Cell reselection based on network slicing

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to enhancements for network slices. The first device generates preference information regarding a service and a slice priority order for slice-based cell reselection. The first device then transmits the preference information to a second device serving the first device using the slice. In this manner, a communication service customer (CSC) defines an intent on cell reselection priority at a slice level. The intent is provided to a communication service provider (CSP) and then passed to a domain coordinator and network optimization functionality to provision network elements associated with slice-based cell reselection. In this way, cell reselection associated with the UE belonging to different slices can be performed at the slice level or service level, so that each UE can be latched to a suitable frequency layer, thereby reducing unnecessary handover.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for network slice-based cell reselection. Background Art

[0002] In a 5G network, the management of network slices involves interactions between communication service customers (CSCs), communication service providers (CSPs), domain coordinators, network optimization, network management, and access networks and / or core networks and / or transport networks. These functional entities together provide the ability for end-to-end management of network slices, including creation, modification, supervision, and termination of network slices.

[0003] The end-to-end management of network slices defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specifications regarding network management and coordination addresses some of the capabilities and characteristics expected from each network slice, which cover the creation or modification of network slices. The creation of a network slice is initiated by a CSC, and the CSC provides the requirements for the new slice to the CSP. Similarly, the modification of capabilities and characteristics on a network slice can be initiated by the CSC and passed to the CSP. The CSP can also propagate the requirements to network elements via domain coordination, network optimization, and / or network management functions. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally speaking, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for network slice-based cell reselection.

[0005] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least perform: generating preference information regarding services and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection at the first device served by a second device using a slice service; and transmitting the preference information to the second device.

[0006] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least perform: receiving preference information regarding services and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection from a first device served by a slice of the second device; generating configuration information indicating service and slice priorities based on the preference information; and transmitting the configuration information to a third device for configuring slice-based cell reselection.

[0007] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a third device is provided. The third device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third device to at least perform: receiving, from a second device that serves a first device using a slice, configuration information indicating a service for slice-based cell reselection and a slice priority order; generating, based on the configuration information, at least one parameter related to the service and the slice priority order; and transmitting the at least one parameter to at least one network device associated with slice-based cell reselection.

[0008] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: generating, at a first device served by a second device using a slice, preference information regarding a service for slice-based cell reselection and a slice priority order; and transmitting the preference information to the second device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving, at the second device, preference information regarding a service for slice-based cell reselection and a slice priority order from a first device served by a slice of the second device; generating, based on the preference information, configuration information indicating the service and the slice priority order; and transmitting the configuration information to a third device for configuring slice-based cell reselection.

[0010] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving, at a third device, configuration information indicating a service for slice-based cell reselection and a slice priority order from a second device that serves a first device using a slice; generating, based on the configuration information, at least one parameter related to the service and the slice priority order; and transmitting the at least one parameter to at least one network device associated with slice-based cell reselection.

[0011] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes: means for generating, at a first apparatus served by a second apparatus using a slice, preference information regarding a service for slice-based cell reselection and a slice priority order; and means for transmitting the preference information to the second apparatus.

[0012] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes: means for receiving, from a first apparatus served by a slice of the second apparatus, preference information regarding a service for slice-based cell reselection and a slice priority order; means for generating, based on the preference information, configuration information indicating the service and the slice priority order; and means for transmitting the configuration information to a third apparatus for configuring slice-based cell reselection.

[0013] In a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a third device is provided. The third device includes: a component for receiving, from a second device that serves a first device using slices, configuration information indicating a service for slice-based cell reselection and a slice priority order; a component for generating, based on the configuration information, at least one parameter related to the service and the slice priority order; and a component for transmitting the at least one parameter to at least one network device associated with slice-based cell reselection.

[0014] In a thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon that cause a device to perform at least the method according to any one of the fourth aspect, the fifth aspect, or the sixth aspect.

[0015] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Through the following description, other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 An example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown;

[0018] Figure 2 A signaling diagram for slice-based cell reselection according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method implemented at a third device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figure 6 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0023] Figure 7 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0024] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0026] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0027] References in the present disclosure to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "example embodiment", etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not necessarily every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an example embodiment, it is considered within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to combine such feature, structure, or characteristic with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0028] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the functions of various elements. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0029] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", "including", "has", "having", "covers", and / or "containing", when used herein, specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0030] As used herein, "at least one of the following: " and "at least one of " and similar phrases, where the list of two or more elements is joined by "and" or "or", means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0031] As used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) only hardware circuit implementations (such as only analog implementations and / or implementations in digital circuits) and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, e.g., if applicable: (i) A combination of (one or more) analog circuitry and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, and (ii) Any portion of (one or more) hardware processors, software, and (one or more) memories with software (including (one or more) digital signal processors) that work together to enable a device, such as a mobile phone or a server, to perform various functions, and (c) (One or more) hardware circuitry and / or (one or more) processors, such as (one or more) microprocessors or a portion of (one or more) microprocessors, that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when not needed for operation.

[0032] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application (including any claims). As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers implementations of only hardware circuitry or a processor (or processors) or a portion of a hardware circuitry or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. If applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also covers, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network devices.

[0033] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as a fifth-generation (5G) system, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Additionally, communication between a terminal device and a network device in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) New Radio (NR) communication protocols, and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communication, there will of course also be future types of communication technologies and systems in which the present disclosure can be embodied. The scope of the present disclosure should not be considered limited to the foregoing systems.

