Method and system for sensor alarm reporting and UE-to-UE communication in radio access network

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method (100) and system (200) for reporting sensor alerts and facilitating UE-to-UE communications in a radio access network (RAN). The method (100) comprises: receiving (102) an early notification of the sensor alert from a first user equipment (UE) within a predetermined margin; terminating (104) one or more planned or ongoing network activities affecting UE call performance upon receiving an early notification of the sensor alert; and initiating (106), by the RAN, a tracking of the reachability of the first UE. Further, the method (100) comprises continuing (108) tracking, by the RAN, the reachability of the first UE wherein the RAN does not take further action if the first UE remains reachable and sends a command from the RAN to one or more surrounding UEs instructing them to activate UE-to-UE wireless communications if the second UE becomes inaccessible.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for reporting sensor alerts and facilitating UE-to-UE communication in a Radio Access Network (RAN). BACKGROUND

[0002] The following description of related art is intended to provide background information on the field of the present disclosure. This section can include some aspects of the art that can relate to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section is merely provided to enhance the understanding of the present disclosure, and is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the information provided in this section is prior art to the present disclosure.

[0003] In a wireless network, reliability and continuity of electronic devices are of utmost importance, but inevitable disruptions, in the form of battery interruptions, pose significant challenges. These interruptions can occur unexpectedly due to hardware or software malfunctions, or they can be planned for maintenance or upgrades. Such disruptions can have far-reaching impacts, especially in situations where critical sensor alerts need to be communicated promptly to designated entities, such as emergency response teams or healthcare professionals, through the wireless network.

[0004] Integrating sensors into a wireless network introduces another layer of complexity for unit disruption scenarios. Sensors, whether embedded in mobile devices or deployed as standalone units, play a crucial role in detecting and communicating alarm information. However, when a disruption occurs, the wireless network's inability to access the sensors hampers the ability to transmit alert notifications. This is a significant challenge, especially when time-sensitive alerts, such as gas leaks or medical emergencies, need immediate attention. In the remainder of this document, when we use User Equipment (UE), it means it is the UE that can be used by the sensor to communicate with the wireless network.

[0005] Currently, there is no software component deployed on the UE tasked with the two key functions of location and timestamping when the UE experiences recurring unit disruptions or radio network performance degradation and recording the location and timestamp of the sensor alerts triggered at the UE end. The absence of such a component means that when a sensor alert is activated at a specific location (X) and timestamp (timestamp 1), there is no suitable system to determine whether the UE is likely to have experienced a unit disruption or radio network degradation at the same location and time.

[0006] In fact, the sensor alerts are sent to pre-configured destinations. In one example, a biosensor attached to a patient's body can be pre-configured to send a notification to a physician's or hospital's mobile phone. In a second example, a fire sensor alarm can be pre-configured to send a notification to a fire station. In both the above examples, as well as all other examples, the radio access network will be unaware of the exchange of these sensor alert notifications. As a result, any planned network activities that can impact a user's call can continue to take place at the time these sensor alert notifications occur, which is a problem because the users affected by these alerts can not be able to perform a call.

[0007] Furthermore, the traditional communication channels between the UE and the wireless network can become unavailable during an outage, requiring other means of communication. User-to-user (UE-to-UE) wireless communication, also known as device-to-device (D2D) communication, becomes a viable solution in this case. With this capability, UEs are able to establish a direct communication channel, bypassing the network infrastructure, and facilitate the exchange of critical information between peers, including sensor alerts.

[0008] However, despite the potential for UE-to-UE communication to bridge the communication gap during an outage, several challenges remain unsolved. For example, there is a lack of standardized protocols that dictate the duration for which UE-to-UE communication should remain active once initiated. Determining the optimal time frame for such communication is critical to balancing the need for persistent connectivity with energy efficiency and resource utilization. Furthermore, not all UE-to-UE communication technologies can be uniformly activated when a UE is out of coverage, further complicating the communication environment.

[0009] Therefore, there is a need to provide an optimal solution to eliminate the above-mentioned limitations and provide an effective and improved solution for determining the duration of UE-to-UE communication activation and selecting the appropriate wireless communication technology for activation. SUMMARY

[0010] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) entity at the UE side that enables the UE to guess whether there is ongoing network activity that can impact radio access side call performance around the time the UE reports an early sensor alert notification to the radio access network.

[0011] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a method that ensures a timely response to sensor alerts by promptly terminating network activities that impact call performance upon receiving an early notification.

[0012] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a method that enables monitoring the reachability of UEs that have reported early sensor alert notifications to ensure ongoing communication capabilities, which are critical for transmitting critical alert information and facilitating coordinated responses.

[0013] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a method that aims to utilize UE-to-UE wireless communication technology as an alternative communication channel in case the first UE becomes unreachable.

[0014] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a method wherein upon receiving a sensor alert clearance from the UE, the radio access network resumes, on one hand, any activities suspended due to receiving an earlier sensor alert notification, and on the other hand, disables any ongoing related UE-to-UE wireless communication.

[0015] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an efficient solution that determines the duration of the UE-to-UE communication activation and selects the appropriate wireless communication technology for activation.

[0016] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to wireless communication systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method of reporting sensor alert notifications to a radio access network and facilitating UE-to-UE communication in a radio access network (RAN).

[0017] According to one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method for reporting sensor alerts and facilitating UE-to-UE communication in a radio access network (RAN). The method includes the radio access network receiving an early notification of the sensor alert from a first user equipment (UE) within a predetermined margin; upon receiving the early notification of the sensor alert, terminating one or more planned or ongoing network activities that affect UE call performance; and initiating, by the RAN, tracking of reachability of the first UE. Additionally, the method includes continuing, by the RAN, tracking of reachability of the first UE, wherein if the first UE remains reachable, the RAN takes no further action, and if the second UE becomes unreachable, sending a command from the RAN to one or more surrounding UEs instructing them to activate UE-to-UE wireless communication.

[0018] In one aspect, an early notification of a critical sensor alert is reported to the radio access network based on a predicted occurrence of one or more sensor alerts consistent with an assumed RAN activity, or upon reaching a predetermined threshold of one or more sensor alert levels.

