Efficient handling of l4s traffic in non-3gpp access using cellular systems

Abstract

Various techniques for handling ECN traffic are disclosed. In the DL, an egress node can indicate to an ingress node the egress node's capability to support decapsulation. In response to the capability to decapsulate, the ingress node preserves the ECN marking via encapsulation translation from inner to outer. If there is no capability to decapsulate, the ingress node handles congestion by traditional mechanisms. The ingress node can receive an indication from a UE that the UE supports the capability to decapsulate, and mark packets toward the UE with respect to congestion. The UE determines that there is congestion from the packet marking, and notifies the App via an indication. The UL is essentially the reverse of the DL, and ECN traffic can be handled in both.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The examples of embodiments described herein generally relate to network communications, and more specifically, to low-latency, low-loss, scalable-throughput (L4S) traffic over both non-3GPP and cellular systems. Background Technology

[0002] L4S, or Low Latency, Low Loss, and Scalable Throughput, is a network technology standard designed to enhance the performance of internet traffic. L4S significantly reduces latency, a key factor for applications such as online gaming, video conferencing, and telemedicine. This enhancement results in smoother, more reliable real-time interactions. Furthermore, by achieving scalable throughput and advanced AQM (Active Queuing Management) techniques, L4S optimizes data flow, reducing congestion and packet loss even during periods of high traffic.

[0003] One feature of L4S is the Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) protocol, used for communication between network elements and hosts. This allows for the identification of L4S traffic, ensuring that such traffic receives the expected low-latency, low-loss service. L4S also allows for congestion resolution by utilizing Experienced Congestion (CE) code points to mark packets. For transport protocols that provide scalable congestion control, this provides feedback on the degree of CE marking on the forward path. This allows for congestion resolution.

[0004] There are still issues with applying L4S to cellular networks. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This section is intended to include examples, not to impose limitations.

[0006] In an exemplary embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising: for a user plane function connected to a cellular network and for flow positioning between the user plane function and a user equipment in the network, a non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more packets received through a first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function include at least encapsulated explicit congestion notification. Congestion notification marking; a non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses an encapsulated explicit congestion notification marking to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on at least one of one or more packets having an encapsulated explicit congestion notification marking; the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines whether the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to the explicit congestion notification; and performs one of the following: based on the user equipment supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends one or more packets with explicit congestion notification markings to the user equipment through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment; or based on the user equipment not supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, uses one or more mechanisms to resolve the congestion.

[0007] Additional exemplary embodiments include a computer program that includes instructions for performing the methods described in the preceding paragraph when the computer program is run on the device. The computer program according to this paragraph is a computer program product including a computer-readable medium carrying instructions embodied therein for use with the device. Another example is a computer program according to this paragraph in which the program can be directly loaded into the internal memory of the device.

[0008] An exemplary apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memories storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: For a user plane function connected to a cellular network and for a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity in the network for flow positioning between the user plane function and a user equipment, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to receive, through a first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function,... One or more packets include at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag; a non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of the one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag; the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines whether the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to the explicit congestion notification; and performs one of the following: based on the user equipment supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends one or more packets with an explicit congestion notification tag to the user equipment through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment; or based on the user equipment not supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, uses one or more mechanisms to resolve the congestion.

[0009] An exemplary computer program product includes a computer-readable storage medium carrying instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the following: for a user plane function connected to a cellular network and for a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity in the network for flow positioning between the user plane function and a user equipment, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more of the following are received through a first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function. Each packet includes at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag; a non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of the one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag; the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines whether the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to the explicit congestion notification; and performs one of the following: based on the user equipment supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends one or more packets with an explicit congestion notification tag to the user equipment through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment; or based on the user equipment not supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, uses one or more mechanisms to resolve the congestion.

[0010] In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus includes components for: for a user plane function connected to a cellular network and for flow positioning between the user plane function and a user equipment in the network, a non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more packets received through a first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function include at least the encapsulated explicit congestion notification. The congestion notification label is encapsulated by a non-3GPP intermediate network entity to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the presence of at least one of one or more packets with an encapsulated explicit congestion notification label. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines whether the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to the explicit congestion notification. Then, one of the following is performed: based on the user equipment supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends one or more packets with an explicit congestion notification label to the user equipment through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment; or based on the user equipment not supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, one or more mechanisms are used to resolve the congestion.

