Receiving request for positioning of user equipment

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided, including in examples a method for a network assisted positioning procedure in a first network node. The method includes receiving, from a second network node, a request for positioning of a user equipment (UE), where the request indicates that the UE is a positioning reference unit (PRU), and the request includes a related identifier. The method also includes determining whether the UE is a PRU based on the identifier.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Examples of the present disclosure relate to receiving a request for positioning of a user equipment (UE). Background Art

[0002] Positioning of user equipment (UE) has been a topic in Long Term Evolution (LTE) standardization since 3GPP Release 9. The main purpose is to meet regulatory requirements for emergency call positioning. Positioning in New Radio (NR) is proposed to be handled by Figure 1 The architecture shown in supports, Figure 1 This diagram illustrates the Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) Release 15 Location Services (LCS) protocol. The Location Management Function (LMF) is the positioning node in the New Radio (NR). Interactions between the positioning node and the gNodeB also occur via the NR Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa) protocol. Interactions between the gNodeB and devices (e.g., UEs) are supported via the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol.

[0003] In the traditional LTE standard, the following technologies are supported: 1. Enhanced Cell ID. Essentially, it is the cell ID information used to associate a device to the serving area of a serving cell, and then additional information used to determine a finer-grained positioning. 2. Assisted GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System): GNSS information retrieved by the device is supported by assistance information provided to the device from the Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centre (E-SMLC). 3. OTDOA (Observed Time Difference of Arrival): The device estimates the time difference of reference signals from different base stations and sends it to the E-SMLC for multilateration. 4. UTDOA (Uplink TDOA). The requesting device transmits a specific waveform detected by multiple positioning measurement units (e.g., eNBs) at known locations. These measurements are forwarded to the E-SMLC ( Figure 1 The Evolved Serving Mobile Positioning Center (as shown in FIG) is used for multi-point positioning. 5. Sensor methods, such as bio-pressure sensors that provide the vertical position of the device and inertial motion units (IMUs) that provide displacement information.

[0004] NR supports the following radio access technology (RAT)-related positioning methods:

[0005] DL-TDOA:Downlink (DL) TDOA positioning method utilizes DL Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) and optionally DL Positioning Reference Signal (PRS)-Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) of downlink signals received from multiple transmission points (TPs) at the UE. The UE uses assistance data received from a positioning server to measure the DL Reference Signal Timing Difference (RSTD) (and optionally, DL Positioning Reference Signal (PRS)-Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP)) of the received signals, and the resulting measurements are used together with other configuration information to locate the UE relative to neighboring TPs.

[0006] Multiple RTT : The multiple round trip time (RTT) positioning method utilizes UE Rx-Tx measurements and DL PRS RSRP of downlink signals received from multiple transmission reception points (TRPs) measured by the UE, and gNB Rx-Tx measurements and uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS)-RSRP measured at multiple TRPs of uplink signals transmitted from the UE.

[0007] UL-TDOA The UL TDOA positioning method utilizes UL TDOA (and optionally UL Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) - RSRP) at multiple reception points (RPs) of uplink signals transmitted from a UE. The RPs measure the UL TDOA (and optionally UL SRS - RSRP) of the received signals using assistance data received from a positioning server, and the resulting measurements, along with other configuration information, are used to estimate the UE's position.

[0008] DL-AoD : The DL Angle of Departure (AoD) positioning method utilizes the measured DL PRS RSRP of downlink signals received from multiple TPs at the UE. The UE uses assistance data received from a positioning server to measure the DL PRS RSRP of the received signal, and the resulting measurement is used together with other configuration information to position the UE relative to neighboring TPs.

[0009] UL-AoA : The UL Angle of Arrival (AoA) positioning method utilizes the azimuth (A) and zenith (Z) angles of arrival measured at multiple positioning nodes (RPs) of uplink signals transmitted from a UE. RPs use assistance data received from a positioning server to measure the A-AoA and Z-AoA of the received signal, and the resulting measurements, along with other configuration information, are used to estimate the UE's position.

[0010] NR-ECID NR Enhanced Cell ID (NR E-CID) positioning refers to a technique that uses additional UE measurements and / or NR radio resources and other measurements to improve the UE’s positioning estimate.

[0011] Positioning modes can be categorized into the following three areas: - UE Assisted: The UE performs measurements with or without assistance from the network and sends these measurements to the E-SMLC where position calculations can be made. - UE-based: The UE performs measurements and calculates its own position with assistance from the network. - Standalone: The UE performs measurements and calculates its own position without network assistance.

[0012] Figure 2 The initiation and reporting of positioning events for the delayed 5GC-MT-LR procedure for periodic, triggered, and UE-available positioning events according to 3GPP TS 23.273 Version 16.5.0 are illustrated. This procedure supports UE mobility within a virtual public land mobile network (VPLMN) 5G core network (5GCN) and from the 5GCN to the evolved packet core (EPC). The procedure is described in 3GPP TS 23.273 Version 16.5.0 Section 6.3.1 and involves the following steps.

[0013] 1. An external location service client or application function AF (via the network exposure function NEF) sends a request for a location report for a periodic, triggered, or UE-available location event to the (home) gateway mobile location center (GMLC). The request is sent as described for step 1 in clause 6.1.2 of 3GPP TS 23.273, with the differences described here. The Location Service (LCS) Service Request provides the type of periodic or triggered location report being requested and associated parameters. For periodic location reporting, the LCS Service Request includes the time interval between consecutive location reports, the total number of reports, and may include the location service quality (QoS). For periodic location reporting, the LCS Service Request may include the scheduled location time for the first periodic location report. For area event reporting, the LCS Service Request includes details of the target geographic area, whether the event to be reported is the UE being inside, entering, or leaving the target area, the duration of the event report, the minimum and maximum time intervals between consecutive event reports, the maximum event sampling interval, whether the location estimate should be included in the event report (and the associated location QoS), and whether only one or more location reports are required. If the target area is represented by a local coordinate system or a geographic name, the (H)GMLC shall convert the target area to a geographic area represented by a shape as defined in TS 23.032. For motion event reporting, the LCS service request includes the threshold linear distance, the duration of the event report, the minimum and maximum time intervals between consecutive event reports, the maximum event sampling interval, whether the positioning estimate should be included in the event report (and the associated positioning QoS), and whether only one positioning report or more than one positioning report is required.

[0014] 1b-1AF calls the Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation to NEF.

[0015] 1b-2NEF forwards the request to (H)GMLC. NEF assigns LDR reference number locally and sends it to (H)GMLC.

[0016] 2. The (H)GMLC may verify the UE privacy requirements as for step 2 in clause 6.1.2. The (H)GMLC may also subscribe and receive notifications of UE privacy profile updates according to steps 0 and 4 of clause 6.12.1.

[0017] 3. The (H)GMLC queries the Unified Data Management (UDM) for the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) address and, in case of roaming, queries the Unified Data Management (UDM) for the Visited (V)GMLC address as for step 3 in clause 6.1.2.

[0018] NOTE 1: The HGMLC may also query the Home Subscriber Server (HSS) of the target UE for the serving Mobility Management Entity (MME) address as described in clause 9.1.1 of TS 23.271. The deferred EPC-MT-LR procedure for periodic and triggered positioning described in clause 9.1.19 of TS 23.271 or the EPC-MT-LR procedure for UE availability events described in clause 9.1.15 of TS 23.271 may then be performed instead of steps 4-31 - for example, if the HSS returns the MME address but the UDM does not return the AMF address.

[0019] 4. For non-roaming UEs, skip this step. For roaming UEs, if not received in step 3, the HGMLC obtains the VGMLC address and calls the Ngmlc_Location_Provide location request service operation to forward the location request to the VGMLC, as described for step 4 in clause 6.1.2. The (H)GMLC also includes the LDR reference number (Notification Correlation ID) to be used for the event reporting of steps 20 and 29 and the contact address of the (H)GMLC (Notification Target Address, e.g., URI). If the location request is received in step 1a, the LDR reference number is assigned by the (H)GMLC based on predefined rules (e.g., operator's policy), or if the location request is received in step 1b, the LDR reference number is assigned by the NEF.

[0020] 5. The (H)GMLC or VGMLC calls the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo request service operation to forward the positioning request to the serving AMF as described for step 5 in clause 6.1.2 and includes the (H)GMLC contact address and the LDR reference number. The LDR reference number is assigned by the (H)GMLC based on predefined rules (e.g., operator's policy) if the positioning request was received in step 1a, or by the NEF if the positioning request was received in step 1b. For area event reporting, the target geographical area is converted into a list of corresponding cell and / or tracking area identities.

[0021] 6-8. If the AMF supports the delayed location request, the AMF returns an acknowledgement to the external LCS client via the (H)GMLC and (in the case of roaming) VGMLC, indicating that the request for delayed location has been accepted. When using VGMLC, the VGMLC may optionally release the resources used for the delayed location request at this point.

[0022] 9. If the UE is currently unreachable (e.g., using eDRX or PSM), the AMF waits for the UE to become reachable.

[0023] NOTE 2: In the case of UE mobility to another AMF or to the EPC, when the UE becomes reachable, the old AMF may return an event indication to the (H)GMLC, as in steps 19 and 20, and may include the address of the new serving AMF or MME, if known. If the new serving AMF or MME is unknown, the (H)GMLC may repeat step 3 to query the UDM and HSS for the new AMF or MME address. If the new AMF address is received, the (H)GMLC may restart the process from step 4.

[0024] 10. Once the UE is reachable, if the UE is then in Connected Mode (CM) Idle state, the AMF initiates a network triggered service request procedure as defined in clause 4.2.3.3 of TS 23.502 to establish a signalling connection with the UE.