[0019] In one aspect, activating UE-to-UE wireless communication technology includes activating available technology on the first UE and sending a command through the radio access network to the one or more surrounding UEs specifying the type of communication technology to be activated.

[0020] In one aspect, the first UE is considered unreachable if it fails to respond to repeated paging requests while in idle mode, or loses a radio link connection while in connected mode.

[0021] In one aspect, the RAN comprises cells, radio nodes, and an operations support system (OSS) having one or more software entities for tracking reachability of UEs that have reported sensor alerts.

[0022] In one aspect, termination of the reported sensor alert triggers a clear notification from the UE to the network, either immediately or after a predetermined time period.

[0023] In one aspect, the clearing of the sensor alert triggers a second sensor alert notification that prompts network activity restoration and UE-to-UE communication deactivation.

[0024] In one aspect, UE-to-UE wireless communication is activated on one or more neighboring cells on all UEs served by the one or more neighboring cells, or at UEs located at a border of a first zone of a first cell, and deactivated on all UEs in the one or more neighboring cells of the first cell when the disruption on the first cell is restored.

[0025] In one aspect, activation and deactivation of multiple UE-to-UE communication techniques occur sequentially or simultaneously based on a set of predetermined patterns or timers.

[0026] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a system for reporting sensor alerts and facilitating UE-to-UE communication in a radio access network (RAN). The system comprises a receiver configured to receive an early notification of a sensor alert from a first user equipment (UE) within a predetermined margin. A communication controller is in communication with the first UE and configured to: upon receiving the early notification of a sensor alert, terminate one or more planned or ongoing network activities that affect UE call performance; and initiate and maintain tracking of reachability of the first UE by the radio access network. Additionally, the system comprises a transmitter configured to send a command from the radio access network to one or more surrounding UEs instructing activation of UE-to-UE wireless communication when the first UE is unreachable.

[0027] The various objects, features and advantages of the present subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and as illustrated in the drawings in which like reference numerals represent like components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0028] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain principles of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 1A flow diagram illustrating a method for reporting sensor alerts to a radio access network and facilitating UE-to-UE communication in a radio access network (RAN) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0030] Figure 2 An exemplary representation of reporting sensor alerts with existing solutions according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0031] Figure 3 An exemplary representation of defining a new sensor alert by the proposed method to trigger a radio access network reaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0032] Figure 4 An exemplary representation of the steps of reporting a new sensor alert by the proposed method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0033] Figure 5 An exemplary representation of the connection of a new link to a software entity on the OSS (operation support system) that tracks the reachability of the server of the UE-to-sensor mobile application according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0034] Figure 6 An exemplary representation of the steps of the network reaction upon receiving a sensor alert by the proposed method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0035] Figure 7 An exemplary representation of the steps of the network reaction upon receiving a sensor alert by the proposed method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0036] Figure 8 An exemplary representation of the steps for activating UE-to-UE wireless communication each time a cell goes down according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0037] Figure 9 An exemplary representation of the steps of indicating the duration of the UE with respect to activating UE-to-UE wireless communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0038] Figure 10 An exemplary block diagram of a system for controlling sensor alerts and facilitating UE-to-UE communication in a radio access network (RAN) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. The details of the embodiments are sufficient to convey its teachings to those skilled in the art. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the intended scope of the embodiments; on the contrary, it is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[0040] Figure 1 A flow diagram of a method for controlling sensor alerts and facilitating UE-to-UE communication in a radio access network (RAN) is shown in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.

[0041] Reference is made to Figure 1 In one embodiment, a method 100 for reporting sensor alerts and facilitating UE-to-UE communication in a radio access network (RAN) is disclosed. The method 100 can include a step 102 of receiving an early notification of the sensor alert from a first user equipment (UE) within a predetermined margin. Additionally, the method 100 can include a step 104 of terminating one or more scheduled or ongoing network activities affecting UE call performance upon receiving the early notification of the sensor alert. At step 106, the method 100 can include initiating tracking of reachability of the first UE by the RAN. Additionally, the method 100 can include a step 108 of continuing tracking of reachability of the first UE by the RAN, wherein if the first UE remains reachable, the RAN does not take further action, and if the second UE becomes unreachable, sending a command from the RAN to one or more surrounding UEs instructing them to activate UE-to-UE wireless communication.

[0042] In one embodiment, the early notification of the sensor alert can be triggered based on a predicted occurrence of one or more sensor alerts consistent with a presumed RAN activity, or upon reaching a predetermined threshold of one or more sensor alert levels.

[0043] In one embodiment, the activation of the UE-to-UE wireless communication technology can include activating available technologies on the first UE and sending a command through the radio access network to one or more surrounding UEs specifying a type of communication technology to be activated.

[0044] In one embodiment, the first UE can be considered unreachable if it fails to respond to repeated paging requests while in idle mode, or loses a radio link connection while in connected mode.

[0045] In one embodiment, the RAN can include cells, radio nodes, and an operations support system (OSS) having one or more software entities for tracking reachability of UEs that have reported sensor alerts.

[0046] In one embodiment, the termination of the reported sensor alarm can trigger a clear notification from the UE to the network, either immediately or after a predetermined time period.

[0047] In one embodiment, the clearing of the sensor alarm can trigger a second sensor alarm notification, prompting the network activity to resume or the UE to UE communication to deactivate.

[0048] In one embodiment, the UE to UE wireless communication can be activated at one or more neighboring cells on all UEs served by the one or more neighboring cells, or at UEs located at the border of the first region of the first cell, and can be deactivated at all UEs in the one or more neighboring cells of the first cell when the disruption on the first cell is resumed.

[0049] In one embodiment, the activation and deactivation of multiple UE to UE communication techniques can occur based on a set of predetermined patterns or timer sequences or simultaneously.

[0050] Figure 2 An exemplary representation of reporting sensor alarms with existing solutions is shown, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0051] Referring to Figure 2 In one embodiment, reporting sensor alarms with existing solutions is disclosed. When a sensor alarm is triggered by one cell (e.g. cell 1), for example a fire alarm in one region, the behavior of the sensor is always the same as it sends the existing solution, sending a notification to a preconfigured destination (e.g. a fire station or a home resident, etc.) informing them of the fire alarm.

