FLEXIBLE QoE CONFIGURATION FOR QoE PROCESSING

Abstract

A method implemented in a user equipment (UE) is provided. The method comprises receiving (100) a flexible configuration for handling at least one of (i) a RAN visible Quality of Experience (RVQoE) measurement or RVQoE report, and (ii) a RAN invisible Quality of Experience (QoE) measurement or QoE report. The flexible configuration includes at least one of a first indication to perform and / or report QoE measurements and / or RVQoE measurements, and a parameter to be adjusted based on a condition being satisfied. The method further comprises processing (106) at least one of a RVQoE measurement, a RVQoE report, a QoE measurement visible to the RAN, and a QoE report invisible to the RAN based on the first indication and / or based on adjusting the parameter in response to a condition being satisfied.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to communications, and more particularly, to communication methods and related devices and nodes that support wireless communications. Background Art

[0002] Quality of Experience (QoE) measurements (also referred to as "application layer measurements") have been specified for Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and are being specified for New Radio (NR) in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 17. The purpose of application layer measurements is to measure the end-user experience when using certain applications. Currently, QoE measurements for streaming services and for IP Multimedia Subsystem Mobile Telephone Service (MTSI) services are supported.

[0003] The methods in LTE and UMTS are similar, and the general principles are as follows. Quality of Experience Measurement Collection (QMC) enables the configuration of application layer measurements in a User Equipment (UE) and the sending of a QoE measurement result file (commonly referred to as a QoE report) to the network by means of Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. The application layer measurement configuration (also referred to as QoE measurement configuration or QoE configuration) received by the Radio Access Network (RAN) from an Operation and Maintenance (OAM) system or a Core Network (CN) is encapsulated in a transparent container, which is forwarded to the UE in a downlink RRC message. The application layer measurement report (also referred to as a QoE report) received by the UE Access Stratum (UE AS) or the 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. Then, the RAN forwards the QoE report to a Measurement Collection Entity (MCE).

[0004] In 3GPP Release 17, the research project "Study on NR QoE Management and Optimization for Diversified Services" for NR has been approved and completed. The purpose of this research project is to study solutions for QoE measurements in NR. QoE management in NR will not only collect Quality of Experience parameters for streaming services, but also consider the typical performance requirements of diversified services such as Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality (AR / VR) and Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication (URLLC). Based on the requirements of the services, the NR research also includes more adaptable QoE management schemes that enable network optimization to meet the user experience of diversified services.

[0005] The configuration data related to QoE measurement (which is commonly referred to as application layer measurement in the standard specifications) includes the following items: service type indication, indication of the area where the measurement is to be performed (expressed as an area range), the IP address of the entity to which the collected measurement results (e.g., QoE reports) should be sent (commonly referred to as MCE, spelled as Measurement Collector Entity or Measurement Collection Entity, but this entity can sometimes also be referred to as Trace Collection Entity), and a set of instructions regarding what type of measurement should be performed and details on how to perform these measurements. These instructions are intended for the application layer in the UE and are placed in a "container", and the network entity that processes this container (e.g., forwards it to the UE) and the UE access layer cannot interpret and do not attempt to read this container. The currently specified service types are MTSI and streaming services (HTTP-based Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH)). The area range is defined according to cell or network-related areas. In UMTS, the area range is defined as a list of cells, a list of routing areas, or a list of tracking areas. In LTE, the area range is defined as a list of cells or a list of tracking areas.

[0006] QoE (and specifically, QoE configuration) includes two cases: management-based QoE configuration and signaling-based QoE configuration. In both cases, the QoE configuration originates from an OAM system or some other management entity (e.g., one that deals with customer satisfaction). All these entities are referred to as the OAM system in this document (where the OAM system also includes additional entities).

[0007] For management-based QoE (m-based QoE), the OAM system collects general QoE statistics from a certain area (which is configured as the area range). The m-based QoE configuration is sent directly from the OAM system to the RAN node that controls the cells within that area range. Then, each RAN node selects the UEs within that area range (and also meets any other relevant conditions, such as supporting the relevant application / service type), and sends the m-based QoE configuration to these UEs.

[0008] For signaling-based QoE (s-based QoE), the OAM system collects QoE measurement results from a specific UE, e.g., because the user of that UE has filed a complaint. The OAM system sends the s-based QoE configuration to the Home Subscriber Server (HSS) (in the Evolved Packet System (EPS) / LTE) or the Unified Data Management (UDM) (in 5GS / NR), and the HSS or UDM forwards the QoE configuration to the current core network node of the UE (e.g., the Mobility Management Entity (MME) in EPS / LTE or the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) in 5G / NR). Then, the CN forwards the s-based QoE configuration to the RAN node that serves the relevant UE, and the RAN forwards it to the UE.

[0009] 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 the tracing function, and a tracing ID is associated with each QoE configuration. In NR, the QoE function will be logically separated from the tracing function, but will still partially reuse the tracing signaling mechanism. In NR and LTE, a globally unique QoE reference (composed of a Mobile Country Code (MCC), a Mobile Network Code (MNC), and a QoE Measurement Collection ID (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 measurement instructions and is also sent to the RAN (e.g., the gNodeB (gNB) in NR). For communication between the gNB and the UE, the QoE reference is replaced by a shorter identifier (denoted as measConfigAppLayerId), which is locally unique within the UE (e.g., there is a one-to-one mapping between the measConfigAppLayerId and the QoE reference for each QoE configuration provided to the UE. The measConfigAppLayerId is stored in the UE access stratum and is forwarded together with the service type indication and the container with measurement instructions in an Attention (AT) command (which is a type of instruction used in the communication between the modem part of the UE and the application layer of the UE).

[0010] A report with the collected QoE measurement results (QoE report) is sent from the UE application layer to the UE access stratum, which forwards it to the RAN, and the RAN forwards it to the MCE. These QoE measurement results are placed in a "container" that is unreadable by the UE access stratum and the RAN. The QoE report can be configured to be sent periodically or only at the end of the application session. Additionally, for example, in the case where the cell / gNB is in an overloaded state, the RAN can instruct the UE to suspend the QoE report.

[0011] The RAN does not know when an application session with an associated QoE measurement session is in progress, and the UE access stratum does not automatically know this either. To alleviate this situation, session start / stop indications can be introduced, which will be sent from the application layer in the UE to the UE access stratum (AS), and from the UE AS to the RAN. The session stop indication can be implicit, taking the form of the QoE report sent when the application session and the associated QoE measurement session end.

[0012] As an implementation-based decision, the RAN can decide at any time to release the QoE configuration in the UE. Typically, this can be done when the UE has moved out of the area configured for QoE measurement (commonly referred to as the area scope).

[0013] One opportunity provided by traditional methods is the ability to maintain QoE measurement for the entire session even in the case of handover. The UE can also continue to perform QoE measurement on the ongoing application session until the application session ends, even if the UE moves out of the configured area scope simultaneously.

[0014] The concept of RAN-Visible QoE (RVQoE) is an extension of the QoE framework, which has been studied in 3GPP Release 17 and is currently specified in 3GPP. Conventional QoE reports are intended for the MCE, which is an entity external to the RAN (e.g., part of the OAM system), and the RAN cannot read the QoE reports (at least according to the specification, although there is no prevention for the gNB / evolved Node B (eNB) to implement this). In contrast, the reported RVQoE metrics are intended for the RAN and are transmitted to the RAN in a format understood by the RAN. The RVQoE metrics are derived from the conventional QoE metrics, collected by the UE application layer and assembled in the report, and are transmitted to the RAN so that the RAN can use the report for various types of optimizations. As an example, when the RAN receives an RVQoE report during an ongoing application session, the RAN can perform adaptive actions to affect the QoE of the application session while the relevant application session is ongoing, such as changing various parameters related to the scheduling of the UE and the data flow related to the application session.

[0015] Currently, there are certain challenges. Currently, the QoE / RVQoE measurement configuration may lack flexibility. Summary of the Invention

[0016] Certain aspects of the present disclosure and its embodiments can provide solutions to these challenges or other challenges.

[0017] The present disclosure provides operations that can flexibly set QoE / RVQoE measurements or report QoE / RVQoE measurements. The operations can consider different resource constraints related to measurement, storage, and transmission capabilities at the UE, and can also consider various scenarios that the UE may be involved in.

[0018] Some embodiments of the present disclosure introduce a flexible configuration for changing the collection and reporting of QoE and / or RVQoE measurements by applying conditions to parts or aspects of the QoE / RVQoE configuration.

[0019] Some embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. The advantages of some embodiments may include: Based on including this flexible configuration, the method may provide a unique QoE measurement / RAN visible QoE (RVQoE) measurement configuration / reporting that can consider different constraints on the UE side (e.g., the capabilities / processing capabilities / memory / power consumption that the UE may have in a certain RRC state or a certain power-saving mode). Constraints on the RAN side can also be considered, such as whether different levels of processing of QoE measurement / RVQoE measurement are allowed in the case of taking power-saving measures at the RAN.

[0020] Another technical advantage may include: Based on including this flexible configuration, some embodiments may allow analyzing application-level performance / QoE when the UE is cyclically switching between different RRC states. Therefore, it allows the RAN and the core network (through RVQoE reporting or traditional QoE reporting) to fine-tune the network parameters that trigger different RRC states and improve the end-user QoE without having to explicitly update the QoE / RVQoE configuration (which would require sending a new configuration to the UE).

[0021] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a method implemented in a UE. The method includes receiving a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) RVQoE measurement or RVQoE reporting, and (ii) QoE measurement or QoE reporting that is not visible to the RAN. The flexible configuration includes parameters to be adjusted based on meeting conditions. The method further includes: processing at least one of RVQoE measurement, RVQoE reporting, QoE measurement that is not visible to the RAN, and QoE reporting that is not visible to the RAN based on adjusting the parameters in response to meeting the conditions.

[0022] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a method implemented in a network node. The method includes receiving or determining a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) RVQoE measurement or RVQoE reporting, and (ii) QoE measurement or QoE reporting that is not visible to the RAN. The flexible configuration includes parameters to be adjusted based on meeting conditions. The method further includes: sending the flexible configuration to the UE based on adjusting the parameters in response to meeting the conditions, where the flexible configuration is to be used by the UE to process at least one of RVQoE measurement, RVQoE reporting, QoE measurement that is not visible to the RAN, and QoE reporting that is not visible to the RAN.

[0023] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a UE configured to communicate with a network node. The UE includes a radio interface and a processing circuit, and the radio interface and the processing circuit are configured to receive a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) RVQoE measurement or RVQoE reporting, and (ii) QoE measurement or QoE reporting invisible to the RAN. The flexible configuration includes parameters to be adjusted based on meeting a condition. The radio interface and the processing circuit are further configured to: process at least one of RVQoE measurement, RVQoE reporting, QoE measurement invisible to the RAN, and QoE reporting invisible to the RAN based on adjusting the parameters in response to meeting the condition.

[0024] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a method implemented by a host operating in a communication system, which also includes a network node and a UE. The method includes: providing user data to the UE; and initiating a transmission of the user data to the UE via a cellular network including the network node. The UE performs the following operations to receive user data from the host: receiving a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) RVQoE measurement or RVQoE reporting, and (ii) QoE measurement or QoE reporting invisible to the RAN. The flexible configuration includes parameters to be adjusted based on meeting a condition. The method further includes: processing at least one of RVQoE measurement, RVQoE reporting, QoE measurement invisible to the RAN, and QoE reporting invisible to the RAN based on adjusting the parameters in response to meeting the condition.

[0025] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service. The host includes: a processing circuit configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate a transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to the UE. The UE includes a communication interface and a processing circuit configured to receive user data from the host. The operations include receiving a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) RVQoE measurement or RVQoE reporting, and (ii) QoE measurement or QoE reporting invisible to the RAN. The flexible configuration includes parameters to be adjusted based on meeting a condition. The operations further include: processing at least one of RVQoE measurement, RVQoE reporting, QoE measurement invisible to the RAN, and QoE reporting invisible to the RAN based on adjusting the parameters in response to meeting the condition.

[0026] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a network node configured to communicate with a plurality of UEs. The network node includes processing circuitry configured to receive or determine a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) RV QoE measurement or RV QoE reporting, and (ii) QoE measurement or QoE reporting invisible to the RAN. The flexible configuration includes a parameter to be adjusted based on a condition being met. The processing circuitry is further configured to: send the flexible configuration to the UE based on adjusting the parameter in response to the condition being met, the flexible configuration to be used by the UE to process at least one of RV QoE measurement, RV QoE reporting, QoE measurement invisible to the RAN, and QoE reporting invisible to the RAN.