[0025] NOTE 3: The AMF may decide to cancel the location request before the UE becomes reachable (e.g. due to lack of resources or due to a timeout in the UE becoming reachable), or when the UE becomes reachable (e.g. if the AMF performs NAS level congestion control on the UE, or due to other reasons). The AMF then skips steps 10-18 and proceeds to step 19 to return an indication of location cancellation to the VGMLC or (H)GMLC.

[0026] 11-12. In clause 6.1.2, the AMF performs steps 7-8 to notify the UE of the positioning request and verifies the privacy requirement if required by the positioning request received in step 5 and supported by the UE. In case of periodic or triggered positioning, the AMF includes the type of delayed positioning request in the notification to the UE.

[0027] 13. The AMF selects the LMF as described for step 6 in clause 6.1.1. The selection may take into account the type of delayed positioning request (e.g., periodic or triggered) and any parameters used for the delayed positioning request (e.g., number and / or duration of event reports required).

[0028] 14. The AMF invokes the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation request service operation to the LMF to initiate a request for delayed UE positioning. For requests for periodic or triggered positioning, the service operation includes all the information received in step 4 or step 5, including the (H)GMLC contact address, LDR reference number, UE positioning capabilities (if available) and any scheduled positioning time, and may include a list of allowed access types for event reporting in step 22. For requests for UE available positioning events, the (H)GMLC contact address and LDR reference number are not included. In all cases, the service operation includes the LCS correlation identifier, AMF identifier, serving cell identity, client type, and may include an indication of whether the UE supports the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP), the required QoS and the supported GAD shapes.

[0029] 15. The LMF performs one or more of the positioning procedures described in clauses 6.11.1, 6.11.2, and 6.11.3 and as described for step 8 of clause 6.1.1. During this step, the LMF may request and obtain UE positioning capabilities (e.g., which may indicate the type(s) of periodic and triggered positioning supported by the UE and the access types supported by the UE for event reporting). The LMF may also obtain UE positioning—e.g., for a request for a UE available positioning event, or when requesting initial positioning for periodic or triggered UE positioning. For a request for a UE available positioning event, the LMF skips steps 16 and 17.

[0030] 16. If periodic or triggered positioning has been requested, the LMF sends a supplementary service LCS periodic-triggered invocation request to the UE via the serving AMF by invoking the Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer service operation. The LCS periodic-triggered positioning invocation carries the positioning request information received from the AMF in step 14, including the (H)GMLC contact address, LDR reference number, and any scheduled positioning time. The LCS periodic-triggered positioning invocation also includes a delayed routing identifier, which can be the identity of the LMF when the LMF is acting as the serving LMF, or the default LMF identity otherwise. The LCS periodic-triggered positioning invocation may indicate the allowed access types (e.g. one or more of: NR, E-UTRA connected to 5GC, non-3GPP access connected to 5GC, any of the RAT types specified for NR satellite access) for event reporting in step 25 and may include (one or more) embedded positioning message(s) indicating certain allowed or required positioning measurements (or positioning estimate and timestamp of positioning estimate, if available) for each positioning event reported in step 24 (e.g. based on the UE's positioning capabilities and allowed access types obtained in step 14). As part of the NAS transmission of the LCS periodic-triggered positioning invocation from the serving AMF to the UE, the serving AMF includes the immediate routing identifier in the NAS transmission message containing the LCS related identifier - e.g. according to clause 6.11.1.

[0031] NOTE 4: The deferred routing identifier may be global (e.g., IP address, UUID, or URI) or local. The deferred routing identifier is used for routing in step 25. However, the immediate routing identifier included by the AMF in step 15 is used for routing in step 17.

[0032] 17. If the request in step 16 can be supported, the UE returns a supplementary service confirmation to the LMF, which is transported via the serving AMF using the immediate routing identifier and delivered to the LMF using the Namf_Communication_N1MessageNotify service operation.

[0033] 18. In step 14, the LMF responds to the request by invoking the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation response service operation to the AMF. For requests for UE available positioning events, the response includes any UE position fixes obtained in step 15, and the LMF then releases all resources. For periodic or triggered positioning requests, the response includes any position fixes obtained in step 15, confirmation of whether periodic or triggered positioning has been successfully activated in the UE according to steps 16 and 17, and the identity of the LMF in the case of successful activation for the serving LMF. If the LMF is acting as the serving LMF, the LMF also saves state information and resources for subsequent steps. If multiple QoS classes were used in the positioning request, the LMF provides the positioning QoS accuracy achieved in step 15. If the UE cannot support periodic and triggered positioning requests, the service operation returned to the AMF shall include an appropriate error cause. If UE positioning capabilities were received in step 15, the service operation also includes the UE positioning capabilities, including an indication that the capabilities are immutable and were not received from the AMF in step 14.

[0034] 19. The AMF invokes the Namf_Location_EventNotify service operation to the VGMLC for roaming, or to the (H)GMLC for non-roaming, and includes any positioning received in step 18, and, for periodic or triggered positioning, confirmation that periodic or triggered positioning has been successfully activated in the target UE. The VGMLC, if used, may be the same VGMLC used in steps 5 and 6, or may be a different VGMLC. In the case of a different VGMLC, the AMF includes the HGMLC contact address and the LDR reference number. If received in step 18, the AMF also includes the LMF identity and the achieved positioning QoS accuracy. The AMF may then release all resources used for the positioning request and cease support for the procedure.

[0035] 20. For non-roaming UEs, skip this step. For roaming UEs, the VGMLC forwards the response received in step 19 to the HGMLC using the HGMLC contact address received in step 19 (for a different VGMLC) or the HGMLC contact address received and stored in step 4 (for the same VGMLC), including the LDR reference number and any LMF identification received. The VGMLC may then release all resources used for the location request and cease support for the procedure.

[0036] NOTE 5: As an optional optimization for roaming UEs, instead of performing steps 19 and 20, the AMF may invoke the Namf_Location_EventNotify service operation directly to the HGMLC (e.g. if VGMLC is not used or if VGMLC stops supporting it after step 8).

[0037] 21. (H)GMLC forwards the response to the external LCS client or AF (via NEF).If the positioning request in step 1 is for a UE available positioning event, the process terminates here and further steps 22-31 are not performed.

[0038] 22. For a periodic or triggered positioning request in which steps 16 and 17 have been successfully performed, the UE monitors for the occurrence of the triggering or periodic event requested in step 16. For an area event or motion event, the UE monitors the requested event at an interval equal to or less than the maximum event sampling interval. An event trigger is detected by the UE when any of the following occurs: (i) the requested area event or motion event has been detected and the minimum reporting time interval has elapsed since the last report (if this is not the first event report); (ii) the requested periodic positioning event has occurred; or (iii) the maximum reporting time for the area event or motion event has expired. When a triggering or periodic event is detected, and if, in step 16, the UE is camped on or connected to (or can otherwise access) an access type allowed by the LMF, the UE proceeds to step 23. If the UE cannot access the allowed access type, then, based on the requirements received from the LMF in step 16, the UE may skip reporting the triggering event, or may report the triggering event later when the allowed access type becomes available. When a scheduled positioning time is provided for the periodic positioning request in step 16, the UE should perform steps 23-25 at a time before the scheduled positioning time of the first periodic event report or at a time before the expiration of the periodic interval of each subsequent periodic event report, so as to enable the positioning measurement in step 23 or step 27, respectively, to occur near each of these times.

[0039] 23. The UE obtains any positioning measurements or positioning estimates that it has requested or allowed in step 16.

[0040] NOTE 6: Obtaining a position estimate upon request also applies to trigger events corresponding to expiration of the maximum reporting interval for area events or motion events.

[0041] 24. If in CM-IDLE state, the UE performs a UE-triggered service request as defined in clause 4.2.3.2 of TS 23.502 in order to establish a signalling connection with the AMF.

[0042] 25. The UE sends a Supplementary Service Event Report message to the LMF, which is transmitted via the serving AMF (which may be different from the original serving AMF for steps 14-16) and delivered to the LMF using the Namf_Communication_N1MessageNotify service operation. The event report may indicate the type of event being reported (e.g., whether it is a normal event or the expiration of the maximum reporting interval) and may include (one or more) embedded positioning messages, which include any positioning measurements or positioning estimates and the timestamp of the positioning estimate obtained in step 23 (if available). The UE also includes the Delay Routing Identifier received in step 16 in the NAS transport message used to transmit the event report from the UE to the AMF. The AMF then forwards the event report to the serving LMF or any appropriate LMF based on whether the Delay Routing Identifier indicates a specific LMF or any (default) LMF. If an LMF different from the serving LMF is used, the procedure in clause 6.4 is used. The UE also includes the (H)GMLC contact address, the LDR reference number, whether the positioning estimate is to be reported and, if so, the positioning QoS in the event report and any scheduled positioning times indicated in step 16 for periodic reporting.

[0043] NOTE 7: When forwarding the Event Report message to the LMF in step 25, the AMF includes the Delay Routing Identifier received in step 25 as the LCS Correlation Identifier. If the same serving LMF has assigned the Delay Routing Identifier in step 16, the Delay Routing Identifier may assist the serving LMF in identifying a periodic or triggered positioning session, or may indicate to the LMF that it is acting as a default LMF.

[0044] Note 8: The scheduled fix time included in step 25 is equal to T+(N-1)*P, where T is the initial scheduled fix time, N is the report number (N≥1), and P is the time interval between consecutive periodic events.