[0052] Figure 3 An exemplary representation of defining new sensor alarms to trigger network reactions by the proposed method is shown, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0053] Referring to Figure 3In one embodiment, the definition of a new sensor alarm that triggers a network reaction by the proposed method is disclosed. The beforehand_sensor_notif can be a new type of alarm notification that does not report to preconfigured destinations (such as fire stations or home residents, etc.), but to a different type of destination (which is the radio access network), and it has a different purpose, such as stopping ongoing radio access network activities, which can be like stopping a cell outage on cell 1, which can be planned around the time of the triggering of the beforehand_sensor_notif. The radio access network can include at least the cell, the radio nodes on which the cell is running, the OSS that has been stopped, any new software entity implemented on the OSS, and any other remote server connected to the OSS. The present disclosure focuses on the OSS used in traditional wireless networks, but it is important to emphasize that the procedures outlined here are equally applicable to the operation support system of any other type of wireless network, such as the SMO (Service Management and Orchestration) in open RAN wireless networks. These procedures are not limited to the OSS and extend to any operation support system of various wireless network types, including SMO.

[0054] Figure 4 An exemplary representation of the steps of reporting a new sensor alarm by the proposed method is shown, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] Reference is made to Figure 4 In one embodiment, a representation of the steps of reporting a new sensor alarm by the proposed method is disclosed.

[0056] In the initial state:

[0057] - The sensor can be configured with one or more sub-thresholds, where the sub-thresholds can be a smaller percentage of the main threshold.

[0058] - AI and ML tools, denoted as UE AI sensor, can be implemented at the UE side.

[0059] - The planned outage information can be configured on the network side at the operation support system (OSS).

[0060] In step 10: The first role of the UE AI sensor can be used to store two types of information

[0061] 1- For the first type, the UE AI sensor can store three information related to the radio conditions of the wireless network in a first log:

[0062] 1-1 Each time a cell outage occurs, i.e. the UE loses radio coverage of a serving cell, the UE stores a timestamp and a geographical position X at the time of the cell outage. Note that the position X can be estimated by any existing positioning method, e.g. by acquiring GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates or acquiring a UE radio fingerprint or a TA (Timing Advance) value, where the TA option is only valid when the UE is in connected mode, etc.

[0063] 1-2 After the cell 1 outage, information whether the UE has no radio coverage or whether it is covered by a second cell, where the second cell can be a terrestrial cell operating on the same or different RAT as cell 1, or the second cell can be a non-terrestrial cell, e.g. from satellite communication or drones, etc.

[0064] 1-3 Each time the UE experiences a severe radio degradation, e.g. the UE-side RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) is below a predefined threshold, the UE stores a timestamp and a position Y.

[0065] 2- For the second type, the UE AI sensor stores in the second log a timestamp of when part or all of the sensor alarm thresholds were activated. Note that depending on the type of sensor, the timestamp of when the sensor alarm was activated

[0066] - can be scheduled based on operator configuration, e.g. in the example of a water or electricity meter sensor, the sensor information can be sent based on a pre-configured schedule (e.g. every 1 hour).

[0067] - or they can be unpredictable, e.g. gas leak, etc.

[0068] At step 11: build a third log from the comparison between the first and second logs. Based on the data stored in the first and second logs, the UE AI sensor will be able to predict whether at its current timestamp and position, the sensor would have been activated during a period where a cell outage or a radio degradation could have occurred. However, detecting common information, e.g. geographical position and timestamp in both logs, can not always be sufficient for the UE to take action, e.g. to report a sensor alarm notification to the network. That is why additional optional conditions must be verified before the UE takes action when the common information is met. Such additional conditions can be set by the operator of the wireless network or by the designer of the sensor or by others. Here are examples of the role of additional conditions.

[0069] Assume that the margin is configured to 30 minutes. Assume that after the UE AI sensor has compared the first and second logs. Here are two findings:

[0070] - (Common information) UE AI sensor discovery that the common information criteria between the first and second log is satisfied over a period of 30 minutes, as follows: Based on the first log, at location X, one UE, e.g. UE 10, experiences a cell outage on its serving cell (cell 1) every Wednesday at 00:00 AM. According to the second log, a sensor alert, e.g. a bio-sensor, is activated on UE 10 at location X around 23:45 PM every Tuesday.

[0071] - (Additional condition) Assuming that only such conditions are configured that the UE has to be excluded from coverage after a cell outage of the UE serving cell.

[0072] Assuming in the first stored log of UE 10 that after UE 10 experiences a cell 1 outage every Wednesday at 00:00 AM at location X, it is out of coverage. Thus, in our UE 10 example, the condition of the first comparison is satisfied.

[0073] In the above example, since both (Common period) and (Additional condition) criteria are satisfied, one UE action can include sending a sensor alert notification to the radio access network. Otherwise, if only one criterion is satisfied, e.g. (Common period) is satisfied but (Additional condition) is not satisfied, i.e. when UE 10 receives radio coverage from any other cell (e.g. cell 2) after a cell 1 outage, then the UE action will include not sending a sensor alert report to the radio access network.

[0074] In step 12:

[0075] As mentioned above, beforehand_sensor_notif is a new sensor alert sent to the radio access network and is triggered when one of the following four scenarios occurs:

[0076] (Scenario 1): UE AI sensor discovery satisfies both criteria, i.e. common information and optional additional condition, after comparing the information stored in the first and second log.

[0077] (Scenario 2): When a sensor alert has occurred at time t, or is predicted to occur at a later time t2 (regardless of any network activity) at time tl. In other words, in this scenario, UE AI sensor does not make any comparison of the first and second log as in the previous scenario.

[0078] (Scenario 3): When a sub-threshold of 100% of the sensor alerting threshold, e.g. 5%, is reached. When the triggering threshold (denoted here as Threshl) is reached, a sensor alert, e.g. a fire alert, is sent.