[0034] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, the network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), e.g., Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), next-generation Node B (NR NB), remote radio unit (RRU), radio header (RH), remote radio head (RRH), integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, relay, low-power node (such as femto, pico, etc.). It is allowed to define the network device as part of a gNB, e.g., in CU / DU separation, in which case the network device is defined as gNB-CU or gNB-DU.

[0035] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, IP voice (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, game terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEE), laptop mounted devices (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premise equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMD), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node (also referred to as a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment", and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0036] As used herein, the term "control device" refers to any entity / function / device / apparatus for control. In some example embodiments, the control device is a device for implementing functions such as domain coordination, network optimization, and network management.

[0037] Although in various example embodiments, the functions described herein may be performed in fixed and / or wireless network nodes, in other example embodiments, the functions may be implemented in user equipment devices such as cellular phones or tablet computers or laptop computers or desktop computers or mobile IoT devices or fixed IoT devices. The user equipment devices may be suitably equipped with the corresponding capabilities described in connection with fixed and / or wireless network nodes, for example. The user equipment devices may be user equipment and / or control devices configured to control the user equipment when installed in the user equipment, such as a chipset or a processor. Examples of such functions include a bootstrapping server function and / or a home subscriber server, which may be implemented in the user equipment devices by providing software configured to cause the user equipment devices to perform from the perspective of these functions / nodes.

[0038] In 5G, network deployments typically include multiple frequency layers to meet different coverage, capacity, and mobility requirements, where each frequency layer meets different requirements. The performance of the network on these requirements may vary across different frequency layers. In an example scenario, the network slice associated with the services required by Internet of Things (IoT) devices deployed in buildings and basements is expected to have network coverage prioritized at the highest level, considering that any loss of network coverage may affect the operation of these devices. Similarly, in another example scenario, user equipment is restricted to a stadium where users expect high upload and / or download throughput and most user equipment is connected to small cells, and layer prioritization should be implemented to meet these requirements.

[0039] Based on the actual expectations of the slices, the layer-specific requirements may be different for different slices, so it is important to consider these layer-specific differentiated requirements for different slices when creating and modifying slices.

[0040] For the creation and modification of network slices, as part of the end-to-end network slice lifecycle management, the CSC specifies the slice configuration requirements as part of the service profile, which includes but is not limited to slice type, latency, throughput, UE mobility level, etc. These configuration requirements are processed by the CSP, domain coordinator, network optimization, and network management functions and ultimately provided to the core network (CN) and / or radio access network (RAN).

[0041] Specifically, the newly created slice is configured with slice-level parameters defined in the "ServiceProfile" and "SliceProfile" objects. The input from the CSC regarding network slice-level requirements is provided as part of the "ServiceProfile" object, which is passed to the CSP. The CSP processes the requirements in the "ServiceProfile" object and creates "SliceProfile" objects for different domains with corresponding parameter settings. The CSP then calls the domain coordinator to pass the "SliceProfile" objects.

[0042] After receiving the "SliceProfile" objects, the domain coordinator processes these requirements and further passes them to the network optimization function and network management function to configure network provisioning changes with the correct slice-level parameters.

[0043] In addition to the slice-specific configurations applicable to each slice, there are general configurations applicable to the network element level (e.g., cell level) and network level, which apply to all network slices configured under the network element.

[0044] One of these parameters is the cell reselection configuration parameter. Currently, the network considers the general reselection criteria for all network slices in the network. In this case, the network layer (i.e., frequency layer) configuration for cell reselection is processed at the network element level and thus applies to all slices under that network element. In the above example scenario, if the network slice for IoT devices and the network slice for user devices are configured in the same network, the IoT devices and user devices follow the same priority for the NR frequencies configured for cell reselection through SIB information.

[0045] Generally, the terminal device (including but not limited to IoT devices, UEs, etc.) camps on the frequency layer with the highest priority set at the cell level or slice level. However, the default layer selected for a particular slice may not be the most suitable layer to handle the specific requirements of that slice. As a result, the terminal device will need to reconnect or handover to recover from the requirement issues and obtain the desired network performance.

[0046] In view of the above, it is desirable to provision an initial configuration with network layer prioritization suitable for each slice to ensure that slice users latch onto the desired network layer to obtain the desired network performance from the first instance without having to reconnect.

[0047] To address the above problems and other potential issues, the present disclosure provides a solution for cell reselection based on network slices, which is driven by the intentions or expectations from the CSC and CSP. In this solution, the CSC provides, via the CSP, the intention regarding the priority of slice performance to the domain coordinator and the network optimization function. Thus, the intention can be used to configure the priority of frequency layers for network slices in a cell. In this way, idle-mode cell reselection can be achieved at the network slice level, and unnecessary handovers can be avoided. Example environment

[0048] Figure 1 FIG. 100 shows an example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The communication environment 100 may be a communication system that supports network slices. As Figure 1 shown, the communication environment 100 includes a plurality of first devices 110-1 to 110-N, a second device 120, a third device 130, and a plurality of fourth devices 140-1 to 140-4.

[0049] The network deployment in the communication environment 100 includes a plurality of frequency layers to meet various requirements. The plurality of first devices 110-1 to 110-N (which may be collectively referred to as the first devices 110) are end users of network slices that provide various communication services, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), massive machine type communication (mMTC), etc. In the context of the present disclosure, the first devices 110 may also be referred to as the CSC 110.

[0050] The plurality of first devices 110-1 to 110-N may vary in terms of network performance requirements, including but not limited to coverage, capacity, slice type, mobility level, latency, throughput, etc. As an example, the first device 110-1 belongs to the mobile broadband user category, while the first device 110-2 belongs to the service proof mining area. Thus, in addition to other network performances, the first device 110-1 may expect network capacity to be prioritized, while the first device 110-2 may expect network coverage to be prioritized.