[0011] In an exemplary embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising: for a user plane function in a cellular network and connected to a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity, determining whether the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; determining, by the user plane function, that congestion has occurred using an explicit congestion notification tag in one or more packets received for forwarding to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; and performing one of the following: based on determining that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, sending one or more packets with an explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; or based on determining that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, resolving the congestion via one or more mechanisms.

[0012] Additional exemplary embodiments include a computer program that includes instructions for performing the methods described in the preceding paragraph when the computer program is run on the device. The computer program according to this paragraph is a computer program product including a computer-readable medium carrying instructions embodied therein for use with the device. Another example is a computer program according to this paragraph in which the program can be directly loaded into the internal memory of the device.

[0013] An exemplary apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: for a user plane function in a cellular network and connected to a non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the user plane function determines whether the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the user plane function determines that congestion has occurred using an explicit congestion notification tag in one or more packets received for forwarding to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; and performs one of the following: based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function sends one or more packets with an explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; or based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function resolves the congestion via one or more mechanisms.

[0014] An exemplary computer program product includes a computer-readable storage medium carrying instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: for a user plane function in a cellular network and connected to a non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the user plane function determines whether the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the user plane function determines that congestion has occurred using an explicit congestion notification tag in one or more packets received for forwarding to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; and performs one of the following: based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function sends one or more packets with an explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; or based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function resolves the congestion via one or more mechanisms.

[0015] In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus includes components for: determining, for a user plane function in a cellular network and connected to a non-3GPP intermediate network entity, whether the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; determining, by the user plane function, that congestion has occurred using an explicit congestion notification tag in one or more packets received for forwarding to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; and performing one of the following: based on determining that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, sending one or more packets with an explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; or based on determining that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, resolving the congestion via one or more mechanisms.

[0016] In an exemplary embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising: for a user equipment connected to a non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the user equipment sending an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the user equipment receiving one or more packets through a tunnel from the user equipment to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the one or more packets including at least an explicit congestion notification tag; the user equipment decapsulating the one or more packets; the user equipment using the decapsulated one or more packets to determine that congestion has occurred in the tunnel; and the user equipment sending an indication that congestion has occurred to an application to which the one or more packets are directed.

[0017] Additional exemplary embodiments include a computer program that includes instructions for performing the methods described in the preceding paragraph when the computer program is run on the device. The computer program according to this paragraph is a computer program product including a computer-readable medium carrying instructions embodied therein for use with the device. Another example is a computer program according to this paragraph in which the program can be directly loaded into the internal memory of the device.

[0018] An exemplary apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: for a user equipment connected to a non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the user equipment sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the user equipment receives one or more packets through a tunnel from the user equipment to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the one or more packets including at least an explicit congestion notification tag; the user equipment decapsulates the one or more packets; the user equipment uses the decapsulated one or more packets to determine that congestion has occurred in the tunnel; and the user equipment sends an indication that congestion has occurred to an application to which the one or more packets are directed.

[0019] An exemplary computer program product includes a computer-readable storage medium carrying instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: for a user equipment connected to a non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the user equipment sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the user equipment receives one or more packets through a tunnel from the user equipment to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the one or more packets including at least an explicit congestion notification flag; the user equipment decapsulates one or more packets; the user equipment uses the decapsulated one or more packets to determine that congestion has occurred in the tunnel; and the user equipment sends an indication that congestion has occurred to an application to which the one or more packets are directed.

[0020] In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus includes components for: for a user equipment connected to a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity, the user equipment sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the user equipment receives one or more packets through a tunnel from the user equipment to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the one or more packets including at least an explicit congestion notification tag; the user equipment decapsulates the one or more packets; the user equipment uses the decapsulated one or more packets to determine that congestion has occurred in the tunnel; and the user equipment sends an indication that congestion has occurred to an application to which the one or more packets are directed.