[0027] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system, the communication system further including a network node and a plurality of UEs. The method includes: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission of the user data to the UE via a cellular network including the network node. The method further includes the network node performing the following operations to send the user data from the host to the UE: receiving or determining a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) RV QoE measurement or RV QoE reporting, and (ii) QoE measurement or QoE reporting invisible to the RAN. The flexible configuration includes a parameter to be adjusted based on a condition being met. The network node also sends the flexible configuration to the user equipment (UE) based on adjusting the parameter in response to the condition being met, the flexible configuration to be used by the UE to process at least one of RV QoE measurement, RV QoE reporting, QoE measurement invisible to the RAN, and QoE reporting invisible to the RAN.

[0028] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a host configured to operate in a communication system to provide OTT services. The host includes: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate a transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to the UE. The network node includes a communication interface and processing circuitry, and the processing circuitry of the network node is configured to receive or determine a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) RV QoE measurement or RV QoE reporting, and (ii) QoE measurement or QoE reporting invisible to the RAN. The flexible configuration includes a parameter to be adjusted based on a condition being met. The processing circuitry of the network node is further configured to: send the flexible configuration to the user equipment (UE) based on adjusting the parameter in response to the condition being met, the flexible configuration to be used by the UE to process at least one of RV QoE measurement, RV QoE reporting, QoE measurement invisible to the RAN, and QoE reporting invisible to the RAN. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The accompanying drawings illustrate certain non - limiting embodiments of the inventive concept, which are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this application. In the drawings:

[0030] Figure 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of a user equipment (UE) according to some embodiments;

[0031] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of a network node according to some embodiments;

[0032] Figure 3 is a block diagram of a communication system according to some embodiments;

[0033] Figure 4 is a block diagram of a user equipment according to some embodiments;

[0034] Figure 5 is a block diagram of a network node according to some embodiments;

[0035] Figure 6 is a block diagram of a host according to some embodiments, where the host can be Figure 3 an embodiment of the host;

[0036] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a virtualization environment according to some embodiments; and

[0037] Figure 8 shows a communication diagram of a host communicating with a user equipment via a network node through a partial wireless connection according to some embodiments. Detailed Description

[0038] Some embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art, where examples of embodiments of the inventive concept are shown. However, the inventive concept may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be assumed to be present in / used in another embodiment by default.

[0039] Currently, QoE / RVQoE measurement configurations may lack flexibility. Some methods have fixed parameters according to which measurements are made until the measurement configuration is released. The framework may not consider the constraints that a UE may have when performing QoE measurements / RVQoE measurements or the different scenarios in which the UE may find itself. For example, a UE in the RRC_CONNECTED state has higher power consumption compared to the same UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state or the RRC_IDLE state. The difference in power consumption between the states is achieved by placing different components (e.g., memory, chipset) in different states, which affects both the availability and accessibility of these resources. This different level of resource availability is not considered in QoE / RVQoE processing. Similarly, the memory allocated in the UE can also be different in different RRC states. In addition, performing QoE / RVQoE measurements and reporting QoE / RVQoE measurements in an energy-saving mode can be considered a task to be performed with a lower priority compared to other tasks in the UE. In some scenarios, for example, for data transmitted to the UE via a multicast service or a broadcast service, the UE can be configured to perform QoE / RVQoE measurements not only in the RRC_CONNECTED state (e.g., when in the RRC state with the highest processing capacity available) but also in other RRC states that are less efficient in terms of internal UE resources (processing capacity, memory, allowed power consumption). On the other hand, it may be preferable to adjust the measurement configuration during certain network events, which currently may require an explicit modification of the measurement configuration. However, the measurement configuration mechanism lacks flexibility, and for QoE / RVQoE processing, this flexibility would allow the measurements to be adjusted for different scenarios and UE constraints. In addition to not considering the above-mentioned limitations at the UE, the current framework may also be limited by constraints at the RAN.

[0040] As previously indicated, currently QoE / RVQoE measurement configurations have fixed parameters according to which measurements are made until the measurement configuration is released. The framework may not consider the constraints that a UE may have when performing QoE measurements / RVQoE measurements or the different scenarios in which the UE may find itself.

[0041] This disclosure provides operations that can be capable of flexibly setting QoE / RVQoE measurements or reporting QoE / RVQoE measurements. The operations can consider different resource constraints at the UE related to measurement, storage, and transmission capabilities and can also consider the various scenarios in which the UE may be involved.

[0042] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term "split RAN entity" (or "split gNB entity" or "split eNB entity") refers to the Central Unit Control Plane (CU-CP), the Distributed Unit (DU), and the Central Unit User Plane (CU-UP).

[0043] As used herein, the term "RAN node" is used to denote (depending on the context) gNB, eNB, gNB-CU, gNB-CU-CP, eNB-CU, eNB-CU-CP, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB)-donor, IAB-donor-CU, IAB-donor-CU-CP, gNB-CU-UP, eNB-CU-UP, IAB donor-CU-UP, gNB-DU, IAB-donor-DU, or eNB-DU.

[0044] As used herein, a network node can be a RAN node, OAM, a core network node, OAM, Service Management and Orchestration (SMO), a Network Management System (NMS), a Non-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Non-RT RIC), a Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (RT-RIC), gNB, eNB, en-gNB (which is a gNB acting as a second node in an EN-DC scenario (e.g., in a DC scenario with an eNB as the master node and a gNB as the secondary node)), a Next Generation eNB (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, Open (O)-CU, O-CU-CP, O-CU-UP, Open (O)-DU, O-RU, O-eNB, a cloud-based network function, a cloud-based centralized training node.

[0045] The terms "RRC state transition", "state transition", and "transition" are used interchangeably herein.

[0046] As used herein, the term QoE configuration refers to any configuration parameter that affects or controls the configured entity(ies) or behavior related to application layer measurements (e.g., QoE measurements) in a UE. For a UE (i.e., when the configured entity is the UE) and for a RAN node (e.g., gNB or eNB) (e.g., when the configured entity is a RAN node), the QoE configuration includes different configuration parameters. The QoE configuration of a UE includes at least the parameters in the MeasConfigAppLayer-r17 IE (except for the parameters for RVQoE (see below)). The QoE configuration of a RAN node includes parameters related to QoE measurements and QoE measurement reports received by the RAN node from an OAM system (for configuring management-based QoE measurements), or parameters related to QoE measurements and QoE measurement reports received by the RAN node from the CN (e.g., AMF or MME) (for configuring signaling-based QoE measurements).

[0047] The RVQoE configuration (e.g., including RVQoE-related parameters in the MeasConfigAppLayer-r17 IE) can be considered as a component of the QoE configuration or as a separate configuration associated with the QoE configuration (and thus bound to the QoE configuration).

[0048] Some embodiments relate to a method performed by a network node.

[0049] Figure 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of a UE according to some embodiments. As Figure 1 shown, a method performed by a UE is provided, the method including receiving (100) a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) RVQoE measurements or RVQoE reports, and (ii) QoE measurements or QoE reports invisible to the RAN. The flexible configuration includes parameters to be adjusted based on meeting a condition. The method further includes: processing (106) at least one of RVQoE measurements, RVQoE reports, QoE measurements invisible to the RAN, and QoE reports invisible to the RAN based on adjusting the parameters in response to meeting the condition.

[0050] For QoE measurements transparent to the RAN, the RAN node can receive the flexible configuration from another network node (OAM node / function or CN node, or another RAN node). In Figure 1In the example embodiment shown, the reception (100) of the flexible configuration is received in at least one of the following: (i) a QoE measurement operation; (ii) a QoE measurement collection configuration received by a network node; (iii) an RVQoE measurement configuration received by a network node; (iv) information associated with a QoE measurement collection configuration received by a network node; and (vi) information associated with an RVQoE measurement collection configuration received by a network node.

[0051] As used herein, the term "flexible configuration" refers to parameters in a measurement configuration (e.g., sampling period, reporting period, etc.) that are not constant but depend on the satisfaction of certain conditions. In an example embodiment, the parameters include at least one of a sampling period, a reporting period, the number of metrics or samples or values in an RVQoE or QoE report, a metric to be measured, and the format of the measured metric.

[0052] The conditions can include, for example, the RRC state of the UE, the mobility state of the UE, the UE speed / rate, the UE-related energy fraction, the network energy efficiency fraction, the network energy saving / power saving level, the network energy consumption / power consumption level, the satisfaction of certain levels / thresholds (or value ranges) for one or more reported QoE / RVQoE metrics, etc. In an example embodiment, the conditions include at least one of the following: i) the radio resource control RRC state of the UE; (ii) the mobility state of the UE; (iii) the speed and / or rate of the UE; (iv) the UE-related energy fraction; (v) the network energy efficiency fraction; (vi) the network energy saving and / or power saving level; (vii) the network energy consumption and / or power consumption level; and (viii) the satisfaction of at least one value of a level or threshold for at least one reported QoE metric or at least one reported RVQoE metric or at least one reported RVQoE value.

[0053] The flexible configuration can refer only to RAN-visible QoE (RVQoE) or only to QoE (not visible to the RAN), or to both RVQoE and QoE. In an example embodiment, the flexible configuration includes at least one of a configuration for RVQoE and a configuration for QoE not visible to the RAN.

[0054] The flexible configuration includes an indication (e.g., a list of values) to be used by the UE to determine the type and nature of the QoE measurement (or RVQoE measurement) to be performed and / or the number (e.g., period) of QoE / RVQoE reports related to the flexible measurement. In an example embodiment, the flexible configuration includes an indication to be used by the UE to determine the type and nature of the QoE measurement to be performed, and / or the number of QoE reports for the QoE measurement, and / or the RVQoE measurement to be performed, and / or the number of RVQoE reports for the RVQoE measurement.

[0055] Flexible configuration can be included in the QoE measurement operation, and / or as part of the QoE measurement collection (QMC) configuration sent to the RAN node, and / or as information associated with the QMC configuration and signaled to the RAN separately. The flexible configuration signaled in the QoE measurement collection (QMC) configuration can be signaled outside or inside a container transparent to the RAN (e.g., as part of a container for application layer measurement configuration). In an exemplary embodiment, a method performed by a user equipment includes: wherein the flexible configuration is received in at least one of the QoE measurement collection configurations and / or for at least one of the RVQoE measurement collection configurations sent by a network node and / or information associated with the QoE measurement collection configuration and / or information associated with the RVQoE measurement collection configuration, and the flexible configuration is outside or inside a container transparent to the RAN.

[0056] For RAN visible QoE (RVQoE) measurements, the RAN node can receive the flexible configuration from another network node in the same manner as for QoE measurements transparent to the RAN, but can also determine at least a part of the flexible configuration by itself.

[0057] When the flexible configuration is not used or when the use of the flexible configuration is deactivated, the UE shall perform all QoE / RVQoE measurements as indicated in the list of QoE / RVQoE metrics included in the QoE / RVQoE configuration. In an exemplary embodiment, a method performed by a user equipment includes: when the flexible configuration is not used or deactivated, the UE performs QoE measurements as indicated in the list of QoE metrics included in the QoE configuration and / or as indicated in the list of RVQoE metrics included in the RVQoE configuration.

[0058] If a period is configured for reporting, that period shall be followed. In an exemplary embodiment, the flexible configuration includes the period for RVQoE or QoE reporting, and the processing ( Figure 1 operation 106 in) is performed at that period. In another exemplary embodiment, the QoE configuration includes the period for QoE reporting, and the UE processes QoE measurements or QoE reports of QoE measurements at that period.

[0059] Alternatively, the flexible QoE / RVQoE configuration parameters can define a default QoE configuration and / or a default RVQoE configuration, wherein when the flexible QoE / RVQoE configuration parameters are not used or are deactivated, the default QoE / RVQoE configuration is applied. In an exemplary embodiment, the flexible configuration includes a default configuration, and when the flexible configuration is not used or is deactivated, the default configuration is applied.

[0060] In one option, flexible configuration can be used to (temporarily or not) change the indication transmitted in other QoE / RVQoE configuration parameters based on certain criteria, such as the current RRC state of the UE, the fact that an energy-saving action is being performed at the RAN node, mobility, UE location, energy state (e.g., battery level or remaining battery time), energy sources (e.g., battery (optionally, different battery categories depending on battery capacity), power line / grid, solar cell, energy harvesting, etc.). In an example embodiment, the flexible configuration includes multiple parameters, and the flexible configuration is used to change the indication transmitted in at least one of the multiple parameters based on the criteria.