[0045] 26. When the LMF receives an event report and if it can process it, the LMF updates the status of the event report (e.g., the number of event reports received from the UE so far and / or the duration of the event reports so far) and returns a supplementary service confirmation for the event report to the UE. The confirmation may optionally include a new delayed routing identifier indicating the new serving LMF or the default (any) LMF. If the UE does not receive any response from the LMF after a predefined time, i.e., the current LMF does not support delayed positioning requests (for temporary or permanent reasons) or no response was received from the LMF due to some radio access failure, the UE may resend the report one or more times. If the time it takes for the UE to send repeated event reports exceeds the predefined maximum retransmission time and the UE still does not receive any response from the AMF, the UE should stop resending the report and retain the event report, then record a corresponding flag to indicate that the report has not been sent successfully. When the UE performs a positioning update and detects a PLMN change, if the flag is set, the UE should send the report to the corresponding AMF, and the flag will be cleared upon successful transmission.

[0046] NOTE 9: Including a new delay routing identifier in the event report confirmation at step 26 may be used to change the serving LMF (e.g., if the UE moves to an area or access type better supported by a different LMF, or if the serving LMF is overloaded), or to enable the default LMF to become the serving LMF.

[0047] 27. If the event report requires a positioning estimate, the LMF may perform one or more of the positioning procedures described in clauses 6.11.1, 6.11.2, and 6.11.3, and as described for step 8 in clause 6.1.1 and step 12 in clause 6.1.2. The LMF then determines the UE location using the positioning measurements and / or positioning estimate(s) obtained in this step and / or received in step 25. The LMF may also determine the timestamp of the positioning estimate.

[0048] NOTE 10: The procedure in clause 6.11.1 pre-condition is that the LCS Correlation Identifier assigned by the serving AMF has been previously passed to the LMF. The LCS Correlation Identifier is used in steps 1, 3, 6 and 7 of clause 6.11.1 to ensure that during the positioning session between the LMF and the UE, the Positioning Response message from the UE is returned by the AMF to the correct LMF and carries an indication (LCS Correlation Identifier) that can be recognized by the LMF. In order to maintain this capability in step 27, the LMF shall assign a Correlation Identifier indicating the LMF (and optionally the positioning session) for step 1 of clause 6.11.1. In order to enable the AMF to distinguish between Correlation Identifiers assigned by the LMF (for use in this procedure) and Correlation Identifiers assigned by the AMF (for use in clause 6.11.1 in other ways), the two types of Correlation Identifiers may be selected from different ranges, with or without a flag.

[0049] 28. In the case of roaming, the LMF selects a VGMLC (which may be different from the VGMLC used for steps 3-8 and steps 19-21). The LMF then calls the Nlmf_Location_EventNotify service operation to the selected VGMLC or (H)GMLC with an indication of the type of event being reported, the (H)GMLC contact address and LDR reference number, the identity of the LMF (if this is the serving LMF), and any positioning estimate obtained in step 27 and the timestamp of the positioning estimate (if applicable). If multiple QoS classes were used in the initial positioning request, the LMF provides the positioning QoS accuracy achieved in step 27.

[0050] NOTE 11: In the case of roaming, the LMF may use NRF services or use configuration information in the LMF to select the VGMLC for step 28, or may use the same VGMLC as in steps 3-8 (e.g. if the LMF acts as a serving LMF and receives the VGMLC address from the AMF as part of step 14).

[0051] 29. For non-roaming UEs, skip this step. For roaming UEs, the VGMLC invokes the Ngmlc_Location_EventNotify service operation to forward the information received in step 28 (e.g., including the type of event being reported, the LDR reference number, and possibly the LMF identity) to the HGMLC, which identifies periodic and triggered location requests from the LDR reference number.

[0052] NOTE 12: As an optional optimization for roaming UEs, the LMF may invoke the Nlmf_Location_EventNotify service operation directly to the HGMLC instead of executing steps 28 and 29.

[0053] NOTE 13: In the case of mobility of the UE to an access network that does not allow event reporting in step 22 (e.g., an access network in the EPS), or if the UE is otherwise unable to send event reports (e.g., due to a power outage), the (H)GMLC may not receive event reports at fixed intervals for periodic positioning in steps 28 or 29, or at intervals equal to or less than the maximum reporting interval for triggered positioning. In such cases, the (H)GMLC may cancel periodic or triggered positioning reporting using the procedure defined in clause 6.3.3. The UE may also cancel periodic or triggered positioning reporting locally or using the procedure defined in clause 6.3.2 once it has access to an access network that allows event reporting.

[0054] 30. The (H)GMLC uses the LDR reference number received in step 28 or step 29 to identify the periodic and triggered positioning requests received in step 1 and then sends the type of event being reported and any positioning estimate, along with the timestamp of the positioning estimate (if available) and the positioning method used, to the external LCS client or AF (via the NEF), along with the LDR reference number to the LCS client. The (H)GMLC may also verify the UE privacy requirements before reporting the event and any positioning to the external LCS client or AF. If multiple QoS classes were used in the initial positioning request, the LMF provides the positioning QoS accuracy achieved in step 27.

[0055] 31. As in step 22, the UE continues to monitor for further periodic or triggering events and each time a triggering event is detected, steps 23-30 are triggered.

[0056] NOTE 14: Service continuity reporting of periodic or triggered events when the UE moves between 5GS and EPS is not supported in this release of the specification.

[0057] A Positioning Reference Unit (PRU) at a known location can perform positioning measurements (e.g., RSTD, RSRP, UE Rx-Tx time difference measurement, etc.) and report these measurements to a positioning server. Additionally, the PRU can transmit an SRS to enable the TRP to measure and report UL positioning measurements (e.g., RTOA, UL-AoA, gNB Rx-Tx time difference, etc.) from the PRU at the known location. The positioning server can compare the PRU measurements with the expected measurements at the known PRU location to determine correction terms for other nearby target devices. The DL and / or UL positioning measurements of other target devices can then be corrected based on the previously determined correction terms.

[0058] From the perspective of the positioning server, the PRU functionality is implemented by the UE with a known location. 3GPP TR 23.700-71 captures the options for PRU management in Figure 3 5GC uses the PRU management process to obtain PRU information and become aware of which PRUs are available in the network. To manage PRUs, three options can be considered: - Option A: The PRU registers with the AMF. - Option B.1: The PRU registers with the LMF. - Option B.2: The LMF obtains the available PRU information via the LPP procedure. -Option C: Pre-configure PRU information in UDM.

[0059] Option A: PRU registers with the AMF

[0060] 1a-2a. The PRU initiates a registration process with the AMF, including the PRU capabilities and user location information (i.e., CGI and TAI). The PRU may also include the mobility state (e.g., mobile or static) in its registration, so that the AMF can dynamically maintain all available PRUs and related information.

[0061] 3a. After receiving the PRU information, the AMF calls the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFUpdate request (PRU location, PRU presence indication) to the NRF to indicate the presence of PRUs in certain areas (e.g., in one or more TAIs).

[0062] Option B.1: PRU registers with LMF

[0063] 1b-2b. The UE provides an indication to the serving AMF whether it can act as a PRU. The serving AMF then registers the PRU with the LMF.

[0064] 3b. After receiving the PRU information, the LMF calls the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFUpdate request (PRU location, PRU presence indication) to the NRF to indicate that the PRU exists in certain areas (e.g., in one or more TAIs).

[0065] Option B.2: PRU registers with LMF

[0066] 1b.LMF obtains available PRU information through the LPP process.

[0067] 2b. This step is the same as step 3b in option B.1.

[0068] Option C: Maintain PRU information at the UDM.

[0069] The UE may be pre-configured as a PRU, wherein the PRU information included in the UE subscription data is used as a new parameter set and stored in the Unified Data Management (UDM).

[0070] There are currently some challenges. For example, SA2 is discussing how PRU registration is done and how the Correlation ID generated by the LMF will be used to communicate with the PRU. This also gives the LMF the ability to initiate positioning to the PRU. Currently, for emergency calls, positioning is initiated by an external client / LCS client, or the UE or AMF, meaning the LMF itself cannot initiate positioning. A malicious LMF could create an incorrect Correlation ID, which could point to a UE or SUPI that is not the PRU. Summary of the Invention

[0071] Certain aspects of the present disclosure and its embodiments may provide solutions to these and other challenges. For example, embodiments of the present disclosure may provide authorization to ensure that PRU positioning requests are allowed or processed only for authorized PRUs, and not for any non-PRUs or regular devices or UEs.

[0072] A first exemplary aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for a network-assisted positioning procedure in a first network node. The method includes receiving a request for positioning of a user equipment (UE) from a second network node, wherein the request indicates that the UE is a positioning reference unit (PRU) and the request includes a relevant identifier; and determining whether the UE is a PRU based on the relevant identifier.

[0073] Another exemplary aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an apparatus for a network-assisted positioning procedure in a first network node. The apparatus includes a processor and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processor, such that the apparatus is operable to receive a request for positioning of a UE from a second network node, wherein the request indicates that the UE is a positioning reference unit (PRU) and includes a correlation identifier; and determine whether the UE is a PRU based on the correlation identifier.

[0074] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages: For example, authorization of the correlation ID of the PRU device may ensure that an LMF-triggered positioning request has no privacy / security issues when initiating positioning, or ensure that positioning is directed toward a valid PRU (e.g., a UE with a valid PRU subscription) rather than any real (non-PRU) UE or a counterfeit UE. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0075] For a better understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and to show how the same may be practiced, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0076] Figure 1 The diagram shows the NG-RAN Release 15 LCS protocol;

[0077] Figure 2 Illustrate the initiation and reporting of positioning events for the deferred 5GC-MT-LR procedure for periodic, triggered, and UE-available positioning events;

[0078] Figure 3 The diagram shows the options for PRU management;

[0079] Figure 4 A method performed by a network node according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0080] Figure 5 An example of a network-assisted positioning process is illustrated;

[0081] Figure 6 shows an example of a process that may be used by the LMF to support network-assisted and network-based positioning;

[0082] Figure 7 An example of a communication system according to some embodiments is shown;

[0083] Figure 8 shows a UE according to some embodiments;

[0084] Figure 9 shows a network node according to some embodiments;

[0085] Figure 10 is a block diagram of a host computer according to various aspects described herein;

[0086] Figure 11 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functionality implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized;

[0087] Figure 12 A communication diagram illustrating a host communicating with a UE via a network node over a partially wireless connection according to some embodiments; and

[0088] Figure 13 A network node according to a further embodiment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0089] Some of the 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.