[0051] To achieve the desired network performance, the initial configuration of the network layer priority order for each network slice should ensure that the CSC latches onto the desired network layer.

[0052] The second device 120 may be a network coordinator that implements end-to-end management of network slices. The second device 120 may also be referred to as the CSP 120 hereinafter. The second device 120 may handle the creation and modification of network slices. The creation of a network slice may be initiated by a CSC that provides a request for a new slice to the CSP. Similarly, the modification of capabilities and features on a network slice may be initiated by the CSC and transmitted to the CSP. The CSP may then propagate the request to the CN and / or RAN via domain coordination, network optimization, and / or network management functions.

[0053] The third device 130 may be a network controller that implements domain coordination, network optimization, and / or network management functions. In some example embodiments, these functions may be implemented by a single device. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, these functions may be implemented by separate devices, and in such a case, the domain coordinator may handle the request and pass it to the network optimization function and the network management function to provision network devices in the CN and / or RAN. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited in this regard.

[0054] The fourth devices 140-1 to 140-4 are network devices that provide communication services and network slices for the first device 110. The fourth devices 140-1 to 140-4 may be collectively referred to as the fourth device 140 hereinafter. As an example, the first devices 110-1 to 110-N may reside on the fourth device 140-1, particularly on a frequency layer with the highest priority set at the cell level or slice level. The first device 110 may then reconnect or switch to another fourth device 140 based on received signal strength and quality and cell reselection criteria. In some example embodiments, cell reselection configuration may be configured at the slice level or service level, which will be discussed in detail later.

[0055] It should be understood that Figure 1 the number of devices and their connections shown are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. The communication network 100 may include any suitable number of devices configured to implement example embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more additional devices and connections may be deployed in the communication network 100.

[0056] Communication in the communication environment 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol known currently or developed in the future. In addition, the communication can utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD), Time Division Duplexing (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technology known currently or developed in the future. Principle of operation and exemplary signaling for communication

[0057] According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, a scheme for intent-driven network slice-based cell reselection is provided. In this scheme, the CSC can provide expectations in terms of network performance as part of the intent opened by the CSP. The expectations or intents enable the communication system to implement cell reselection criteria at the slice level.

[0058] Example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0059] Now refer to Figure 2 , which shows a signaling diagram for intent-driven network slice-based cell reselection according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. As Figure 2 shown, process 200 involves a first device 110, a second device 120, a third device 130, and a fourth device 140. For the purpose of discussion, the signaling flow 200 is described with reference to Figure 1 .

[0060] In process 200, the first device 110 generates 205 preference information regarding services and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection.

[0061] The preference information can be related to expectations for slice-based cell reselection criteria. Specifically, the preference information can indicate a preference for cell selection priority based on at least one requirement for network performance. For example, the at least one requirement can include but not be limited to slice coverage, network capacity, slice type, mobility, latency, throughput, etc.

[0062] In some example embodiments, the preference information may include a set of values indicating preferences for cell selection priorities based on multiple requirements. Specifically, a set of priority values (e.g., integer values) may be defined for multiple requirements such as radio coverage, network capacity, slice type, mobility, latency, throughput, etc. As an example implementation, the priorities of multiple requirements may increase as the priority values decrease, i.e., the lower the priority, the higher the priority value, and the lower the priority of the requirement. As another implementation, the priorities of multiple requirements may increase as the priority values increase, i.e., the higher the priority value, the higher the priority of the requirement.

[0063] Additionally or alternatively, before generating the preference information at 205, the first device 110 may identify slice-level requirements in terms of radio coverage, network capacity, slice type, mobility, latency, throughput, etc. The first device 110 may determine whether slice-based cell reselection is needed based on the slice-level requirements. If so, the first device 110 may generate the preference information as an intent definition with reselection criteria. Otherwise, a cell reselection configuration applicable to all network slices configured under the same network element may be provided at the network element level.

[0064] The first device 110 transmits (210) the preference information to the second device 120. The format of the preference information may be jointly agreed upon among the CSC, CSP, and the network controller, as the first device 110 may have less knowledge about how the network works internally and how idle mode reselection works.

[0065] To this end, the second device 120 may open a way for the first device 110 to provide inputs regarding slice-based cell reselection criteria. In some example embodiments, the expectations for slice-based cell reselection criteria from the CSC (i.e., the first device 110) may include slice coverage requirements, capacity requirements, mobility requirements, etc. in a human-readable format. This may be achieved through an intent-driven approach, where the CSP (i.e., the second device 120) acts as an "intent-driven management service (MnS) producer" and opens an intent interface to the CSC acting as an "intent-driven MnS consumer". In this way, the CSC can provide expectations that may be in the form of "intent" objects.

[0066] Reference Figure 1, where the first device 110-1 belongs to the mobile broadband user category for which the desired network capacity is prioritized, and the first device 110-2 belongs to the service proof mining area for which the desired network coverage is prioritized. That is to say, the reselection requirements for the network slices of the first devices 110-1 and 110-2 are different. As an example, the reselection requirements for the network slice of the first device 110-1 are passed to the interface provided by the CSP depicting a series of network devices 140-1, 140-3, and 140-4. Additionally, the reselection requirements for the network slice of the first device 110-2 are passed to the interface provided by the CSP depicting a series of network devices 140-1, 140-2, and 140-4.

