Information relating to performance of timing services

Abstract

In an example, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) is provided. The method comprises transmitting a report message to a first network node of the communication network, the report message comprising information related to performance of a timing service provided by the communication network to the UE.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Examples of the present disclosure relate to information related to performance of timing services, such as for example transmission or obtaining of such information. BACKGROUND

[0002] The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has completed a “Study on timing resilience and TSC and URLLC enhancements” V18.1.0 related to Time-Sensitive Communication (TSC) and Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC). With respect to providing latest clock quality information of a Radio Access Network (RAN) to a User Equipment (UE) in RRC_Connected state, this reference provides the following: - If the UE is subscribed to Access Stratum Time Synchronization (ASTI) in the Unified Data Management (UDM) (see clause 8.6), then The "Access and Mobility Subscription Data" can also contain the following clock quality reporting control information: - Clock quality detail level: indicates whether and which clock quality information is provided to the UE, and can take one of the following values: clock quality metrics or acceptable / unacceptable indication; and - UE's clock quality acceptance criteria (if the clock quality level is equal to "acceptable / unacceptable indication"): UE's clock quality acceptance criteria. The acceptance criteria can be defined based on the following attributes: time source, traceability to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), synchronization status, clock accuracy, PTP clock class, frequency stability. (e.g. acceptable clock accuracy, acceptable frequency stability, etc.). NOTE 4: The attributes that can be used for the clock quality acceptance criteria depend on the capability of the RAN to provide these attributes and on the pending RAN Working Group (WG) feedback. Whether PTP clock class can be used will be determined during the specification phase. NOTE 5: Whether and which clock quality information is provided to the UE depends on the needs of the time service consumer (hereinafter referred to as client network operator). Therefore, the clock quality detail level and the clock quality acceptance criteria are based on parameters and their values specified in the agreement between the 5G network operator and the client network operator. The clock quality acceptance criteria refer to the quality that the 5G Access Stratum Time needs to deliver to the UE and is received by the UE (i.e. also the propagation delay is considered). Other inaccuracies in the UE (e.g. whether the 5G Access Stratum Time is delivered to a device attached to the UE) are not included in the clock quality acceptance criteria as they are assumed to be budgeted by the client network operator when agreeing on the required clock accuracy with the 5G network operator. - If an Application Function (AF) requests the Access Stratum Time Synchronization (ASTI) of a UE, the AF can provide the clock quality reporting control information and the service acceptance criteria (defined based on the following attributes: time source, traceability to UTC or GNSS, synchronization status, clock accuracy, clock class, frequency stability, NOTE 4) to the TSC Time Synchronization Function (TSCTSF). The TSCTSF provides the clock quality reporting control information to the AMF. - When the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) provides the 5G Access Stratum Time distribution indication and the Uu time synchronization error budget to the Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN), the AMF also includes the clock quality reporting control information. - Based on the clock quality reporting control information received from the AMF, the RAN reports its timing synchronization status to the UE using unicast Radio Resource Control (RRC): - If the clock quality detail level is set to "clock quality metrics", the RAN provides to the UE the clock quality metrics reflecting its current timing synchronization status. The clock quality metrics refer to the following information: clock accuracy, PTP clock class, traceability to UTC or GNSS. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ traceability, frequency stability, time source, synchronization status. - If the clock quality details level is set to "acceptable / unacceptable indication", the RAN provides an acceptable indication to the UE if the timing synchronization status of the RAN matches the acceptance criteria received from the AMF; otherwise the RAN indicates to the UE "unacceptable". - When determining the clock quality metric of the UE, and when determining whether the clock quality is acceptable or not acceptable for the UE, the RAN considers whether to perform a propagation delay compensation. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

[0003] In view of the above, the following aspects related to time synchronization status of a UE are highlighted: 1) The “Clock Quality Report Control Information” sent by the AMF to the gNodeB (gNB) generally manages the NG-RAN timing synchronization status notification sent to the UE; 2) In some cases, if the "Clock Quality Metric" is set, the gNB provides the clock quality metric to the UE, which reflects the current timing synchronization status of the gNB; 3) In some cases, if the "Acceptable / Not Acceptable" indication is set, the gNB provides the indication depending on whether it matches the acceptance criteria sent by the AMF. 4) In some cases, the attributes that can be used depend on the RAN capabilities, the time consumer requirements, and the agreements between the 5G network operator and the client network operator.

[0004] There are certain challenges at present. For example, there is currently no solution in the network to observe how well the TaaS service or a service with low latency and high timing accuracy is performed. This lack of observability hinders detection and root cause analysis for finding measures to optimize the network configuration and / or the TaaS service for the user under static and mobility conditions.

[0005] Furthermore, the lack of observability would also prevent the operator from detecting whether the service level agreement with the user is being complied with. This is important for aspects such as billing. If the TaaS service (or any other similar service provided to the UE, such as URLLC service) lacks observability, the operator can not be able to determine what billing policy should be applied to the user. SUMMARY

[0006] Certain aspects of the present disclosure and its embodiments can provide solutions to these or other challenges.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a user equipment (UE). The method comprises transmitting, to a first network node of a communication network, a report message comprising information related to performance of a timing service provided by the communication network to the UE.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a first network node of a communication network. The method comprises obtaining information related to performance of a timing service provided by the communication network to one or more UEs.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a second network node of a communication network. The method comprises transmitting, to a first network node of the communication network, a report message comprising information related to performance of one or more timing services provided by the communication network to one or more UEs.

[0010] Another aspect of the disclosure provides an apparatus in a user equipment (UE). The apparatus includes a processor and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to transmit, to a first network node of a communication network, a report message comprising information related to performance of a timing service provided to the UE by the communication network.

[0011] Another aspect of the disclosure provides an apparatus in a first network node of a communication network. The apparatus includes a processor and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to obtain information related to performance of a timing service provided to one or more UEs by the communication network.

[0012] An additional aspect of the disclosure provides an apparatus in a second network node of a communication network. The apparatus includes a processor and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to transmit, to a first network node of the communication network, a report message comprising information related to performance of one or more timing services provided to one or more UEs by the communication network.

[0013] Another aspect of the disclosure provides an apparatus in a user equipment (UE). The apparatus is configured to transmit, to a first network node of a communication network, a report message comprising information related to performance of a timing service provided to the UE by the communication network.

[0014] Another aspect of the disclosure provides an apparatus in a first network node of a communication network. The apparatus is configured to obtain information related to performance of a timing service provided to one or more UEs by the communication network.

[0015] An additional aspect of the disclosure provides an apparatus in a second network node of a communication network. The apparatus is configured to transmit, to a first network node of the communication network, a report message comprising information related to performance of one or more timing services provided to one or more UEs by the communication network. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] For a better understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure, and to show how they can be implemented in practice, reference will now be made, purely by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 4 A method performed by a wireless device according to embodiments of the disclosure is shown; Figure 5 A method performed by a network node according to embodiments of the disclosure is shown; Figure 6 A method performed by a network node according to embodiments of the disclosure is shown; Figure 7 An example of a communication system according to some embodiments is shown; Figure 8 a UE according to some embodiments is shown; Figure 9 a network node according to some embodiments is shown; Figure 10 is a block diagram of a host according to the various aspects described herein; Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized; Figure 4 a communication diagram showing a host communicating with a UE via a network node over a partial wireless connection according to some embodiments is shown; and Figure 5 a network node according to further embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Some embodiments contemplated herein will now be described in greater detail below, with reference made to the figures. The embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0018] It should be appreciated that while embodiments of the present disclosure can specifically reference TaaS services, they are also more generally applicable to embodiments that utilize timing services with ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC) and / or time-critical communications. Similarly, while specific reference can be made to NG-RAN nodes, embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to other types of RAN nodes (e.g., gNBs and / or eNBs).

[0019] In some examples, it is typically a client network and terminal application (terminal station) that uses a time-as-a-service (TaaS) service. For example, the terminal application can reside within a UE, or it can have an external interface pointing to a UE. In order to evaluate the TaaS service provided by the 5G system in a closed loop approach (and to evaluate different time distribution alternatives, TDAs), the terminal application / UE can need to compare the TaaS service provided by the 5GS with another primary time source (e.g., time derived by a local Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS receiver). This can be possible, for example, in cases where the 5GS is used as a backup system and the primary system of the terminal application / UE is running with known good performance. In order to enable such a comparison, the terminal application / UE can also need to be willing to share such relative measurements (with good quality). For example, the relative measurements can need to include the location of the UE at the time the measurements are performed. If the measurements are taken on the terminal application, they can reflect the true end-to-end status (e.g., the 5GS synchronization budget defined in TS 22.104 for SA includes components outside the 3GPP / 5GS boundaries). While the measurements provided by the terminal application / UE are useful, the prerequisites to allow the collection of such measurements can not always be fulfilled. Therefore, a method for measuring the TaaS service performance without feedback from the terminal application / UE (i.e., an open loop approach) would be beneficial.

[0020] Currently, the network has evaluated the status of the TaaS service before the UE antenna without involving the terminal application / UE feedback. However, this evaluation does not take into account the internal errors of the UE (e.g., for a UE device-side Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) translator (DS-TT), the evaluation can need the UE internal accuracy capability level reporting) for the complete 5GS synchronization budget status within the border where the UE egress point can be located.

[0021] In some example scenarios, the UE / terminal application can have a primary source for timing information and can want to use the TaaS service as a backup service for the primary source. However, for the backup service, accurate time can not be needed; it can be enough for the UE / terminal application to use the highly stable frequency or phase information delivered by the base station (e.g., gNB) to maintain its time during a temporary outage of its primary source. In this case, the quality of service can depend on the frequency / phase stability of the delivered information. That is, the TaaS service performance can not be limited to the ability to distribute accurate timing information.