[0090] Figure 4A method according to a particular embodiment is depicted, such as, for example, a method 400 for a network-assisted positioning procedure in a first network node. The method 400 may be performed by a network node (e.g., as later described with reference to Figure 7 and Figure 9 The method 400 is performed by a network node QQ110 or a network node QQ300 as described above, which may be a core network node, an AMF, a RAN node (e.g., a base station), or any other network node. The method begins at step 402, where a request for positioning of a UE is received from a second network node (e.g., a positioning management function, LMF), where the request indicates that the UE is a positioning reference unit (PRU) and the request includes a correlation identifier, such as, for example, an LCS correlation ID. Step 404 of the method 400 includes determining whether the UE is a PRU (e.g., a valid PRU) based on the correlation identifier.

[0091] In some examples, method 400 includes: if the UE is a PRU, forwarding a request for positioning of the UE to a radio access network (RAN) associated with the UE, and / or forwarding measurement results triggered by the request for positioning of the UE to a second network node. Alternatively, for example, if the UE is not a PRU, method 400 may include one or more of: sending an indication to the second network node that the request for positioning of the UE has failed; refraining from forwarding the request for positioning of the UE to a radio access network (RAN) associated with the UE; and / or refraining from forwarding measurement results triggered by the request for positioning of the UE to the second network node. Thus, for example, if the UE is a PRU (or a valid PRU), the positioning of the UE / PRU will only be forwarded to the second network node.

[0092] In some examples, determining whether the UE is a PRU in step 402 may include determining whether a registration request to register as a PRU has been received from the UE, and / or determining whether the UE is a PRU based on data stored in a network data storage node such as a unified data management (UDM) or a unified data repository (UDF).

[0093] In some examples, method 400 may further include determining that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU. Additionally, in some examples, method 400 may include determining that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU by determining that a flag in the request for positioning of the UE indicates that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU.

[0094] In some examples, determining that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of a PRU may include determining that at least a portion of the relevant identifier is within a predetermined range. For example, the predetermined range is reserved for requests for positioning of PRUs, while values outside the predetermined range may be used for requests for non-PRU UEs or other devices. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the relevant identifier may include an identifier of the UE. This may be, for example, a Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) and / or a General Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI).

[0095] In some examples, the relevant identifier may include an identifier of the UE's serving location management function (LMF).

[0096] In some examples, determining in step 402 that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU may include determining whether the identifier has been generated or assigned by the first network node.

[0097] Certain illustrative example embodiments are now described.

[0098] In some examples, a UE as a PRU may register with the AMF and notify the AMF that it is a PRU. The AMF may, for example, authenticate (e.g., check UE subscription or previously received registration request) and forward UE / PRU information to the LMF, where the information may, for example, identify the UE / PRU and / or include information for communicating with the UE / PRU. For example, the LMF may register the PRU and create a correlation ID, or the AMF may create a correlation ID, or the correlation ID may be determined according to some rules, such as constructed from the LMF ID and the UE / PRU ID.

[0099] In some examples, the AMF may use subscription information from the UDM to verify that the sender of the PRU Registration Request is the PRU.

[0100] In some examples, the AMF may select a serving LMF (e.g., based on the current tracking area indication) and transmit a PRU registration request to the serving LMF using the Namf_Communication_N1MessageNotify service operation. The AMF includes in the service operation an indication that the PRU has been verified by the AMF. The AMF also includes the subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) of the PRU.

[0101] The serving LMF may, for example, authenticate the PRU. This may be based on an indication from the AMF that the PRU has been verified, or may be based on matching the SUPI of a previously received PRU with the corresponding SUPI configured in the LMF.

[0102] Figure 5An example of a network-assisted positioning process is shown, in which the positioning of the UE is determined by means of measurements obtained from a network node (e.g., a serving gNB). According to examples of the present disclosure, this process may also, in some examples, be or include a method for verifying or authenticating a request for positioning of a PRU (e.g., verifying or authenticating that the PRU is a valid PRU). Figure 5 In the example shown in FIG5 , if the LMF 502 has a need to trigger / initiate positioning towards the PRU, it sends a request 504 to the AMF 506 and identifies the correlation ID associated with the PRU (e.g., LCS correlation ID). In some examples, the LMF 502 can generate the correlation ID in this example (if not previously obtained from the AMF 506 during PRU registration). In addition, in some examples, if the correlation ID cannot identify the LMF 504 and the UE, the LMF 502 can also include an identifier of the UE (e.g., a subscription permanent identifier SUPI and / or a general public subscription identifier GPSI) in the request 504.

[0103] At step 508, the AMF 506 verifies whether the correlation ID is for a valid PRU. In some examples, the AMF 502 may send a request to the UDM. The UDM may verify that the UE is a PRU, for example, based on a subscription associated with the UE. The UDM sends a response to the AMF 506.

[0104] Once authenticated, the AMF proceeds further to establish a connection with the PRU in step 510. Alternatively, if the authentication fails, the AMF 506 sends a message 512 to the LMF 502 indicating the authentication failure.

[0105] Figure 6 An example of a method that can be used by an LMF to support network-assisted and network-based positioning according to an example of the present disclosure is shown, and can include receiving a request for positioning of a UE for a network-assisted positioning procedure, and can include, in some examples, a procedure for confirming, verifying, or authenticating that the UE is a valid PRU. This procedure can be based on, for example, the NRPPa protocol in 3GPP TS 38.455 V17.3.0 between the LMF and the NG-RAN.

[0106] An example process may include one or more of the following steps:

[0107] Precondition: The LCS Correlation Identifier and AMF identity have been passed by the serving AMF to the LMF. In case of PRU, the LCS Correlation Identifier is generated by the LMF and provided to the AMF during the PRU Registration Accept message.

[0108] 1. The LMF invokes the Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer service operation to the AMF to request the transfer of a network positioning message to the UE's serving NG-RAN node (gNB or ng-eNB). The service operation includes a network positioning message (indicating whether positioning is initiated towards the PRU) and an LCS-related identifier (in some examples, which can be used to indicate whether positioning is initiated towards the PRU, similar to the example described above). The network positioning message can request the UE's positioning information from the NG-RAN.

[0109] 2. If the UE is in CM IDLE state, the AMF performs the network-triggered service request procedure as defined in clause 4.2.3.3 of TS 23.502 V18.0.0 to establish a signalling connection with the UE. For PRU positioning, AMF initiates Verify before the process that the LCS correlation identifier is associated with a valid PRU .

[0110] 3. The AMF forwards the network location message to the serving NG-RAN node in the N2 transport message. The AMF includes a routing identifier identifying the LMF (e.g., the global address of the LMF) in the N2 transport message.

[0111] 4. The serving NG-RAN node obtains any positioning information of the UE requested in step 3.

[0112] 5. The serving NG-RAN node returns any positioning information obtained in step 4 to the AMF in a Network Positioning message included in an N2 transport message. The serving NG-RAN node shall also include the routing identifier in the N2 transport message received in step 3.

[0113] 6. The AMF invokes the Namf_Communication_N2InfoNotify service to the LMF indicated by the routing identifier received in step 5. The service operation includes the network location message and the LCS correlation identifier received in step 5. Steps 1 to 6 may be repeated to request further location information and further NG-RAN capabilities.

[0114] Based on 3GPP TS 29.572 V16.9.0, the LCS Correlation ID should have a minimum length of 1 character and a maximum length of 255 characters. In some example embodiments, a range of Correlation IDs may be reserved for use in PRU positioning requests. Additionally or alternatively, for example, the Correlation ID of a PRU may be indicated using a flag, such as in a positioning request. That is, the receiver (e.g., AMF) learns from the Correlation ID or flag that it is used for positioning of the PRU.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the Correlation ID is designed in such a way that the PRU ID and the Serving LMF ID can be determined from the Correlation ID. For example, these IDs can be concatenated in the Correlation ID, or otherwise included in the Correlation ID or can be derived from the Correlation ID. For example:

[0116] Correlation ID = Serving LMF ID + UE identity (e.g., SUPI / GPSI of PRU)

[0117] Here, the "+" operation can be a concatenation operation. Thus, for example, the correlation ID can be an integer consisting of the LMF and UE ID, where a fixed ID length is used for each, so that the receiver (e.g., AMF) can unambiguously decode them. In some examples, this correlation ID can also be converted to a string:

[0118] Related ID = string conversion (service LMF ID + UE identifier)

[0119] To describe the LMF ID and UE ID, in some examples, a fixed integer value length (e.g., a fixed number of bits / bytes, etc.) can be considered for these two IDs so that the receiver (e.g., AMF) can distinguish how they can be unambiguously extracted.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the correlation ID may be scrambled (e.g., ciphered, encrypted, etc.) and keys may be shared in advance between the LMF and AMF (before sending the correlation ID information) to allow decoding / deciphering / decryption of the correlation ID.

[0121] Figure 7 An example of a wireless communication network QQ 100 is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0122] In the example, communication system QQ100 includes telecommunication network QQ102, which includes access network QQ104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and core network QQ106, which includes one or more core network nodes QQ108. Access network QQ104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes QQ110a and QQ110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network node QQ110) or any other similar third generation partnership project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. Network node QQ110 facilitates direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UE QQ112a, QQ112b, QQ112c, and QQ112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UE QQ112) to core network QQ106 via one or more wireless connections.