[0061] In one variant, the UE selects the value of a configuration parameter by itself from the value range configured for the UE. Figure 1 The example embodiment shown includes selecting (102) the value of a parameter from the value range configured for the UE. In another variant, the UE is explicitly indicated when to apply which instance of the flexible configuration. Figure 1 The example embodiment shown includes receiving (108) an instruction on when to apply an instance of the flexible configuration.

[0062] Flexible QoE or RVQoE configuration can include: when a certain condition is met, the configured UE can be allowed to select within a value range characterizing a certain configuration property, e.g., select a measurement / sampling period (as long as it does not exceed the configured maximum period, e.g., MaxMeasurementPeriodicity), or select a reporting period (as long as it does not exceed the configured maximum period, e.g., MaxReportingPeriodicity).

[0063] The UE can be allowed to select a range of granularities of reporting conditions according to the flexible QoE / RVQoE configuration. For example, the condition for RVQoE reporting can be that the amount by which a certain RVQoE metric (e.g., RVQoE metric X) has changed since the last report of this metric exceeds "X". Then, the flexible RVQoE configuration can include, for example, that when a certain condition (e.g., the UE is in the energy-saving mode) is met, the UE can select "X" as long as "X" is not greater than the maximum value "Y".

[0064] Flexible QoE / RVQoE configuration can include several "parts", where the UE applies a specific part when a related condition (such as RRC state or type of energy) is met. These parts may be mutually exclusive, or the applicability of each part can be evaluated independently, such that zero, one, or more parts can be applied simultaneously. The same concept also applies to RVQoE configuration.

[0065] In another case, the flexible configuration may explicitly indicate a certain RRC state or a list of RRC states to which the associated QoE / RVQoE configuration is applied / not applied.

[0066] In another case, the flexible configuration may be applied implicitly or explicitly to a specific RRC state or a list of specific RRC states.

[0067] In another case, the flexible configuration may indicate that when a certain (or certain) condition is met, the UE may suspend certain measurements or reports. Example embodiments include: when a condition is met, suspending or stopping at least one of RVQoE measurement, QoE measurement, RVQoE report, or QoE report.

[0068] In another case, the flexible configuration may explicitly or implicitly indicate a certain (or certain) UE-related energy saving / power saving state or a certain (or certain) UE-related energy / power level to which the associated QoE configuration is applied / not applied.

[0069] In another case, the flexible configuration may be applied explicitly or implicitly to a certain (or certain) UE-related energy saving / power saving state or applied to a certain (or certain) UE-related energy / power level.

[0070] In another case, the flexible configuration may explicitly or implicitly indicate a certain (or certain) RAN-related energy saving / power saving state or RAN-related energy / power efficiency state / fraction to which the associated QoE / RVQoE configuration is applied / not applied.

[0071] The RAN node may determine the value of the flexible configuration when certain conditions are applied. For example: when the Uu is in an overloaded state, when the processing capacity or radio / transmission resources at the RAN are limited, when an energy saving action is in progress (at different granularity levels: for a cell, for a reference signal beam, for the entire node).

[0072] The flexible configuration may include instructions on when to apply the flexible configuration and specify the exit conditions for when to stop applying the flexible QoE configuration. In an example embodiment, the flexible configuration includes instructions or conditions on when to apply the flexible configuration and / or instructions or conditions for when to stop applying the flexible configuration.

[0073] In one example, in the case where the QoE / RVQoE configuration (default) is for a UE in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the flexible configuration may be used to indicate that the same QoE / RVQoE configuration also applies to a UE in another RRC state (e.g., the RRC_INACTIVE state) or to UEs in all RRC states.

[0074] In another example, the QoE / RVQoE configuration is by default for UEs in all RRC states, and a flexible configuration can be used to indicate to the UE that when changing the RRC state, changing one or more QoE / RVQoE configuration information is allowed. This indication can be general, for example, without explicitly indicating from which RRC state to which RRC state or explicitly indicating that changes can be applied when transitioning from a "from RRC state" to a "to RRC state". Examples of changes can be using different reporting periods or measurement periods, or avoiding reporting certain RVQoE metrics compared to the (default) QoE / RVQoE configuration information.

[0075] In another example, the flexible configuration can be used by the RAN node to indicate pausing QoE / RVQoE reporting due to ongoing network energy saving actions.

[0076] In another example, the RAN node can use the flexible configuration to indicate that the QoE / RVQoE configuration is only valid when the UE is using a multicast service or only when using a broadcast service. Vice versa, indicating that the QoE / RVQoE configuration is invalid when the UE is using a multicast service or when using a broadcast service. Or, in another variant, the flexible configuration can be used to indicate that when using one of the multicast service or the broadcast service to transmit data of an application session, the UE should also measure additional QoE / RVQoE metrics (e.g., included in a separate QoE configuration for MBS).

[0077] In a flexible QoE configuration or in a flexible RVQoE configuration, it can be indicated that the UE collects / measures certain QoE or RVQoE metrics only in certain RRC states.

[0078] In a flexible QoE configuration or a flexible RVQoE configuration, it can be indicated that the UE collects / measures certain QoE or RVQoE metrics, or does not collect certain QoE or RVQoE metrics, only when certain events occur or only when certain conditions are met. A list of these possible events and conditions (collectively referred to as "conditions" herein) can be found further below.

[0079] In other examples, the flexible configuration parameters can be applied when one or more of the following are met:

[0080] · When the UE is in a certain RRC state.

[0081] · When the UE is receiving data via Multimedia Broadcast Service (MBS).

[0082] · When the UE is receiving data via MBS and is in a certain RRC state.

[0083] · When the UE is in a certain mobility state (high mobility, low mobility).

[0084] · When the UE is connected to a certain type of cell (e.g., a high-speed data network cell).

[0085] · When the UE is about to perform, is performing, or has just performed a handover, secondary node (SN) change, master node (MN) change, or a switch from dual connectivity to single connectivity.

[0086] · When the UE is in dual connectivity (DC).

[0087] · When adding a DC branch.

[0088] · When removing a DC branch.

[0089] · When deactivating a secondary cell group (SCG).

[0090] · When activating an SCG.

[0091] · When the UE is in DC mode and its MN and SN are about to perform, are performing, or have just performed a role switch (e.g., the former SN becomes the new MN, and the former MN becomes the new SN).

[0092] · When the UE is in the RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state and is about to perform, is performing, or has just performed a cell reselection to a new cell.

[0093] · When the UE is about to perform, is performing, or has just performed a transition from the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0094] · When the UE is about to perform, is performing, or has just performed a transition from the RRC_CONNECTED state to the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state.

[0095] · When the UE is about to perform, is performing, or has just performed a transition from the RRC_INACTIVE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0096] · When the UE is about to perform, is performing, or has just performed a transition from the RRC_IDLE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0097] · When the UE is about to perform, is performing, or has just performed a transition from the RRC_CONNECTED state to the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0098] · When the UE is about to perform, is performing, or has just performed a transition from the RRC_CONNECTED state to the RRC_IDLE state.

[0099] · When the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state and upon / after a mobility transition to RRC_CONNECTED, and vice versa.

[0100] · When the UE receives data via MBS and the MBS transmission mode is changed (e.g., from point-to-point (PTP) to point-to-multipoint (PTM) or from PTM to PTP).

[0101] · When the UE has changed its energy source.

[0102] · When the remaining battery level or the estimated remaining online time (based on the remaining available energy) of the UE is below a threshold.

[0103] · When the UE is in a certain cell, public land mobile network (PLMN), tracking area (TA) (or list of TAs), or at a certain geographical location, or in a certain geographical region or certain geographical regions.

[0104] · When the traffic intensity of the application session under discussion has a certain amount. For example, when the traffic volume is low, the measurement period can be higher than when the traffic is high.

[0105] · This flexible configuration can also indicate how measurements or reports should be performed according to application-level behavior. For example, in DASH, video segments are downloaded until a certain buffer occupancy rate is reached, and then all downloads of the application are paused for a period of time. This configuration can suggest that the UE perform measurements and reports immediately (or at a certain period) during the period when the download is active, and store the generated QoE / RVQoE reports generated during the inactive period to be sent when the client starts downloading again next time.

[0106] · When a metric or measurement value is above a certain threshold, below a certain threshold, or within a certain value range, where such a metric or measurement value can be, for example:

[0107] o Buffer level (e.g., in the playback buffer of a streaming application),

[0108] o Playback delay, e.g., the initial playback delay or the playback delay at media startup,

[0109] o UE speed / UE rate,

[0110] o Remaining energy available for the UE,

[0111] o UE energy fraction,

[0112] o Network energy efficiency score,

[0113] o Network energy saving / power saving level,

[0114] o Network energy consumption / power consumption level,

[0115] o One or more reported QoE metrics,

[0116] o One or more reported RVQoE metrics or RVQoE values,

[0117] o The remaining lifetime of a cell in a non-terrestrial network (e.g., the remaining time until the time (UTC) indicated by the parameter t-Service-r17 in SIB19).

[0118] The flexible configuration may indicate one or more QoE flexibility levels, such as a first QoE flexibility level, a second QoE flexibility level, and an Nth QoE flexibility level. In an example embodiment, the flexible configuration includes at least one RVQoE or QoE flexibility level.

[0119] The QoE flexibility level includes information for assisting the UE in determining whether and how to change the QoE / RVQoE measurements specified by (other) QoE / RVQoE configuration parameters and / or for determining whether and how to change the QoE / RVQoE reporting. In an example embodiment, the at least one of the RVQoE or QoE flexibility levels includes information for assisting the UE in determining whether and how to change the RVQoE or QoE measurements specified by other RVQoE or QoE configuration parameters and / or for determining whether and how to change the RVQoE or QoE reporting or the timing of the RVQoE or QoE reporting.

[0120] In a non - limiting example of the QoE flexibility level, the (first) QoE flexibility level can, for example, correspond to the default QoE flexibility level (or the strictest QoE flexibility level), where the effect is that no specific changes are applied to the QoE / RVQoE configuration parameters (e.g., measurement or reporting configuration parameters). In a possible implementation, the default QoE flexibility level can be associated with the value 0. When this level is transmitted to the UE (in the form of a flexible configuration), the UE shall perform all QoE / RVQoE measurements indicated in the corresponding QoE / RVQoE configuration, and it shall send QoE / RVQoE reports according to the specified period (either in the XML file containing the QoE configuration or in the RVQoE configuration received by the RAN); the default QoE flexibility level can be implicitly transmitted to the UE. For example, if no QoE flexibility level is sent to the UE (e.g., no explicit flexibility level indication and / or no information intended to assist the UE in determining the flexibility level), then the default QoE flexibility level shall clearly be used.

[0121] In another non - limiting example of the QoE flexibility level, other QoE flexibility levels can be used to indicate to the UE that it is allowed to relax the collection of QoE / RVQoE measurements and / or the sending of QoE / RVQoE reports compared to the default QoE flexibility level. Each flexibility level can be mapped to a certain criterion. For example, when the UE is in a high - speed mobility state, the measurement period and the reporting period should be smaller. In another variant, the number of samples included in the report should be higher or lower than the number in the case where the UE is moving at a low speed.

[0122] The relaxed features can be signaled in various forms. For example: indicating a reduced set of QoE metrics to be measured compared to the default value, an increase in the reporting period between consecutive QoE / RVQoE reports; an indication to perform only RVQoE measurements (or only QoE measurements without performing RVQoE measurements); an indication to limit the report to RVQoE (or to limit the report to QoE).

[0123] The relaxed QoE requirements can be (implicitly or explicitly) associated with certain RRC states. For example, the flexible configuration can involve a second QoE flexibility level and indicate to the UE that when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, compared to the sampling rate used by the UE when it is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, it is allowed to reduce the sampling rate for collecting QoE / RVQoE metrics (e.g., the number of buffer - level samples per second). The same (or another) flexible configuration can also indicate the exact value or the range of allowed values for the sampling - rate reduction.

[0124] A network node (e.g., a RAN node or an OAM node) providing flexible QoE and / or RVQoE configuration parameters may request the UE to indicate, together with or within the QoE / RVQoE report, whether the QoE / RVQoE report has (or has not) changed due to the possibilities allowed by the flexible configuration. Optionally, such an indication may also include or be accompanied by an indication of how the QoE / RVQoE report has changed (e.g., which QoE metrics have been omitted, and / or which periods have been changed and to which values). Alternatively, the UE may indicate, in or with the QoE / RVQoE report, the level of flexibility, the nature of the report (e.g., period), and / or the QoE / RVQoE measurements that have resulted in the filling of the QoE / RVQoE report, and the recipient of the indication of the QoE / RVQoE report and the applied level of flexibility may infer from it the resulting changes to the QoE / RVQoE report (including the nature of the report and the QoE / RVQoE measurements that have resulted in the filling of the report).