[0022] In summary, both closed loop and open loop evaluation of the performance of the TaaS service can be beneficial.

[0023] Examples of the present disclosure can include one or more of the following two parts: - Part of this involves obtaining observability of how the network provides services to users through core network (CN) nodes, UEs, and / or gNBs (e.g., acquiring knowledge of whether time accuracy requirements are met). Another part involves transmitting this knowledge between radio access network (RAN) nodes (e.g., gNBs) with or without Xn connections, so that RAN nodes in the area know how each RAN node and cell handles TaaS services. In some examples, this knowledge can be built up and used to train and optimize TaaS services for users during mobility and other situations.

[0024] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. For example, embodiments of this disclosure may improve the observability of TaaS services (e.g., how TaaS services are performed in the network / UE can be observed). The network can use this information to optimize network configuration and operation, such as for mobility, UE service bootstrapping, Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle cell selection, Propagation Delay Compensation (PDC) method selection, or time distribution alternatives (e.g., cell, broadcast / unicast).

[0025] Figure 1 A method 100 according to a specific embodiment is described. Method 100 may be provided by a UE or a wireless device (e.g., referred to below respectively). Figure 1 and Figure 2 The method is executed by the UE (QQ112 or UE QQ200). The method begins at step 102, where the UE transmits a report message to a first network node of the communication network (e.g., a RAN node, such as an NG-RAN node). This report message includes information related to the performance (e.g., performance quality) of the timing service provided by the communication network to the UE. In some embodiments, the timing service may be one of the following: a TaaS service; a timing service for URLLC; and a timing service for time-critical communication.

[0026] In some examples, method 100 may further include collecting information related to the performance of a timing service provided by the communication network to the UE. In some examples, collecting information related to the performance of the timing service may include performing a measurement procedure to measure the performance of the timing service; and in some examples, it may additionally or alternatively include receiving information related to the performance of the timing service from a terminal application connected to the UE.

[0027] For example, a report message can be transmitted to the first network node using Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. The report message can be, for example, a Minimized Drive Test (MDT) report. In some examples, the report message can be transmitted to the first network node in the following ways: - regularly; - in response to the UE receiving a request from the communication network to transmit the report message to the first network node; and - in response to an occurrence of an event, wherein the occurrence of the event triggers the UE to transmit the report message to the first network node.

[0028] In some examples, the information related to the performance of the timing service can be used to determine a propagation delay associated with the timing service and / or a propagation delay compensation between the UE and the first network node (e.g. gNB).

[0029] In some examples, the information related to the performance of the timing service comprises one or more of: - an internal timing accuracy of the UE; - an indication of a quality of service, QoS, or quality of experience, QoE, metric associated with the timing service; - an indication of an accuracy of time information provided to the UE for a QoS flow and / or the timing service; - an indication of a phase stability and / or a frequency stability of the timing service; - an indication that one or more requirements of the timing service provided to the UE are fulfilled; - an indication that one or more requirements of the timing service provided to the UE are not fulfilled; - an indication that one or more temporary interruptions of the timing service provided to the UE occur; - an indication that a permanent failure of the timing service provided to the UE occurs; - an indication of a confidence level of one or more estimates of the quality of the timing service by the UE; - an indication of a location of the UE when performing a measurement procedure to measure the performance of the timing service; - an indication of a time when the UE performs a measurement procedure to measure the performance of the timing service; and - an indication of one or more radio channel conditions observed by the UE when performing a measurement procedure to measure the performance of the timing service.

[0030] Figure 4 Example implementations of the method 100 will be discussed in more detail in the following paragraphs.

[0031] In some embodiments, the communication network can request the UE to collect information related to the performance of the timing service. For example, a new measurement can be defined that enables the UE to collect information related to the performance of the timing service (also referred to as "feedback", "evaluation" and / or "TaaS-related information") indicating how the TaaS service is performed / is being performed, in order to send this information to a network node of the communication network. For example, in some embodiments, the network node can request the UE to report this new measurement (e.g., its TaaS service experience / QoE). In some embodiments, an application can request a new QoE measurement on the TaaS service (e.g., by a QoE configuration metric). In such embodiments, the network can introduce RAN visible QoE (RVQoE).

[0032] Thus, in some embodiments, prior to step 102, the UE can collect information related to the performance of the timing service. For example, in some embodiments, the UE can: perform a measurement procedure to measure the performance of the timing service; and / or receive information related to the performance of the timing service from a terminal application connected to the UE.

[0033] That is, in some embodiments, a terminal application behind the UE using the timing service (i.e., a terminal application connected to the UE) can: perform an evaluation of the performance of the TaaS service; provide a comparison between the TaaS service and an alternative time source when the terminal application uses a different time source; and / or provide the UE with a reference source for performing such a comparison.

[0034] The above feedback / evaluation / TaaS-related information can then be sent to a network node of the communication network (e.g., during step 102). That is, once the UE has collected the information, it can pass it to the network according to a request from the network (e.g., through RRC signaling). For example, in some embodiments, the reporting message of step 102 can be conveyed to the first network node using RRC signaling.

[0035] In some embodiments, measurements collected by the UE can be reported directly to the RAN node (e.g., in a manner similar to RRM measurements reported via the RRC protocol), or measurements collected by the UE can be reported to the (NG-)RAN node in the form of measurement reports and / or logs, which can then be forwarded by the (NG-)RAN node to other systems (e.g., to the operation, maintenance, and management OAM system). The latter example can be mapped to including feedback / evaluation / TaaS-related information in Minimized Drive Test (MDT) measurements. In such embodiments, the UE can report feedback / evaluation / TaaS-related information to the (NG-)RAN node as part of one or more MDT reports (and the RAN node can signal the feedback / evaluation / TaaS-related information to the OAM system). In other words, the reporting message in step 102 can be an MDT report. In some examples, the (NG-)RAN node is able to use the feedback / evaluation / TaaS-related information reported by the UE because the MDT report can be decoded by the RAN node.

[0036] In some embodiments, the network (e.g., the first network node of method 100) may request the UE to transmit its information on demand, periodically, or based on the occurrence of one or more events. For example, the report message of step 102 may be transmitted to the first network node in any one or more of the following ways: periodically; in response to the UE (from the communication network) receiving a request to transmit a report message to the first network node; and in response to the occurrence of an event. That is, the occurrence of an event may trigger the UE to transmit a report message to the first network node.

[0037] In some embodiments, once the first network node receives feedback / evaluation / TaaS-related information, the network node can analyze the TaaS measurement results and / or RVQoE to understand how the user side receives the TaaS service.

[0038] For example, in some embodiments, information related to the performance of the timing service may be related to the performance quality of the timing service. In some embodiments, information related to the performance of the timing service may be used to determine propagation delays associated with the timing service and / or propagation delay compensation between the UE and the first network node.

[0039] Non-limiting examples of TaaS-related information (i.e., information related to the performance of timing services) provided by the above measurements are: - The accuracy of the time information provided for a specific QoS flow / service within the cell. Additionally, or alternatively, if used as a backup service, the phase / frequency stability of the timing service. - Whether the requirements of the TaaS services used by the UE / terminal application are met. - Whether one or more TaaS services used by the UE / terminal application experienced temporary interruptions (e.g., how many times the service was interrupted and how long each interruption lasted). - Whether one or more TaaS services used by the UE have experienced a permanent failure that leads to service interruption. - Confidence level of TaaS service quality estimates (e.g., the quality of alternative reference time sources used for comparison). - The UE's location (possibly with an estimate of location accuracy) and the time required to evaluate the TaaS service. - Information related to radio channel conditions (observed by the UE) during TaaS service quality observation.

[0040] The UE location / positioning information provided during TaaS service (e.g., provided to the first network node) can, for example, help the communication network build knowledge about how cells in the deployment area perform.

[0041] Figure 6 This method can improve TaaS observability between network entities. In one example where the UE can transmit TaaS observability between network entities, existing RRC information can be modified to include TaaS-related information (e.g., in the "NR Mobility History Report," see Table 1 below). Table 1 shows an example of TaaS-related information being included in the "UE History Information from UE" information element (IE). As can be seen from Table 1, this IE contains information about the UE's mobility history report.

[0042] Table 1: UE historical information from the UE (9.2.3.110) As can be understood from Table 1, when information related to the performance of timing services is included in the UE history information (or other similar signaling) from the UE, the existing procedures can be used to transmit that information between (NG-)RAN nodes.

[0043] Figure 2 A method 200 according to a particular embodiment is depicted. Method 200 can be generated by a communication network node (e.g., referred to separately later). Figure 1 and Figure 3The method is performed by a first network node (e.g., a RAN node, such as an NG-RAN node) of the described network node QQ110 or network node QQ300. The method begins at step 202, where the first network node obtains information relating to the performance of timing services provided by the communication network to one or more UEs. In some embodiments, the one or more timing services can be any one or more of the following: Taas services; timing services for URLLC; and timing services for time-critical communications.

[0044] In some examples, information relating to the performance of one or more timing services may be forwarded to one or more network nodes in the communication network. One or more network nodes may include, for example, one or more RAN nodes in the communication network; one or more RAN nodes adjacent to the first network node; and / or one or more core network (CN) nodes in the communication network.

[0045] In some examples, information related to the performance of one or more timing services may include at least one of the following: - Cell information updates transmitted during inter-node communication; - Resource information transmitted during inter-node communication; and - UE history information transmitted during mobility procedures.