[0123] Example wireless communications over wireless connections include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Additionally, in various embodiments, the communication system QQ100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that facilitate or participate in the transfer of data and / or signals, whether via a wired or wireless connection. The communication system QQ100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0124] UE QQ 112 may be any of a variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with network node QQ 110 and other communication devices. Similarly, network node QQ 110 is arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UE QQ 112 and / or with other network nodes or devices in telecommunication network QQ 102 to enable and / or provide network access (such as wireless network access) and / or to perform other functions (such as management in telecommunication network QQ 102).

[0125] In the depicted example, core network QQ 106 connects network node QQ 110 to one or more hosts (such as host QQ 116). These connections can be direct or indirect via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, the network node can be directly coupled to the host. Core network QQ 106 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node QQ 108) constructed from hardware and software components. The features of these components can be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UE, network nodes, and / or hosts, so that the descriptions generally apply to the corresponding components of core network node QQ 108. Example core network nodes include one or more functions of a mobile switching center (MSC), a mobility management entity (MME), a home subscriber server (HSS), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), an authentication server function (AUSF), a subscription identifier dehiding function (SIDF), a unified data management (UDM), a security edge protection proxy (SEPP), a network exposure function (NEF), a policy control function (PCF), and / or a user plane function (UPF).

[0126] The host QQ 116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than the operator or provider of the telecommunications network QQ 102 and / or the access network QQ 104 and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The host QQ 116 may host various applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include the provision of live and / or pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services (e.g., retrieval and compilation of data about various environmental conditions detected by multiple UEs), analytical functionality, social media, functionality for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functionality for alarm and monitoring centers, or any other such functionality performed by a server.

[0127] on the whole, Figure 7 The communication system QQ100 enables connectivity between UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system can be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards, including but not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable next-generation standards (e.g., 6G); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (WiFi); and / or any other suitable 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.

[0128] In some examples, telecommunication network QQ 102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Therefore, telecommunication network QQ 102 can support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to telecommunication network QQ 102. For example, telecommunication network QQ 102 can provide ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services to some UEs while providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or provide massive machine type communication (mMTC) / massive IoT services to still other UEs.

[0129] In some examples, the UE QQ 112 is configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network QQ 104 on a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the access network QQ 104. In addition, the UE may be configured to operate in a single-RAT or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, the UE may operate with any one or a combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Air Interface), and LTE, i.e., be configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Air Interface Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0130] exist Figure 7 In the example illustrated in , the hub QQ114 communicates with the access network QQ104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d) and a network node (e.g., network node QQ110b). In some examples, the hub QQ114 can be a controller, a router, a content source and analysis node, or any of the other communication devices described herein with respect to the UE. For example, the hub QQ114 can be a broadband router for the UE that enables access to the core network QQ106. As another example, the hub QQ114 can be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UE. The commands or instructions can be received from the UE, the network node QQ110, or can be received through executable code, scripts, processes, or other instructions in the hub QQ114. As another example, the hub QQ114 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 QQ114 can be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, speaker, or other media delivery device, the hub QQ 114 can retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, and the hub QQ 114 then provides the VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In yet another example, the hub QQ 114 acts as a proxy server or coordinator for the UEs, particularly if one or more of the UEs are low-energy IoT devices.

[0131] The hub QQ114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node QQ110b. The hub QQ114 may also take into account different communication schemes and / or scheduling between the hub QQ114 and the UE (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d) and between the hub QQ114 and the core network QQ106. In other examples, the hub QQ114 is connected to the core network QQ106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. In addition, the hub QQ114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider via the access network QQ104 and / or to another UE via a direct connection. In some scenarios, the UE may establish a wireless connection with the network node QQ110 while still being connected via a wired or wireless connection, via the hub QQ114. In some embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a dedicated hub, that is, a hub whose main function is to route communications from the network node QQ110b to the UE / route communications from the UE to the network node QQ110b. In other embodiments, hub QQ 114 may be a non-dedicated hub, ie, a device operable to route communications between UEs and network node QQ 110b, but otherwise capable of operating as a communications origin and / or endpoint for certain data channels.

[0132] Figure 8 UE QQ200 according to some embodiments is shown. As used herein, UE refers to a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with a network node and / or other UEs. Examples of UEs include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cellular phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablet computers, laptop computers, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), vehicle mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless devices, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs, machine type communications (MTC) UEs, and / or enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs.

[0133] The UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communications, for example, by implementing 3GPP standards for direct link communications, dedicated short range communications (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, the UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user owning and / or operating the associated device. Instead, the UE may represent a device that is intended to be sold to or operated by a human user but may not, or may not, initially be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, the UE may represent a device that is not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user but may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart meter).

[0134] UE QQ200 includes processing circuitry QQ202 operatively coupled to input / output interface QQ206, power supply QQ208, memory QQ210, communication interface QQ212, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof, via bus QQ204. Figure 8 All or a subset of the components shown in the . The level of integration between components may vary from one UE to another UE. In addition, some UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0135] Processing circuitry QQ 202 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 memory QQ 210. Processing circuitry QQ 202 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., 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 such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), along with appropriate software; or any combination thereof. For example, processing circuitry QQ 202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). Processing circuitry QQ 202 may be operable to provide functionality, either alone or in combination with other UE QQ 200 components (e.g., memory QQ 210, UE QQ 200).

[0136] In an example, the input / output interface QQ206 can be configured to provide an interface or multiple 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. The input device can allow the user to capture information into the UE QQ200. 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 pads, trackpads, scroll wheels, smart cards, etc. The presence-sensitive display can include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from the user. The sensor can be, for example, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, a light sensor, a proximity sensor, a biosensor, etc., or any combination thereof. The output device can use the same type of interface port as the input device. For example, a universal serial bus (USB) port can be used to provide input and output devices.

[0137] In some embodiments, the power supply QQ 208 is configured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may be used, such as an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a power cell. The power supply QQ 208 may also include power circuitry for delivering power from the power supply QQ 208 itself and / or an external power source to various components of the UE QQ 200 via an interface or input circuit, such as a power cable. The delivered power may be used, for example, to charge the power supply QQ 208. The power circuitry may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modifications on the power from the power supply QQ 208 to make the power suitable for the corresponding components of the UE QQ 200 being powered.

[0138] The memory QQ 210 may be or be configured to include a memory such as a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a hard disk, a removable cartridge, a flash drive, etc. In one example, the memory QQ 210 includes one or more application programs QQ 214 (such as an operating system, a web browser application, a widget, a gadget engine, or other applications) and corresponding data QQ 216. The memory QQ 210 may store any of a variety of different operating systems or a combination of operating systems for use by the UE QQ 200.

[0139] The memory QQ 210 may be configured to include multiple physical drive units such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital versatile disk (HD-DVD) optical drive, an internal hard drive, a Blu-ray disc drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), an external micro DIMM SDRAM, a smart card memory such as 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 memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC commonly referred to as a "SIM card." The memory QQ 210 may allow the UE QQ 200 to access instructions, applications, and the like stored on a temporary or non-temporary storage medium to download or upload data. An article of manufacture, such as an article of manufacture utilizing a communication system, may be tangibly embodied as or contained within memory QQ 210 , which may be or include a device-readable storage medium.

[0140] The processing circuit QQ202 can be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using a communication interface QQ212. The communication interface QQ212 may include one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna QQ222. The communication interface QQ212 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., a network node in the access network or another UE). Each transceiver may include a transmitter QQ218 and / or a receiver QQ220 adapted to provide network communication (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocation, etc.). In addition, the transmitter QQ218 and the receiver QQ220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna QQ222) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively, the transmitter QQ218 and the receiver QQ220 may be implemented separately.

[0141] In some embodiments, the communication functionality of the communication interface QQ212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as using a global positioning system (GPS) to determine location, another similar communication functionality, or any combination thereof. Communication may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards such as IEEE 802.11, code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, new radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / Internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), QUIC, hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.

[0142] Regardless of the type of sensor, the UE can provide an output of the data captured by its sensor via its communication interface QQ212 via a wireless connection to a network node. The data captured by the UE's sensor can be delivered via another UE via a wireless connection to a network node. The output can be periodic (e.g., every 14 minutes if it reports a sensed temperature), random (e.g., balancing the load of reports from several sensors), in response to a trigger event (e.g., sending an alarm when moisture is detected), in response to a request (e.g., a user-initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0143] As another example, a UE includes an actuator, motor, or switch associated with a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input, the state of the actuator, motor, or switch can change. For example, the UE can include a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of an unmanned aircraft in flight based on the received input, or controls a robotic arm performing a medical procedure based on the received input.

[0144] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (IoT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains including, but not limited to, urban wearable technology, extended industrial applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such IoT devices are or are embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, connected lighting, an electric meter, a robotic vacuum cleaner, a voice-controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electric door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR), a wearable device for tactile enhancement or sensory enhancement, a sprinkler, an animal or item tracking device, a sensor for monitoring plants or animals, an industrial robot, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device like a heart rate monitor or a remotely controlled surgical robot. In addition to the above, the UE may be used in conjunction with a device such as a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electric meter, a robotic vacuum cleaner, a voice-controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electric door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR), a wearable device for tactile enhancement or sensory enhancement, a sprinkler, an animal or item tracking device, a sensor for monitoring plants or animals, an industrial robot, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device like a heart rate monitor or a remotely controlled surgical robot. Figure 8 In addition to the other components described in the UE QQ200 shown in FIG, a UE in the form of an IoT device includes circuitry and / or software depending on the intended application of the IoT device.

