit 1302. The radio front-end circuit can be configured to adjust the signal transmitted between the antenna 1310 and the processing circuit 1302. The radio front-end circuit 1318 can receive digital data to be sent to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 1318 can use a combination of a filter 1320 and / or an amplifier 1322 to convert the digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal can then be sent via the antenna 1310. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 1310 may collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by radio front end circuit 1318. The digital data may be passed to processing circuit 1302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0288] In some alternative embodiments, the network node 1300 does not include a separate radio front end circuit 1318, but rather the processing circuit 1302 includes the radio front end circuit and is connected to the antenna 1310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or part of the RF transceiver circuit 1312 is part of the communication interface 1306. In other embodiments, the communication interface 1306 includes one or more ports or terminals 1316, the radio front end circuit 1318, and the RF transceiver circuit 1312 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1306 communicates with the baseband processing circuit 1314 as part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0289] Antenna 1310 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 1310 may be coupled to radio front end circuit 1318 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly sending and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 1310 is separate from network node 1300 and may be connected to network node 1300 via an interface or port.

[0290] Antenna 1310, communication interface 1306 and / or processing circuit 1302 may be configured to perform any receiving operation and / or certain acquisition operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and / or signal may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 1310, communication interface 1306 and / or processing circuit 1302 may be configured to perform any sending operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and / or signal may be sent to a UE, another network node and / or any other network device.

[0291] The power supply 1308 provides power to the various components of the network node 1300 in a form suitable for the various components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). The power supply 1308 may further include or be coupled to a power management circuit to supply power to the components of the network node 1300 for performing the functions described herein. For example, the network node 1300 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., a power grid, an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface such as a cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to the power circuit of the power supply 1308. As another example, the power supply 1308 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack, which is connected to the power circuit or integrated in the power circuit. If the external power source fails, the battery can provide backup power.

[0292] An embodiment of the network node 1300 may include Fig.13Additional components beyond those shown are used to provide certain aspects of the network node functionality, including any functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 1300 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input into the network node 1300 and to allow information to be output from the network node 1300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostics, maintenance, repair, and other management functions of the network node 1300.

[0293] Fig.14 is a block diagram of a host 1400 according to various aspects described herein, and the host 1400 may be Fig.11 1400. As used herein, host 1400 may be or include various combinations of hardware and / or software, including processing resources in a standalone server, blade server, cloud-implemented server, distributed server, virtual machine, container, or server farm. Host 1400 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0294] Host 1400 includes processing circuitry 1402, which is operably coupled to input / output interface 1406, network interface 1408, power supply 1410, and memory 1412 via bus 1404. Other components may be included in other embodiments. The features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to previous figures (such as Fig.12 and Fig.13 ) so that its description is generally applicable to corresponding components of the host 1400.

[0295] Memory 1412 may include one or more computer programs, including one or more host applications 1414 and data 1416, which may include user data (e.g., data generated by a UE for host 1400 or data generated by host 1400 for a UE). An embodiment of host 1400 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. Host application 1414 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., generic video coding (VVC), high efficiency video coding (HEVC), advanced video coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, advanced audio coding (AAC), MPEG, and G.711), including code conversion for multiple different categories, types, or implementations of UE (e.g., mobile phones, desktop computers, wearable display systems, head-up display systems). Host application 1414 may also provide user authentication and license checks, and may periodically report health status, routing, and content availability to a central node (such as a device in a core network or on the edge). Thus, the host 1400 can select and / or indicate different hosts for over-the-top services for the UE. The host application 1414 can support various protocols, such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0296] Fig.15 1500 is a block diagram showing a virtualized environment, in which the functions implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of a device or equipment, which can include virtualizing a hardware platform, a storage device, and a network resource. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device or component thereof described herein, and relates to such an implementation, in which at least a portion of a function is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein can be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs), which are implemented in one or more virtual environments 1500 hosted by one or more hardware nodes (such as hardware computing devices operating as network nodes, UEs, core network nodes, or hosts). In addition, in an embodiment where a virtual node does not require a radio connection (e.g., a core network node or a host), the node can be fully virtualized.