[0046] In some examples, the method may also include performing one or more actions related to the one or more timing services based on information relating to the performance of the one or more timing services. The one or more actions may be, for example, optimizing the one or more timing services to meet one or more requirements of the one or more timing services; and / or interrupting the one or more timing services.

[0047] In some examples, obtaining information related to the performance of one or more timing services in step 202 may include at least one of the following actions: - Receive one or more report messages from one or more UEs, wherein the one or more report messages include information related to the performance of one or more timing services; - Receive a report message from the second network node, wherein the report message includes information related to the performance of one or more timing services; and - Perform a measurement procedure to measure the performance of one or more timed services.

[0048] In some examples, the report message can be received by the first network node in the following way: - regularly; - In response to a request from the first network node to the second network node, causing the second network node to transmit a report message to the first network node; and - In response to an event, where the occurrence of the event triggers a second network node and / or one or more UEs to transmit a report message to the first network node.

[0049] In some examples, information related to the performance of timing services can be used to determine one or more propagation delays associated with one or more timing services and / or one or more propagation delay compensations between one or more UEs and a first network node. For example, information about whether propagation delay compensation is used and what kind of propagation delay compensation is used may help to 1) assess the performance of the received timing service (e.g., performance may depend on the specific method used); and / or 2) understand what potential optimizations can be used to potentially improve the service.

[0050] In some examples, information related to the performance of one or more timing services may include one or more of the following examples: - An indication of the Quality of Service (QoS) or Quality of Experience (QoE) metric associated with one or more timed services; - An indication of the accuracy of time information provided to one or more UEs or a second network node for QoS streaming and / or timing services; - An indication of phase stability and / or frequency stability for one or more timing services; - An indication that one or more requirements of one or more timing services provided to one or more UEs have been met; - An indication that one or more requests for one or more timing services provided to one or more UEs have not been met; - An indication that one or more timing services provided to one or more UEs have experienced one or more temporary interruptions; - An indication that one or more timing services provided to one or more UEs have experienced one or more permanent failures; - An indication of the confidence level of one or more UEs or second network nodes in one or more estimates of the quality of one or more timed services; - An indication of the location of one or more UEs when one or more UEs perform a measurement procedure to measure the performance of a timing service; - An indication of the time by which a measurement procedure is performed by one or more UEs or a second network node to measure the performance of one or more timing services; - An indication of one or more radio channel conditions observed by one or more UEs during the performance measurement process for measuring the performance of a timing service; and - An indication of one or more radio channel conditions observed by a second network node during the execution of a measurement process to measure the performance of one or more timing services.

[0051] In some examples, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling is used to transmit information related to the performance of one or more timing services from one or more UEs to a first network node. In some examples, information related to the performance of one or more timing services may be transmitted from one or more UEs to the first network node in one or more Minimum Drive Test (MDT) reports.

[0052] The following paragraphs will discuss this in more detail. Figure 3 Example implementation of the method.

[0053] In some embodiments, step 202 includes the (NG-)RAN node collecting "TaaS performance information" (i.e., information relating to the performance of one or more timing services provided to one or more UEs) to indicate how TaaS service users are served (e.g., served at the cell level). For example, in some embodiments, this may include the first network node performing any of the following operations: - Receive one or more report messages from one or more UEs, wherein the one or more report messages include information related to the performance of one or more timing services; - Receive a report message from the second network node, wherein the report message includes information related to the performance of one or more timing services; and - Perform a measurement procedure to measure the performance of one or more timed services.

[0054] In some embodiments, when a first network node receives one or more report messages from a second network node or one or more UEs, the first network node may receive one or more report messages according to any one or more of the following: periodically; in response to the first network node transmitting a request to the second network node or one or more UEs, the request being used to cause the second network node or one or more UEs to transmit a report message to the first network node; and / or in response to the occurrence of an event. That is, the occurrence of an event may trigger one or more UEs or the second network node to transmit a report message to the first network node.

[0055] In some embodiments, RRC signaling can be used to transmit information related to the performance of one or more timing services from one or more UEs to a first network node. Alternatively, the information related to the performance of one or more timing services can be transmitted from one or more UEs to the first network node in one or more MDT reports.

[0056] In some embodiments, information relating to the performance of one or more timing services (also referred to herein as “TaaS performance information”) can be used to determine one or more propagation delays associated with one or more timing services and / or one or more propagation delay compensations between one or more UEs and a first network node. In some embodiments, the information relating to the performance of one or more timing services relates to the performance quality of one or more timing services. For example, TaaS performance information may include the cell’s clock quality, time accuracy, and / or the number of UEs being served. TaaS performance information can be derived from new or existing measurements / information.

[0057] For example, the precise time distribution from the gNB (or any other suitable RAN node) to the UE depends on the network's (e.g., the UE or gNB) ability to compensate for the propagation delay (PD) between the gNB and the UE. Therefore, part of the information the network collects for monitoring TaaS performance is the PD between the serving gNB and the UE, as well as the PD between neighboring gNBs and the UE.

[0058] PD accuracy depends on the radio channel between the gNB and UE, the method used for propagation delay compensation (PDC), and the ability to support various PDC methods. In some methods, PD can be estimated with high accuracy by the gNB under line-of-sight (LOS) conditions, while achieving high accuracy in PDC under non-line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions may be more challenging. Therefore, the network collects information related to the radio channel, such as whether it is a LOS or NLOS radio channel, to monitor and evaluate the expected TaaS performance. Another supported PDC method specified in 3GPP is round-trip time (RTT) measurement, which does not require LOS but requires support from both the gNB and UE. For example, performance depends on the level of radio channel symmetry in the downlink and uplink, as well as the relative receive / transmit time accuracy of the gNB / UE.

[0059] To support PD estimation for neighboring non-serving gNBs, the serving gNB can trigger the UE to synchronize with and transmit a random access preamble (PRACH) to the non-serving gNB. The non-serving gNB can then estimate the PD between the UE and the gNB based on the received preamble.

[0060] The accuracy of TaaS services can also depend on the method of distributing time information over the air interface, such as whether broadcast methods like SIB 9 or unicast signaling are used. The periodicity of the time distribution and characteristics of the time reference signal, such as bandwidth, can also affect the accuracy of the air interface time distribution and can be used as input for estimation. Radio channel conditions within the cell can also affect TaaS performance and can be used as an evaluation criterion.

[0061] Therefore, in some embodiments, information related to the performance of a timing service can be used to determine one or more propagation delays associated with one or more timing services and / or one or more propagation delay compensations between one or more UEs and a first network node. In some embodiments, the information related to the performance of one or more timing services relates to the performance quality of one or more timing services. In some embodiments, the information related to the performance of a timing service may include information about the above. Figure 4 and the following text Figure 10 Information on the methodology.

[0062] In some embodiments, (NG-)RAN nodes can transmit this information / knowledge (e.g., the estimated PDC method and related accuracy) to other (NG-)RAN nodes (e.g., during mobility to a target (NG-)RAN node). That is, (NG-)RAN nodes can transmit information received from TaaS feedback from the UE and include it in a message. This enables RAN nodes (e.g., gNBs) in the area to understand TaaS service processing.

[0063] For example, in some embodiments, once a (NG-)RAN node obtains TaaS performance information, it can share that information with other (NG-)RAN nodes during inter-node communication. In other words, in some embodiments, information relating to the performance of one or more timing services obtained in step 202 can be forwarded to one or more network nodes in the communication network (e.g., one or more RAN nodes in the communication network; one or more RAN nodes adjacent to the first network node; and / or one or more CN nodes in the communication network).

[0064] For example, in some embodiments, cell TaaS performance information may be included in cell information updates or resource information. In other embodiments, the collected TaaS performance information is transmitted during mobility procedures. For example, the collected cell TaaS performance information may be included as cell TaaS information in the UE history information (see Table 2 below). Table 2 shows an embodiment of including “cell TaaS information” in the UE history information using an IE. The IE may include information such as cell clock quality, time accuracy, UE time accuracy control metrics, external time source traceability, etc.

[0065] Table 2: Information on the last visited NG-RAN cell (TS 38.413 / 38.423, 9.3.1.97) The UE internal precision (e.g., UE capabilities) reported to the gNB can be received by the RAN node (e.g., gNB) and explicitly transmitted to the neighboring RAN node (e.g., gNB) in the RRC container or via the Xn / F1 interface.

[0066] In some embodiments, a first network node may perform one or more actions related to one or more timing services based on information relating to the performance of one or more timing services. In some embodiments, this may include optimizing one or more timing services to meet one or more needs of one or more timing services; and / or interrupting one or more timing services.

[0067] For example, RAN nodes can use this information to determine a suitable list of candidate cells for handover (HO) to maintain accurate TaaS. For instance, neighboring cells that cannot deliver PDs under LOS conditions may be considered to have lower priority under HO compared to cells that deliver PDs under LOS conditions. In some embodiments, cells that cannot support a precise RTT-based PDC method may be considered to have, for example, lower priority than cells that can support a precise RTT-based PDC method. In some embodiments, smaller cells may be prioritized over larger cells if a suitable method for performing PDC is lacking.

[0068] Figure 3 A method 300 according to a specific embodiment is described. Method 300 can be provided by a communication network (e.g., as referred to separately later). Figure 4 and Figure 4 The method is performed by a second network node (e.g., a core network node, such as AMF) of the described core network node QQ108 or network node QQ700. The method begins at step 302, where the second network node transmits a report message to a first network node of the communication network (e.g., a RAN node, such as an NG-RAN node). This report message includes information related to the performance of one or more timing services provided by the communication network to one or more UEs. In some embodiments, the one or more timing services can be any one or more of the following: Taas services; timing services for URLLC; and timing services for time-critical communications.