[0079] In this document, depending on the type of sensor, it can be possible to define different sub-thresholds, for example, in one example, sub-threshold 0 is defined as 5% of Threshl, sub-threshold 1 is defined as 30% of Threshl, sub-threshold 2 is defined as 50% of Threshl, and so on. The time period to move from one sub-threshold X to the next sub-threshold Y varies from one type of sensor to another, it can be a small value, for example, a few seconds, or it can be a larger value, for example, up to a few minutes. It is said that beforehand_sensor_notif is triggered when the lowest sub-threshold, in our example, sub-threshold 0, is reached. This is done to complete the reaction as quickly as possible after sending beforehand_sensor_notif to the network, as described in the following steps.

[0080] Scenario 3 differs from the previous two scenarios 1 and 2 in that, in the previous two scenarios, the sensor has not yet detected any traces of an alarm substance, for example, a specific gas or fire, etc., and this is only a prediction that the sensor should detect at least a certain amount of such a substance after a certain period of time. However, in scenario 3, this is not about a prediction, but about the fact that the sensor has already started to detect a certain amount of the substance to be detected.

[0081] (Scenario 4): When the sensor alarm reaches 100% of its threshold, for example, without sub-thresholds being defined and without the possibility of prediction.

[0082] In step 13:

[0083] When beforehand_sensor_notif is triggered by one of the four cases described in the previous step, it is not reported to the radio access network unless the following two criteria are met: it is a serious alarm, for example, gas leak, biological sensor, etc., and any of the following three procedures is verified:

[0084] 1 - (Scenario 1) has occurred, that is, beforehand_sensor_notif has occurred when a network activity that can affect the UE call performance has occurred (for example, cell outage or UE radio degradation, etc.) and the optional additional condition is verified.

[0085] 2 - The UE experiences very poor radio conditions at a new location Z that has not been stored in any log by the UE AI sensor.

[0086] 3 - Systematic. That is, each time beforehand_sensor_notif is triggered, the UE reports it to the network without looking at any additional information or conditions that need to be met.

[0087] Figure 6An exemplary representation of the steps of network reaction upon receiving a sensor alert by the proposed method according to embodiments of the disclosure is shown.

[0088] Referring to Figure 6 In one embodiment, steps of network reaction upon receiving a sensor alert by the proposed method are disclosed.

[0089] In the initial state:

[0090] - The procedure for tracking UE reachability can be implemented at the network side, preferably at the OSS.

[0091] - Define beforehand_sensor_notif at the UE side.

[0092] - A mobile application, e.g. mobile_app_UE_to_UE_communication, can be implemented at the UE side.

[0093] At step 20:

[0094] Each time the network receives beforehand_sensor_notif from a UE, e.g. UE1, it can perform the following two procedures:

[0095] 1 - (Procedure 1): Stop any ongoing and planned activities that can affect the UE radio coverage.

[0096] 2 - (Procedure 2): Enable UE-to-UE wireless communication around the UE reporting the critical sensor alert.

[0097] The following is a detailed description of the two procedures described above.

[0098] (Procedure 1):

[0099] Once the network receives beforehand_sensor_notif at a certain time, e.g. t1, it will perform one or both of the following two stopping procedures, in case their occurrence will be performed shortly after receiving beforehand_sensor_notif.

[0100] 1 - Stop any upcoming cell planned outage around t1.

[0101] 2 - Stop any network configuration change activities that the operator is handling, e.g. the operator can be changing the value of parameters at time t1, e.g. changing the power transmission of an antenna or changing the value of certain radio parameters, etc.

[0102] In one example, if a beforehand_sensor_notif is received at 23:55, then if one or both of the above two activities, i.e. cell planned outage or network configuration change, are planned in a very short time, e.g. at 00:00, within the scheduled outage margin, e.g. 30 minutes, then the first network action includes stopping these activities. Below are two examples of benefits of such network reaction.

[0103] First example of benefit: Let’s take the example of a beforehand_sensor_notif containing 5% of the sensor threshold, which in our example is received by the network at 23:55. If it takes more than five minutes for the sensor alarm threshold to go from 5% to 100%, then,

[0104] - With existing solutions, the planned cell outage will be executed at 00:00 and the UE can be out of coverage before the sensor alarm reaches the 100% threshold. Thus, in our example, the UE will not be able to report whether the 100% threshold was reached.

[0105] - With the proposed (Procedure 1), this problem is avoided. After the radio access network receives the beforehand_sensor_notif containing 5% of the sensor alarm threshold at 23:55, it stops the upcoming cell outage planned to occur at 00:00. Thus, the UE can report at any time around 00:00 or after receiving the sensor notification of the 100% alarm threshold.

[0106] Second example of benefit: Let’s take the example of a beforehand_sensor_notif containing 100% of the sensor. Even if the 100% alarm is received at 23:55, i.e. 5 minutes before the planned network activity (like a cell outage) is planned, it is still beneficial to avoid stopping such activities. Let’s assume that a critical alarm is reported at 23:55, e.g. a bio-sensor on a patient or a fire in a certain area, and a planned cell outage is executed at the planned time (as in the case of existing solutions), this can cause harm to the patient or the users affected by the fire as they can be out of coverage and they cannot communicate with others.

[0107] (Procedure 2):

[0108] UE-to-UE wireless communication is triggered only if the UE that has reported the beforehand_sensor_notif is no longer accessible by the radio access network. To this end, in the next section, it is briefly described how to check if a UE in connected or idle mode is accessible using existing standard procedures.

[0109] - For a UE in connected mode, the UE is considered reachable as long as there is signaling and / or data exchange between the UE and the cell.

[0110] - For a UE in idle mode, in order for the network to know whether the UE is still receiving radio coverage from the serving cell or has gone out of coverage, the existing paging procedure can be used as follows: the wireless network will periodically send a paging message to the UE, where the period can be from a few seconds to a few minutes, and then

[0111] ■ As long as the UE answers the page, the UE will be considered reachable.

[0112] ■ If the UE does not respond to a predetermined amount of pages, for example the UE has gone underground without radio coverage, the UE will be considered unreachable.

[0113] The working principle of (Procedure 2) is as follows: upon reception of beforehand_sensor_notif by the radio access network, the main purpose (in (Procedure 2)) is to make the radio access network continuously track the reachability or radio coverage availability of the UE (e.g. UE1) for which the beforehand_sensor_notif has been sent. Then one of the following two actions is taken:

[0114] - As long as UE1 is reachable, the radio access network does not take further action.