[0297] Application 1502 (which may alternatively be referred to as a software instance, a virtual appliance, a network function, a virtual node, a virtual network function, etc.) runs in a virtualized environment Q400 to implement some features, functions and / or benefits of some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0298] Hardware 1504 includes processing circuitry, memory storing software and / or instructions executable by the hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices described herein, such as network interfaces, input / output interfaces, etc. The software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1506 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1508a and 1508b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1508), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in connection with some of the embodiments described herein. Virtualization layer 1506 may present a virtual operating platform that appears to be network hardware to VMs 1508.

[0299] VM 1508 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage, and can be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1506. Different embodiments of instances of virtual devices 1502 can be implemented on one or more of VM 1508 and can be implemented in different ways. Virtualization of hardware is referred to as network function virtualization (NFV) in some contexts. NFV can be used to consolidate many network device types onto industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers and customer premises equipment.

[0300] In the context of NFV, VMs 1508 may be software implementations of physical machines that run programs as if they were executed on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of VMs 1508 and the portion of hardware 1504 on which the VM executes, whether hardware dedicated to the VM and / or hardware shared by the VM with other VMs in the VM, form a separate virtual network element. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling a specific network function running in one or more VMs 1508 on top of hardware 1504 and corresponds to an application 1502.

[0301] Hardware 1504 can be implemented in a standalone network node with general or specific components. Hardware 1504 can implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1504 can be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., in a data center or CPE), where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1510, where management and orchestration 1510 especially oversees the life cycle management of application 1502. In some embodiments, hardware 1504 is coupled to one or more radio units, each of which includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that can be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio unit can communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces, and can be used in combination with virtual components to provide radio capabilities to virtual nodes such as radio access nodes or base stations. In some embodiments, a control system 1512 can be used to provide some signaling, which can be alternatively used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0302] Fig.16 A communication diagram showing a host 1602 communicating with a UE 1606 via a network node 1604 over a partial wireless connection according to some embodiments.

[0303] Now refer to Fig.16 Describes the UE (such as Fig.11 UE 1112a and / or Fig.12 UE 1200), network nodes (such as Fig.11 The network node 1110a and / or Fig.13 network nodes 1300) and hosts (such as Fig.11 Host 1116 and / or Fig.14 An example implementation of host 1400).

[0304] Similar to the host 1400, an embodiment of the host 1602 includes hardware, such as a communication interface, a processing circuit, and a memory. The host 1602 also includes software stored in or accessible by the host 1602 and executable by the processing circuit. The software includes a host application that is operable to provide services to a remote user, such as a UE 1606 connected via an over-the-top transfer (OTT) connection 1650 extending between the UE 1606 and the host 1602. In providing services to the remote user, the host application can provide user data sent using the OTT connection 1650.

[0305] The network node 1604 includes hardware that enables it to communicate with the host 1602 and the UE 1606. The connection 1660 can be direct or through a core network (such as Fig.11The core network 1106 of the present invention) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private or managed networks. For example, the intermediate network can be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0306] UE 1606 includes hardware and software that is stored in or accessible by UE 1606 and can be executed by the processing circuit of UE. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or an operator-specific "application", which is operable to provide services to human or non-human users via UE 1606 with the support of host 1602. In host 1602, the executing host application can communicate with the executing client application via an OTT connection 1650 that terminates at UE 1606 and host 1602. In the process of providing services to the user, the client application of the UE can receive request data from the host application of the host and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1650 can transmit the request data and the user data. The client application of the UE can interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application via the OTT connection 1650.