[0069] In some examples, method 300 may also include collecting information related to the performance of one or more timing services provided by the communication network to one or more UEs. The information related to the performance of the one or more timing services may be collected, for example, from the application layer of the communication network.

[0070] In some examples, information related to the performance of one or more timing services is collected while providing one or more timing services to one or more UEs. Alternatively, in some examples, information related to the performance of one or more timing services may be collected after providing one or more timing services to one or more UEs has ceased.

[0071] In some examples, the report message is transmitted to the first network node in the following manner: - regularly; - In response to a request received from the communication network by the second network node to transmit a report message from the second network node to the first network node; and / or - In response to an event, where the event triggers the second network node to send a report message to the first network node.

[0072] In some examples, information related to the performance of timing services can be used to determine one or more propagation delays associated with one or more timing services and / or one or more propagation delay compensations between one or more UEs and a first network node.

[0073] Information related to the performance of the scheduled service may include one or more of the following examples: - An indication of Quality of Service (QoS) or Quality of Experience (QoE) associated with one or more timed services; - An indication of the accuracy of the time information provided to the second network node for QoS flows and / or one or more timing services; - An indication of phase stability and / or frequency stability for one or more timing services; - An indication that one or more requirements of one or more timing services provided to one or more UEs have been met; - An indication that one or more requests for one or more timing services provided to one or more UEs have not been met; - An indication that one or more timing services provided to one or more UEs have experienced one or more temporary interruptions; - An indication that one or more timing services provided to one or more UEs have experienced one or more permanent failures; - An indication of the confidence level of a second network node in one or more estimates of the quality of one or more timed services; - The second network node performs a measurement process to indicate the time of measurement for the performance of the timing service; and - An indication of one or more radio channel conditions observed by a second network node when performing a measurement process to measure the performance of one or more timing services.

[0074] In some examples, information related to the performance of a scheduled service may be specific to: - One or more UEs; - One or more Packet Data Unit (PDU) sessions for one or more UEs; - One or more Quality of Service (QoS) flows for one or more PDU sessions of one or more UEs; or - UE group, where a UE group includes one or more UEs.

[0075] Figure 4 An example implementation of method 300 will be discussed in more detail in the following paragraphs.

[0076] In some embodiments, the second network node may collect information related to the performance of one or more timing services (i.e., perform a "performance check"). In some embodiments, the application layer may be positioned to perform this performance check. In other words, information related to the performance of one or more timing services may be collected (i.e. measured) by the second network node from the application layer of the communication network.

[0077] In some embodiments, performance checks may involve a second network node checking how the UE TaaS service is performed / is being performed and / or what the clock quality accuracy is.

[0078] Feedback information regarding performance checks (i.e., information related to the performance of one or more timing services) can be transmitted from the application layer (via AMF) to the (NG-)RAN node to create observability on the (NG-)RAN about how / has been performing the TaaS service (e.g., as part of step 302). In some embodiments, performance checks can be performed on PDU sessions, QoS flows, service levels, or per user plane tunnel.

[0079] In some embodiments, (NG-)RAN nodes may use the NG Application Protocol (NGAP) procedure (or any other similar protocol procedure) to perform any one or more of the following: - Subscribe to receive feedback on performance checks. - Start / stop receiving feedback information about performance checks; and - Request periodic reports of feedback regarding performance checks.

[0080] In some embodiments, the report message of step 302 may be transmitted to the first network node according to any one or more of the following: periodically; in response to a request from the second network node (from the communication network) to transmit a report message to the first network node; and / or in response to the occurrence of an event. That is, the occurrence of an event may trigger the second network node to transmit a report message to the first network node.

[0081] Performance checks can include: 1) During service (i.e., collecting information related to the performance of one or more timed services from the application layer of the communication network), or 2) Collect information after service completion (i.e., collect information related to the performance of one or more timed services after ceasing to provide one or more timed services to one or more UEs).

[0082] In the embodiment of 1), the second network node (e.g., AMF) can signal the performance check results / feedback to the (NG-)RAN node during TaaS service consumption. This can occur periodically by signaling reports to the (NG-)RAN node.

[0083] In embodiment 2), the second network node (e.g., AMF) may signal a single message to the RAN node containing the results of the performance check records.

[0084] In any of the above embodiments, and as a non-limiting example, the performance check results may be signaled in any one or more of the following ways: - It has UE-level granularity (i.e., the results can be associated with a specific UE); - It has PDU session granularity (i.e., the result can be associated with a specific PDU session of the UE); - It has QoS flow-level granularity (i.e., the results can be correlated with specific QoS flows of the PDU session and the UE); and - It has the granularity of UE groups (e.g., performance checking is an average of the performance of a group of UEs and the services used by these UEs. In this embodiment, performance checking measurements can be performed on each UE according to any of the above options (per UE, per PDU session, or per QoS flow).

[0085] For example, in some embodiments, information related to the performance of the timing service may be related to the performance quality of the timing service. In some embodiments, information related to the performance of the timing service may be used to determine propagation delays associated with the timing service and / or propagation delay compensation between the second network node and the first network node.

[0086] Non-limiting examples of TaaS-related information (i.e., information related to the performance of timing services) provided by the above measurements are: - How accurate the timing information is already provided for a specific QoS flow / service within the cell. Additionally, or alternatively, if used as a backup service, the phase / frequency stability of the timing service. - Whether the requirements of the TaaS services used by the UE / terminal application are met. - Whether one or more TaaS services used by the UE / terminal application experienced temporary interruptions (e.g., how many times the service was interrupted and how long each interruption lasted). - Whether one or more TaaS services used by the UE have experienced a permanent failure that leads to service interruption. - Confidence level of TaaS service quality estimates (e.g., the quality of alternative reference time sources used for comparison). - The location of the UE (and possibly an accuracy estimate) and the time required to evaluate the TaaS service. - Information related to radio channel conditions (observed by the second network node) during TaaS service quality observation.

[0087] Upon receiving performance check measurements, the (NG-)RAN node can use them to determine how the TaaS service is performing and whether any optimizations can be made to meet the TaaS service requirements. Alternatively, if the performance of one or more TaaS services is unsatisfactory or does not meet the TaaS service requirements, the (NG-)RAN node may decide to suspend these services.

[0088] In some embodiments, (NG-)RAN nodes can forward the results of performance checks to neighboring (NG-)RAN nodes. For example, the results can be forwarded via an available interface (e.g., Xn). This signaling allows neighboring RAN nodes to know the quality of TaaS services that the source (NG-)RAN node can support (in an end-to-end manner). As described below, this information enables neighboring (NG-)RAN nodes to better select mobility target cells for UEs that are using or may use TaaS services.

[0089] Figure 5 An example of a communication system QQ100 according to some embodiments is shown.

[0090] In this example, the communication system QQ100 includes a telecommunications network QQ102 and a core network QQ106. The telecommunications network QQ102 includes an access network QQ104, such as a radio access network (RAN). The core network QQ106 includes one or more core network nodes QQ108. The access network QQ104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes QQ110a and QQ110b (one or more of which may generally be referred to as network node QQ110), or any other similar 3GPP access node or non-3GPP access point. Furthermore, as those skilled in the art will understand, network nodes are not necessarily limited to implementations where the radio and baseband portions are provided and integrated by a single vendor. Therefore, it is understood that network nodes include decomposed implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunications network QQ102 includes one or more Open RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunications network QQ102 that supports ORAN specifications (e.g., specifications published by the O-RAN Alliance or any similar organization) and can operate alone or with other nodes to perform one or more functions of any node in the telecommunications network QQ102 (including one or more network nodes QQ110 and / or core network node QQ108).

[0091] Examples of ORAN network nodes include Open Radio Units (O-RUs), Open Distributed Units (O-DUs), Open Central Units (O-CUs) (including O-CU Control Plane (O-CU-CP) or O-CU User Plane (O-CU-UP)), RAN Intelligent Controllers (near real-time or non-real-time) with managed software or software plugins (such as near real-time control applications (e.g., xApp) or non-real-time control application software (e.g., rApp)), or any combination thereof (the adjective "open" indicates support for the ORAN specification). Network nodes can support the specification by, for example, supporting interfaces defined by the ORAN specification (e.g., A1, F1, W1, E1, E2, X2, Xn interfaces, Open Fronthaul User Plane Interface, or Open Fronthaul Management Plane Interface). Furthermore, ORAN access nodes can be logical nodes within physical nodes. Additionally, ORAN network nodes can be implemented in a virtualized environment (described further below) where one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, a virtualized environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a service management and orchestration framework using the O-2 interface or similar technologies defined by the O-RAN Consortium. Network node QQ110 facilitates direct or indirect connections of user equipment (UE), such as connecting UE QQ112a, QQ112b, QQ112c and QQ112d (one or more of which may generally be referred to as UE QQ112) to the core network QQ106 via one or more wireless connections.

[0092] Examples of wireless communication via wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information without the use of wires, cables, or other conductors. Furthermore, 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 can facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals, whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system QQ100 may include any type of communication, telecommunications, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar system and / or be connected to any type of communication, telecommunications, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar system via an interface.

[0093] UE QQ112 can be any communication device of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network node QQ110 and other communication devices. Similarly, network node QQ110 is arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UE QQ112 and / or with other network nodes or devices in telecommunication network QQ102 to enable and / or provide network access (such as wireless network access) and / or to perform other functions (such as management in telecommunication network QQ102).