[0145] As yet another specific example, in an IoT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. In this case, the UE may be an M2M device, which in the 3GPP context may be referred to as an MTC device. As a specific example, a UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, bus, truck, ship, or airplane, or other equipment capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operating status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0146] In fact, any number of UEs can be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE can be a drone or can be integrated into a drone and provide speed information of the drone (obtained by a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote control for operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote control, the first UE can adjust the throttle on the drone (for example, by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the speed of the drone. The first and / or second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, the UE can include a sensor and an actuator and handle the transfer of data from both the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0147] Figure 9A network node QQ300 according to some embodiments is shown. 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, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and NR Node Bs (gNBs)).

[0148] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, in other words, their transmit power level), and thus, depending on the amount of coverage provided, a base station may be referred to as a femto base station, a pico base station, a micro base station, or a macro base station. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0149] Other examples of network nodes include a multi-transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access node, a multi-standard radio (MSR) device such as an MSR BS, a network controller such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transmission point, a transmission node, a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), an operation and maintenance (O&M) node, an operation support system (OSS) node, a self-organizing network (SON) node, a positioning node (e.g., an evolved serving mobile positioning center (E-SMLC)) and / or a minimization of drive tests (MDT).

[0150] Network node QQ300 includes processing circuitry QQ302, memory QQ304, a communication interface QQ306, and a power supply QQ308, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof. Network node QQ300 may be comprised of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), each of which may have its own corresponding components. In certain scenarios where network node QQ300 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the 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 instances, be considered a single independent network node. In some embodiments, network node QQ300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be replicated (e.g., separate memory QQ304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna QQ310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node QQ 300 may also include multiple sets of components for various illustrative different wireless technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, radio frequency identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technology, integrated into the network node QQ 300. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within the network node QQ 300.

[0151] The processing circuitry QQ 302 may include one or more of a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic operable to provide the functionality of the network node QQ 300, either alone or in combination with other network node QQ 300 components such as the memory QQ 304. For example, the processing circuitry QQ 302 may be configured to cause the network node to perform operations as described in reference to FIG. Figure 4 The method described.

[0152] In some embodiments, processing circuitry QQ302 comprises a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, processing circuitry QQ302 comprises one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314. In some embodiments, radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units such as a radio unit and a digital unit. In alternative embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on the same chip, chipset, board, or unit.

[0153] Memory QQ 304 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including, but not limited to, permanent storage devices, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., a hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., a flash drive, a compact disk (CD), or a digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data, and / or instructions that can be used by processing circuit QQ 302. Memory QQ 304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including applications, software, computer programs including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions that can be executed by processing circuit QQ 302 and utilized by network node QQ 300. Memory QQ 304 may be used to store any calculations performed by processing circuit QQ 302 and / or any data received via communication interface QQ 306. In some embodiments, processing circuit QQ 302 and memory QQ 304 are integrated.

[0154] Communication interface QQ306 is used in the wired or wireless transfer of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks, and / or UEs. As illustrated, communication interface QQ306 includes port(s) / terminal(s) QQ316 for sending and receiving data to and from the network, for example, via a wired connection. Communication interface QQ306 also includes radio front-end circuitry QQ318, which may be coupled to antenna QQ310 or, in some embodiments, be part of antenna QQ310. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 includes filter QQ320 and amplifier QQ322. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may be connected to antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals transferred between antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may receive digital data to be transmitted via a wireless connection to other network nodes or UEs. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may use a combination of filter QQ320 and / or amplifier QQ322 to convert the digital data into a radio signal having appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal can then be transmitted via antenna QQ310. Similarly, when data is received, antenna QQ310 can collect the radio signal, which can then be converted into digital data by radio front-end circuitry QQ318. The digital data can be passed to processing circuitry QQ302. In other embodiments, the communication interface can include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0155] In certain alternative embodiments, network node QQ 300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry QQ 318; instead, processing circuitry QQ 302 includes the radio front-end circuitry and is connected to antenna QQ 310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry QQ 312 is part of communication interface QQ 306. In still other embodiments, communication interface QQ 306 includes one or more ports or terminals QQ 316, radio front-end circuitry QQ 318, and RF transceiver circuitry QQ 312 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and communication interface QQ 306 communicates with baseband processing circuitry QQ 314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0156] Antenna QQ310 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna QQ310 may be coupled to radio front-end circuitry QQ318 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna QQ310 is separate from network node QQ300 and connectable to network node QQ300 via an interface or port.

[0157] Antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any receive operations and / or certain obtain operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any transmit operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network device.

[0158] Power supply QQ308 provides power to the various components of network node QQ300 in a form appropriate for the respective components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). Power supply QQ308 may also include or be coupled to power management circuitry to provide power to the components of network node QQ300 for performing the functionality described herein. For example, network node QQ300 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., an electrical grid, an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface such as a cable, whereby the external power source provides power to the power circuitry of power supply QQ308. As another example, power supply QQ308 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack connected to or integrated into the power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power if the external power source fails.

[0159] Embodiments of the network node QQ 300 may include, in addition to Figure 9 , to provide certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, network node QQ 300 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input into network node QQ 300 and to allow information to be output from network node QQ 300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostics, maintenance, repair, and other management functions on network node QQ 300.

[0160] Figure 13 1 shows a network node QQ 700 according to some embodiments. As used herein, a network node refers to a device that is 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. The network node QQ 700 may serve as a core network node, a core network function, or more generally a core network entity (such as the one described above with respect to a core network node). Figure 7In this context, examples of network nodes include core network entities such as a mobile switching center (MSC), a mobility management entity (MME), a home subscriber server (HSS), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), an authentication server function (AUSF), a subscription identifier dehiding function (SIDF), a unified data management (UDM), a security edge protection proxy (SEPP), a network exposure function (NEF), a policy control function (PCF), and / or a user plane function (UPF).

[0161] Network node QQ 700 includes processing circuitry QQ 702, memory QQ 704, communication interface QQ 706, and power supply QQ 708, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof. Network node QQ 700 may be comprised of multiple physically separate components, each of which may have its own corresponding components. In certain scenarios where network node QQ 700 includes multiple separate components, one or more of these separate components may be shared among multiple network nodes.

[0162] The processing circuit QQ 702 may include a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic operable to provide the functionality of the network node QQ 700, alone or in conjunction with other network node QQ 700 components (such as the memory QQ 704). For example, the processing circuit QQ 702 may be configured to cause the network node to perform operations as described in reference to FIG. Figure 4 Described method.

[0163] Memory QQ704 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including but not limited to permanent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., a hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., a flash drive, a compact disc (CD), or a digital video disc (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable storage device that stores information, data, and / or instructions that can be stored by processing circuit QQ702. Memory QQ704 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 processing circuit QQ702 and used by network node QQ700). Memory QQ704 may be used to store any calculations performed by processing circuit QQ702 and / or any data received via communication interface QQ706. In some embodiments, processing circuit QQ702 and memory QQ704 are integrated.

[0164] The communication interface QQ706 is used for wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks and / or UEs.

[0165] The power supply QQ708 provides power to the various components of the network node QQ700 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). The power supply QQ708 may also include or be coupled to power management circuitry to supply power to the components of the network node QQ700 for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node QQ700 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., an electrical grid, a power outlet) via an input circuit or interface such as a cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to the power circuitry of the power supply QQ708. As another example, the power supply QQ708 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack connected to or integrated into the power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power if the external power source fails.

[0166] Embodiments of network node QQ 700 may include Figure 7 Additional components beyond those shown in the figure are used to provide certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node QQ 700 may include a user interface device for allowing information to be entered into the network node QQ 700 and for allowing information to be output from the network node QQ 700. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions for the network node QQ 700.

[0167] Figure 10 According to various aspects described herein, it may be Figure 7 1. A block diagram of a host QQ 400 of an embodiment of a host QQ 116 of FIG. 1. As used herein, host QQ 400 may be or include various combinations of hardware and / or software, including processing resources in a standalone server, blade server, cloud-enabled server, distributed server, virtual machine, container, or server farm. Host QQ 400 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0168] Host QQ400 includes processing circuitry QQ402, which is operatively coupled to input / output interface QQ406, network interface QQ408, power supply QQ410, and memory QQ412 via bus QQ404. Other components may be included in other embodiments. The features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to, for example, Figure 8 and Figure 9 The features described for the devices of the previous figures are such that their descriptions are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the host QQ400.

[0169] Memory QQ412 may include one or more computer programs, including one or more host applications QQ414 and data QQ416, which may include user data (e.g., data generated by a UE for host QQ400 or data generated by host QQ400 for a UE). Embodiments of host QQ400 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. Host application QQ414 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 of multiple different categories, types, or implementations for UEs (e.g., mobile phones, desktop computers, wearable display systems, head-up display systems). Host application QQ414 may also provide user authentication and permission checks and may periodically report health, routing, and content availability to a central node (e.g., a device in or at the edge of a core network). Thus, the host QQ 400 can select and / or instruct different hosts for the UE to use for over-the-top services. The host application QQ 414 can support various protocols, such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0170] Figure 11It is a block diagram illustrating a virtualized environment QQ500 in which the functions implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of an apparatus or device that can include a virtualized hardware platform, storage device and networked resources. As used herein, virtualization is applicable to any device described herein or its components and is related to the implementation in which at least a portion of functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein can be implemented as virtual components performed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments QQ500 hosted by one or more hardware nodes (such as a hardware computing device operated as a network node, UE, core network node or host). In addition, in an embodiment in which a virtual node does not require radio connectivity (such as a core network node or host), the node can be fully virtualized.