[0307] The OTT connection 1650 may extend via a connection 1660 between the host 1602 and the network node 1604 and via a wireless connection 1670 between the network node 1604 and the UE 1606 to provide connectivity between the host 1602 and the UE 1606. The connection 1660 and the wireless connection 1670 over which the OTT connection 1650 may be provided are drawn abstractly to illustrate communications between the host 1602 and the UE 1606 via the network node 1604 without explicit reference to any intermediate devices and the precise routing of messages via those devices.

[0308] As an example of sending data via the OTT connection 1650, in step 1608, the host 1602 provides user data, which can be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a specific human user interacting with the UE 1606. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with the UE 1606, which shares data with the host 1602 without explicit human interaction. In step 1610, the host 1602 initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE 1606. The host 1602 may initiate the transmission in response to a request sent by the UE 1606. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1606 or by the operation of a client application executed on the UE 1606. According to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the transmission may be through the network node 1604. Therefore, according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, in step 1612, the network node 1604 sends the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host 1602 to the UE 1606. In step 1614 , UE 1606 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executing on UE 1606 that is associated with a host application executed by host 1602 .

[0309] In some examples, UE 1606 executes a client application that provides user data to host 1602. The user data may be provided in reaction to or in response to data received from host 1602. Thus, in step 1616, UE 1606 may provide the user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from a user via an input / output interface of UE 1606. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data is provided, in step 1618, UE 1606 initiates transmission of the user data to host 1602 via network node 1604. In step 1620, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, network node 1604 receives user data from UE 1606 and initiates transmission of the received user data to host 1602. In step 1622, host 1602 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by UE 1606.

[0310] One or more of the various embodiments improves the performance of OTT services provided to UE 1606 using OTT connection 1650 in which wireless connection 1670 forms the last leg. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments can facilitate network management to improve user experience and thereby provide benefits such as improved throughput, latency, responsiveness, etc.

[0311] In an example scenario, host 1602 may collect and analyze plant status information. As another example, host 1602 may process audio and video data that may have been retrieved from the UE for use in creating a map. As another example, host 1602 may collect and analyze real-time data to help control vehicle congestion (e.g., control traffic lights). As another example, host 1602 may store surveillance videos uploaded by the UE. As another example, host 1602 may store media content (such as video, audio, VR, or AR) that it may broadcast, multicast, or unicast to the UE, or control access to the media content. As other examples, host 1602 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time-critical power loads to balance power generation demand, positioning services, presentation services (such as compiling charts based on data collected from remote devices, etc.), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing, and / or sending data.

[0312] In some examples, a measurement process may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, delays, and other factors improved by one or more embodiments. There may also be an optional network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1650 between the host 1602 and the UE 1606 in response to changes in the measurement results. The measurement process and / or network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in the software and hardware of the host 1602 and / or the UE 1606. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with other devices through which the OTT connection 1650 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement process by supplying the values ​​of the monitored quantities illustrated above or supplying the values ​​of other physical quantities according to which the software can calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguration of the OTT connection 1650 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routes, etc.; the reconfiguration does not require direct changes to the operation of the network node 1604. Such processes and functions may be known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, the measurement may involve dedicated UE signaling, which facilitates the host 1602 to measure throughput, propagation time, delay, etc. Measurements may be achieved by software enabling messages, particularly empty or "dummy" messages, to be sent using the OTT connection 1650, while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0313] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UE, network node, host) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may include computing devices with different combinations of components. It should be understood that these computing devices may include any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. The determination, calculation, acquisition or similar operations described herein may be performed by a processing circuit, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with the information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information, and making a determination as a result of the processing. In addition, although the components are depicted as being located in a larger box or a single box nested in multiple boxes, in practice, the computing device may include multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and the functions may be divided between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any one of the components described herein, and / or the functions of the components may be divided between the processing circuit and the communication interface. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented in software or firmware, and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0314] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein may be provided by a processing circuit that executes instructions stored in a memory, which in some embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by a processing circuit without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of these specific embodiments, the processing circuit may be configured to perform the described functions, regardless of whether instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited to the processing circuit itself or other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or generally by end users and wireless networks.