[0094] In the illustrated example, core network QQ106 connects network node QQ110 to one or more hosts (such as host QQ116). These connections can be direct or indirect, via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes can be directly coupled to hosts. Core network QQ106 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node QQ108) constructed from hardware and software components. The characteristics of these components can be substantially similar to those described with respect to UE, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the description generally applies to the corresponding components of core network node QQ108. Example core network nodes include one or more of the following: Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier Dehiding Function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Secure Edge Protection Agent (SEPP), Network Open Function (NEF), Policy Control Function (PCF), and / or User Plane Function (UPF).

[0095] The host QQ116 may be owned or controlled by a service provider other than the operator or provider of the telecommunications network QQ102 and / or access network QQ104, and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The host QQ116 may host various applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include: providing live and / or pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services (such as retrieving and compiling data on various environmental conditions detected by multiple UEs), analytics functions, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for alarm and monitoring centers, or any other such functions performed by the server.

[0096] on the whole, Figure 5 The QQ100 communication system 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, or 5G standards, or any applicable next-generation standard (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 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.

[0097] In some examples, the QQ102 telecommunications network is a cellular network implementing 3GPP standardized features. Therefore, the QQ102 network can support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to it. For example, the QQ102 network can provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs while providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or massive machine-type communication (mMTC) / massive IoT services to yet another UE.

[0098] In some examples, UE QQ112 is configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE may be designed to transmit information to access network QQ104 on a predetermined schedule when triggered by internal or external events or in response to requests from access network QQ104. Additionally, the UE may be configured to operate in single or multiple RAT or multi-standard modes. For example, the UE may operate with any or a combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio), and LTE, i.e., configured for multiple radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) NR-Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0099] exist Figure 1 In the example shown, hub QQ114 communicates with access network QQ104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node QQ110b). In some examples, hub QQ114 may be a controller, router, content source, and analytics node, or any other communication device described herein with respect to a UE. For example, hub QQ114 may be a broadband router for enabling access to core network QQ106 for a UE. As another example, hub QQ114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in a UE. Commands or instructions may be received from the UE, network node QQ110, or through executable code, scripts, procedures, or other instructions in hub QQ114. As another example, hub QQ114 may be a data collector that acts as a temporary storage device for UE data, and in some embodiments, hub QQ114 may perform data analysis or other processing. As another example, hub QQ114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, speaker, or other media delivery device, hub QQ114 can retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via network nodes. Hub QQ114 then provides the VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information to the UE directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In another example, hub QQ114 acts as a proxy server or coordinator for the UE, especially if one or more of the UEs are low-power IoT devices.

[0100] Hub QQ114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to network node QQ110b. Hub QQ114 may also be designed with different communication schemes and / or scheduling between hub QQ114 and UE (e.g., UE QQ112d and / or QQ112d) and between hub QQ114 and core network QQ106. In other examples, hub QQ114 is connected to core network QQ106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Furthermore, hub QQ114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider via access network QQ104 and / or to another UE via a direct connection. In some scenarios, a UE can establish a wireless connection to network node QQ110 while still being connected via hub QQ114, either via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, hub QQ114 may be a dedicated hub—that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communication from network node QQ110b to UE / to network node QQ110b. In other embodiments, hub QQ114 may be a non-dedicated hub—that is, a device capable of operating to route communication between the UE and network node QQ110b, but also capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0101] Figure 5 A UE QQ200 according to some embodiments is illustrated. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable of, configured, arranged, and / or operatively communicating wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of UEs include, but are not limited to, smartphones, 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, tablets, laptops, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), vehicles, vehicle-mounted or vehicle-embedded / integrated wireless devices, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs, Machine Type Communication (MTC) UEs, and / or Enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs.

[0102] The UE can support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example, by implementing 3GPP standards for sidechain communication, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, the UE may not necessarily be a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated equipment. Instead, the UE may represent a device intended for sale to or operated by a human user but which may not or can not initially be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, the UE may represent a device not intended for sale to or operated by an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart meter).

[0103] UE QQ200 includes processing circuitry QQ202, which is operatively coupled via bus QQ204 to input / output interface QQ206, power supply QQ208, memory QQ210, communication interface QQ212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Some UEs may utilize... Figure 6 All or a subset of the components shown. The level of integration between components can vary from one UE to another. Furthermore, some UEs may contain multiple instances of components, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0104] The processing circuit QQ202 is configured to process instructions and data and can be configured to implement any sequential state machine that operates to execute instructions stored in memory QQ210 as a machine-readable computer program. The processing circuit QQ202 can be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, a general-purpose processor such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuit QQ202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). The processing circuit QQ202 can be operable to provide UE QQ200 functionality, either alone or in combination with other UE QQ200 components (such as memory QQ210). For example, the processing circuit QQ202 can be configured to cause the UE QQ202 to perform as described in the reference. Figure 2 The method described.

[0105] In the example, the input / output interface QQ206 can be configured to provide interfaces or multiple interfaces to input devices, output devices, 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, other output devices, or any combination thereof. Input devices can allow users to capture information into the UE QQ200. Examples of input devices include touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive displays, cameras (e.g., digital cameras, digital camcorders, webcams, etc.), microphones, sensors, mice, trackballs, orientation pads, trackpads, scroll wheels, smart cards, etc. Presence-sensitive displays may include capacitive or resistive touch sensors to sense input from the user. Sensors may be, for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt sensors, force sensors, magnetometers, light sensors, proximity sensors, biosensors, etc., or any combination thereof. Output devices can use the same type of interface port as input devices. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port can be used to provide input and output devices.

[0106] In some embodiments, the power supply QQ208 is configured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a storage battery, may be used. The power supply QQ208 may also include power circuitry for delivering power from the power supply QQ208 itself and / or an external power source to various parts of the UE QQ200 via an interface or input circuitry such as a power cable. The delivery of power may, for example, be used for charging the power supply QQ208. The power circuitry may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modifications on the power from the power supply QQ208 to suit the power for the respective components of the powered UE QQ200.

[0107] The memory QQ210 can be or is configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk, optical disk, hard disk, removable cassette tape, flash drive, etc. In one example, the memory QQ210 includes one or more application programs QQ214 (such as an operating system, web browser application, widget, gadget engine, or other application) and corresponding data QQ216. The memory QQ210 can store any operating system or combination of operating systems from a wide variety of different operating systems used by the UE QQ200.

[0108] The QQ210 memory can be configured to include multiple physical drive units such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital universal disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard drive, Blu-ray disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini dual in-line memory modules (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro DIMM SDRAM, smart card memory such as a tamper-proof module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) (including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as USIM and / or ISIM), other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC can be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC commonly referred to as a "SIM card". The QQ210 memory allows the UE QQ200 to access instructions, applications, etc., stored on transient or non-transient memory media to offload or upload data. Articles such as those utilizing communication systems can be tangibly embodied in or contained in memory QQ210, which can be or include a device-readable storage medium.

[0109] The processing circuitry 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 communication, such as through communication with 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.). Furthermore, the transmitter QQ218 and 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 receiver QQ220 may be implemented separately.

[0110] In some embodiments, the communication functions of the QQ212 communication interface may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth or near-field communication, location-based communication such as using a Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine location, another similar communication function, 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.

[0111] Regardless of the sensor type, the UE can provide the output of data captured by its sensors via its communication interface QQ212 or via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by the UE's sensors can be transmitted via another UE, via a wireless connection to a network node. The output can be periodic (e.g., every 15 minutes if it reports sensed temperature), random (e.g., to balance the load of reports from several sensors), responsive to a triggered event (e.g., sending an alarm when humidity is detected), responsive to a request (e.g., a user-initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., live video feed of a patient).

[0112] As another example, the UE includes actuators, motors, or switches associated with a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. The state of the actuator, motor, or switch can change in response to the received wireless input. For example, the UE may include motors for adjusting control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight based on received input, or for controlling a robotic arm performing a medical procedure based on received input.

[0113] When a UE takes the form of an Internet of Things (IoT) device, it can be a device intended 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 include or are embedded in the following devices: connected refrigerators or freezers, TVs, connected lighting fixtures, electricity meters, robotic vacuum cleaners, voice-controlled smart speakers, home security cameras, motion detectors, thermostats, smoke detectors, door / window sensors, flood / humidity sensors, electric door locks, connected doorbells, heat pump-like air conditioning systems, autonomous vehicles, monitoring systems, weather monitoring equipment, vehicle parking monitoring equipment, electric vehicle charging stations, smartwatches, fitness trackers, head-mounted displays for augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR), wearable devices for haptic or sensory enhancement, sprinklers, animal or object tracking devices, sensors for monitoring plants or animals, industrial robots, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and any kind of medical device such as heart rate monitors or remotely controlled surgical robots. (Except as per the above...) Figure 6 In addition to the other components described in UE QQ200 shown, UEs in the form of IoT devices include circuitry and / or software that depend on the intended application of the IoT device.

[0114] As another specific example, in IoT scenarios, a UE can represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another UE and / or network node. In this case, the UE can be an M2M device, which in the 3GPP context may be referred to as an MTC device. As a specific example, the UE can implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, the UE can represent a vehicle, such as a car, bus, truck, ship, or aircraft, or other devices capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0115] In practice, any number of UEs can be used together for a single use case. For example, the first UE can be an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or can be integrated into the UAV and provide the UAV's speed information (obtained via a speed sensor) to a second UE, which acts as a remote controller for operating the UAV. When a user makes a change from the remote controller, the first UE can adjust a throttle valve on the UAV (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the UAV's speed. The first and / or second UEs can also include more than one of the functions described above. For example, the UE can include sensors and actuators and handle communication of data from both the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0116] Figure 10A network node QQ300 according to some embodiments is illustrated. As used herein, a network node refers to a device capable of, configured, arranged, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or 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)), O-RAN nodes, or components of O-RAN nodes (e.g., O-RUs, O-DUs, O-CUs).