[0115] - Otherwise, the radio access network will trigger the activation of UE-to-UE wireless communication on all UEs around UE1 as described in next step 21.

[0116] It should be noted that the tracking of the reachability of UE1 can be performed by any existing software entity implemented on the OSS or a remote server for tracking UE reachability. In this document, such entity is denoted as OSS_entity_tracking_UE.

[0117] The most usual technologies for UE-to-UE wireless communication are:

[0118] 1 - Sidelink

[0119] 2 - Bluetooth

[0120] 3 - Nearfield link

[0121] In order to perform (Procedure 2) i.e. to implement UE-to-UE wireless communication after UE1 has been excluded from coverage,

[0122] - (Action 1) is performed on the UE side as described in next step 21.

[0123] - (Action 2) is performed on the network side as described in next step 22.

[0124] At step 21 :

[0125] According to the actual standard, when UE1 is out of coverage, sidelink communication can be systematically enabled. The proposed feature can include enabling UE1 to also implement any other available UE-to-UE wireless communication, such as Bluetooth, near link, etc.

[0126] The intention at UE1 to activate all implemented UE-to-UE wireless communication technologies is to allow a remote UE1 that is excluded from network coverage to be able to connect with another UE (e.g. UE2) located on a running neighboring cell (e.g. cell 2) through any existing UE-to-UI wireless communication technology. This is done because the neighboring UE2 (possibly an old device) can not have a sidelink on it.

[0127] As in the case of the sidelink technology, if any other technology is triggered at UE1, such as Bluetooth, a new message is broadcasted through the Bluetooth message to all nearby Bluetooth-enabled UEs (e.g. UE2), such as “I am in an emergency situation”. This is done to enable UE2 to respond to the Bluetooth message broadcasted by UE1. The intention here is to allow emergency communication between UE1 and UE2, so there is no need or triggering of any authentication process between UE1 and UE2. In other words, even if UE1 and UE2 do not know each other, they can still exchange some messages in an emergency situation.

[0128] A new mobile application can be implemented at the UE and allow a subscriber to manage the UE-to-UE wireless communication between two UEs. In one example, thanks to such a mobile application, any reader of this application on one UE (e.g. UE1) can know how far (e.g. 150 meters) the other connected UE (e.g. UE2) is. In another example, this mobile application will allow a subscriber to write a text message or record a voice message to send through Bluetooth or any other enabled UE-to-UE wireless communication technology.

[0129] At step 22 :

[0130] Each time the network receives beforehand_sensor_notif from UE1, the OSS_entity_tracking_UE will check the reachability of this UE1, or in other words the radio connection between UE1 and the network, and then take one of the following two actions:

[0131] - Once UE1 is reachable from the network, then the network will not take further actions.

[0132] - Once UE1 becomes unreachable, a new command or new parameter is transmitted to all UEs in the vicinity of UE1 so that they activate UE-to-UE wireless communication. To do this, the wireless network must transmit a new parameter to the UEs, denoted activate_UE_to_UE_communication and coded in a few bits. Here are some examples illustrating the meaning of the bits of this parameter, for example coded in three bits:

[0133] 111 All available UE-to-UE wireless communication technologies available at the UE are activated.

[0134] 000 All available UE-to-UE wireless communication technologies at the UE are deactivated.

[0135] 001 Only sidelink is activated.

[0136] 010 Only Bluetooth is activated.

[0137] Etc.

[0138] The value of the parameter activate_UE_to_UE_communication can be conveyed by the network to the UEs by one of the following four ways:

[0139] 1 - By cell broadcast signaling, for example in one of the existing SIBs (System Information Blocks).

[0140] 2 - By dedicated signaling, for example by any RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling message.

[0141] Note that for any of the two above ways of working, the new parameter activate_UE_to_UE_communication must be added to the actual standard.

[0142] 3 - It can be sent to a new mobile application, for example denoted mobile_app_UE_to_UE_communication implemented on the other UEs. The advantage of this way compared to the two previous ones is that it does not require a standard change, since the new parameter is transmitted in the data between the mobile application and its server. A new link is needed to connect the software entity that tracks the reachability of the UEs to the server of the sensor mobile application. This new link can be any existing link, for example IP (Internet Protocol) over Ethernet or optical fiber.

[0143] 4 - Broadcast SMS (Short Message Service) is sent to the UEs. Here, the role of mobile_app_UE_to_UE_communication is to extract the content of the SMS and convert it into activating one or more UE to UE wireless communication technologies listed in the received activate_UE_to_UE_communication parameter.

[0144] At step 23:

[0145] The new parameter can be communicated to,

[0146] 1 - All UEs as described in the following step 23-1.

[0147] 2 - Or to some selected UEs as described in the following step 23-2.

[0148] Step 23-1: Send the new parameter to all UEs

[0149] To communicate the new parameter activate_UE_To_UE_communication to all UEs, existing methods are used. In one example, the new parameter is broadcast by a SIB (System Information Block) to all UEs in the cell. In a second example, the new parameter is sent in a dedicated signaling message for each UE in connected mode. In a third example, the new parameter is sent to the mobile application implemented on the UE side.

[0150] Step 23-2: Send the new parameter to some UEs

[0151] In beforehand_sensor_notif sent to the radio access network, UE1 inserts its location X when sending the notification. When the network receives beforehand_sensor_notif, one of the following two procedures will be used:

[0152] 1 - (Network triggered procedure)

[0153] For each UE in connected mode, the network will compute the UE's actual position Y and compare it to the UE1's position X reported in beforehand_sensor_notif. If the UE's position Y is at a distance d1 from UE1's position X, then this UE will be considered close to UE1 and the activate_UE_to_UE_communication parameter will be communicated to it through one of the four ways described in step 22 above. Otherwise, the activate_UE_to_UE_communication parameter will not be communicated to UEs that are far from UE1. Note that the value of d1 can be a predefined configured value at the UE and can vary according to the UE to UE wireless communication technology being used, for example, d1 can be equal to 1 km for sidelink while it is equal to a few hundred meters for Bluetooth.