[0315] Example Embodiments

[0316] Embodiments of the methods, devices, and systems described above include, but are not limited to, the following enumerated examples.

[0317] 1. A method in a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

[0318] receiving a configuration message from a radio network node, the configuration message comprising a quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration related to at least one cell of a secondary node (SN) serving the UE;

[0319] performing one or more QoE measurements according to the QoE measurement configuration; and

[0320] The report of the one or more QoE measurements is sent to a cell of a master node (MN) serving the UE, wherein the sending comprises including the report in a message indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN.

[0321] 2. The method of example embodiment 1, wherein the message sent to the MN is of a message type indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN.

[0322] 3. The method of example embodiment 2, wherein the message type is a ULInformationTransferMRDC message type.

[0323] 4. The method of Example Embodiment 3, wherein the configuration message includes an indication that measurements related to the at least one cell of the SN are to be sent in a ULInformationTransferMRDC message.

[0324] 5. The method of Example Embodiment 4, wherein the configuration message indicates that the UE will send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message over SRB4.

[0325] 6. The method of Example Embodiment 4, wherein the configuration message indicates that the UE is to send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message over SRB1.

[0326] 7. A method in a network node operating as a master node (MN) with respect to a user equipment UE, the method comprising:

[0327] sending a configuration message to the UE, the configuration message comprising a quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration related to at least one cell of a secondary node (SN) serving the UE;

[0328] subsequently receiving from the UE a report of one or more QoE measurements related to the at least one cell of the SN, wherein the report is included in a message indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN; and

[0329] Sending the report to the SN.

[0330] 8. The method of Example Embodiment 7, wherein the message received from the UE is of a message type indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN.

[0331] 9. The method of example embodiment 8, wherein the message type is a ULInformationTransferMRDC message type.

[0332] 10. The method of Example Embodiment 9, wherein the configuration message sent to the UE includes an indication that measurements related to the at least one cell of the SN are to be sent by the UE to the MN in a ULInformationTransferMRDC message.

[0333] 11. The method of example embodiment 10, wherein the configuration message indicates that the UE is to send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message(s) over SRB4.

[0334] 12. The method of example embodiment 10, wherein the configuration message indicates that the UE is to send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message(s) over SRB1.

[0335] 13. The method of any one of Example Embodiments 7-12, wherein the method further comprises: before sending the QoE measurement configuration to the UE, receiving the QoE measurement configuration from the SN.

[0336] 14. A method in a network node operating as a secondary node (SN) with respect to a user equipment UE, the method comprising:

[0337] sending, to a network node operating as a master node (MN) with respect to the UE, a quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration associated with at least one cell of the SN for transmission to the UE; and

[0338] A report of one or more QoE measurements made by the UE according to the QoE measurement configuration is received from the MN.

[0339] 15. The method of example embodiment 14, wherein the method comprises: before sending the QoE measurement configuration, receiving a request from the MN for preparing a configuration for QoE measurement, and wherein the sending is in response to the request.

[0340] 16. A wireless device adapted to perform the method according to any one of the example embodiments 1-6.

[0341] 17. A wireless device comprising:

[0342] radio circuitry configured to communicate with a wireless network; and

[0343] a processing circuit operatively coupled to the radio circuit and configured to:

[0344] receiving a configuration message from a radio network node, the configuration message comprising a quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration related to at least one cell of a secondary node (SN) serving the UE;

[0345] performing one or more QoE measurements according to the QoE measurement configuration; and

[0346] The report of the one or more QoE measurements is sent to a cell of a master node (MN) serving the UE, wherein the sending comprises including the report in a message indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN.

[0347] 18. The wireless device of Example Embodiment 17, wherein the message sent to the MN is of a message type indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN.

[0348] 19. The wireless device of Example Embodiment 18, wherein the message type is a ULInformationTransferMRDC message type.

[0349] 20. The wireless device of Example Embodiment 19, wherein the configuration message includes an indication that measurements related to the at least one cell of the SN are to be sent in a ULInformationTransferMRDC message.