[0117] Base stations can be classified based on the coverage they provide (or, in other words, their transmit power levels), and therefore, depending on the coverage provided, a base station can be referred to as a femtobase, picobase, microbase, or macrobase. A base station can be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. Network nodes can also include one or more (or all) portions of a distributed radio base station such as a centralized digital unit, a distributed unit (e.g., in an O-RAN access node), and / or a remote radio unit (RRU) sometimes referred to as a remote radio headend (RRH). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio device. A portion of a distributed radio base station can also be referred to as a node in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0118] Other examples of network nodes include multi-transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, MSR devices such as multi-standard radio (MSR) BS, network controllers such as radio network controller (RNC) or base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), transmission point, transmission node, multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), operation and maintenance (O&M) node, operation support system (OSS) node, self-organizing network (SON) node, location node (e.g., evolved servicing mobile location center (E-SMLC)), and / or minimized drive test (MDT).

[0119] Network node QQ300 includes processing circuitry QQ302, memory QQ304, communication interface QQ306, and power supply QQ308, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof. Network node QQ300 may consist of multiple physically separate components (e.g., node B components and RNC components, or BTS components and BSC components, etc.), each of which may have its own corresponding components. In some scenarios where network node QQ300 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of these separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC can control multiple node Bs. In such scenarios, each unique node B and RNC pair may be considered a single, independent network node in some instances. In some embodiments, network node QQ300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (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 QQ300 may also include a collection of various described components for integrating different wireless technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, RFID, or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within the network node QQ300.

[0120] The processing circuitry QQ302 may include: a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device or resource; or a combination of hardware, software, and / or coding logic operable to provide network node QQ300 functionality, either alone or in combination with other network node QQ300 components such as memory QQ304. For example, the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to cause the network node to perform actions as described in the reference. Figure 4 The method described.

[0121] In some embodiments, the processing circuit QQ302 includes a system-on-a-chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuit QQ302 includes one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit QQ312 and a baseband processing circuit QQ314. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit QQ312 and the baseband processing circuit QQ314 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit QQ312 and the baseband processing circuit QQ314 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0122] The memory QQ304 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., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drives, compact discs (CDs), or digital video discs (DVDs)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data, and / or instructions that can be used by the processing circuitry QQ302. The memory QQ304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including applications, software, computer programs, and / or other instructions that contain one or more of logic, rules, codes, tables, etc., and can be executed by the processing circuitry QQ302 and utilized by the network node QQ300. The memory QQ304 may be used to store any calculations performed by the processing circuitry QQ302 and / or any data received via the communication interface QQ306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 and the memory QQ304 are integrated.

[0123] A communication interface QQ306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks, and / or UEs. As illustrated, the communication interface QQ306 includes one or more ports / terminals QQ316 for transmitting data to and receiving data from the network, for example, via a wired connection. The communication interface QQ306 also includes a radio front-end circuit QQ318 that can be coupled to an antenna QQ310 or, in some embodiments, is part of the antenna QQ310. The radio front-end circuit QQ318 includes a filter QQ320 and an amplifier QQ322. The radio front-end circuit QQ318 can be connected to the antenna QQ310 and the processing circuit QQ302. The radio front-end circuit can be configured to modulate the signal transmitted between the antenna QQ310 and the processing circuit QQ302. The radio front-end circuit QQ318 can receive digital data to be transmitted to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit QQ318 can use a combination of the filter QQ320 and / or the amplifier QQ322 to convert the digital data into radio signals with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. Radio signals can then be transmitted via antenna QQ310. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna QQ310 can collect radio signals and then convert them into digital data via radio front-end circuitry QQ318. The digital data can then be passed to processing circuitry QQ302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0124] In some alternative embodiments, network node QQ300 does not include a separate radio front-end circuit QQ318; instead, processing circuitry QQ302 includes the radio front-end circuitry and is connected to antenna QQ310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 is part of communication interface QQ306. In other embodiments, communication interface QQ306 includes one or more ports or terminals QQ316, radio front-end circuitry QQ318, and RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and communication interface QQ306 communicates with baseband processing circuitry QQ314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0125] 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 decoupled from network node QQ300 and may be connected to network node QQ300 via an interface or port.

[0126] Antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or processing circuitry QQ302 can be configured to perform any receive operation and / or certain acquire operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals can be received from the UE, another network node, and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or processing circuitry QQ302 can be configured to perform any transmit operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals can be transmitted to the UE, another network node, and / or any other network device.

[0127] Power supply QQ308 provides power to the various components of network node QQ300 in a form suitable 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 power the components of network node QQ300 for performing the functionality described herein. For example, network node QQ300 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., mains, electrical outlet) via input circuitry or interface such as a cable, thereby supplying 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 can provide backup power in the event of an external power failure.

[0128] Implementations of the network node QQ300 may include, except Figure 3 Additional components beyond those shown herein are included to provide certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any of the functions described herein and / or any functions necessary to support the topics described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may include user interface devices to allow information to be input to and output from the network node QQ300. This allows the user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions for the network node QQ300.

[0129] Figure 10 A network node QQ700 according to some embodiments is illustrated. As used herein, a network node refers to a device capable of, configured, arranged, and / or operatively communicating directly or indirectly with a UE and / or other network nodes or devices in a telecommunications network. The network node QQ700 may serve as a core network node, a core network function, or more generally as a core network entity, as described above regarding... Figure 7The core network node QQ108 is described above. In this context, examples of network nodes include core network entities such as one or more of the following: Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier Dehiding Function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Agent (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Policy Control Function (PCF), and / or User Plane Function (UPF).

[0130] The network node QQ700 includes processing circuitry QQ702, memory QQ704, communication interface QQ706, and power supply QQ708, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof. The network node QQ700 can consist of multiple physically separate components, each with its own corresponding components. In some scenarios where the network node QQ700 includes multiple individual components, one or more individual components can be shared among several network nodes.

[0131] The processing circuitry QQ702 may include a microprocessor, controller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of one or more of hardware, software, and / or coding logic, operable individually or in conjunction with other network node QQ700 components (e.g., memory QQ704) and network node QQ700 functions. For example, the processing circuitry QQ702 may be configured to cause the network node to perform as described in the reference. Figure 4 The method described.

[0132] The memory QQ704 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including but not limited to persistent memory, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drives, optical discs (CDs), or digital video discs (DVDs)) and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data, and / or instructions usable by the processing circuitry QQ702. The memory QQ704 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including computer programs, software, and applications, including one or more of logic, rules, codes, tables, and / or other instructions executable by the processing circuitry QQ702 and usable by the network node QQ700. The memory QQ704 may be used to store any calculations performed by the processing circuitry QQ702 and / or any data received via the communication interface QQ706. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ702 and the memory QQ704 are integrated.

[0133] The QQ706 communication interface is used for wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks, and / or UEs.

[0134] 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 power the components of the network node QQ700 for performing the functions described herein. For example, the network node QQ700 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., mains, power outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as a cable, thereby supplying 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 can provide backup power in the event of an external power failure.

[0135] Implementation examples of the network node QQ700 may include Figure 5 Additional components beyond those shown may be used to provide certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any of the functions described herein and / or any functions required to support the topics described herein. For example, the network node QQ700 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input into and output from the network node QQ700. This allows users to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions on the network node QQ700.

[0136] Figure 6It is based on the various aspects described in this article, and may be Figure 8 A block diagram of host QQ400, an embodiment of host QQ116, is provided. As used herein, host QQ400 can be or includes various combinations of hardware and / or software, including standalone servers, blade servers, cloud-implemented servers, distributed servers, virtual machines, containers, or processing resources in a server farm. Host QQ400 can provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0137] The host QQ400 includes processing circuitry QQ402, which is operatively coupled via bus QQ404 to input / output interface QQ406, network interface QQ408, power supply QQ410, and memory QQ412. Other components may be included in other embodiments. These components may be characterized substantially similarly to those relating to... Figure 9 and Figure 9 The features described in the previous diagrams of the device make their description generally applicable to the corresponding components of the host QQ400.

[0138] The memory QQ412 may include one or more computer programs, which include one or more host applications QQ414 and data QQ416. Data QQ416 may include user data (e.g., data generated by the UE for the host QQ400 or data generated by the host QQ400 for the UE). Embodiments of the host QQ400 may utilize only a subset of the components shown or all of the components shown. The host application QQ414 may be implemented in a container-based architecture, and the host application QQ414 may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Universal Video Codec (VVC), High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC), Advanced Video Codec (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Codec (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including code conversion for multiple different categories, types, or implementations of the UE (e.g., mobile phone, desktop computer, wearable display system, head-up display system). The host application QQ414 may also provide user authentication and permission checks and may periodically report health, routing, and content availability to a central node (such as a device in the core network or at the edge). Therefore, the host QQ400 can select and / or instruct different hosts for the UE to use for overhead services. The host application QQ414 can support various protocols, such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), Real-time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), and HTTP-based Dynamic Adaptive Streaming (MPEG-DASH).

[0139] Figure 4This is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ500 that can virtualize functionality implemented by some embodiments. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of a device or apparatus that may include a virtualization hardware platform, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device or component thereof described herein and relates to the implementation of at least a portion of functionality as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functionality described herein can be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments QQ500 hosted by one or more hardware nodes, such as hardware computing devices operating as network nodes, UEs, core network nodes, or hosts. Furthermore, in embodiments where the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), the node can be fully virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment QQ500 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a service management and orchestration framework via an O-2 interface.