[0125] In addition to other application states, the UE may also be requested (as part of the flexible QoE configuration) to indicate the flexible QoE configuration / QoE flexibility level that has affected the report, as described above for the DASH example.

[0126] In one example, a new indication for handling QoE configuration parameters is added. Currently, the network handles the area scope when the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, and it is assumed that the UE handles the area scope when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state. If the QoE configuration is valid for multiple RRC states, it may be necessary to align or coordinate the handling of the area scope. For example, it must be clear which entity (UE or network) is responsible for area scope monitoring at any given time (e.g., in each RRC state). There are different options for how to accomplish this:

[0127] · The UE may also handle the area scope in the RRC_CONNECTED state. For example, this can be achieved by sending the area scope to the UE.

[0128] · The network may also handle the area scope in the RRC_INACTIVE and RRC_IDLE states. This means that the UE may have to send an update to the network when it changes cells. Alternatively, the UE may be instructed to send an update to the network at certain events (e.g., when it reselects to a certain cell).

[0129] · The UE can handle the area scope in the RRC_INACTIVE and RRC_IDLE states, and the network can handle the area scope in the RRC_CONNECTED state. In this case, the network may need to send the area scope to the UE when configuring the flexible QoE configuration, but it is necessary to clarify that the area scope is only valid for certain states (such as the RRC_INACTIVE and RRC_IDLE states). This can be indicated explicitly or implicitly, or it can be described in the field description or process text in the 3GPP RRC specification (e.g., future versions of 3GPP TS38.331) which RRC states the area scope applies to in the UE.

[0130] Some embodiments for implementing QoE measurement flexibility enable the UE to perform QoE measurements independent of its RRC state. In an example embodiment, the flexible configuration enables the UE to perform RVQoE measurements or QoE measurements independent of the UE's Radio Resource Control (RRC) state. One option for implementing application layer measurements in the RRC disconnected state is to include an indication in the QoE configuration to continue QoE / RVQoE measurements when the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state. In this case, the indication of the UE's RRC state can be included in MeasReportAppLayer as rrcState, with three available values, e.g., CONNECTED, INACTIVE, and IDLE. Another degree of freedom in QoE configuration in terms of its RRC state is to further adjust the measurement recording and reporting conditions accordingly to avoid the UE transitioning to the RRC connected state only for sending reports.

[0131] If / when the UE is in the RRC connected state:

[0132] · Indicate "connected" in the QoE / RVQoE measurement report.

[0133] · Perform measurements according to the service type.

[0134] · Report QoE / RVQoE measurements according to a specified period or when certain conditions for event-triggered reporting are met (for RVQoE).

[0135] If the UE's state changes from RRC_CONNECTED to RRC_INACTIVE:

[0136] · Indicate "inactive" as the RRC state in the measurement report,

[0137] · Indicate to continue measurements according to the service type,

[0138] · Change the measurement method / conditions:

[0139] o Reduce the measurement period, or

[0140] o Change from periodic measurement to event-triggered measurement, and

[0141] · Change the reporting transmission method / condition:

[0142] o Record / collect measurements in the buffer as long as the UE is not in the RRC_CONNECTED state, or

[0143] o If the report size is smaller than the configured size of the SDT report, send the report as SDT.

[0144] If the UE's state changes from RRC_CONNECTED or RRC_INACTIVE to RRC_IDLE:

[0145] · Indicate "idle" as the RRC state in the measurement report,

[0146] · Indicate to continue QoE / RVQoE measurements according to the service type,

[0147] · Change the measurement conditions:

[0148] o Change the measurement period, or

[0149] o Change to event-triggered reporting, and

[0150] · Change the reporting conditions:

[0151] o Record the measurements and store them in the UE AS, or

[0152] o If SDT is available for the RRC_IDLE state, send the report via SDT.

[0153] If the UE state changes from RRC_IDLE to RRC_INACTIVE:

[0154] · If the session is still ongoing:

[0155] o Indicate "inactive" as the RRC state in the measurement report,

[0156] o Indicate to continue QoE / RVQoE measurements according to the service type,

[0157] o Since reports can now be sent via SDT, change the measurement conditions:

[0158] ■ The measurement period can be increased, or

[0159] ■ The conditions / thresholds for event-triggered reporting can also be modified.

[0160] o Change of report transmission:

[0161] ■ Change from measurement record to report transmission as SDT, or

[0162] ■ Record the measurement and store it in the UE AS until the UE transitions to RRC_CONNECTED.

[0163] · If the session has stopped / ceased to provide services of serviceType:

[0164] o Transmit the recorded / stored measurement report as SDT, or

[0165] o Retain it in the UE AS until the UE transitions to RRC_CONNECTED.

[0166] When the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state, at least the RVQoE measurement report can be forwarded to the gNB via SDT for real-time radio resource optimization.

[0167] In an example embodiment, the parameter includes a value, and the adjustment of the parameter includes changing or selecting the value.

[0168] Some non-limiting examples of the flexibility of QoE / RVQoE configuration parameters include:

[0169] · Changing / selecting a value characterizing a certain configuration property, such as:

[0170] o Changing / selecting the measurement / sampling period,

[0171] o Changing / selecting the reporting period,

[0172] o Changing / selecting the number of samples / values of a certain metric in the report.

[0173] · Changing which QoE / RVQoE metric to measure.

[0174] · Changing the presentation format of the measurement metrics in the report. For example, whether a set of collected / measured metric samples is reported as a list of samples / values or as the average of the collected / measured samples / values.

[0175] The operations of the UE can be performed by Figure 3 any one of the UEs 312A to 312D. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the operations of the UE (implemented using the Figure 1 structure) have been discussed with reference to the Figure 4 flowchart. For example, the module can be stored in Figure 4in the memory 410 of, and these modules can provide instructions such that when the instructions of the module are executed by the corresponding UE processing circuitry 402, the UE 400 performs the corresponding operations of the flowchart.

[0176] For some embodiments of the UE and related methods, various operations of the Figure 1 flowchart can be optional. For example, Figure 1 the operations of blocks 102 and 104 in

[0177] Some other embodiments relate to a method performed by a network node (e.g., Figure 3 network nodes 310A, 310B, 308 in Figure 2 ). Now, according to some embodiments, the operations of the network node (implemented using the Figure 5 structure) will be discussed with reference to the Figure 5 flowchart. For example, the modules can be stored in the

[0178] As Figure 2 shown, a method implemented by a network node includes receiving or determining (200) a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) RVQoE measurements or RVQoE reports, and (ii) QoE measurements or QoE reports invisible to the RAN. The flexible configuration includes parameters to be adjusted based on meeting conditions. The method further includes: sending (202) the flexible configuration to the UE based on adjusting the parameters in response to meeting the conditions, the flexible configuration to be used by the UE for processing at least one of RVQoE measurements, RVQoE reports, QoE measurements invisible to the RAN, and QoE reports invisible to the RAN.

[0179] In an example embodiment, the flexible configuration includes at least one of a configuration for RVQoE and a configuration for QoE invisible to the RAN.

[0180] Example embodiments include a parameter that includes at least one of a sampling period, a reporting period, the number of metrics or samples or values in an RVQoE or QoE report, the metrics to be measured, and the format of the measured metrics.

[0181] Example embodiments include conditions that include at least one of the following: i) the radio resource control (RRC) state of the UE; (ii) the mobility state of the UE; (iii) the speed and / or rate of the UE; (iv) the UE-related energy fraction; (v) the network energy efficiency fraction; (vi) the network energy saving and / or power saving level; (vii) the network energy consumption and / or power consumption level; and (viii) the satisfaction of at least one value of at least one reported QoE metric or at least one reported RVQoE metric or at least one reported RVQoE value with respect to a level or threshold.

[0182] In an example embodiment, the flexible configuration includes an indication to be used by the UE to determine the type and nature of QoE measurements to be performed, and / or the number of QoE reports of the QoE measurements, and / or the RVQoE measurements to be performed, and / or the number of RVQoE reports of the RVQoE measurements.

[0183] In an example embodiment, receiving or determining ( Figure 2 operation 200 in) includes receiving or determining the flexible configuration in at least one of and / or for at least one of the following: (i) a QoE measurement job; (ii) a QoE measurement collection configuration; (iii) an RVQoE measurement configuration sent to a network node; (iv) an RVQoE measurement configuration sent from a network node to the UE; (v) information associated with the QoE measurement collection configuration; and (vi) information associated with the QoE measurement collection configuration.

[0184] In an example embodiment, the flexible configuration is received or determined in at least one of the QoE measurement collection configurations and / or for at least one of the RVQoE measurement collection configurations and / or information associated with the QoE measurement collection configuration and / or information associated with the RVQoE measurement collection configuration, and the flexible configuration is outside or inside a container transparent to the RAN.

[0185] In an example embodiment, the flexible configuration includes a default configuration, and when the flexible configuration is not used or is deactivated, the default configuration is applied.

[0186] In an example embodiment, the flexible configuration includes a plurality of parameters, and the flexible configuration is used to change an indication transmitted in at least one of the plurality of parameters based on a criterion.

[0187] In an example embodiment, the flexible configuration includes a value of the parameter to be selected from a range of values configured for the UE.

[0188] Figure 2 The example embodiment shown includes sending (204) instructions regarding when to apply an instance of the flexible configuration.

[0189] In an example embodiment, when the condition is met, the RVQoE or QoE measurement or the RVQoE or QoE reporting is paused or stopped.

[0190] In an example embodiment, the flexible configuration includes instructions or conditions regarding when to apply the flexible configuration and / or instructions or conditions for when to stop applying the flexible configuration.

[0191] In an example embodiment, the flexible configuration includes at least one RVQoE or QoE flexibility level.

[0192] In an example embodiment, the RVQoE or QoE flexibility level includes information for assisting the UE in determining whether and how to change the RVQoE or QoE measurement specified by other RVQoE or QoE configuration parameters and / or for determining whether and how to change the RVQoE or QoE reporting or the timing of the RVQoE or QoE reporting.

[0193] The flexible configuration includes causing the UE to perform RVQoE or QoE measurement independently of the radio resource control (RRC) state of the UE.

[0194] In an example embodiment, the parameter includes a value, and the adjustment of the parameter includes changing or selecting the value.

[0195] Regarding some embodiments of a network node and related methods, various operations from Figure 2 the flowchart may be optional. For example, Figure 2 the operation of block 204 of

[0196] Figure 3 shows an example of a communication system 300 according to some embodiments.

[0197] In this example, the communication system 300 includes: a telecommunication network 302, including an access network 304 such as a radio access network (RAN); and a core network 306, including one or more core network nodes 308. The access network 304 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 310a and 310b (one or more of which may generally be referred to as network node 310), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. The network node 310 facilitates the direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), for example, connecting UEs 312a, 312b, 312c, and 312d (one or more of which may generally be referred to as UE 312) to the core network 306 through one or more wireless connections.

[0198] Example wireless communications via a wireless connection include sending and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information without using wiring, cables, or other material conductors. Additionally, in various embodiments, the communication system 300 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that can facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals, whether the communication is via a wired connection or a wireless connection. The communication system 300 may include any type of communication, telecommunications, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar types of systems, and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunications, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar types of systems.

[0199] The UE 312 can be any of a variety of communication devices, including a wireless device that is arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network node 310 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network node 310 is arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UE 312 and / or with other network nodes or devices in the telecommunications network 302 to enable and / or provide network access (e.g., wireless network access) and / or to perform other functions in the telecommunications network 302 (e.g., management).

[0200] In the depicted example, the core network 306 connects the network node 310 to one or more hosts (such as host 316). These connections can be direct connections or indirect connections via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, the network node can be directly coupled to the host. The core network 306 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 308) that consist of hardware and software components. The characteristics of these components can be substantially similar to the characteristics described with respect to the UE, network node, and / or host, such that their description can generally apply to the corresponding components of the core network node 308. Example core network nodes include the functionality of one or more of the following: mobile switching center (MSC), mobility management entity (MME), home subscriber server (HSS), access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), authentication server function (AUSF), subscription identifier concealment function (SIDF), unified data management (UDM), secure edge protection proxy (SEPP), network exposure function (NEF), and / or user plane function (UPF).

[0201] The host 316 may be owned or under the control of a service provider other than the operator or provider of the access network 304 and / or the telecommunication network 302, and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The host 316 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services (e.g., retrieving and compiling data on various environmental conditions detected by multiple UEs), analytics 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.

[0202] As a whole, Figure 3 the communication system 300 enables connections between UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In this sense, the communication system may 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 the 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.