[0067] After receiving the preference information, the second device 120 generates (215) configuration information indicating service and slice priorities based on the preference information. In some example embodiments, the configuration information may indicate a preference for cell selection priority based on at least one requirement for network performance. For example, the at least one requirement may include, but is not limited to, radio coverage, network capacity, slice type, mobility, latency, throughput, etc.

[0068] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may include a set of values indicating a preference for cell selection priority based on multiple requirements. Specifically, a set of priority values (e.g., integer values) may be defined for multiple requirements (such as radio coverage, network capacity, slice type, mobility, latency, throughput, etc.). As an example implementation, the priority of multiple requirements may increase as the priority value decreases, i.e., the lower the priority value, the higher the priority of the requirement. As another implementation, the priority of multiple requirements may increase as the priority value increases, i.e., the higher the priority value, the higher the priority of the requirement.

[0069] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may provide configuration information including slice coverage requirements, capacity requirements, mobility requirements, etc., or additionally or alternatively, information rich in additional inputs that can be understood and processed by the third device 130.

[0070] The second device 120 transmits (220) the configuration information to the third device for configuring slice-based cell reselection. To this end, the third device 130 may provide a mechanism through which the second device 120 can provide input regarding the desired slice-based cell reselection priority, which is in a format understood by the second device 120. Similarly, this can be achieved through an intent-driven approach, where a network controller for implementing a domain coordinator and / or network optimization function acts as an MnS provider and opens an intent interface to the CSP. Thus, the CSP can provide expectations that may be in the form of "intent" objects.

[0071] The third device 130 generates (225) at least one parameter related to service and slice priorities based on the configuration information. The at least one parameter may include, for example, slice-specific cell reselection priorities (e.g., sliceSpecificCellReselectionPriority), a list of frequency priorities for NR slices (e.g., FreqPriorityListNRSlicing), etc. Additionally or alternatively, the at least one parameter may include priority values defined for at least one requirement such as radio coverage, network capacity, slice type, mobility, latency, throughput, etc.

[0072] In some example embodiments, the third device 130 may map the indicated desired configuration information from the second device 120 to a format understood by network elements in the CN and / or RAN (e.g., the fourth device 140). For example, this may be implemented by an entity of a slice-based cell reselection mapper.

[0073] In some example embodiments, the third device 130 may provide a mechanism for converting the intent / desire received from the second device into a format understood by network elements, which may be in the form of a management object model opened by the corresponding network element.

[0074] In some example embodiments, the handling of intent expectations for individual slices and the identification of relevant network parameters to achieve slice-level frequency layer prioritization may be implemented by a domain coordinator or a network optimization function.

[0075] Then, the third device 130 transmits (230) the at least one parameter to at least one network device associated with slice-based cell reselection. In this way, at least one network device (e.g., the fourth device 140) can be equipped with updated network parameters.

[0076] Additionally, in some example embodiments, the third device 130 may obtain (235) the provisioning status of service-level or slice-level cell reselection priorities. In this case, the third device 130 may generate (240) a report on the provisioning status of service-level or slice-level cell reselection priorities. For example, the report may indicate the success of differentiation / selection. In some example embodiments, the generation of the report may be implemented by an entity of a "report generator" under the third device 130.

[0077] Then, the third device 130 may transmit (245) the report to the second device 120. Accordingly, the second device 120 may then forward (250) the report to the first device 110.

[0078] Therefore, the configuration of the slice-level frequency layer priority order enables the terminal devices belonging to different slices to latch onto a suitable frequency layer during reselection. The cells at the suitable frequency layer are most suitable for handling, for example, the coverage, capacity, and mobility requirements for the corresponding usage categories. In this way, communication performance can be improved while unnecessary handovers are avoided.

[0079] It should be understood that some steps in process 200 are optional or can be omitted, and the order of the steps is given for illustrative purposes. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited in this regard.