[0140] Running the application QQ502 (which may alternatively be referred to as a software instance, virtual device, network function, virtual node, virtual network function, etc.) in the virtualized environment QQ400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0141] The hardware QQ504 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, etc. The processing circuitry can execute software to instantiate one or more virtualization layers QQ506 (also referred to as a hypervisor or virtual machine monitor (VMM)), providing VMs QQ508a and QQ508b (one or more of which may be commonly referred to as VM QQ508), and / or performing any functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation to some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer QQ506 can present a virtual operating platform to the VM QQ508 that appears to be networked hardware.

[0142] VM QQ508 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage devices, and can run through the corresponding virtualization layer QQ506. Different embodiments of virtual device QQ502 instances can be implemented on one or more VM QQ508 instances, and can be implemented in different ways. Hardware virtualization is referred to as Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) in some contexts. NFV can be used to consolidate many types of network devices into industry-standard high-capacity server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage devices that can be located in data centers and customer premises.

[0143] In the context of NFV, a VM QQ508 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 QQ508, and the portion of the hardware QQ504 that executes that VM—whether it's hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with other VMs—forms an independent virtual network element. Still within the NFV context, the virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions running on one or more VM QQ508s on top of the hardware QQ504 and corresponds to the application QQ502.

[0144] The hardware QQ504 can be implemented in a standalone network node with general or specific components. The hardware QQ504 can utilize virtualization to achieve some of its functions. Alternatively, the hardware QQ504 can be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via a management and orchestration QQ510, which in particular oversees the lifecycle management of the application QQ502. In some embodiments, the hardware QQ504 is coupled to one or more radio units, each including 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 suitable network interfaces and can be combined 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 signaling; the control system QQ512 can alternatively be used for communication between the hardware nodes and the radio units.

[0145] Figure 5 A communication diagram is shown of host QQ602 communicating with UE QQ606 via a partial wireless connection through network node QQ604 according to some embodiments. Reference will now be made to... Figure 4 To describe the UEs discussed in the preceding paragraphs (such as...) Figure 6 UEQQ112a and / or Figure 4 UE QQ200), network nodes (such as Figure 7 Network node QQ110a and / or Figure 4 Network node QQ300) and host (such as ​ The host QQ116 and / or ​ Example implementations of the host QQ400 according to various embodiments.

[0146] Like the host QQ400, embodiments of the host QQ602 include hardware such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host QQ602 also includes software stored in or accessible by the host QQ602 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application operable to provide services to a remote user, such as a UE QQ606 connected via an over-the-top (OTT) connection QQ650 extending between the UE QQ606 and the host QQ602. When providing services to a remote user, the host application can provide user data transmitted using the OTT connection QQ650.

[0147] Network node QQ604 includes hardware that enables it to communicate with host QQ602 and UE QQ606. Connection to QQ604 can be direct or via a core network (like...). ​ The core network (similar to QQ106) and / or one or more other intermediate networks (such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks). For example, an intermediate network could be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0148] UE QQ606 includes hardware and software. The software is stored in or accessible by UE QQ606 and executable by the UE's processing circuitry. The software includes client applications, such as web browsers or carrier-specific "apps," operable to provide services to human or non-human users via UE QQ606 with the support of host QQ602. In host QQ602, the executing host application can communicate with the executing client application via OTT connection QQ650, which terminates at both UE QQ606 and host QQ602. When providing services to a user, the UE's client application can receive request data from the host application of the host and provide user data in response to the request data. OTT connection QQ650 can transmit both request data and user data. The UE's client application can interact with the user to generate the user data it provides to the host application via OTT connection QQ650.

[0149] The OTT connection QQ650 can be extended via connection QQ660 between host QQ602 and network node QQ604, and via wireless connection QQ670 between network node QQ604 and UE QQ606 to provide connectivity between host QQ602 and UE QQ606. The connection QQ660 and wireless connection QQ670, on which the OTT connection QQ650 can be provided, have been abstractly drawn to illustrate communication between host QQ602 and UE QQ606 via network node QQ604, without explicitly mentioning any intermediate devices or the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0150] As an example of data transmission 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 user data toward UE QQ606. Host QQ602 may initiate the transmission in response to a request transmitted by UE QQ606. The request may be triggered by human interaction with UE QQ606 or by an operation of a client application executed on UE QQ606. According to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the transmission may pass through network node QQ604. Therefore, in step QQ612, according to 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 QQ614, UE QQ606 receives user data carried in the transmission. The user data can be executed by a client application that is executed on UE QQ606 and associated with a host application executed by host QQ602.

[0151] In some examples, UE QQ606 executes a client application that provides user data to host QQ602. User data can be provided as a response to or in response to data received from host QQ602. Therefore, in step QQ616, UE QQ606 can provide user data, which can be done by executing the client application. When providing user data, the client application may also consider user input received from the user via the input / output interface of UE QQ606. Regardless of the specific manner in which user data is provided, UE QQ606 initiates a transmission of user data to host QQ602 via network node QQ604 in step QQ618. In step QQ620, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, network node QQ604 receives user data from UE QQ606 and initiates a transmission of the received user data to host QQ602. In step QQ622, host QQ602 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by UE QQ606.

[0152] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of the OTT service provided to the UE QQ606 using the OTT connection QQ650, wherein the wireless connection QQ670 forms the final segment. More specifically, the teachings of these embodiments can improve the observability of timing services provided by the communication network to the UE, and thus provide benefits such as enabling improved network optimization.

[0153] In the example scenario, host QQ602 can collect and analyze plant status information. As another example, host QQ602 can process audio and video data that may have been retrieved from the UE for mapping purposes. 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 video uploaded by the UE. As another example, host QQ602 can store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR, or AR, which it can broadcast, multicast, or unicast to the UE. As other examples, host QQ602 can be used for energy pricing, balancing power generation demand, location services, remote control of non-time-critical power loads (such as compiled graphs from data collected from remote devices), or any other function that collects, retrieves, stores, analyzes, and / or transmits data.

[0154] In some examples, the measurement process may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, latency, and other factors that improve one or more embodiments. In response to changes in the measurement results, optional network functions may also be available for reconfiguring the OTT connection QQ650 between host QQ602 and UE QQ606. The measurement process and / or network functions for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in the software and hardware of host QQ602 and / or UE QQ606. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with other devices traversed by OTT connection QQ650; the sensors may participate in the measurement process by providing values ​​of the monitored quantities illustrated above or by providing values ​​of other physical quantities that the software can calculate or estimate the monitored quantities from. Reconfiguration of OTT connection QQ650 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; reconfiguration does not require a direct change in the operation of network node QQ604. Such processes and functions are known and implemented in the art. In some embodiments, the measurement may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation time, latency, etc., by host QQ602. Measurement is possible because the software uses an OTT connection to QQ650 to transmit messages, especially empty or "fake" messages, while monitoring transmission time, errors, etc.

[0155] While the computing devices described herein (e.g., UE, network node, host) may include the hardware component combinations shown, other embodiments may include computing devices with different component combinations. It should be understood that these computing devices may include any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. The determination, calculation, acquisition, or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting acquired information into other information, comparing acquired or converted information with information stored in a network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired or converted information, and making a determination as a result of said processing. Furthermore, although components are depicted as a single box within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, a computing device may include multiple different physical components constituting a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between individual components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of a component may be partitioned between processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented in software or firmware, and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0156] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein may be provided by processing circuitry that executes instructions stored in memory, which in some embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on separate or discrete device-readable storage media, such as hardwired ones. In any of these particular embodiments, the processing circuitry may be configured to perform the described functions regardless of whether instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to individual processing circuitry or other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the entire computing device and / or by the end user and wireless network as a whole.

Claims

1. A method (100) performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: A report message (102) is transmitted to a first network node of the communication network, the report message including information related to the performance of the timing service provided by the communication network to the UE.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Collect information relating to the performance of the timing service provided by the communication network to the UE.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The information collected regarding the performance of the timing service includes at least one of the following: Perform a measurement procedure to measure the performance of the timing service; and The terminal application connected to the UE receives information related to the performance of the timing service.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The report message is transmitted to the first network node using Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein, The report message is a Minimized Drive Test (MDT) report.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The report message is transmitted to the first network node in the following manner: - regularly; - In response to the UE receiving a request from the communication network to transmit the report message to the first network node; and / or - In response to the occurrence of an event, wherein the occurrence of the event triggers the UE to transmit the report message to the first network node.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, The information related to the performance of the timing service can be used to determine the propagation delay associated with the timing service and / or the propagation delay compensation between the UE and the first network node.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein, The information relating to the performance of the timing service is related to the performance quality of the timing service.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein, The information relating to the performance of the timing service includes one or more of the following: - The internal timing accuracy of the UE; - An indication of the Quality of Service (QoS) or Quality of Experience (QoE) metric associated with the timed service; - An indication of the accuracy of the time information provided to the UE for QoS streaming and / or the timing service; - An indication of the phase stability and / or frequency stability of the timing service; - An indication that one or more requirements of the timing service provided to the UE have been met; - An indication that one or more requirements of the timing service provided to the UE have not been met; - An indication provided to the UE that one or more temporary interruptions have occurred in the timing service; - An indication that the timing service provided to the UE has experienced a permanent failure; - An indication of the confidence level of the UE in one or more estimates of the quality of the timing service; - An indication of the UE's location when a measurement procedure is performed to measure the performance of the timing service; - An indication of the time at which the UE performs the measurement procedure to measure the performance of the timing service; and - An indication of one or more radio channel conditions observed by the UE when performing a measurement procedure to measure the performance of the timing service.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein, The first network node is a Radio Access Network (RAN) node.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein, The scheduled service is: - Time as a Service (TaaS) service; - A timing service for ultra-reliable and low-latency communication URLLC; or - A timing service used for time-critical communication.