[0203] In some examples, the telecommunication network 302 is a cellular network implementing 3GPP standardized features. Thus, the telecommunication network 302 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to the telecommunication network 302. For example, the telecommunication network 302 may provide ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or providing massive machine type communication (mMTC) / massive IoT services to yet other UEs.

[0204] In some examples, the UE 312 is configured to send and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE can be designed to send information to the access network 304 according to a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the access network 304. Additionally, the UE can be configured to operate in a single RAT mode, a multi-RAT mode, or a multi-standard mode. For example, the UE can operate using any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio), and LTE, such as being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0205] In this example, the hub 314 communicates with the access network 304 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE312c and / or UE 312d) and a network node (e.g., network node 310b). In some examples, the hub 314 can be a controller, a router, a content source and analyzer, or any other communication device described herein with respect to the UE. For example, the hub 314 can be a broadband router that enables the UE to access the core network 306. As another example, the hub 314 can be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators of the UE. The commands or instructions can be received from the UE, the network node 310, or through executable code, scripts, procedures, or other instructions in the hub 314. As another example, the hub 314 can be a data collector that acts as a temporary storage device for UE data and, in some embodiments, can perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 314 can be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, a display, a speaker, or other media delivery device, the hub 314 can retrieve VR assets, videos, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via the network node, and then the hub 314 can directly provide it to the UE after performing local processing and / or after adding additional local content. In yet another example, the hub 314 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UE, especially if one or more of the UEs are low-energy IoT devices.

[0206] The hub 314 may have a continuous / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 310b. The hub 314 may also allow for different communication schemes and / or scheduling between the hub 314 and the UE (e.g., UE 312c and / or UE 312d) and between the hub 314 and the core network 306. In other examples, the hub 314 is connected to the core network 306 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Additionally, the hub 314 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider via the access network 304 and / or to connect to another UE via a direct connection. In some scenarios, a UE may establish a wireless connection with the network node 310 while still being connected via the hub 314 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 314 may be a dedicated hub, i.e., a hub whose main function is to route communications from the network node 310b to the UE / to route communications from the UE to the network node 310b. In other embodiments, the hub 314 may be a non-dedicated hub, i.e., a device that is capable of operating to route communications between the UE and the network node 310b but is additionally capable of operating as a communication origin and / or endpoint for certain data channels.

[0207] Figure 4 UE 400 according to some embodiments is shown. As used herein, a UE refers to a device that is capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of UEs include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cellular phones, Internet Protocol voice (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, gaming consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablet computers, laptop computers, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop-mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless client devices (CPEs), vehicle-mounted or vehicle-embedded / integrated wireless devices, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs, machine type communication (MTC) UEs, and / or enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs.

[0208] A UE can support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example, by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communication, dedicated short range communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended to be sold to or operated by a human user but may not or initially may not be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user but may be associated with or operate in the interest of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0209] UE 400 includes processing circuitry 402 that is operably coupled via a bus 404 to an input / output interface 406, a power supply 408, a memory 410, a communication interface 412, and / or any other components or any combination thereof. Some UEs may utilize Figure 4 all or a subset of the components shown. The level of integration between components can vary with the UE. Additionally, some UEs may include multiple instances of components, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0210] The processing circuitry 402 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute instructions stored as a machine-readable computer program in the memory 410. The processing circuitry 402 may be implemented as: one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., implemented in discrete logic, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.); programmable logic along with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, a general-purpose processor (e.g., a microprocessor or a digital signal processor (DSP)) along with appropriate software; or any combination of the foregoing. For example, the processing circuitry 402 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0211] In an example, the input / output interface 406 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. Input devices can allow a user to capture information into the UE 400. Examples of input devices include touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive displays, cameras (e.g., digital cameras, digital video cameras, webcams, etc.), microphones, sensors, mice, trackballs, directional keyboards, touchpads, rollers, smart cards, etc. A presence-sensitive display can include capacitive or resistive touch sensors to sense input from a user. Sensors can be, for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt sensors, force sensors, magnetometers, optical sensors, proximity sensors, biometric sensors, etc., or any combination thereof. Output devices can use the same type of interface port as input devices. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port can be used to provide both input and output devices.

[0212] In some embodiments, the power supply 408 is configured as a battery or a battery pack. Other types of power supplies can be used, such as an external power supply (e.g., a power outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a battery. The power supply 408 can also include a power circuit for delivering power from the power supply 408 itself and / or an external power supply to various parts of the UE 400 via an input circuit or an interface such as a power cable. Delivering power can be used, for example, for charging the power supply 408. The power circuit can perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification on the power from the power supply 408 to make the power suitable for the corresponding components of the UE 400 to which the power is supplied.

[0213] The memory 410 can 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 magnetic tape, a flash drive, etc. In one example, the memory 410 includes one or more applications 414, such as an operating system, a web browser application, widgets, a gadget engine, or other applications, and corresponding data 416. The memory 410 can store any one or a combination of various operating systems used by the UE 400.

[0214] Memory 410 may be configured to include a plurality of physical drive units, such as Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drives, external hard disk drives, thumb drives, pen drives, key drives, High-Definition Digital Versatile Disc (HD-DVD) disc drives, internal hard disk drives, Blu-ray disc drives, Holographic Digital Data Storage (HDDS) disc drives, external mini dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs), Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), external micro DIMM SDRAM, smart card memory (e.g., a tamper-resistant module in the form of a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) including one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or an 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". Memory 410 may allow the UE 400 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 410, which may be or include a device-readable storage medium.

[0215] Processing circuitry 402 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using communication interface 412. Communication interface 412 may include one or more communication subsystems and may include antenna 422 or be communicatively coupled to antenna 422. Communication interface 412 may include one or more transceivers for communicating (such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network)). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 418 and / or a receiver 420 suitable for providing network communication (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocation, etc.). Additionally, transmitter 418 and receiver 420 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 422) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0216] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication interface 412 can 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 (e.g., using the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine location), another type of communication function, or any combination thereof. The communication can be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards (e.g., 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 Network (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.).

[0217] Regardless of the type of sensor, the UE can provide an output of the data captured by its sensors via its communication interface 412 over a wireless connection to a network node. The data captured by the UE's sensors can be transmitted via another UE over a wireless connection to a network node. The output can be periodic (e.g., every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to balance the load of reports from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., sending an alert when humidity 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).

[0218] 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 over a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input, the state of the actuator, motor, or switch can change. For example, the UE can include a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input, or adjusts a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0219] When the UE is in the form of an Internet of Things (IoT) device, the UE can be a device used in one or more application areas, including but not limited to urban wearable technologies, extended industrial applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such IoT devices are devices or devices embedded in the following: connected refrigerators or freezers, televisions, connected lighting devices, electricity meters, robotic vacuum cleaners, voice-controlled smart speakers, home security cameras, motion detectors, thermostats, smoke detectors, door and window sensors, flood / humidity sensors, electronic door locks, connected doorbells, air conditioning systems (such as heat pumps), autonomous vehicles, monitoring systems, weather monitoring devices, vehicle parking monitoring devices, electric vehicle charging stations, smart watches, fitness trackers, head-mounted displays for augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR), wearable devices for tactile or sensory augmentation, sprinklers, animal or item tracking devices, sensors for monitoring plants or animals, industrial robots, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and any kind of medical device (such as a heart rate monitor or a remote-controlled surgical robot). In addition to other components described as in the UE 400 as shown in Figure 4 The UE in the form of an IoT device also includes circuits and / or software depending on the intended application of the IoT device.

[0220] As yet another specific example, in an IoT scenario, the UE can 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 can be an M2M device, which can be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As a specific example, the UE can implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, the UE can represent a vehicle (e.g., a car, bus, truck, ship, and airplane) or other device capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operating state or other functions associated with its operation.

[0221] In fact, for a single use case, any number of UEs can be used together. For example, the first UE can be a drone or integrated in a drone and provide the speed information of the drone (obtained through a speed sensor) to the second UE, which is the remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes a change from the remote controller, the first UE can adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the speed of the drone. The first UE and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the above functions. For example, the UE can include sensors and actuators and process the data communication of both the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0222] Figure 5FIG. 500 shows a network node according to some embodiments. As used herein, a network node refers to a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or devices in a telecommunications network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), and NR NodeB (gNB)).

[0223] Base stations can be classified based on the amount of coverage they provide (or in other words, their transmit power levels), and thus, depending on the amount of coverage provided, a base station can be referred to as a femto base station, a pico base station, a micro base station, or a macro base station. A base station can be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node can also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). These remote radio units can be integrated with antennas into radios with integrated antennas, or they can be not integrated with antennas into radios with integrated antennas. Parts of a distributed radio base station can also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0224] Other examples of network nodes include multi-transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) devices (e.g., MSR BS), network controllers (e.g., radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs)), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), operation and maintenance (O&M) nodes, operation support system (OSS) nodes, self-organizing network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC)), and / or minimized drive test (MDT).

[0225] The network node 500 includes a processing circuit 502, a memory 504, a communication interface 506, and a power supply 508. The network node 500 may consist of multiple physically separated components (e.g., Node B components and RNC components, BTS components and BSC components, etc.), and these components may have their own corresponding components. In some scenarios where the network node 500 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such scenarios, each unique "NodeB and RNC pair" may in some cases be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 500 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be replicated (e.g., there are separate memories 504 for different RATs), and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 510 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 500 may also include multiple sets of various components shown for different wireless technologies (e.g., GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, radio frequency identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technologies) integrated into the network node 500. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chip sets and other components within the network node 500.

[0226] The processing circuit 502 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or a combination of hardware, software, and / or coded logic, which is operable to provide the network node 500 functions either alone or in combination with other network node 500 components (e.g., the memory 504).

[0227] In some embodiments, the processing circuit 502 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuit 502 includes one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 512 and a baseband processing circuit 514. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 512 and the baseband processing circuit 514 may be on separate chips (or chip sets), boards, or units (e.g., radio units and digital units). In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 512 and the baseband processing circuit 514 may be on the same chip or chip set, board, or set of units.

[0228] The memory 504 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including but not limited to permanent storage devices, solid-state memory, remotely installed memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disks), removable storage media (e.g., flash drives, compact discs (CDs) or digital video discs (DVDs)), 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 circuitry 502. The memory 504 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including computer programs, software, applications including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuitry 502 and used by the network node 500. The memory 504 may be used to store any calculations performed by the processing circuitry 502 and / or any data received via the communication interface 506. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 502 and the memory 504 are integrated together.

[0229] The communication interface 506 is for wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks, and / or UEs. As shown, the communication interface 506 includes ports / terminals 516 for sending data to and receiving data from a network, for example, via a wired connection. The communication interface 506 also includes a radio front-end circuit 518, which may be coupled to the antenna 510 or, in certain embodiments, to a portion of the antenna 510. The radio front-end circuit 518 includes a filter 520 and an amplifier 522. The radio front-end circuit 518 may be connected to the antenna 510 and the processing circuitry 502. The radio front-end circuit may be configured to condition the signals transmitted between the antenna 510 and the processing circuitry 502. The radio front-end circuit 518 may receive digital data to be transmitted to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 518 may convert the digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of the filter 520 and / or the amplifier 522. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 510. Similarly, when data is received, the antenna 510 may collect the radio signal, and then the radio front-end circuit 518 converts it into digital data. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 502. In other embodiments, the communication interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0230] In some alternative embodiments, the network node 500 does not include a separate radio front-end circuit 518. Instead, the processing circuit 502 includes the radio front-end circuit and is connected to the antenna 510. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuits 512 are part of the communication interface 506. In yet another embodiment, the communication interface 506 includes one or more ports or terminals 516, a radio front-end circuit 518, and RF transceiver circuits 512 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 506 communicates with a baseband processing circuit 514, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0231] The antenna 510 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 510 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuit 518 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In certain embodiments, the antenna 510 is separate from the network node 500 and may be connected to the network node 500 via an interface or port.

[0232] The antenna 510, communication interface 506, and / or processing circuit 502 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network device. Similarly, the antenna 510, communication interface 506, and / or processing circuit 502 may be configured to perform any sending operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be sent to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network device.

[0233] The power supply 508 supplies power to the various components of the network node 500 in a form suitable for the various components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). The power supply 508 may also include a power management circuit or be coupled to a power management circuit to supply power to the components of the network node 500 for performing the functions described herein. For example, the network node 500 may be connected to an external power supply (e.g., a power grid, a power outlet) via an input circuit or interface (e.g., a cable), and the external power supply supplies power to the power circuit of the power supply 508. As another example, the power supply 508 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack, which is connected to or integrated in the power circuit. If the external power supply fails, the battery may provide backup power.