[0080] An exemplary description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as the possible standardization impacts and information models in the standards, are as follows. However, it should be understood that the details, values, and configurations in the following description are given as exemplary implementations and are not limitations on the embodiments of the present disclosure. 5. Use Cases and Potential Requirements 5.A Intent-Driven Network Slice-Based Cell Reselection 5.A.1. Description The intent-driven slice-based cell reselection MnS generator interface opened by the communication service provider receives the intent expectations of slice-level / service-level cell reselection priorities from the communication service customer. The intent-driven slice-based cell reselection MnS generator interface opened by the network management and optimization function receives the intent expectations of slice-level / service-level cell reselection priorities from the communication service provider. The intent report provided by the network management and optimization function provides the status of the implementation of slice-level / service-level cell reselection priorities. 5.A.2. Details Intent-driven network slice-based cell reselection provides an option for the communication service customer to define network expectations in terms of the priorities of coverage / capacity / mobility / latency as part of the intent opened by the communication service provider. The communication service provider, as the MnS producer, processes the intent expectations provided by the communication service customer. The communication service provider, as the MnS consumer for the network management and optimization function, prepares the intent objects to be further processed by these functions. The network management and optimization functions further process these intents and convert the expectations expressed by the intent into network parameters understood by the network elements by implementing the expectations defined by the communication service customer. 5.A.3. Potential Requirements REQ-Intent_Resel-CON-1: The 3GPP management system should have the ability to enable the MnS consumers of intent-driven service management to express their intent regarding the cell selection priorities on the frequency layer for a specific service. REQ-Intent_Resel-CON-2: The intent-driven MnS producer in the communication service provider shall have the ability to enable the MnS consumer to express the intent for cell selection priority on the frequency layer for a specific slice. REQ-Intent_Resel-CON-3: The 3GPP management system shall have the ability to enable the MnS consumer of intent-driven slice management to express the intent for cell selection priority on the frequency layer for a specific slice. REQ-Intent_Resel-CON-4: The intent-driven MnS producer in network management and optimization shall have the ability to enable the MnS consumer to express the intent for cell selection priority on the frequency layer for a specific slice. REQ-Intent_Resel-CON-5: Network management and optimization shall have the ability to report the status of the implementation of cell selection priority for a specific slice. 6.2.2 Scenario-Specific Intent Expectation Definition 6.2.2.1 N Service and Slice Priority Expectations 6.2.2.1 N.1 Definition Service and slice priority expectations are Intent Expectations that can be used to represent the expectations of the MnS consumer for service and slice priorities. Service and slice priorities utilize the generic Intent Expectation < <datatype>Defined by the construction of >, IntentExpectation has a set of allowed values and a specified concrete data type. The following are the specific allowed values when implementing IntentExpectation for service and slice priorities. Table 6.2.2.1.2.1-1 Attribute Allowed values objectType(CM) Service, network slice objectInstance(CM) DN of service, DN of network slice Note: The following are the qualifier descriptions for the attributes "objectType” and "objectInstance”: - When the intent expectation is not for a specific service instance or / and the MnS consumer does not know the DN of the service instance, the attribute "objectType” needs to be specified. - When the intent expectation is for a specific service instance and the MnS consumer knows the DN of the service instance, the attribute "objectInstance” needs to be specified. 6.2.2.1.N.2.ObjectContexts (Object Contexts) None 6.2.2.1.N.3.ExpectationTargets (Expected Targets) The following provides the specific ExpectationTargets for service and slice priority expectations based on the general structure of ExpectationTarget. The nature of the attributes defined in the following table should be the same as those defined for ExpectationTargets in Clause 6.2.1.3. Table 6.2.2.1.2.3-1 6.2.2.1.N.4ExpectationContext (Expectation Context) None 6.2.2.2 Attribute Definitions Table 6.2.2.2-1 Example Method

[0081] Figure 3 The flowchart of method 300 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, the first device may include a terminal device. For the purpose of discussion, method 300 will be described from the perspective of the first device 110 in Figure 1 The perspective of the first device 110 in

[0082] At block 310, the first device 110 generates preference information regarding services and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection. In this case, the first device 110 utilizes slice services by the second device 120. The preference information may indicate a preference for cell selection priority based on at least one requirement for network performance. For example, the at least one requirement may include at least one of the following: radio coverage, network capacity, mobility, latency, or throughput.

[0083] In some example embodiments, the preference information may include a set of values indicating a preference for cell selection priority based on multiple requirements. As an example, the set of values may be integer values, and each of the multiple requirements is indicated via a corresponding integer value.

[0084] The multiple requirements may be prioritized in one of the following: ascending order of the set of values or descending order of the set of values. That is, for the former case, the priority of the requirement increases as the value increases, and the higher the value, the higher the priority of the requirement. For the latter case, the priority of the requirement increases as the value decreases, and the lower the value, the higher the priority of the requirement.

[0085] In some example embodiments, slice-based cell reselection may include service-level or slice-level cell reselection. The first device 110 is further caused to perform: determining whether slice-based cell reselection is required; and generating preference information based on determining that slice-based cell reselection is required.

[0086] In some example embodiments, determining whether slice-based cell reselection is required is based on at least one of the following: the slice type associated with the first device, the device category of the first device, the service area associated with the first device, the service for the first device, radio coverage, network capacity, latency, throughput, etc.

[0087] In some example embodiments, the preference information may be received via an interface opened by the second device 120 for the intention regarding slice-based cell reselection as part of a service profile message.

[0088] At block 320, the first device 110 transmits the preference information to the second device 120.

[0089] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 is further caused to perform: receiving an indication of the provisioning status of service-level or slice-level cell reselection priority from the second device 120.

[0090] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may include a device (e.g., UE) acting as a CSC, and the second device 120 may include a device (e.g., gNB) acting as a CSP.

[0091] Additionally, in some example embodiments, the third device 130 may include a device acting as a domain coordinator or a network optimization function.

[0092] Figure 4 A flowchart of an example method 400 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, the second device may include a network device that provides network slices or communication services to the UE. For the purpose of discussion, method 400 will be described from the perspective of the second device 120 in Figure 1 the following.

[0093] At block 410, the second device 120 receives preference information regarding services and slice priority orders for slice-based cell reselection from a first device 110 served by a slice of the second device 120. Specifically, slice-based cell reselection may include service-level or slice-level cell reselection.

[0094] In some example embodiments, the preference information may be received via an interface opened by the second device 120 for the intention regarding slice-based cell reselection as part of a service profile message.

[0095] At block 420, the second device 120 generates configuration information indicating service and slice priority orders based on the preference information.

[0096] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may indicate a preference for cell selection priority based on at least one requirement for network performance, and the at least one requirement includes at least one of the following: radio coverage, network capacity, mobility, latency, or throughput.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may include a set of values indicating a preference for cell selection priority based on multiple requirements. The multiple requirements are prioritized in one of the following: ascending order of the set of values, or descending order of the set of values. That is, for the former case, the priority of the requirements increases as the value increases, and the higher the value, the higher the priority of the requirement. For the latter case, the priority of the requirements increases as the value decreases, and the lower the value, the higher the priority of the requirement.