[0154] 2 - UE Triggering procedure

[0155] Once the network receives beforehand_sensor_notif, it will extract UE1's position X and communicate it to other UEs through one of the four ways described above (e.g. through cell broadcast, etc.). Then, each UE will compute its position Y and compare it to position X within a distance d1 as in the case of the network triggering procedure beforehand, and then decide whether to activate its sidelink UE to UE wireless communication technology.

[0156] Figure 7 An exemplary representation of the steps of the network reaction after receiving the clearance of the sensor alert through the proposed method is shown, according to one embodiment of the disclosure.

[0157] Reference Figure 7 In one embodiment, steps of the network reaction after receiving the clearance of the sensor alert through the proposed method are disclosed.

[0158] In the initial state:

[0159] At time t1, a UE (e.g. UE1) has reported a notification about a sensor alert to the radio access network, denoted beforehand_sensor_notif. Due to the reception of this alert, the radio access network can perform the following two operations:

[0160] - Radio access network activities, like cell planning interruption and radio parameter changes, can be stopped.

[0161] - UE to UE wireless communication can be enabled on some UEs in the network.

[0162] At step 30:

[0163] Every time the sensor alarm at the UE side stops before hand_sensor_notif, a new sensor alarm notification is triggered at this step, here denoted as before hand-sensor_notif_cleared. However, when this new notification is reported to the radio access network will depend on the expiration of a new timer pre-configured at the UE, which in turn depends on the type of alarm that has been cleared. In all cases, the reporting of before hand-sensor_notif_cleared can be performed in one of the following two options:

[0164] 1 - Immediately after the triggering.

[0165] 2 - After the expiration of a pre-configured timer. In one example, if the alarm is a fire, the pre-configured timer value can be equal to several hours, for example 3 hours. In other words, if the fire alarm is cleared at time tl, then before hand-sensor_notif_cleared will not be sent to the radio access network within 3 hours after tl. The delay to complete the sending of before hand-sensor_notif_cleared is such that no network operation, for example a planned cell outage, will be performed within these 3 hours. The reason is that some users can still be in danger due to the fire within 3 hours after the fire has spread, and cutting their ongoing call is disturbing, especially in the case of an emergency call.

[0166] Note that when before hand-sensor_notif_cleared is reported to the radio access network, it can also be reported to its pre-configured target target (like a fire station or a doctor, etc.) to inform them of the clearing of the before hand-sensor_notif previously reported.

[0167] At step 31 :

[0168] Upon reception of before hand-sensor_notif_cleared, the radio access network side can perform the following two operations:

[0169] 1 - The network can resume any suspended planned outage or configuration change.

[0170] 2 - It can disable the UE to UE wireless communication on all UEs around UE1. This can be achieved by transmitting the same parameter activate_UE_to_UE_communication to these UEs, which is used to activate, but is encoded to a different bit combination, for example activate_UE_to_UE-communication = 000.

[0171] Figure 8 An exemplary representation of the steps for activating UE-to-UE wireless communication upon each cell outage is shown, according to one embodiment of the disclosure.

[0172] Referring to Figure 8 In one embodiment, steps for activating UE-to-UE wireless communication upon each cell outage are disclosed.

[0173] In the initial state:

[0174] At time t1, cell 1 is down, leaving a region, e.g. region 1, out of coverage.

[0175] So far, one requirement to trigger UE-to-UE wireless communication on a neighboring UE is that one UE, e.g. UE1, has sent beforehand_sensor_notif to the radio access network. In other words, UE1 is receiving radio coverage from one cell, e.g. cell 1, at the time of the sensor alert activation, so UE1 is able to send beforehand_sensor_notif. However, the following scenario can occur: at time t2, cell 1 experiences an outage, leaving a region, e.g. region 1, out of coverage, and later at time t3, a second UE (UE2) located in region 1 activates a sensor alert while cell 1 is still down. Since UE2 has no radio coverage, it is unable to send beforehand_sensor_notif to the radio access network to inform of the new alert on UE2, nor to send the stopped sensor alert to its target destination, e.g. a fire station or a doctor, etc. To overcome such a problem, a new function consisting of the following steps 40 and 41 is introduced.

[0176] At step 40:

[0177] Upon cell 1 outage, UE-to-UE wireless communication can be activated on UEs served by neighboring cells. This can be done through one of the following two procedures:

[0178] The (first procedure) can activate UE-to-UE wireless communication on all UEs served by the neighboring cells. Each time a cell (e.g. cell 1 covering area (e.g. area 1) goes down, the OSS can identify all neighbors of cell 1, then it can send a command to all neighbors of cell 1 to activate UE-to-UE wireless communication on the served UEs. This can be done through the wireless network communicating with the UEs, the parameter activate_UE_to_UE_communication equals 111, where the value 111 can mean that each receiver UE can activate on it all its available UE-to-UE wireless communication technologies. Option 111 can be chosen because the network cannot know in advance which type of UE-to-UI wireless communication technology is available on the unreachable UEs located in area 1.

[0179] The (second procedure) can activate UE-to-UE wireless communication only at the neighboring cells located at the border of area 1. It can be activated through the following two options:

[0180] (Option 1): Each UE is served by a neighbor cell of cell 1 (e.g. cell 2) and experienced a bad radio coverage, e.g. below a pre-defined RSRP threshold, here denoted RSRP_threshold, e.g. -100dbm, can be considered as a “potential” UE located at the border of area 1. This can be “potential” because other UEs served by cell 2 can also experience a poor radio coverage without being at the border of area 1, e.g. a UE located in the middle of area 2 covered by cell 2 can experience a poor radio coverage while moving underground to a place without radio coverage.

[0181] (Option 2): To exclude UEs that can experience a bad radio coverage when located at the center of a neighboring cell, e.g. in area 2 exemplified in option 1, as a second alternative, another parameter based on the UE’s TA (Timing Advance) and denoted TA_threshold can be considered in addition to RSRP_threshold. The operation is as follows: In fact, when a cell goes down, a different existing procedure is used to estimate the size of the affected area, i.e. area 1 of cell 1 in our example, so the network will know the information of area 1. This includes the geographical coordinates of area 1, RSRPi and TAi of each UEi passing through the border of area 1 and participating in building the size of area 1. Based on the TAi values, the network can choose a value or a range of values for TA_threshold defining the border of area 1. In summary, for the second alternative, the UEs considered as located at the border of area 1 are the UEs verifying two conditions: their RSRPi is less than RSRP_threshold and their TAi is less than TA_threshold.