[0234] Embodiments of the network node 500 may include more than Figure 5An add-on to the component shown, for providing certain aspects of the functionality of a network node (including any functionality described herein and / or any functionality required to support the subject matter described herein). For example, network node 500 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input into network node 500 and to allow information to be output from network node 500. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions with respect to network node 500.

[0235] Figure 6 is a block diagram of a host 600 according to aspects described herein, the host 600 may be Figure 3 an embodiment of host 316. As used herein, host 600 may be or include various combinations of hardware and / or software (including stand-alone servers, blade servers, cloud-implemented servers, distributed servers, virtual machines, containers, or processing resources in a server farm). Host 600 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0236] Host 600 includes processing circuitry 602 that is operably coupled via a bus 604 to an input / output interface 606, a network interface 608, a power supply 610, and a memory 612. Other components may be included in other embodiments. The characteristics of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of the previous figures (such as Figure 4 and Figure 5 ), such that their description generally applies to the corresponding components of host 600.

[0237] The memory 612 may include one or more computer programs, which include data 616 and one or more host applications 614. The data 616 may include user data, such as data generated by the UE for the host 600 or data generated by the host 600 for the UE. Embodiments of the host 600 may utilize only a subset or all of the illustrated components. The host application 614 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for a variety of different categories, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., mobile phones, desktop computers, wearable display systems, head-up display systems). The host application 614 may also provide user authentication and license checking and may periodically report health status, routing, and content availability to a central node (such as a device in the core network or a device at the edge of the core network). Thus, the host 600 may select and / or indicate different hosts for over-the-top services for the UE. The host application 614 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, the Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), the Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), the Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0238] Figure 7 FIG. is a block diagram showing a virtualized environment 700 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of a device or apparatus that may include a virtualized hardware platform, storage devices, and network resources. As used herein, virtualization may be applied to any device or its components described herein and relates to embodiments in which at least a portion of the functions are implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) that are implemented in one or more virtual environments 700 hosted by one or more of the hardware nodes (e.g., hardware computing devices operating as network nodes, UEs, core network nodes, or hosts). Additionally, in embodiments where the virtual node does not require a radio connection (e.g., core network node or host), the node may be fully virtualized.

[0239] The application 702 (which may alternatively be referred to as a software instance, virtual application, network function, virtual node, virtual network function, etc.) operates in the virtualized environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some embodiments disclosed herein.

[0240] The hardware 704 includes a processing circuit, a memory storing software and / or instructions executable by the hardware processing circuit, and / or other hardware devices described herein (such as network interfaces, input / output interfaces, etc.). The software can be executed by the processing circuit to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 706 (also referred to as a hypervisor or virtual machine monitor (VMM)), provide VMs 708a and 708b (one or more of which can generally be referred to as VM 708), and / or perform any functions, features, and / or benefits described in connection with some embodiments herein. The virtualization layer 706 can present a virtual operating platform to the VMs 708 that appears like networked hardware.

[0241] The VMs 708 include virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual network or interfaces, and virtual storage, and can be operated by the corresponding virtualization layer 706. Different embodiments of instances of the virtual device 702 can be implemented on one or more VMs 708, and these implementations can be made in different ways. In some contexts, the virtualization of hardware is referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to unify numerous network device types onto industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage that can be located in data centers and customer premise equipment (CPE).

[0242] In the context of NFV, a VM 708 can be a software implementation of a physical machine that operates as if it were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each VM 708, along with the hardware portion of the hardware 704 that executes that VM (whether it is hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with other VMs), forms a separate virtual network element. Still in the context of NFV, the virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that operate in one or more VMs 708 above the hardware 704 and correspond to the application 702.

[0243] The hardware 704 can be implemented in an independent network node with general or specific components. Some functions of the hardware 704 can be implemented via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 704 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 through management and coordination 710, and the management and coordination 710 particularly supervises the lifecycle management of the application 702. In some embodiments, the hardware 704 is coupled to one or more radio units, and each radio unit includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that can be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio units 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 (e.g., radio access nodes or base stations). In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided by using the control system 712, which can alternatively be used for communication between the hardware node and the radio unit.

[0244] Figure 8 A communication diagram is shown in which a host 802 communicates with a UE 806 via a partial wireless connection through a network node 804 according to some embodiments. Now reference will be made to Figure 8 Describe example implementations according to various embodiments of the UE (e.g., Figure 3 UE 312a and / or Figure 4 UE 400), network node (e.g., Figure 3 network node 310a and / or Figure 5 network node 500), and host (e.g., Figure 3 host 316 and / or Figure 6 host 600) discussed in the previous paragraphs.

[0245] Similar to the host 600, embodiments of the host 802 include hardware such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 802 also includes software that is stored in or accessible by the host 802 and can be executed by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that is operable to provide services to remote users, such as the UE 806 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 850 extending between the UE 806 and the host 802. When providing services to remote users, the host application can provide user data transmitted using the OTT connection 850.

[0246] The network node 804 includes hardware that enables it to communicate with the host 802 and the UE 806. The connection 860 can be a direct connection or through a core network (such as Figure 3Connection to the core network 306) and / or one or more other intermediate networks (e.g., one or more public, private, or hosted networks). For example, the intermediate network can be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0247] The UE 806 includes hardware and software that is stored in or accessible by the UE 806 and executable by the processing circuitry of the UE. The software includes client applications (e.g., a web browser or operator-specific "app") that are operable to provide services to human or non-human users via the UE 806 with the support of the host 802. In the host 802, the executing host application can communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 850 that terminates at the UE 806 and the host 802. When providing services to a 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 850 can send both the request data and the user data. The client application of the UE can interact with the user to generate user data that is provided to the host application via the OTT connection 850.

[0248] The OTT connection 850 can extend via the connection 860 between the host 802 and the network node 804 and via the wireless connection 870 between the network node 804 and the UE 806 to provide a connection between the host 802 and the UE 806. The connection 860 and the wireless connection 870 through which the OTT connection 850 can be provided have been abstractly drawn to illustrate communication between the host 802 and the UE 806 via the network node 804 without explicitly referring to any intermediate devices and the exact routing of messages through these devices.

[0249] As an example of sending data via the OTT connection 850, in step 808, the host 802 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 who interacts with the UE 806. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with the UE 806, and the UE 806 shares data with the host 802 without explicit human interaction. In step 810, the host 802 initiates a transmission to the UE 806 that carries the user data. The host 802 can initiate the transmission in response to a request sent by the UE 806. The request can be caused by a human interaction with the UE 806 or by an operation of a client application executing on the UE 806. According to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the transmission can be conveyed via the network node 804. Thus, in step 812, according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 804 sends the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host 802 to the UE 806. In step 814, the UE 806 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which can be performed by a client application executing on the UE 806 that is associated with the host application executed by the host 802.

[0250] In some examples, the UE 806 executes a client application that provides user data to the host 802. The user data can be provided in reaction or response to data received from the host 802. Thus, in step 816, the UE 806 can provide user data, which can be performed by executing the client application. When providing the user data, the client application can also consider user input received from the user via the input / output interface of the UE 806. Regardless of the specific manner of providing the user data, in step 818, the UE 806 initiates a transmission of the user data to the host 802 via the network node 804. In step 820, according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 804 receives the user data from the UE 806 and initiates sending the received user data to the host 802. In step 822, the host 802 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 806.

[0251] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of the OTT service provided to the UE 806 using the OTT connection 850, in which the wireless connection 870 forms the final part. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments can improve efficiency, thereby providing benefits such as adjusting measurements and recording measurements according to different network scenarios.

[0252] In an example scenario, the host 802 can collect and analyze factory status information. As another example, the host 802 can process audio and video data that may have been retrieved from the UE for creating a map. As another example, the host 802 can collect and analyze real-time data to help control vehicle congestion (e.g., control traffic lights). As another example, the host 802 can store surveillance videos uploaded by the UE. As another example, the host 802 can store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR, or AR, which can be broadcast, multicast, or unicast to the UE. As other examples, the host 802 can be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time-critical electrical loads to balance power generation demand, location services, presentation services (e.g., compiling charts, etc. based on data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing, and / or sending data.

[0253] In some examples, a measurement process can be provided for the purpose of monitoring improved data rates, latency, and other factors of one or more embodiments. There can also be optional network functions for reconfiguring the OTT connection 850 between the host 802 and the UE 806 in response to changes in the measurement results. The measurement process and / or the network functions for reconfiguring the OTT connection can be implemented in the software and hardware of the host 802 and / or the UE 806. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) can be deployed in or associated with other devices through which the OTT connection 850 passes; the sensors can participate in the measurement process by providing values of the monitored quantities exemplified above or other physical quantities from which software can calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguration of the OTT connection 850 can include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; the reconfiguration does not need to directly change the operation of the network node 804. Such processes and functions can be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, the measurement can involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates the host 802's measurement of throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. The measurement can be achieved by software using the OTT connection 850 to send messages (especially empty messages or "virtual" messages) while monitoring propagation time, errors, etc.

[0254] Although the computing devices (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) described herein may include a combination of the hardware components shown, other embodiments may include computing devices having a different combination 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 determinations, calculations, acquisitions, or similar operations described herein may be performed by a processing circuit, which may process information, for example, by converting the acquired information into other information, comparing the acquired information or the converted information with information stored in a network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired information or the converted information, and making a determination based on the result of the processing. Further, although a component is depicted as a single box located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in reality, a computing device may include multiple different physical components that make up a single depicted component, and the functionality may be divided among separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of a component may be divided between a processing circuit and a communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented in software or firmware, and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0255] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality 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 functionality may be provided, for example, in a hard-wired manner by the processing circuit without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium. In any of these particular embodiments, whether or not instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are executed, the processing circuit may be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the separate processing circuit or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or generally by the end user and the wireless network.

[0256] List of embodiments:

[0257] Embodiment 1. A method implemented in a user equipment (UE), comprising:

[0258] Receiving (100) a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) radio access network (RAN) visible quality of experience (RVQoE) measurement or RVQoE reporting, and (ii) quality of experience (QoE) measurement or QoE reporting invisible to the RAN, wherein the flexible configuration includes a parameter to be adjusted based on meeting a condition; and

[0259] Process (106) at least one of RVQoE measurements, RVQoE reports, QoE measurements invisible to the RAN, and QoE reports invisible to the RAN based on adjusting the parameter in response to meeting the condition.

[0260] Example 2. The method according to Example 1, wherein the flexible configuration includes at least one of a configuration for radio access network (RAN)-visible QoE (RVQoE) and a configuration for QoE invisible to the RAN.

[0261] Example 3. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 2, wherein the parameter includes at least one of a sampling period, a reporting period, the number of metrics or samples or values in the RVQoE report or the QoE report, the metric to be measured, and the format of the measured metric.

[0262] Example 4. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 3, wherein the condition includes at least one of the following: (i) the radio resource control (RRC) state of the UE; (ii) the mobility state of the UE; (iii) the speed and / or rate of the UE; (iv) the UE-related energy fraction; (v) the network energy efficiency fraction; (vi) the network energy saving and / or power saving level; (vii) the network energy consumption and / or power consumption level; and (viii) the satisfaction of at least one value of a level or threshold of at least one reported QoE metric or at least one reported RVQoE metric or at least one reported RVQoE value.

[0263] Example 5. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 4, wherein the flexible configuration includes an indication to be used by the UE to determine the type and nature of QoE measurements to be performed, and / or the number of QoE reports of the QoE measurements, and / or the RVQoE measurements to be performed, and / or the number of RVQoE reports of the RVQoE measurements.

[0264] Example 6. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 5, wherein receiving (100) the flexible configuration is received in at least one of the following: (i) a QoE measurement job; (ii) a QoE measurement collection configuration received by a network node; (iii) an RVQoE measurement configuration received by a network node; (iv) information associated with the QoE measurement collection configuration received by a network node; and (vi) information associated with the RVQoE measurement collection configuration received by a network node.

[0265] Example 7. The method according to Example 6, wherein the flexible configuration is received in at least one of the QoE measurement collection configurations and / or for at least one of the RVQoE measurement collection configuration sent by a network node and / or information associated with the QoE measurement collection configuration and / or information associated with the RVQoE measurement collection configuration, and the flexible configuration is outside or inside a container transparent to the RAN.

[0266] Example 8. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 7, wherein when the flexible configuration is not used or deactivated, the UE performs the QoE measurement as indicated in the list of QoE metrics included in the QoE configuration and / or as indicated in the list of RVQoE metrics included in the RVQoE configuration.