[0350] 21. The wireless device of example embodiment 20, wherein the configuration message indicates that the UE is to send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message over SRB4.

[0351] 22. The wireless device of example embodiment 20, wherein the configuration message indicates that the UE is to send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message over SRB1.

[0352] 29. A network node adapted to perform the method according to any one of the example embodiments 7-15.

[0353] 30. A network node, comprising:

[0354] radio circuitry configured to communicate with one or more wireless devices; and

[0355] a processing circuit operatively coupled to the radio circuit and configured to use the radio circuit to:

[0356] Configuration information is sent to a wireless device, the configuration information indicating that the wireless device is to log signal quality measurements associated with a mobility event or other radio resource reconfiguration related event.

[0357] 31. A network node, comprising:

[0358] radio circuitry configured to communicate with one or more wireless devices; and

[0359] a processing circuit operatively coupled to the radio circuit and configured to use the radio circuit to:

[0360] sending a configuration message to the UE, the configuration message comprising a quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration related to at least one cell of a secondary node (SN) serving the UE;

[0361] subsequently receiving from the UE a report of one or more QoE measurements related to the at least one cell of the SN, wherein the report is included in a message indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN; and

[0362] Sending the report to the SN.

[0363] 32. The network node of example embodiment 31, wherein the message received from the UE is of a message type indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN.

[0364] 33. The network node of Example Embodiment 32, wherein the message type is a ULInformationTransferMRDC message type.

[0365] 34. The network node of example embodiment 33, wherein the configuration message sent to the UE includes an indication that measurements related to the at least one cell of the SN are to be sent by the UE to the MN in a ULInformationTransferMRDC message.

[0366] 35. The network node of Example Embodiment 34, wherein the configuration message indicates that the UE is to send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message(s) over SRB4.

[0367] 36. The network node of Example Embodiment 34, wherein the configuration message indicates that the UE is to send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message(s) over SRB1.

[0368] 37. The network node of any one of Example Embodiments 31-36, wherein the method further comprises: receiving the QoE measurement configuration from the SN before sending the QoE measurement configuration to the UE.

[0369] 38. A network node, comprising:

[0370] radio circuitry configured to communicate with one or more wireless devices; and

[0371] a processing circuit operatively coupled to the radio circuit and configured to use the radio circuit to:

[0372] sending, to a network node operating as a master node (MN) with respect to the UE, a quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration associated with at least one cell of the SN for transmission to the UE; and

[0373] A report of one or more QoE measurements made by the UE according to the QoE measurement configuration is received from the MN.

[0374] 39. The network node of example embodiment 38, wherein the method includes, prior to sending the QoE measurement configuration, receiving a request from the MN for preparing a configuration for QoE measurement, and wherein the sending is in response to the request.

[0375] 40. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions for execution on a processor, the computer program instructions being configured to cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of example embodiments 1-15.

[0376] 41. A computer readable medium comprising the computer program product of example embodiment 40.

[0377] abbreviation

[0378] abbreviation explain

[0379] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0380] 5GCN 5G Core Network

[0381] 5GS 5G System

[0382] AF Application Function

[0383] AMF Access and Mobility Management Function

[0384] AN Access Network

[0385] API Application Programming Interface

[0386] CA Carrier Aggregation

[0387] CGI Community Global Identity

[0388] CHO Conditional Switch

[0389] CN Core Network

[0390] CP Control Plane

[0391] CPC Conditional PSCell Change

[0392] CU Central Unit

[0393] DAPS Dual Active Protocol Stack

[0394] DC Dual Connection

[0395] DU Distributed Unit

[0396] eNB E-UTRAN Node B

[0397] EN-DC E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity

[0398] E-UTRA Evolved UTRA

[0399] E-UTRAN Evolved UTRAN

[0400] gNB NR radio base station

[0401] GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System

[0402] GPS Global Positioning System

[0403] ID Identifier / Identification

[0404] IE Information Elements

[0405] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0406] MBS Multicast Broadcast Service