[0098] At block 430, the second device 120 transmits the configuration information to a third device 130 for configuring slice-based cell reselection.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may be transmitted via an interface opened by the third device 130 for the intention regarding slice-based cell reselection as part of a slice profile message.

[0100] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may also be caused to perform: receiving an indication of the provisioning status of the cell reselection priority at the service level or slice level from the third device 130; and transmitting an indication of the provisioning status to the first device 110.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may include a device acting as a communication service customer, the second device 120 may include a device acting as a communication service provider, and the third device 130 may include a device acting as a domain coordinator or network optimization function.

[0102] Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at a third device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, the third device may include a device implementing a domain coordinator and / or a network optimization function. For the purpose of discussion, method 500 will be described from the perspective of the third device 130 in Figure 1 the third device 130.

[0103] At block 510, the third device 130 receives configuration information indicating the service and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection from the second device 120 that serves the first device 110 using slices. Specifically, slice-based cell reselection may include cell reselection at the service level or slice level.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may be received via an interface opened by the third device 130 for the intention regarding slice-based cell reselection as part of a slice profile message.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may include a set of values indicating preferences for cell selection priority based on multiple requirements.

[0106] The multiple requirements may be prioritized in one of the following: ascending order of the set of values or descending order of the set of values. That is, for the former case, the priority of the requirements increases as the value increases, and the higher the value, the higher the priority of the requirement. For the latter case, the priority of the requirements increases as the value decreases, and the lower the value, the higher the priority of the requirement.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may indicate preferences for cell selection priority based on at least one requirement for network performance, and the at least one requirement includes at least one of the following: radio coverage, network capacity, slice type, mobility, latency, or throughput.

[0108] At block 520, the third device 130 generates at least one parameter related to service and slice priorities based on the configuration information. In some example embodiments, the at least one parameter includes at least one of the following: slice-specific cell reselection priority, frequency priority list for NR slices, etc. For example, the slice-specific cell reselection priority may be sliceSpecificCellReselectionPriority, and the frequency priority list for NR slices may be FreqPriorityListNRSlicing. Additionally or alternatively, the at least one parameter may include a set of values defined for at least one requirement, such as radio coverage, network capacity, slice type, mobility, latency, throughput, etc.

[0109] At block 530, the third device 130 transmits the at least one parameter to at least one network device associated with slice-based cell reselection.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the third device 130 may also be caused to perform: transmitting an indication of the provisioning status of the cell reselection priority at the service level or slice level to the second device 120.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may include a device acting as a communication service customer, the second device 120 may include a device acting as a communication service provider, and the third device 130 may include a device acting as a domain coordinator or network optimization function.

[0112] In some example embodiments, a first apparatus (e.g., Figure 1 the first device 110 in Figure 1 ) capable of performing any of the methods 300 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of the method 300. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules. The first apparatus may be implemented as or included in

[0113] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus includes: components for generating preference information regarding service and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection at the first apparatus utilized by a second apparatus; and components for transmitting the preference information to the second apparatus.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the preference information indicates a preference for cell selection priority based on at least one requirement for network performance, and the at least one requirement includes at least one of the following: radio coverage, network capacity, slice type, mobility, latency, or throughput.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the preference information includes a set of values indicating a preference for cell selection priority based on multiple requirements, and the multiple requirements are prioritized in one of the following: ascending order of the set of values or descending order of the set of values.

[0116] In some example embodiments, slice-based cell reselection includes cell reselection at a service level or slice level, and wherein the first device is further caused to perform: determining whether slice-based cell reselection is required; and generating preference information based on determining that slice-based cell reselection is required.

[0117] In some example embodiments, determining whether slice-based cell reselection is required is based on at least one of the following: the slice type associated with the first device, the device category of the first device, the service area associated with the first device, the service for the first device, radio coverage, network capacity, latency, throughput.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the preference information is transmitted via an interface opened by the second device for the intention regarding slice-based cell reselection as part of a service profile message.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: means for receiving an indication of the provisioning status of the cell reselection priority at a service level or slice level from the second device.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a device acting as a communication service customer, and the second device includes a device acting as a communication service provider.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the second device (e.g., Figure 1 the second device 120 in Figure 1 ) capable of performing any of the methods 400 may include means for performing the corresponding operations of the method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The second device may be implemented as or included in

[0122] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: means for receiving preference information regarding the service and slice priority order for slice-based cell reselection from a first device served by a slice of the second device; means for generating configuration information indicating the service and slice priority order based on the preference information; and means for transmitting the configuration information to a third device for configuring slice-based cell reselection.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the preference information is received via an interface opened by the second device for the intention regarding slice-based cell reselection as part of a service profile message.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the configuration information is transmitted via an interface for the intention regarding slice-based cell reselection, which is opened by a third device as part of a slice profile message.

[0125] In some example embodiments, slice-based cell reselection includes service-level or slice-level cell reselection.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the configuration information indicates a preference for cell selection priority based on at least one requirement for network performance, and the at least one requirement includes at least one of the following: radio coverage, network capacity, slice type, mobility, latency, or throughput.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the configuration information includes a set of values indicating a preference for cell selection priority based on multiple requirements, and the multiple requirements are prioritized in one of the following: ascending order of the set of values, or descending order of the set of values.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the second device further includes: a component for receiving an indication of the equipped state of the service-level or slice-level cell reselection priority from a third device; and a component for transmitting an indication of the equipped state to the first device.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a device acting as a communication service customer, the second device includes a device acting as a communication service provider, and the third device includes a device acting as a domain coordinator or network optimization function.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the third device (e.g., Figure 1 the third device 130 in Figure 1 ) that can perform any of the methods 500 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of the method 500. The components can be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components can be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The third device can be implemented as or included in

[0131] In some example embodiments, the third device includes: a component for receiving configuration information indicating service and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection from a second device that serves the first device using slices; a component for generating at least one parameter related to the service and slice priorities based on the configuration information; and a component for transmitting the at least one parameter to at least one network device associated with slice-based cell reselection.