[0267] Example 9. The method according to Example 8, wherein when the flexible configuration includes the period of the RVQoE or QoE report, the processing (106) is performed at the period.

[0268] Example 10. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein when the QoE configuration includes the period of the QoE report, the UE processes the QoE measurement or the QoE report of the QoE measurement at the period.

[0269] Example 11. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 7, wherein the flexible configuration includes a default configuration, and when the flexible configuration is not used or deactivated, the default configuration is applied.

[0270] Example 12. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 11, wherein the flexible configuration includes a plurality of parameters, and the flexible configuration is used to change an indication transmitted in at least one of the plurality of parameters based on a criterion.

[0271] Example 13. The method according to Example 12, further comprising:

[0272] selecting (102) a value of the parameter from a value range configured for the UE.

[0273] Example 14. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 13, further comprising:

[0274] receiving (104) an instruction on when to apply an instance of the flexible configuration.

[0275] Example 15. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 14, further comprising:

[0276] When the condition is satisfied, at least one of the RVQoE measurement, the QoE measurement, the RVQoE report, or the QoE report is paused or stopped.

[0277] Example 16. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 15, wherein the flexible configuration includes instructions or conditions regarding when to apply the flexible configuration and / or instructions or conditions for when to stop applying the flexible configuration.

[0278] Example 17. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 16, wherein the flexible configuration includes at least one RVQoE or QoE flexibility level.

[0279] Example 18. The method according to Example 17, wherein the at least one of the RVQoE or QoE flexibility levels includes information for assisting the UE in determining whether and how to change the RVQoE or QoE measurement specified by other RVQoE or QoE configuration parameters and / or for determining whether and how to change the RVQoE or QoE report or the timing of the RVQoE or QoE report.

[0280] Example 19. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 18, wherein the flexible configuration enables the UE to perform the RVQoE measurement or the QoE measurement independently of the radio resource control (RRC) state of the UE.

[0281] Example 20. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 19, wherein the parameter includes a value, and the adjustment of the parameter includes changing or selecting the value.

[0282] Example 21. A method implemented in a network node, comprising:

[0283] Receiving or determining (200) a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) radio access network (RAN) visible quality of experience (RVQoE) measurement or RVQoE report, and (ii) quality of experience (QoE) measurement or QoE report invisible to the RAN, wherein the flexible configuration includes a parameter to be adjusted based on a satisfied condition; and

[0284] Sending (202) the flexible configuration to a user equipment UE, the flexible configuration to be used by the UE to process at least one of the RVQoE measurement, the RVQoE report, the QoE measurement invisible to the RAN, and the QoE report invisible to the RAN by adjusting the parameter in response to the satisfied condition.

[0285] Example 22. The method according to Example 21, wherein the flexible configuration includes at least one of a configuration for radio access network (RAN) visible QoE (RVQoE) and a configuration for QoE invisible to the RAN.

[0286] Example 23. The method according to any one of Examples 20 to 21, wherein the parameter includes at least one of a sampling period, a reporting period, the number of metrics or samples or values in the RVQoE report or the QoE report, the metric to be measured, and the format of the measured metric.

[0287] Example 24. The method according to any one of Examples 20 to 23, wherein the condition includes at least one of the following: (i) the radio resource control (RRC) state of the UE; (ii) the mobility state of the UE; (iii) the speed and / or rate of the UE; (iv) the UE-related energy fraction; (v) the network energy efficiency fraction; (vi) the network energy saving and / or power saving level; (vii) the network energy consumption and / or power consumption level; and (viii) the satisfaction of at least one value of the level or threshold of at least one reported QoE metric or at least one reported RVQoE metric or at least one reported RVQoE value.

[0288] Example 25. The method according to any one of Examples 20 to 24, wherein the flexible configuration includes an indication to be used by the UE to determine the type and nature of the QoE measurement to be performed, and / or the number of QoE reports of the QoE measurement, and / or the RVQoE measurement to be performed, and / or the number of RVQoE reports of the RVQoE measurement.

[0289] Example 26. The method according to any one of Examples 20 to 25, wherein the receiving or determining (200) includes receiving or determining the flexible configuration in / for at least one of the following: (i) a QoE measurement job; (ii) a QoE measurement collection configuration; (iii) an RVQoE measurement configuration sent to the network node; (iv) an RVQoE measurement configuration sent from the network node to the UE; (v) information associated with the QoE measurement collection configuration; and (vi) information associated with the QoE measurement collection configuration.

[0290] Example 27. The method according to Example 26, wherein the flexible configuration is received or determined in at least one of the QoE measurement collection configurations and / or for the RVQoE measurement collection configuration and / or information associated with the QoE measurement collection configuration and / or information associated with the RVQoE measurement collection configuration, and the flexible configuration is outside or inside a container transparent to the RAN.

[0291] Example 28. The method according to any one of Examples 21 to 27, wherein the flexible configuration includes a default configuration, and when the flexible configuration is not used or deactivated, the default configuration is applied.

[0292] Example 29. The method according to any one of Examples 21 to 28, wherein the flexible configuration includes a plurality of parameters, and the flexible configuration is used to change an indication transmitted in at least one of the plurality of parameters based on a criterion.

[0293] Example 30. The method according to any one of Examples 21 to 29, wherein the flexible configuration includes a value of the parameter to be selected from a value range configured for the UE.

[0294] Example 31. The method according to any one of Examples 21 to 30, further comprising:

[0295] Sending (204) an instruction on when to apply an instance of the flexible configuration.

[0296] Example 32. The method according to any one of Examples 21 to 31, wherein when the condition is satisfied, the RVQoE or QoE measurement or the RVQoE or QoE reporting is suspended or stopped.

[0297] Example 33. The method according to any one of Examples 21 to 32, wherein the flexible configuration includes an instruction or condition on when to apply the flexible configuration and / or an instruction or condition for when to stop applying the flexible configuration.

[0298] Example 34. The method according to any one of Examples 21 to 33, wherein the flexible configuration includes at least one RVQoE or QoE flexibility level.

[0299] Example 35. The method according to Example 34, wherein the RVQoE or QoE flexibility level includes information for assisting the UE in determining whether and how to change RVQoE or QoE measurements specified by other RVQoE or QoE configuration parameters and / or for determining whether and how to change the RVQoE or QoE reporting or the timing of the RVQoE or QoE reporting.

[0300] Example 36. The method according to any one of Examples 21 to 35, wherein the flexible configuration enables the UE to perform the RVQoE or QoE measurements independently of the radio resource control (RRC) state of the UE.

[0301] Example 37. The method according to any one of Examples 21 to 36, wherein the parameter includes a value, and the adjustment of the parameter includes changing or selecting the value.

[0302] Example 38. A user equipment (UE) (312A - 312D) configured to communicate with a network node, the UE including a radio interface and a processing circuit (402), the radio interface and the processing circuit (402) being configured to:

[0303] Receive a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) radio access network (RAN) visible quality of experience (RVQoE) measurements or RVQoE reporting, and (ii) quality of experience (QoE) measurements or QoE reporting invisible to the RAN, wherein the flexible configuration includes a parameter to be adjusted based on meeting a condition; and

[0304] Process at least one of RVQoE measurements, RVQoE reporting, QoE measurements invisible to the RAN, and QoE reporting invisible to the RAN based on adjusting the parameter in response to meeting the condition.

[0305] Example 39. The UE according to Example 38, wherein the processing circuit (402) is further configured to perform the method according to any one of Examples 2 to 20.

[0306] Example 44. A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system, the communication system further including a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method including:

[0307] Provide user data for the UE; and

[0308] Initiate a transmission to the UE via a cellular network including the network node, the transmission carrying the user data, wherein the UE performs the following operations to receive the user data from the host:

[0309] A receiver (100) receives a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) radio access network (RAN) visible quality of experience (RVQoE) measurements or RVQoE reports, and (ii) quality of experience (QoE) measurements or QoE reports invisible to the RAN, wherein the flexible configuration includes parameters to be adjusted based on meeting a condition; and

[0310] Process (106) at least one of RVQoE measurements, RVQoE reports, QoE measurements invisible to the RAN, and QoE reports invisible to the RAN based on adjusting the parameter in response to meeting the condition.

[0311] Example 41. The method according to Example 40, further comprising:

[0312] Execute the method according to any one of Examples 2 to 20.

[0313] Example 42. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide over-the-top (OTT) services, the host comprising:

[0314] A processing circuit configured to provide user data; and

[0315] A network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and a processing circuit, and the communication interface and the processing circuit of the UE are configured to perform the following operations to receive the user data from the host:

[0316] Receive a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) radio access network (RAN) visible quality of experience (RVQoE) measurements or RVQoE reports, and (ii) quality of experience (QoE) measurements or QoE reports invisible to the RAN, wherein the flexible configuration includes parameters to be adjusted based on meeting a condition; and

[0317] Process at least one of RVQoE measurements, RVQoE reports, QoE measurements invisible to the RAN, and QoE reports invisible to the RAN based on adjusting the parameter in response to meeting the condition.

[0318] Example 43. The method according to Example 42, wherein the processing circuit of the UE is further configured to execute the method according to any one of Examples 2 to 20.

[0319] Example 44. A network node (310A, 310B, 308) configured to communicate with a plurality of user equipments (UEs), the network node comprising a processing circuit (502302), the processing circuit being configured to:

[0320] Receive or determine a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) radio access network (RAN) visible quality of experience (RVQoE) measurements or RVQoE reports, and (ii) quality of experience (QoE) measurements or QoE reports invisible to the RAN, wherein the flexible configuration includes parameters to be adjusted based on meeting conditions; and

[0321] Send the flexible configuration to a user equipment (UE), the flexible configuration to be used by the UE to process at least one of the RVQoE measurements, the RVQoE reports, the QoE measurements invisible to the RAN, and the QoE reports invisible to the RAN by adjusting the parameters in response to meeting the conditions.

[0322] Example 45. The network node according to Example 44, wherein the processing circuit of the network node is further configured to perform the method according to any one of Examples 22 to 37.

[0323] Example 46. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system, the communication system further including a network node and a plurality of user equipments (UEs), the method including:

[0324] Provide user data for the UE; and

[0325] Initiate a transmission to the UE via a cellular network including the network node, the transmission carrying the user data, wherein the network node performs the following operations to send the user data from the host to the UE:

[0326] Receive or determine (200) a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) radio access network (RAN) visible quality of experience (RVQoE) measurements or RVQoE reports, and (ii) quality of experience (QoE) measurements or QoE reports invisible to the RAN, wherein the flexible configuration includes parameters to be adjusted based on meeting conditions; and

[0327] Send the flexible configuration to a user equipment (UE), the flexible configuration to be used by the UE to process at least one of the RVQoE measurements, the RVQoE reports, the QoE measurements invisible to the RAN, and the QoE reports invisible to the RAN by adjusting the parameters in response to meeting the conditions.

[0328] Example 47. The method according to Example 46, wherein the network node is further configured to:

[0329] Perform the method according to any one of Examples 22 to 37.

[0330] Example 48. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising:

[0331] Processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and

[0332] A network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node of a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node being configured to perform the following operations to send the user data from the host to the UE:

[0333] Receive or determine a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) radio access network (RAN) visible quality of experience (RVQoE) measurement or RVQoE report, and (ii) quality of experience (QoE) measurement or QoE report invisible to the RAN, wherein the flexible configuration includes parameters to be adjusted based on meeting conditions; and

[0334] Send the flexible configuration to a user equipment (UE), the flexible configuration to be used by the UE to process at least one of the RVQoE measurement, the RVQoE report, the QoE measurement invisible to the RAN, and the QoE report invisible to the RAN by adjusting the parameters in response to meeting the conditions.