[0171] Application QQ502 (which may alternatively be referred to as a software instance, virtual device, network function, virtual node, virtual network function, etc.) is run in a virtualized environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0172] Hardware QQ 504 includes processing circuitry, memory storing software and / or instructions executable by the hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as network interfaces, input / output interfaces, and the like. The processing circuitry may execute the software to instantiate one or more virtualization layers QQ 506 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VM QQ 508 a and QQ 508 b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VM QQ 508), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in connection with some embodiments described herein. Virtualization layer QQ 506 may present a virtual operating platform that appears to be networked hardware to VM QQ 508.

[0173] VM QQ 508 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage devices, and can be run through a corresponding virtualization layer QQ 506. Different embodiments of instances of virtual device QQ 502 can be implemented on one or more VMs in VM QQ 508, and the implementation can be done in different ways. Virtualization of hardware is referred to as network function virtualization (NFV) in some contexts. NFV can be used to consolidate many network device types onto industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage devices that can be located in data centers and customer premises.

[0174] In the context of NFV, VM QQ 508 can be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each VM in VM QQ 508 and the portion of hardware QQ 504 on which that VM executes, whether dedicated to that VM and / or shared with other VMs in the VM, form an independent virtual network element. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions running in one or more VM QQ 508 on top of hardware QQ 504 and corresponds to application QQ 502.

[0175] Hardware QQ504 can be implemented in a standalone network node with general or specific components. Hardware QQ504 can implement some functions with the help of virtualization. Alternatively, hardware QQ504 can be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., such as in a data center or CPE), where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration QQ510, which also oversees the lifecycle management of application QQ502. In some embodiments, hardware QQ504 is coupled to one or more radio units, each of which includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that can be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio 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, such as radio access nodes or base stations. In some embodiments, a control system QQ512 can be used to provide some signaling, which can alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0176] Figure 12 A communication diagram shows a host QQ 602 communicating with a UE QQ 606 via a network node QQ 604 over a partially wireless connection according to some embodiments. Figure 12 To describe the UE discussed in the previous paragraph (such as Figure 7 UE QQ 112a and / or Figure 8 UE QQ200), network nodes (such as Figure 7 The network node QQ110a and / or Figure 9 Network nodes QQ300) and hosts (such as Figure 7 Host QQ116 and / or Figure 10 An example implementation of the host QQ400) according to various embodiments.

[0177] Like host QQ 400, embodiments of host QQ 602 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. Host QQ 602 also includes software that is stored in or accessible by host QQ 602 and executed by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that can be operable to provide services to a remote user, such as a UE QQ 606 connected via an over-the-top (OTT) connection QQ 650 extending between the UE QQ 606 and the host QQ 602. When providing services to the remote user, the host application can provide user data transmitted using the OTT connection QQ 650.

[0178] The network node QQ 604 includes hardware that enables it to communicate with the host QQ 602 and the UE QQ 606. The connection QQ 660 can be direct or through a core network (such as Figure 7 The core network QQ106) and / or one or more other intermediate networks (such as one or more public, private or managed networks). For example, the intermediate network can be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0179] UE QQ 606 includes hardware and software, the software being stored in or accessible by UE QQ 606 and executable by the UE's processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or an operator-specific "app," that can be used to provide services to human or non-human users via UE QQ 606 with the support of host QQ 602. In host QQ 602, the executing host application can communicate with the executing client application via an OTT connection QQ 650 terminated at UE QQ 606 and host QQ 602. When providing services to a user, the UE's client application can receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection QQ 650 can transmit both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application can interact with the user to generate user data that it provides to the host application via the OTT connection QQ 650.

[0180] The OTT connection QQ650 may extend via a connection QQ660 between the host QQ602 and the network node QQ604 and via a wireless connection QQ670 between the network node QQ604 and the UE QQ606 to provide a connection between the host QQ602 and the UE QQ606. The connection QQ660 and the wireless connection QQ670 over which the OTT connection QQ650 may be provided have been abstractly drawn to illustrate communication between the host QQ602 and the UE QQ606 via the network node QQ604, without explicitly mentioning any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0181] As an example of transmitting data via OTT connection QQ650, in step QQ608, host QQ602 provides user data, which can be executed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a specific human user interacting with UE QQ606. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with UE QQ606, which shares data with host QQ602 without explicit human interaction. In step QQ610, host QQ602 initiates a transmission carrying the user data to UE QQ606. Host QQ602 may initiate the transmission in response to a request transmitted by UE QQ606. The request may be initiated through human interaction with UE QQ606 or through operation of a client application executing on UE QQ606. In accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the transmission may pass through network node QQ604. Therefore, in step QQ612, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, network node QQ604 transmits the user data carried in the transmission initiated by host QQ602 to UE QQ606. In step QQ 614 , UE QQ 606 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be executed by a client application executing on UE QQ 606 associated with the host application executed by host QQ 602 .

[0182] In some examples, UE QQ 606 executes a client application that provides user data to host QQ 602. The user data may be provided in response to or in reaction to data received from host QQ 602. Therefore, in step QQ 616, UE QQ 606 may provide the user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. When providing the user data, the client application may also consider user input received from the user via the input / output interface of UE QQ 606. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data is provided, UE QQ 606 initiates a transmission of the user data to host QQ 602 via network node QQ 604 in step QQ 618. In step QQ 620, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, network node QQ 604 receives the user data from UE QQ 606 and initiates a transmission of the received user data to host QQ 602. In step QQ 622, host QQ 602 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by UE QQ 606.

[0183] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to UE QQ 606 using OTT connection QQ 650, where wireless connection QQ 670 forms the final leg. More specifically, the teachings of these embodiments can improve network security and / or privacy.

[0184] In an example scenario, plant status information can be collected and analyzed by host QQ602. As another example, host QQ602 can process audio and video data that may have been retrieved from the UE for creating a map. As another example, host QQ602 can collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling traffic congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, host QQ602 can store surveillance videos uploaded by the UE. As another example, host QQ602 can store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR, or AR that it can broadcast, multicast, or unicast to the UE. As other examples, host QQ602 can be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time-critical power loads for balancing power generation demand, positioning services, presentation services (such as compiled graphs from data collected from remote devices, etc.), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing, and / or transmitting data.

[0185] In some examples, a measurement process may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency, and other factors improved by one or more embodiments. In response to changes in measurement results, there may also be optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection QQ650 between the host QQ602 and the UE QQ606. The measurement process and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in the software and hardware of the host QQ602 and / or the UE QQ606. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with other devices through which the OTT connection QQ650 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement process by providing values of the monitored quantities exemplified above or other physical quantities from which the software can calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. Reconfiguration of the OTT connection QQ650 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; reconfiguration does not require direct changes to the operation of the network node QQ604. Such processes and functionality may be known and implemented in the art. In certain embodiments, the measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. by the host QQ 602. The measurements may be achieved because software uses the OTT connection QQ 650 to cause messages to be transmitted, particularly empty or "dummy" messages, while monitoring propagation time, errors, etc.