[0182] At step 41:

[0183] When the interruption on the cell 1 is cleared, its related alarm on the OSS can be cleared and the proposed function will include deactivating the UE to UE wireless communication on all UEs in the neighboring cells. This can be achieved by the network communicating with the UEs sending activate_UE_to_UE_communication = 000 to all UEs in the neighboring cells through one of the four ways mentioned above, which can be:

[0184] 1- Through cell broadcast signaling, for example in one of the existing system information blocks (SIBs).

[0185] 2- Through dedicated signaling, for example by using any radio resource control (RRC) signaling message.

[0186] 3- Can be sent to a new mobile application, for example mobile_app_UE_to_UE_communication indicating the implementation on other UEs.

[0187] 4- By sending a short message to other UEs, mobile_app_UE_to_UE_communication can extract the content of this short message.

[0188] Figure 9 An exemplary representation of the steps of indicating to the UE about the duration of activating the UE to UE wireless communication by the proposed method according to an embodiment of the disclosure is shown.

[0189] Referring to Figure 9 In one embodiment, steps of indicating to the UE about the duration of activating the UE to UE wireless communication by the proposed method are disclosed.

[0190] The purpose of the following steps is to overcome the problem that after a UE (e.g. UE2) on a cell (e.g. cell 2) receives activate_UE_to_UE_communication = 111 at a time (e.g. t1), UE2 must remain activated for UE to UE wireless communication for how long. If UE2 cannot connect to UE UE1 in area 1 that is not in coverage, it can be inefficient to keep Bluetooth and sidelink and other UE to UE wireless communication technologies activated until the UE to UE wireless communication is deactivated on UE2 at time t2 > t1, where t2 - t1 can vary from a few seconds to a few hours depending on the problem that caused UE1 to be out of coverage.

[0191] In the initial state:

[0192] UE to UE wireless communication can be activated on multiple UEs.

[0193] To tell the UEs how long they have to activate their UE to UE wireless communication, two solutions are proposed, namely solution 1 and solution 2, where solution 1 is described in step 50 and solution 2 is described in step 51.

[0194] In step 50:

[0195] Solution 1: Activate then deactivate UE to UE wireless communication when UE has only UE to UE wireless communication technology available

[0196] With this solution, two new timers can be defined at the UE side (e.g. UEx), denoted as timer_activate_UE_to_UE_communication and sleep_timer_activate_UE_to_UE_communication, respectively. Their values can be in seconds. Once UEx receives activate_UE_to_UE_communication, it can multiply the first new timer timer_activate_UE_to_UE_communication by a random value, which can take any value between 0 and 1. The result of this multiplication can be denoted here as T1. UEx can then activate UE to UE communication during this T1 period. At the expiration of T1, UEx can deactivate UE to UE communication for a period defined in sleep_timer_activate_UE_to_UE_communication. After the expiration of sleep_timer_activate_UE_to_UE_communication, UEx can start a new T1 value again, e.g. denoted as T1_1, by multiplying again timer_activate_UE_to_UE_communication with a newly generated random value. After the expiration of T1_1, UEx can deactivate UE to UE wireless communication. The role of the random value can be to spread the activation duration of UE to UE communication between UEs that have received the command activate_UE_to_UE_communication = 111. The advantage of this spreading is that when UEx deactivates its UE to UE wireless communication during sleep_timer_activate_UE_to_UE_communication, a second UE (e.g. UEy) can activate UE to UE wireless communication at its side while the UE1 that stays out of coverage can have a chance to communicate with UEy while UEx is in sleep mode.

[0197] In step 51:

[0198] Solution 2: When multiple UE-to-UE wireless communication technologies are available at the UE, activating / deactivating the UE-to-UE wireless communication

[0199] If the UE x that has received activate_UE_to_UE_communication = 111 has more than two UE-to-UE wireless communication technologies that can be implemented on the UE, for example, it can have three, i.e., sidelink, Bluetooth, and near link, Solution 2 can consist of one of the following two solutions:

[0200] Solution 2-1: Not all available UE-to-UE wireless communication technologies are activated at the same time.

[0201] With this solution, the same timers T1 and T2 of Solution 1 apply to each technology, e.g., T1 and T2 for the first technology, T1 and T2 for the second technology, T1 and T2 for the third technology, and so on. The UE can first randomly select one of the three systems, e.g., it selects the first technology, like Bluetooth, then it can apply Solution 1, i.e., activate Bluetooth for a short time equal to T1, then it goes to sleep mode, then it can randomly select the second method, like sidelink and apply Solution 1, then it can select the third method, e.g., near link, and apply Solution 1, then it repeats Solution 1 on each system in the same order as before. Or randomly select the order of each technology in each repetition mode.

[0202] Solution 2-2: Allow all available UE-to-UE wireless communication technologies to be activated at the same time for a short time.

[0203] In addition to the two timers T1 and T2 of Solution 1, with this solution, a third timer (denoted here as T3) is a short timer in which all available UE-to-UE wireless communication technologies are activated at the same time. One example of the order in which the three timers are used can be T1 (activate the first technology), T2 (deactivate the first technology), T3 (activate all technologies), T2 (deactivate all technologies), T1 (activate the second technology), T2 (deactivate the second technology), T3 (activate all technologies), T2 (deactivate all technologies), and so on.

[0204] During T1, only one UE-to-UE wireless communication technology can be activated, e.g., sidelink, while during T3, all available UE-to-UE wireless communication technologies can be activated at the same time. Different cycle periods of the three timers can be configured. Deactivation can be performed after each activation of one or more UE-to-UE wireless communication technologies, and after activation / deactivation of one technology (T1 then T2), activation or deactivation of all technologies (T3 then T2) can be performed.