12. A method (200) performed by a first network node of a communication network, the method comprising: Obtain (202) information relating to the performance of timing services provided by the communication network to one or more UEs.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The information relating to the performance of the one or more timing services is forwarded to one or more network nodes in the communication network.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The one or more network nodes include: - One or more RAN nodes in the communication network; - One or more RAN nodes adjacent to the first network node; and - One or more core network (CN) nodes in the communication network.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12-14, wherein, The information relating to the performance of the one or more timing services includes at least one of the following: - Cell information updates transmitted during inter-node communication; - Resource information transmitted during inter-node communication; and - UE history information transmitted during mobility procedures.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12-15, further comprising: Based on the information relating to the performance of the one or more timing services, perform one or more actions related to the one or more timing services.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The one or more actions include any of the following actions: - Optimize the one or more timed services to meet one or more requirements of the one or more timed services; and - Interrupt one or more of the scheduled services.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12-17, wherein, Obtaining (202) the information relating to the performance of the one or more timing services includes at least one of the following: - Receive one or more report messages from the one or more UEs, wherein the one or more report messages include the information related to the performance of the one or more timing services; - Receive a report message from a second network node, wherein the report message includes information related to the performance of the one or more timing services; and - Perform a measurement procedure to measure the performance of the one or more timing services.

19. The method according to any one of claims 12-18, wherein, The report message is received by the first network node in the following manner: - regularly; - In response to the first network node sending a request to the second network node to cause the second network node to transmit the report message to the first network node; and - In response to the occurrence of an event, wherein the occurrence of the event triggers a second network node and / or one or more UEs to transmit the report message to the first network node.

20. The method according to any one of claims 12-19, wherein, The first network node is a Radio Access Network (RAN) node.

21. The method according to any one of claims 12-20, wherein, The scheduled service is: - Time as a Service (TaaS) service; - A timing service for ultra-reliable and low-latency communication URLLC; or - A timing service used for time-critical communication.

22. The method according to any one of claims 12-21, wherein, The information relating to the performance of the timing service can be used to determine one or more propagation delays associated with the one or more timing services and / or one or more propagation delay compensations between the one or more UEs and the first network node.

23. The method according to any one of claims 12-22, wherein, The information relating to the performance of the one or more timing services is related to the execution quality of the one or more timing services.

24. The method according to any one of claims 12-23, wherein, The information relating to the performance of the one or more timing services includes: - The internal timing accuracy of the UE; - An indication of the Quality of Service (QoS) metric or Quality of Experience (QoE) metric associated with the one or more of the scheduled services; - An indication of the accuracy of the time information provided to the one or more UEs or the second network node for QoS flow and / or the timing service; - An indication of the phase stability and / or frequency stability of the one or more timing services; - An indication that one or more requirements of the one or more timing services provided to the one or more UEs have been met; - An indication that one or more requests of the one or more timing services provided to the one or more UEs have not been met; - An indication provided to the one or more UEs that one or more timing services have experienced one or more temporary interruptions; - An indication provided to the one or more UEs that one or more timing services have experienced one or more permanent failures; - An indication of the confidence level of the one or more UEs or the second network node in one or more estimates of the quality of the one or more timing services; - An indication of the location of the one or more UEs when the one or more UEs perform a measurement procedure to measure the performance of the timing service; - An indication of the time at which the one or more UEs or the second network node perform the measurement procedure to measure the performance of the one or more timing services; - Indications of one or more radio channel conditions observed by the one or more UEs while performing a measurement procedure to measure the performance of the timing service; and - An indication of one or more radio channel conditions observed by the second network node when performing a measurement process to measure the performance of the one or more timing services.

25. The method according to any one of claims 12-24, wherein, The information relating to the performance of the one or more timing services is transmitted from the one or more UEs to the first network node using Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

26. The method according to any one of claims 12-25, wherein, In one or more Minimum Drive Test (MDT) reports, the information relating to the performance of the one or more timing services is transmitted from the one or more UEs to the first network node.

27. A method (300) performed by a second network node of a communication network, the method comprising: A (302) report message is transmitted to a first network node of the communication network, the report message including information related to the performance of one or more timing services provided by the communication network to one or more UEs.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising: Collect information relating to the performance of the one or more timing services provided by the communication network to the one or more UEs.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein, The information relating to the performance of the one or more timing services is collected from the application layer of the communication network.

30. The method according to any one of claims 28-29, wherein, While providing the one or more timing services to the one or more UEs, the information related to the performance of the one or more timing services is collected.

31. The method according to any one of claims 28-30, wherein, After ceasing to provide the one or more timing services to the one or more UEs, the information related to the performance of the one or more timing services is collected.

32. The method according to any one of claims 27-31, wherein, The report message is transmitted to the first network node in the following manner: - regularly; - In response to the second network node receiving a request from the communication network, the second network node transmits the report message to the first network node; and - In response to the occurrence of an event, wherein the occurrence of the event triggers the second network node to transmit the report message to the first network node.

33. The method according to any one of claims 27-32, wherein, The information relating to the performance of the timing service can be used to determine one or more propagation delays associated with the one or more timing services and / or one or more propagation delay compensations between the one or more UEs and the first network node.

34. The method according to any one of claims 27-33, wherein, The information relating to the performance of the one or more timing services is related to the execution quality of the one or more timing services.

35. The method according to any one of claims 27-34, wherein, The information relating to the performance of the timing service includes one or more of the following: - The internal timing accuracy of the UE; - An indication of Quality of Service (QoS) or Quality of Experience (QoE) associated with the one or more of the scheduled services; - An indication of the accuracy of the time information provided to the second network node for QoS flow and / or the one or more timing services; - An indication of the phase stability and / or frequency stability of the one or more timing services; - An indication that one or more requirements of the one or more timing services provided to the one or more UEs have been met; - An indication that one or more requests of the one or more timing services provided to the one or more UEs have not been met; - An indication provided to the one or more UEs that one or more timing services have experienced one or more temporary interruptions; - An indication provided to the one or more UEs that one or more timing services have experienced one or more permanent failures; - An indication of the confidence level of the second network node in one or more estimates of the quality of the one or more timing services; - The second network node performs a measurement process to indicate the time of measurement of the performance of the timing service; and - An indication of one or more radio channel conditions observed by the second network node when performing a measurement process to measure the performance of the one or more timing services.

36. The method according to any one of claims 27-35, wherein, The information relating to the performance of the timing service is specific to: - The one or more UEs; - One or more Packet Data Unit (PDU) sessions for the one or more UEs; - One or more Quality of Service (QoS) flows for one or more PDU sessions of the one or more UEs; or - UE group, wherein the UE group includes the one or more UEs.

37. The method according to any one of claims 27-36, wherein, The second network node is the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

38. The method according to any one of claims 27-37, wherein, The first network node is a Radio Access Network (RAN) node.

39. The method according to any one of claims 27-38, wherein, The one or more scheduled services are any one or more of the following: - Time as a Service (TaaS) service; - A timing service for ultra-reliable and low-latency communication URLLC; or - A timing service used for time-critical communication.

40. A computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method (100, 200, 300) according to any one of claims 1 to 39.

41. A carrier comprising the computer program according to claim 40, wherein, The carrier includes one of electronic signals, optical signals, radio signals, or computer-readable storage media.

42. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having thereon storing the computer program of claim 40.

43. An apparatus in a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor, such that the apparatus is operable to: A report message (102) is transmitted to a first network node of the communication network, including information relating to the performance of the timing service provided by the communication network to the UE.

44. The apparatus according to claim 43, wherein, The memory contains instructions executable by the processor, enabling the device to perform the method (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 11.

45. An apparatus in a first network node of a communication network, the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor, such that the apparatus is operable to: Obtain (202) information relating to the performance of timing services provided by the communication network to one or more UEs.

46. ​​The apparatus according to claim 45, wherein, The memory contains instructions executable by the processor, enabling the device to perform the method (200) according to any one of claims 13 to 26.

47. An apparatus in a second network node of a communication network, the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor, such that the apparatus is operable to: A (302) report message is transmitted to a first network node of the communication network, the report message including information relating to the performance of one or more timing services provided by the communication network to one or more UEs.

48. The apparatus according to claim 47, wherein, The memory contains instructions executable by the processor, enabling the device to perform the method (300) according to any one of claims 28 to 39.

49. An apparatus in a user equipment (UE), the apparatus being configured to: A report message (102) is transmitted to a first network node of the communication network, the report message including information related to the performance of the timing service provided by the communication network to the UE.

50. The apparatus according to claim 49, wherein, The apparatus is configured to perform the method (100) according to any one of claims 2 to 11.

51. An apparatus in a first network node of a communication network, the apparatus being configured to: Obtain (202) information relating to the performance of timing services provided by the communication network to one or more UEs.

52. The apparatus according to claim 51, wherein, The memory contains instructions executable by the processor, enabling the device to perform the method (200) according to any one of claims 13 to 26.

53. An apparatus in a second network node of a communication network, the apparatus being configured to: A (302) report message is transmitted to a first network node of the communication network, the report message including information relating to the performance of one or more timing services provided by the communication network to one or more UEs.

54. The apparatus according to claim 53, wherein, The apparatus is configured to perform the method (300) according to any one of claims 28 to 39.

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