[0186] The present disclosure includes the following examples: 1. A method of receiving, in a first network node, a request for positioning of a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a request for positioning of the UE from the second network node, wherein the request indicates that the UE is a positioning reference unit (PRU) and the request includes an identifier; and Based on the identifier, it is determined whether the UE is a PRU. 2. The method of embodiment 1, comprising: if the UE is a PRU, forwarding a request for positioning of the UE to a radio access network (RAN) associated with the UE, and / or forwarding measurement results triggered by the request for positioning of the UE to a second network node. 3. The method according to embodiment 1 or 2, comprising: if the UE is not a PRU, then: sending an indication to the second network node that the request for positioning of the UE has failed; refraining from forwarding a request for positioning of the UE to a radio access network (RAN) associated with the UE; and / or Forwarding of measurement results triggered by a request for positioning of the UE to the second network node is avoided. 4. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein determining whether the UE is a PRU comprises determining whether the UE is a valid PRU. 5. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein determining whether the UE is a PRU comprises one or more of the following: determining whether a registration request to register as a PRU has been received from the UE; It is determined whether the UE is a PRU based on data stored in the network data storage node. 6. The method of embodiment 5, wherein the network data storage node comprises a unified data management (UDM) or a unified data repository (UDF). 7. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 6, comprising determining that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU. 8. The method of embodiment 7, comprising determining that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU by determining that a flag in the request for positioning of the UE indicates that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU. 9. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 8, wherein the identifier comprises a correlation identifier. 10. The method of embodiment 9, wherein the correlation identifier comprises a location services (LCS) correlation identifier. 11. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 10, wherein determining that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU comprises determining that at least a portion of the identifier is within a predetermined range. 12. The method of embodiment 11, wherein a predetermined range is reserved for requests for positioning of the PRU. 13. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 12, wherein the identifier comprises an identifier of the UE. 14. The method of embodiment 13, wherein the UE's identifier comprises a Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) and / or a General Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI). 15. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 14, wherein the identifier comprises an identifier of a serving location management function (LMF) of the UE. 16. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 15, wherein determining that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU comprises determining whether the identifier is generated or assigned by the first network node. 17. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 16, wherein the first network node comprises a core network node, an access and mobility management function (AMF), or a radio access network (RAN) node. 18. The method as in any one of embodiments 1 to 17, wherein the second network node comprises a Location Management Function (LMF). 19. A computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 15. 20. A carrier embodying the computer program according to embodiment 19, wherein the carrier comprises one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer-readable storage medium. 21. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon the computer program according to embodiment 19. 22. An apparatus for receiving a request for positioning of a user equipment (UE) in a first network node, the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to: receiving a request for positioning of the UE from the second network node, wherein the request indicates that the UE is a positioning reference unit (PRU) and the request includes an identifier; and Based on the identifier, it is determined whether the UE is a PRU. 23. The apparatus of embodiment 22, wherein the memory contains instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to: if the UE is a PRU, forward a request for positioning of the UE to a radio access network (RAN) associated with the UE, and / or forward measurement results triggered by the request for positioning of the UE to a second network node. 24. The apparatus of embodiment 22 or 23, wherein the memory contains instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to: if the UE is not a PRU, sending an indication to the second network node that the request for positioning of the UE has failed; refraining from forwarding a request for positioning of the UE to a radio access network (RAN) associated with the UE; and / or Forwarding of measurement results triggered by a request for positioning of the UE to the second network node is avoided. 25. The apparatus of any one of embodiments 22 to 24, wherein the memory contains instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to determine whether the UE is a PRU by determining whether the UE is a valid PRU. 26. The apparatus of any one of embodiments 22 to 25, wherein the memory contains instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to determine whether the UE is a PRU by one or more of: determining whether a registration request to register as a PRU has been received from the UE; It is determined whether the UE is a PRU based on data stored in the network data storage node. 27. The apparatus of embodiment 26, wherein the network data storage node comprises a unified data management (UDM) or a unified data repository (UDF). 28. The apparatus of any one of embodiments 22 to 27, wherein the memory contains instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to determine that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU. 29. The apparatus of embodiment 28, wherein the memory contains instructions executable by the processor, such that the apparatus is operable to determine that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU by determining that a flag in the request for positioning of the UE indicates that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU. 30. The apparatus of any one of embodiments 22 to 29, wherein the identifier comprises a correlation identifier. 31. The apparatus of embodiment 30, wherein the correlation identifier comprises a location services (LCS) correlation identifier. 32. The apparatus of any one of embodiments 22 to 31, wherein the memory comprises instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to determine that a request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU by determining that at least a portion of the identifier is within a predetermined range. 33. The apparatus of embodiment 32, wherein a predetermined range is reserved for requests for positioning of PRUs. 34. The apparatus of any one of embodiments 22 to 33, wherein the identifier comprises an identifier of the UE. 35. The apparatus of embodiment 34, wherein the identifier of the UE comprises a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) and / or a general public subscription identifier (GPSI). 36. The apparatus of any one of embodiments 22 to 35, wherein the identifier comprises an identifier of a serving location management function (LMF) of the UE. 37. The apparatus of any one of embodiments 22 to 36, wherein the memory comprises instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to determine whether the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU by determining whether the identifier is generated or assigned by the first network node. 38. The apparatus of any one of embodiments 22 to 37, wherein the first network node comprises, or is included in, a core network node, an access and mobility management function (AMF), or a radio access network (RAN) node. 39. The apparatus of any one of embodiments 22 to 38, wherein the second network node comprises a Location Management Function (LMF). 40. A first network node, configured to receive a request for positioning of a user equipment (UE), the network node comprising: A processing circuit configured to cause the first network node to perform any of the steps of any one of embodiments 1 to 18; A power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the processing circuit. 41. 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 user data to a network node in 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 configured to perform any of the operations of any one of embodiments 1 to 18 to transmit the user data from a host to the UE. 42. The host according to the preceding embodiment, wherein: The processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides user data; and The UE includes processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with a host application to receive a transmission of user data from the host. 43. A method implemented in a host, the host configured to operate in a communication system further comprising a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Providing user data to the UE; and A transmission carrying user data to a UE is initiated via a cellular network including a network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any one of embodiments 1 to 18 to transfer the user data from a host to the UE. 44. The method according to the preceding embodiment further comprising transmitting, at the network node, user data provided by the host for the UE. 45. A method according to any one of the preceding two embodiments, wherein user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executed on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application. 46. A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top service, the communication system comprising: A host, comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with an over-the-top service; and A network interface configured to initiate transmission of user data to a cellular network node for transmission to a UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of embodiments 1 to 18 to transmit user data from a host to a UE. 47. The communication system according to the preceding embodiment further includes: Network nodes; and / or User equipment. 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 initiate receipt of user data; and A network interface configured to receive user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node being configured to perform any of the operations of any one of embodiments 1 to 18 to receive user data from a user equipment (UE) for a host. 49. The host according to the preceding embodiment, wherein: The processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application to provide user data; and The host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application. 50. The host according to any one of the preceding two embodiments, wherein initiating reception of user data comprises requesting user data. 51. A method implemented by a host, the host being configured to operate in a communication system further comprising a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: At the host, reception of user data from the UE is initiated, the user data originating from a transmission already received by the network node from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any one of embodiments 1 to 18 to receive the user data from the UE for the host. 52. The method according to the preceding embodiment further comprises, at the network node, transmitting the received user data to a host.

[0187] Although the computing devices (e.g., UE, network node, host) described herein may include the illustrated combinations of hardware components, other embodiments may include computing devices with different combinations of components. It is understood that these computing devices may include any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. The determination, calculation, acquisition, or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry that may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information to make a determination as a result of the processing. In addition, although the components are depicted as being a single box within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in reality, the computing device may include multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be divided between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the component may be divided between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware, and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0188] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing 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 by processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of those specific embodiments, the processing circuitry may be configured to perform the described functionality regardless of whether instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to just the processing circuitry or to other components of the computing device, but are generally enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or by end users and wireless networks.

Claims

1. A method (400) for a network-assisted positioning procedure in a first network node (506), the method comprising: receiving (402) a request for positioning of a user equipment (UE) from a second network node (502), wherein the request indicates that the UE is a positioning reference unit (PRU) and the request includes a correlation identifier; and Based on the correlation identifier, it is determined (404) whether the UE is a PRU.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising: If the UE is a PRU, the request for positioning of the UE is forwarded to a radio access network (RAN) associated with the UE, and / or a measurement result triggered by the request for positioning of the UE is forwarded to the second network node (502).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising: If the UE is not a PRU, then: sending an indication to the second network node (502) that the request for positioning of the UE has failed; refraining from forwarding the request for positioning of the UE to a radio access network (RAN) associated with the UE; and / or Avoid forwarding, to the second network node, a measurement result triggered by the request for positioning of the UE.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein Determining (404) whether the UE is a PRU includes determining whether the UE is a valid PRU.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein Determining (404) whether the UE is a PRU includes one or more of the following: determining whether a registration request to register as a PRU has been received from the UE; It is determined whether the UE is a PRU based on data stored in a network data storage node.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The network data storage node includes a unified data management (UDM) or a unified data repository (UDF).

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising determining that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of a PRU.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising determining that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU by determining that a flag in the request for positioning of the UE indicates that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein The correlation identifier comprises a location service (LCS) correlation identifier.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein Determining (404) whether the UE is a PRU includes determining that at least a portion of the correlation identifier is within a predetermined range.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The predetermined range is reserved for requests for positioning of the PRU.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein The relevant identifier includes an identifier of the UE.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein Determining (404) whether the UE is a PRU based on the correlation identifier includes confirming, verifying and / or authenticating whether the UE is a PRU.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein The first network node (506) comprises a core network node, an access and mobility management function (AMF) or a radio access network (RAN) node.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein The second network node (502) comprises a Location Management Function (LMF).

16. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. A carrier containing a computer program according to claim 16, wherein The carrier includes one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal or a computer-readable storage medium.

18. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon the computer program according to claim 16.

19. An apparatus for a network-assisted positioning process in a first network node (506), the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to: receiving (402) a request for positioning of a user equipment (UE) from a second network node, wherein the request indicates that the UE is a positioning reference unit (PRU) and the request includes a correlation identifier; and Based on the correlation identifier, it is determined (404) whether the UE is a PRU.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein: The memory contains instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to: if the UE is a PRU, forward the request for positioning of the UE to a radio access network (RAN) associated with the UE, and / or forward measurement results triggered by the request for positioning of the UE to the second network node (502).

21. The apparatus of claim 19 or 20, wherein The memory includes instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to: if the UE is not a PRU, sending an indication to the second network node (502) that the request for positioning of the UE has failed; refraining from forwarding the request for positioning of the UE to a radio access network (RAN) associated with the UE; and / or Avoid forwarding, to the second network node, a measurement result triggered by the request for positioning of the UE.

22. The apparatus of any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein The memory contains instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to determine (404) whether the UE is a PRU by determining whether the UE is a valid PRU.

23. The apparatus of any one of claims 19 to 22, wherein: The memory includes instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to determine (404) whether the UE is a PRU by one or more of: determining whether a registration request to register as a PRU has been received from the UE; It is determined whether the UE is a PRU based on data stored in a network data storage node.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein: The network data storage node includes a unified data management (UDM) or a unified data repository (UDF).

25. The apparatus of any one of claims 19 to 24, wherein The memory contains instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to determine that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of a PRU.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein: The memory contains instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to determine (404) that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU by determining that a flag in the request for positioning of the UE indicates that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of the PRU.

27. The apparatus of any one of claims 19 to 26, wherein The correlation identifier comprises a location service (LCS) correlation identifier.

28. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 19 to 27, wherein The memory contains instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to determine that the request for positioning of the UE is a request for positioning of a PRU by determining that at least a portion of the correlation identifier is within a predetermined range.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein The predetermined range is reserved for requests for positioning of the PRU.

30. The apparatus of any one of claims 19 to 29, wherein The relevant identifier includes an identifier of the UE.

31. The apparatus of any one of claims 19 to 30, wherein Determining (404) whether the UE is a PRU based on the correlation identifier includes confirming, verifying and / or authenticating whether the UE is a PRU.

32. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 19 to 31, wherein The first network node (506) comprises or is comprised in a core network node, an access and mobility management function (AMF) or a radio access network (RAN) node.

33. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 19 to 32, wherein The second network node (502) comprises a Location Management Function (LMF).

34. A first network node (506) for a network-assisted positioning process, the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the first network node to perform any of the steps of any one of claims 1 to 15; A power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the processing circuit.

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