[0407] MCE Measurement Collector Entity

[0408] MME Mobility Management Entity

[0409] MN Master Node

[0410] MR-DC Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity

[0411] NE-DC NR-E-UTRA dual connectivity

[0412] NEF Network Exposure Function

[0413] NG Next Generation

[0414] NGEN-DC NG-RAN E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity

[0415] NG-RAN NG Radio Access Network

[0416] NR New Radio

[0417] OAM / O&M Operations and Maintenance

[0418] PCell Primary Cell

[0419] PCF Policy Control Function

[0420] PCI

[0421] PSCell primary and secondary cells

[0422] PDU Protocol Data Unit

[0423] PLMN Public Land Mobile Network

[0424] PTM Point to Multipoint

[0425] PTP Point-to-Point

[0426] QCI QoS Class Identifier

[0427] QMC QoE measurement collection

[0428] QoE Quality of Experience

[0429] QoS Quality of Service

[0430] RACH Random Access Channel

[0431] RAN Radio Access Network

[0432] RAT Radio Access Technology

[0433] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0434] RSRP Reference Signal Received Power

[0435] RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality

[0436] RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator

[0437] RV-QOE RAN Visible QOE

[0438] S1 Interface between RAN and CN in LTE.

[0439] S1AP S1 Application Protocol

[0440] SCell Secondary Cell

[0441] SCG Secondary Cell Group

[0442] SINR Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio

[0443] SMF session management functions

[0444] SMO Service Management and Orchestration

[0445] SN Secondary Node

[0446] SNR Signal to Noise Ratio

[0447] TA Terminal Adapter

[0448] TCE trace collector entity

[0449] TE Terminal Equipment

[0450] UE User Equipment

Claims

1. A method in a user equipment UE, the method comprising: receiving (810) a configuration message from a radio network node, the configuration message comprising a quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration related to at least one cell of a secondary node SN serving the UE; performing (820) one or more QoE measurements according to the QoE measurement configuration; as well as The report of the one or more QoE measurements is sent (830) to a cell of a master node MN serving the UE, wherein the sending comprises including the report in a message indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: The message sent to the MN is of a message type indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein: The message type is a ULInformationTransferMRDC message type.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein: The configuration message comprises an indication that measurements related to the at least one cell of the SN are to be sent in a ULInformationTransferMRDC message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein: The configuration message indicates that the UE will send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message on SRB4.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein: The configuration message indicates that the UE will send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message on SRB1.

7. A method in a network node operating as a master node MN with respect to a user equipment UE, the method comprising: sending (910) a configuration message to the UE, the configuration message comprising a quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration related to at least one cell of a secondary node SN serving the UE; subsequently receiving (920) from the UE a report of one or more QoE measurements related to the at least one cell of the SN, wherein the report is included in a message indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN; as well as The report is sent (930) to the SN.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein: The message received from the UE is of a message type indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein: The message type is a ULInformationTransferMRDC message type.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein: The configuration message sent to the UE includes an indication that measurements related to the at least one cell of the SN are to be sent by the UE to the MN in a ULInformationTransferMRDC message.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein: The configuration message indicates that the UE will send one or more ULInformationTransferMRDC messages on SRB4.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein: The configuration message indicates that the UE will send one or more ULInformationTransferMRDC messages on SRB1.

13. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, wherein: The method further includes receiving (905) the QoE measurement configuration from the SN before sending the QoE measurement configuration to the UE.

14. A method in a network node operating as a secondary node (SN) with respect to a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Sending (1010) a quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration related to at least one cell of the SN to a network node operating as a master node MN relative to the UE, for sending to the UE; as well as A report of one or more QoE measurements made by the UE according to the QoE measurement configuration is received (1020) from the MN.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein: The method comprises, prior to sending the QoE measurement configuration, receiving (1005) a request from the MN for preparing a configuration for QoE measurement, and wherein the sending is in response to the request.