[0335] Example 49. The host according to Example 48, wherein the processing circuitry of the network node is further configured to:

[0336] Perform the method according to any one of Examples 22 to 37.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving (100) a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) radio access network (RAN) visible quality of experience (RVQoE) measurement or RVQoE reporting, and (ii) quality of experience (QoE) measurement or QoE reporting invisible to the RAN, wherein the flexible configuration comprises at least one of the following items: a first indication for performing and / or reporting QoE measurement and / or RVQoE measurement, and parameters to be adjusted based on meeting a condition; and processing (106) at least one of the RVQoE measurement, the RVQoE reporting, the QoE measurement visible to the RAN, and the QoE reporting invisible to the RAN based on the first indication and / or based on adjusting the parameters in response to meeting the condition.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the flexible configuration comprises at least one of a configuration for RAN visible QoE "RVQoE" and a configuration for QoE invisible to the RAN.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein, the first indication will be used by the UE to determine at least one of the type of QoE measurement to be performed, the nature of the QoE measurement to be performed, the type of RVQoE measurement to be performed, the nature of the RVQoE measurement to be performed, the number of QoE reports, and the number of RVQoE reports.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, the parameters comprise at least one of a sampling period, a reporting period, the number of metrics or samples or values in the RVQoE report or the QoE report, the metrics to be measured, and the format of the measured metrics.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, the condition comprises at least one of the following items: (i) the radio resource control (RRC) state of the UE; (ii) the mobility state of the UE; (iii) the speed and / or rate of the UE; (iv) UE-related energy fraction; (v) network energy efficiency fraction; (vi) network energy saving and / or power saving level; (vii) network energy consumption and / or power consumption level; and (viii) satisfaction of at least one value of a level or threshold of at least one reported QoE metric or at least one reported RVQoE metric or at least one reported RVQoE value.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, receiving (100) the flexible configuration is received in at least one of the following: (i) a QoE measurement job; (ii) a QoE measurement collection configuration received from a network node; (iii) an RVQoE measurement configuration received from a network node; (iv) information associated with a QoE measurement collection configuration received from a network node; and (vi) information associated with an RVQoE measurement collection configuration received from a network node.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The flexible configuration is received in at least one of the QoE measurement collection configurations and / or for at least one of the RVQoE measurement collection configurations sent by a network node and / or information associated with the QoE measurement collection configuration and / or information associated with the RVQoE measurement collection configuration, and the flexible configuration is outside or inside a container transparent to the RAN.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, when the flexible configuration is not used or deactivated, the UE performs the QoE measurement as indicated in the list of QoE metrics included in the QoE configuration and / or as indicated in the list of RVQoE metrics included in the RVQoE configuration.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, when the flexible configuration includes the period of the RVQoE or QoE report, the processing (106) is performed at the period.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, when the QoE configuration includes the period of the QoE report, the UE processes the QoE measurement or the QoE report of the QoE measurement at the period.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, the flexible configuration includes a default configuration, and when the flexible configuration is not used or deactivated, the default configuration is applied.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, the flexible configuration includes a plurality of parameters, and the flexible configuration is used to change an indication transmitted in at least one of the plurality of parameters based on a criterion.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: selecting (102) a value of the parameter from a value range configured for the UE.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising: receiving (104) an instruction on when to apply an instance of the flexible configuration.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising: when the condition is satisfied, pausing or stopping at least one of the RVQoE measurement, the QoE measurement, the RVQoE report, or the QoE report.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein, the flexible configuration includes an instruction or condition on when to apply the flexible configuration and / or an instruction or condition on when to stop applying the flexible configuration.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein, the flexible configuration includes at least one RVQoE or QoE flexibility level.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, the at least one of the RVQoE or QoE flexibility levels includes information for assisting the UE in determining whether and how to change the RVQoE or QoE measurement specified by other RVQoE or QoE configuration parameters and / or for determining whether and how to change the RVQoE or QoE report or the timing of the RVQoE or QoE report.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein, the flexible configuration enables the UE to perform the RVQoE measurement or QoE measurement independently of the radio resource control (RRC) state of the UE.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein, the parameter includes a value, and the adjustment of the parameter includes changing or selecting the value.

21. A method implemented in a network node, comprising: receiving or determining (200) a flexible configuration for handling at least one of the following: (i) radio access network (RAN)-visible quality of experience (RVQoE) measurement or RVQoE reporting, and (ii) RAN-invisible quality of experience (QoE) measurement or QoE reporting, wherein the flexible configuration includes at least one of the following items: a first indication for performing and / or reporting QoE measurement and / or RVQoE measurement, and a parameter to be adjusted based on meeting a condition; and sending (202) the flexible configuration to a user equipment (UE), the flexible configuration to be used by the UE to handle at least one of the RVQoE measurement, the RVQoE reporting, the RAN-invisible QoE measurement, and the RAN-invisible QoE reporting based on the first indication and / or based on adjusting the parameter in response to meeting the condition.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein, the flexible configuration includes at least one of a configuration for RAN-visible QoE "RVQoE" and a configuration for RAN-invisible QoE.

23. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 22, wherein, the first indication is to be used by the UE to determine at least one of the type of QoE measurement to be performed, the nature of the QoE measurement to be performed, the type of RVQoE measurement to be performed, the nature of the RVQoE measurement to be performed, the number of QoE reports, and the number of RVQoE reports.

24. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein, the parameter includes at least one of a sampling period, a reporting period, the number of metrics or samples or values in the RVQoE report or the QoE report, the metric to be measured, and the format of the measured metric.

25. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein, the condition includes at least one of the following items: (i) the radio resource control (RRC) state of the UE; (ii) the mobility state of the UE; (iii) the speed and / or rate of the UE; (iv) UE-related energy fraction; (v) network energy efficiency fraction; (vi) network energy saving and / or power saving level; (vii) network energy consumption and / or power consumption level; and (viii) satisfaction of at least one value of a level or threshold of at least one reported QoE metric or at least one reported RVQoE metric or at least one reported RVQoE value.

26. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 25, wherein, The receiving or determining (200) includes receiving or determining the flexible configuration in at least one of the following or for at least one of the following: (i) a QoE measurement operation; (ii) a QoE measurement collection configuration; (iii) an RVQoE measurement configuration sent to the network node; (iv) an RVQoE measurement configuration sent from the network node to the UE; (v) information associated with the QoE measurement collection configuration; and (vi) information associated with the QoE measurement collection configuration.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein, the flexible configuration is received or determined in at least one of the QoE measurement collection configurations and / or for at least one of the RVQoE measurement collection configuration and / or information associated with the QoE measurement collection configuration and / or information associated with the RVQoE measurement collection configuration, the flexible configuration being outside or inside a container transparent to the RAN.

28. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 27, wherein, the flexible configuration includes a default configuration, and when the flexible configuration is not used or deactivated, the default configuration is applied.

29. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 28, wherein, the flexible configuration includes a plurality of parameters, and the flexible configuration is used to change an indication transmitted in at least one of the plurality of parameters based on a criterion.

30. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 29, wherein, the flexible configuration includes a value of the parameter to be selected from a value range configured for the UE.

31. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 30, further comprises: sending (204) an instruction on when to apply an instance of the flexible configuration.

32. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 31, wherein, when the condition is met, the RVQoE or QoE measurement or the RVQoE or QoE reporting is suspended or stopped.

33. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 32, wherein, the flexible configuration includes an instruction or condition on when to apply the flexible configuration and / or an instruction or condition for when to stop applying the flexible configuration.

34. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 33, wherein, the flexible configuration includes at least one RVQoE or QoE flexibility level.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein, the RVQoE or QoE flexibility level includes information for assisting the UE in determining whether and how to change the RVQoE or QoE measurement specified by other RVQoE or QoE configuration parameters and / or for determining whether and how to change the RVQoE or QoE reporting or the timing of the RVQoE or QoE reporting.

36. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 35, wherein, the flexible configuration enables the UE to perform the RVQoE or QoE measurement independently of the radio resource control (RRC) state of the UE.

37. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 36, wherein, the parameter includes a value, and the adjustment of the parameter includes changing or selecting the value.

38. A user equipment UE (312A - 312D) configured to communicate with a network node, the UE including a radio interface and a processing circuit (402), the radio interface and the processing circuit being configured to: receive a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) radio access network RAN visible quality of experience RVQoE measurement or RVQoE report, and (ii) quality of experience QoE measurement or QoE report invisible to the RAN, wherein, the flexible configuration includes a configuration that includes at least one of the following: a first indication for performing and / or reporting QoE measurement and / or RVQoE measurement, and a parameter to be adjusted based on meeting a condition; and process at least one of the RVQoE measurement, the RVQoE report, the QoE measurement visible to the RAN, and the QoE report invisible to the RAN based on the first indication and / or based on adjusting the parameter in response to meeting the condition.

39. The UE according to claim 38, wherein, the processing circuit (402) is further configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 2 to 20.

40. A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system, the communication system further including a network node and a user equipment UE, the method comprises: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission to the UE via a cellular network including the network node, the transmission carrying the user data, wherein the UE performs the following operations to receive the user data from the host: receiving (100) a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) radio access network RAN visible quality of experience RVQoE measurement or RVQoE report, and (ii) quality of experience QoE measurement or QoE report invisible to the RAN, wherein the flexible configuration includes at least one of the following: a first indication for performing and / or reporting QoE measurement and / or RVQoE measurement, and a parameter to be adjusted based on meeting a condition; and processing (106) at least one of the RVQoE measurement, the RVQoE report, the QoE measurement visible to the RAN, and the QoE report invisible to the RAN based on the first indication and / or based on adjusting the parameter in response to meeting the condition.

41. The method according to claim 40, further comprises: performing the method according to any one of claims 2 to 20.

42. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over - the - top OTT service, the host comprises: a processing circuit configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate a transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment UE, wherein the UE includes a communication interface and a processing circuit, and the communication interface and the processing circuit of the UE are configured to perform the following operations to receive the user data from the host: Receive a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) radio access network (RAN)-visible quality of experience (RVQoE) measurement or RVQoE reporting, and (ii) quality of experience (QoE) measurement or QoE reporting invisible to the RAN, wherein the flexible configuration includes at least one of the following: a first indication for performing and / or reporting QoE measurement and / or RVQoE measurement, and a parameter to be adjusted based on meeting a condition; and Process at least one of the RVQoE measurement, the RVQoE reporting, the QoE measurement visible to the RAN, and the QoE reporting invisible to the RAN based on the first indication and / or based on adjusting the parameter in response to meeting the condition.

43. The method according to claim 42, wherein, The processing circuitry of the UE is further configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 2 to 20.

44. A network node (310A, 310B, 308) configured to communicate with a plurality of user equipments (UEs), the network node including a processing circuitry (302), the processing circuitry being configured to: Receive or determine a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) radio access network (RAN)-visible quality of experience (RVQoE) measurement or RVQoE reporting, and (ii) quality of experience (QoE) measurement or QoE reporting invisible to the RAN, wherein, The flexible configuration includes at least one of the following: a first indication for performing and / or reporting QoE measurement and / or RVQoE measurement, and a parameter to be adjusted based on meeting a condition; and Send the flexible configuration to the user equipment (UE), the flexible configuration to be used by the UE to process at least one of the RVQoE measurement, the RVQoE reporting, the QoE measurement visible to the RAN, and the QoE reporting invisible to the RAN based on the first indication and / or based on adjusting the parameter in response to meeting the condition.

45. The network node according to claim 44, wherein, The processing circuitry of the network node is further configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 22 to 37.

46. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system, the communication system further including a network node and a plurality of user equipments (UEs), the method includes: Provide user data for the UE; and Initiate a transmission to the UE via a cellular network including the network node, the transmission carrying the user data, wherein the network node performs the following operations to send the user data from the host to the UE: Receive or determine (200) a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) radio access network (RAN)-visible quality of experience (QoE) measurement or RVQoE reporting, and (ii) QoE measurement or QoE reporting invisible to the RAN, wherein the flexible configuration includes at least one of the following: a first indication for performing and / or reporting QoE measurement and / or RVQoE measurement, and a parameter to be adjusted based on meeting a condition; and Send the flexible configuration to a user equipment (UE), the flexible configuration to be used by the UE to process at least one of the RVQoE measurement, the RVQoE reporting, the RAN-visible QoE measurement, and the RAN-invisible QoE reporting based on the first indication and / or based on adjusting the parameter in response to meeting the condition.

47. The method according to claim 46, wherein, the network node is further configured to: perform the method according to any one of claims 22 to 37.

48. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node of a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node being configured to perform the following operations to send the user data from the host to the UE: Receive or determine a flexible configuration for processing at least one of the following: (i) radio access network (RAN)-visible quality of experience (QoE) measurement or RVQoE reporting, and (ii) QoE measurement or QoE reporting invisible to the RAN, wherein the flexible configuration includes at least one of the following: a first indication for performing and / or reporting QoE measurement and / or RVQoE measurement, and a parameter to be adjusted based on meeting a condition; and Send the flexible configuration to a user equipment (UE), the flexible configuration to be used by the UE to process at least one of the RVQoE measurement, the RVQoE reporting, the RAN-visible QoE measurement, and the RAN-invisible QoE reporting based on the first indication and / or based on adjusting the parameter in response to meeting the condition.

49. The host according to claim 48, wherein, the processing circuitry of the network node is further configured to: perform the method according to any one of claims 22 to 37.

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