[0132] In some example embodiments, slice-based cell reselection includes service-level or slice-level cell reselection.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the configuration information is received via an interface for the intention regarding slice-based cell reselection that is opened by a third device as part of a slice profile message.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the at least one parameter includes at least one of the following: slice-specific cell reselection priority, a list of frequency priorities for an NR slice.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the configuration information indicates a preference for cell selection priority based on at least one requirement for network performance, and the at least one requirement includes at least one of the following: radio coverage, network capacity, slice type, mobility, latency, or throughput.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the configuration information includes a set of values indicating a preference for cell selection priority based on multiple requirements, and the multiple requirements are prioritized in one of the following: ascending order of the set of values, or descending order of the set of values.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the third device further includes a component for transmitting an indication of the equipped state of the service level or slice-level cell reselection priority to the second device.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a device acting as a communication service customer, the second device includes a device acting as a communication service provider, and the third device includes a device acting as a domain coordinator or a network optimization function.

[0139] Figure 6 is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 600 can be configured to implement an electronic device, for example, Figure 1 the first device 110, the second device 120, or the third device 130 shown. As shown, the device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to the processors 610, and one or more communication modules 640 coupled to the processors 610.

[0140] The communication module 640 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 640 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communicating with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 640 can include at least one antenna.

[0141] As a non-limiting example, the processor 610 can be of any type suitable for the local technical network and can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures. The device 600 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are clocked subordinate to a synchronous master processor over time.

[0142] The memory 620 can include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 624, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), optical discs, laserdiscs, and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that will not be maintained during a power-off period.

[0143] The computer program 630 includes computer-executable instructions executed by the associated processor 610. The instructions of the program 630 can include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 630 can be stored in a memory, such as ROM 624. The processor 610 can execute any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 630 into the RAM 622.

[0144] Example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by means of the program 630 such that the device 600 can execute any process of the present disclosure as discussed with reference to Figures 1 to 5 Example embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0145] In some example embodiments, the program 630 can be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which can be included in the device 600 (such as in the memory 620) or in other storage devices accessible to the device 600. The device 600 can load the program 630 from the computer-readable medium into the RAM 622 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium can include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, rather than a signal), rather than a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0146] Figure 7 An example of a computer-readable medium 700 is shown, which can be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disc. The program 630 is stored on the computer-readable medium 700.

[0147] Generally, the various embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while other aspects can be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although the various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as a non-limiting example, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or a controller or other computing device, or some combination thereof.

[0148] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as, a non-transitory computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor, to perform any of the methods described above. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules can be combined or split as needed. The machine-executable instructions for the program modules can be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules can be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0149] The program code for performing the methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the functions / operations specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0150] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data can be carried by any suitable carrier so that a device, apparatus, or processor can execute the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0151] A computer-readable medium can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable medium can include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0152] Furthermore, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be construed as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment unless explicitly stated otherwise. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments unless explicitly stated otherwise.

[0153] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the above specific features and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims. Partial Glossary

[0154] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0155] CSC Communication Service Customer

[0156] CSP Communication Service Provider

[0157] UE User Equipment

[0158] 5G Fifth Generation

[0159] CN Core Network

[0160] RAN Radio Access Network

[0161] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0162] LTE-A Advanced LTE

[0163] WCDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access

[0164] HSPA High Speed Packet Access

[0165] NB-IoT NarrowBand Internet of Things

[0166] NR New Radio

[0167] BS Base Station

[0168] AP Access Point

[0169] eNodeB Evolved Node B

[0170] gNB / NR NB Next Generation Node B

[0171] RRU Remote Radio Unit

[0172] RH Radio Head

[0173] RRH Remote Radio Head

[0174] CU Central Unit

[0175] DU Distributed Unit

[0176] SS Subscriber Station

[0177] MS Mobile Station

[0178] AT Access Terminal

[0179] VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol

[0180] PDA Personal Digital Assistant

[0181] LEE Laptop Embedded Equipment

[0182] LME Laptop Mounted Equipment

[0183] USB Universal Serial Bus

[0184] CPE Customer Premises Equipment

[0185] HMD Head-Mounted Display

[0186] MT Mobile Terminal

[0187] IAB Integrated Access and Backhaul

[0188] DL Downlink

[0189] UL Uplink

[0190] Tx Transmit

[0191] Rx Receive

[0192] ID Identification / Identifier

[0193] Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

[0194] CDMA Code Division Multiple Access

[0195] FDMA Frequency Division Multiple Access

[0196] TDMA Time Division Multiple Access

[0197] FDD Frequency Division Duplexing

[0198] TDD Time Division Duplexing

[0199] MIMO Multiple-Input Multiple-Output

[0200] OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

[0201] DFT-s-OFDM Discrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDM

[0202] IoT Internet of Things

[0203] eMTC Enhanced Machine-Type Communication

[0204] URLLC Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication

[0205] eMBB Enhanced Mobile Broadband

[0206] MMTC Massive Machine-Type Communication< / datatype>

Claims

1. A first device, comprising: At least one processor; And At least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least perform: Generate preference information regarding services and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection at the first device served by a second device; And Transmit the preference information to the second device.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the preference information indicates a preference for cell selection priority based on at least one requirement for network performance, and the at least one requirement includes at least one of the following: radio coverage, network capacity, slice type, mobility, latency, or throughput.