[0205] Figure 10 An exemplary block diagram of a system for controlling sensor alerts and facilitating UE-to-UE communication in a radio access network (RAN) is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0206] Reference is made to Figure 10 In one embodiment, a system 200 for controlling sensor alerts 202 and facilitating UE-to-UE communication in a radio access network (RAN) is disclosed. The system 200 can include a receiver 204 configured to receive an early notification of a sensor alert 202 from a first user equipment (UE) 206 within a predetermined margin, and a communication controller 208 in communication with the first UE 206 and configured to terminate one or more planned or ongoing network activities affecting UE call performance upon receiving the early notification of the sensor alert 202, and initiate and maintain tracking of the first UE 206 accessibility over the radio access network. In addition, the system 200 can also include a transmitter 210 configured to send a command from the radio access network to one or more surrounding UEs instructing to activate UE-to-UE wireless communication when the first UE 206 is inaccessible.

[0207] In exemplary embodiments, the sensor alert is a device that detects motion using optical, microwave, or acoustic sensors. The receiver is an electronic device that receives radio waves and converts the carried information into a usable form. The communication controller manages the communication of input / output data in the network and facilitates user tracking of all network activities. The transmitter is a device that produces radio waves through an antenna to send and receive data.

[0208] The user equipment can be a smartphone, a tablet, a portable media device, etc.

[0209] Thus, the proposed method and system controls sensor alerts and facilitates UE-to-UE communication in a radio access network (RAN) by determining the duration of UE-to-UE communication activation and selecting the appropriate wireless communication technology for activation.

[0210] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that some or all of the features and components mentioned can be used to provide the method of the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents exist. As the claims are to be interpreted as including all such modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents, it is intended that the present disclosure cover all such modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents.

[0211] Advantageous technical effects of the present invention

[0212] The present disclosure provides a method that enables a radio access network to receive early notification of sensor alarms and promptly terminate network activities that impact call performance to ensure rapid response to critical events. This minimizes potential delays in resolving sensor alarms, improving the responsiveness of the overall system.

[0213] The present disclosure provides a method that enables initiating and maintaining tracking of UE reachability for early notification of reported sensor alarms to enable the system to ensure continuous communication capability. This enhances the reliability of alarm transmission, facilitating timely response even in cases where network connectivity is compromised.

[0214] The present disclosure provides a method that enables activating UE-to-UE wireless communication techniques in response to UE inaccessibility, thereby enhancing communication redundancy. This provides an alternative communication channel, ensuring uninterrupted transmission of critical alarm information.

[0215] The present disclosure provides a method that enables activating UE-to-UE communication in neighboring cells during cell outage and deactivating it upon outage recovery, thereby enhancing network resilience. This ensures sustained communication capability, mitigating the impact of network outages on critical alarm transmission.

[0216] The present disclosure provides an effective solution with AI and ML entities on the UE side that enable the UE to guess whether there is ongoing network activity that can impact radio access side call performance around the time the UE reports early sensor alarm notification to the radio access network.

[0217] The present disclosure provides an effective solution that eliminates existing limitations by determining the duration of UE-to-UE communication activation and selecting the appropriate wireless communication technique for activation.

Claims

1. A method (100) for reporting a sensor alert and facilitating UE-to-UE communication in a Radio Access Network (RAN), the method (100) comprising: receiving an early notification of the sensor alert from a first User Equipment (UE) within a predetermined margin; upon receiving the early notification of the sensor alert, terminating one or more planned or ongoing network activities that affect UE call performance; initiating, by the RAN, tracking of reachability of the first UE; and continuing, by the RAN, tracking of reachability of the first UE, wherein if the first UE remains reachable, the RAN takes no further action, and if the second UE becomes unreachable, sending a command from the RAN to one or more surrounding UEs instructing them to activate UE-to-UE wireless communication.

2. The method (100) of claim 1, wherein the early notification of the sensor alert is reported to the Radio Access Network based on a predicted occurrence of one or more sensor alerts consistent with a presumed RAN activity, or upon reaching a predetermined threshold of one or more sensor alert levels.

3. The method (100) of claim 2, wherein the predicted occurrence of sensor alerts consistent with the presumed RAN activity is performed by an artificial intelligence and machine learning software entity implemented at the UE side, and wherein the entity, stores a timestamp and location in a first log each time the UE experiences a radio unit outage or radio network degradation, stores a timestamp and location in a second log when the sensor alert is activated, compares common information between the first and second logs, reports the early notification of the sensor alert if the common information validates a predetermined condition.

4. The method (100) of claim 1, wherein activating UE-to-UE wireless communication technology includes activating available technology on the first UE and sending a command through the Radio Access Network to the one or more surrounding UEs specifying the type of communication technology to activate.

5. The method (100) of claim 1, wherein the first UE is considered unreachable if it fails to respond to repeated paging requests in an inactive mode, or loses a radio link connection in a connected mode.

6. The method (100) of claim 1, wherein the RAN includes cells, radio nodes, and an Operations Support System (OSS) having one or more software entities for tracking reachability of UEs that have reported a sensor alert.

7. The method (100) of claim 1, wherein termination of the reported sensor alert triggers a clear notification from the UE to the network immediately or after a predetermined time period.

8. The method (100) of claim 1, wherein clearing of the sensor alert triggers a second sensor alert notification that facilitates resumption of network activities and deactivation of UE-to-UE communication.

9. The method (100) of claim 1, wherein the UE-to-UE wireless communication is activated at one or more neighboring cells on all UEs served by the one or more neighboring cells, or at a UE located at a border of a first zone of a first cell, and deactivated at all UEs in the one or more neighboring cells of the first cell when an outage on the first cell is restored.

10. The method (100) of claim 1, wherein the activation and deactivation of the plurality of UE-to-UE communication techniques occurs sequentially or simultaneously based on a set of predetermined patterns or timers.

11. A system (200) for reporting a sensor alert (202) and facilitating UE-to-UE communication in a radio access network (RAN), the system (100) comprising: a receiver (204) configured to receive an early notification of a sensor alert (202) from a first user equipment (UE) (206) within a predetermined margin; a communication controller (208) in communication with the first UE (206) and configured to: terminate one or more scheduled or ongoing network activities (202) affecting UE call performance upon receiving the early notification of the sensor alert; and initiate and maintain tracking of reachability of the first UE (206) by the radio access network; and a transmitter (210) configured to transmit a command from the radio access network to one or more surrounding UEs instructing activation of UE-to-UE wireless communication when the first UE (206) is unreachable. ​ ​

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