16. A wireless device, adapted to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-6.

17. A wireless device (1200), comprising: radio circuitry (1218, 1220) configured to communicate with a wireless network; as well as a processing circuit (1202) operatively coupled to the radio circuit and configured to: receiving a configuration message from a radio network node, the configuration message comprising a quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration related to at least one cell of a secondary node SN serving the UE; performing one or more QoE measurements according to the QoE measurement configuration; as well as The report of the one or more QoE measurements is sent to a cell of a master node MN serving the UE, wherein the sending comprises including the report in a message indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN.

18. The wireless device (1200) of claim 17, wherein: The message sent to the MN is of a message type indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN.

19. The wireless device (1200) of claim 18, wherein: The message type is a ULInformationTransferMRDC message type.

20. The wireless device (1200) of claim 19, wherein: The configuration message comprises an indication that measurements related to the at least one cell of the SN are to be sent in a ULInformationTransferMRDC message.

21. The wireless device (1200) of claim 20, wherein: The configuration message indicates that the UE will send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message on SRB4.

22. The wireless device (1200) of claim 20, wherein: The configuration message indicates that the UE will send the ULInformationTransferMRDC message on SRB1.

23. A network node (1300) adapted to perform the method according to any one of claims 7-15.

24. A network node (1300), comprising: a radio circuit (1318) configured to communicate with one or more wireless devices; as well as a processing circuit (1302) operably coupled to the radio circuit (1318) and configured to use the radio circuit (1318) to: Configuration information is sent to a wireless device, the configuration information indicating that the wireless device is to log signal quality measurements associated with a mobility event or other radio resource reconfiguration related event.

25. A network node (1300), comprising: radio circuitry configured to communicate with one or more wireless devices; as well as a processing circuit (1302) operably coupled to the radio circuit (1318) and configured to use the radio circuit (1318) to: Sending a configuration message to the UE, where the configuration message includes a quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration related to at least one cell of a secondary node SN serving the UE; subsequently receiving from the UE a report of one or more QoE measurements related to the at least one cell of the SN, wherein the report is included in a message indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN; as well as Sending the report to the SN.

26. The network node (1300) of claim 25, wherein: The message received from the UE is of a message type indicating that the included report is to be transmitted to the SN.

27. The network node (1300) of claim 26, wherein: The message type is a ULInformationTransferMRDC message type.

28. The network node (1300) of claim 27, wherein: The configuration message sent to the UE includes an indication that measurements related to the at least one cell of the SN are to be sent by the UE to the MN in a ULInformationTransferMRDC message.

29. The network node (1300) of claim 28, wherein: The configuration message indicates that the UE will send one or more ULInformationTransferMRDC messages on SRB4.

30. The network node (1300) of claim 28, wherein: The configuration message indicates that the UE will send one or more ULInformationTransferMRDC messages on SRB1.

31. The network node according to any one of claims 25 to 30, wherein: The processing circuit (1302) is further configured to receive the QoE measurement configuration from the SN before sending the QoE measurement configuration to the UE.

32. A network node (1300), comprising: a radio circuit (1318) configured to communicate with one or more wireless devices; as well as a processing circuit (1302) operably coupled to the radio circuit (1318) and configured to use the radio circuit (1318) to: Sending a quality of experience (QoE) measurement configuration related to at least one cell of the SN to a network node operating as a master node MN relative to the UE, for sending to the UE; as well as A report of one or more QoE measurements made by the UE according to the QoE measurement configuration is received from the MN.

33. The network node (1300) of claim 32, wherein: The processing circuit (1302) is further configured to receive a request for preparing a configuration for QoE measurement from the MN before sending the QoE measurement configuration, and wherein the sending is in response to the request.

34. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions for execution on a processor, the computer program instructions being configured to cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-15.

35. A computer readable medium comprising the computer program product of claim 34.

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