3. The first device according to claim 2, wherein the preference information includes a set of values indicating a preference for cell selection priority based on multiple requirements, and the multiple requirements are prioritized in one of the following ways: Ascending order of the set of values, or Descending order of the set of values.

4. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the slice-based cell reselection includes service-level or slice-level cell reselection, and wherein the first device is further caused to perform: Determine whether the slice-based cell reselection is required; and Generate the preference information based on determining that the slice-based cell reselection is required.

5. The first device according to claim 4, wherein determining whether the slice-based cell reselection is required is based on at least one of the following: slice type associated with the first device, device category of the first device, service area associated with the first device, service for the first device, radio coverage, network capacity, latency, throughput.

6. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to perform: Receive an indication of the provisioning status of service-level or slice-level cell reselection priority from the second device.

7. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device includes a device acting as a communication service customer, and the second device includes a device acting as a communication service provider.

8. A second device, comprising: At least one processor; And At least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least perform: Receive preference information regarding services and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection from a first device served by a slice of the second device; Generate configuration information indicating the services and slice priorities based on the preference information; And Transmit the configuration information to a third device for configuring the slice-based cell reselection.

9. The second device according to claim 8, wherein the preference information is received via an interface opened by the second device for the intention regarding the slice-based cell reselection as part of a service profile message.

10. The second device according to claim 8, wherein the slice-based cell reselection includes service-level or slice-level cell reselection.

11. The second device according to claim 8, wherein the configuration information indicates a preference for cell selection priority based on at least one requirement for network performance, and the at least one requirement includes at least one of the following: radio coverage, network capacity, slice type, mobility, latency, or throughput.

12. The second device according to claim 11, wherein the configuration information includes a set of values indicating a preference for cell selection priority based on a plurality of requirements, and the plurality of requirements are prioritized in one of the following ways: ascending order of the set of values, or descending order of the set of values.

13. The second device according to claim 8, wherein the second device is further caused to perform: receiving an indication of the provisioning status of service-level or slice-level cell reselection priority from the third device; and transmitting the indication of the provisioning status to the first device.

14. The second device according to claim 8, wherein the first device includes a device acting as a communication service customer, the second device includes a device acting as a communication service provider, and the third device includes a device acting as a domain coordinator or network optimization function.

15. A third device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third device to at least perform: receiving, from a second device that serves a first device using a slice, configuration information indicating service and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection; generating, based on the configuration information, at least one parameter related to the service and slice priorities; and transmitting the at least one parameter to at least one network device associated with the slice-based cell reselection.

16. The third device according to claim 15, wherein the slice-based cell reselection includes service-level or slice-level cell reselection.

17. The third device according to claim 15, wherein the configuration information is received via an interface opened by the third device for the intention regarding the slice-based cell reselection as part of a slice profile message.

18. The third device according to claim 15, wherein the at least one parameter includes at least one of the following: slice-specific cell reselection priority, a list of frequency priorities for NR slices.

19. The third device according to claim 15, wherein the configuration information indicates a preference for cell selection priority based on at least one requirement for network performance, and the at least one requirement includes at least one of the following: radio coverage, network capacity, slice type, mobility, latency, or throughput.

20. The third device according to claim 19, wherein the configuration information includes a set of values indicating a preference for cell selection priority based on a plurality of requirements, and the plurality of requirements are prioritized in one of the following ways: ascending order of the set of values, or descending order of the set of values.

21. The third device according to claim 19, wherein the third device is further caused to perform: Indication of the provision status of cell reselection priorities at the service level or slice level transmitted to the second device.

22. The third device according to claim 15, wherein the first device includes a device acting as a communication service customer, the second device includes a device acting as a communication service provider, and the third device includes a device acting as a domain coordinator or network optimization function.

23. A method, comprising: At a first device served by a second device using a slice service, generating preference information regarding service and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection; And Transmitting the preference information to the second device.

24. A method, comprising: At a second device, receiving preference information regarding service and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection from a first device served by the slice service of the second device; Generating configuration information indicating the service and slice priorities based on the preference information; And Transmitting the configuration information to a third device for configuring the slice-based cell reselection.

25. A method, comprising: At a third device, receiving configuration information indicating service and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection from a second device serving a first device using a slice service; Generating at least one parameter related to the service and slice priorities based on the configuration information; And Transmitting the at least one parameter to at least one network device associated with the slice-based cell reselection.

26. A first apparatus, comprising: Components for generating, at a first apparatus served by a second apparatus using a slice service, preference information regarding service and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection; And Components for transmitting the preference information to the second apparatus.

27. A second apparatus, comprising: Components for receiving, from a first apparatus served by the slice service of the second apparatus, preference information regarding service and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection; Components for generating configuration information indicating service and slice priorities based on the preference information; And Components for transmitting the configuration information to a third apparatus for configuring the slice-based cell reselection.

28. A third apparatus, comprising: Components for receiving, from a second apparatus serving a first apparatus using a slice service, configuration information indicating service and slice priorities for slice-based cell reselection; Components for generating at least one parameter related to the service and slice priorities based on the configuration information; And Components for transmitting the at least one parameter to at least one network device associated with the slice-based cell reselection.

29. A computer-readable medium, comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions for causing a device to perform at least the method according to claim 23, the method according to claim 24, or the method according to claim 25.

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