[0021] In an exemplary embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising: for a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity connected to a user plane function in a cellular network and for flow positioning between a user equipment and the user plane function in the network, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the indication to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more packets received through a first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment include at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification mark. Note: A non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag; the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines whether the user plane function supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notification; and performs one of the following: based on the user plane function supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends one or more packets with explicit congestion notification tags to the user plane function through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function; or based on the user plane function not supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, uses one or more mechanisms to resolve the congestion.

[0022] Additional exemplary embodiments include a computer program that includes instructions for performing the methods described in the preceding paragraph when the computer program is run on the device. The computer program according to this paragraph is a computer program product including a computer-readable medium carrying instructions embodied therein for use with the device. Another example is a computer program according to this paragraph in which the program can be directly loaded into the internal memory of the device.

[0023] An exemplary apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: For a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity connected to a user plane function in a cellular network and for flow positioning between a user equipment and the user plane function in the network, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an instruction to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the instruction to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to establish a first tunnel connection between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment. The received one or more packets include at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag; a non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of the one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag; the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines whether the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and performs one of the following: based on the user plane function supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends one or more packets with explicit congestion notification tags to the user plane function through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function; or based on the user plane function not supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, uses one or more mechanisms to resolve the congestion.

[0024] An exemplary computer program product includes a computer-readable storage medium carrying instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the following: For a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity connected to a user plane function in a cellular network and for flow positioning between a user equipment and the user plane function in the network, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an instruction to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends an instruction to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines one or more packets received through a first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment. The method includes at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag; a non-3GPP intermediate network entity using the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on at least one of one or more packets having an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag; the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determining whether the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and performing one of the following: based on the user plane function supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sending one or more packets with an explicit congestion notification tag to the user plane function through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function; or based on the user plane function not supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, using one or more mechanisms to resolve the congestion.

[0025] In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus includes components for: for a user plane function connected to a cellular network and for flow positioning between a user equipment and the user plane function in the network, a non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; sends the indication to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and determines that one or more packets received through a first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment include at least a decapsulated explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag; the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines whether the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and performs one of the following: based on the user plane function supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends one or more packets with explicit congestion notification tags to the user plane function through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function; or based on the user plane function not supporting decapsulation and determining that congestion has occurred, uses one or more mechanisms to resolve the congestion.

[0026] In an exemplary embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising: for a user plane function connected to a non-3GPP intermediate network entity in a cellular network, sending an indication from the user plane function to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; receiving from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity one or more packets having an explicit congestion notification tag by the user plane function; performing decapsulation of the one or more packets by the user plane function to determine that the explicit congestion notification tag is in the one or more packets; and sending to a destination one or more packets having a tag indicating that congestion has occurred.

[0027] Additional exemplary embodiments include a computer program that includes instructions for performing the methods described in the preceding paragraph when the computer program is run on the device. The computer program according to this paragraph is a computer program product including a computer-readable medium carrying instructions embodied therein for use with the device. Another example is a computer program according to this paragraph in which the program can be directly loaded into the internal memory of the device.

[0028] An exemplary apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: for a user plane function connected to a non-3GPP intermediate network entity in a cellular network, sending an indication from the user plane function supporting decapsulation for explicit congestion notification to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; receiving one or more packets with explicit congestion notification tags from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; performing decapsulation of the one or more packets to determine that the explicit congestion notification tag is in the one or more packets; and sending one or more packets with tags indicating that congestion has occurred to a destination.

[0029] An exemplary computer program product includes a computer-readable storage medium carrying instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: for a user plane function connected to a non-3GPP intermediate network entity in a cellular network, the user plane function sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the user plane function receives one or more packets with explicit congestion notification tags from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; the user plane function performs decapsulation of the one or more packets to determine that the explicit congestion notification tag is in the one or more packets; and the user plane function sends one or more packets with tags indicating that congestion has occurred to a destination.

[0030] In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus includes components for: sending an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, for a user plane function connected to a non-3GPP intermediate network entity in a cellular network; receiving one or more packets with explicit congestion notification tags from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; performing decapsulation of the one or more packets to determine that the explicit congestion notification tag is in the one or more packets; and sending one or more packets with tags indicating that congestion has occurred to a destination, for a user plane function connected to a non-3GPP intermediate network entity in a cellular network; performing decapsulation of the one or more packets by the user plane function to determine that the explicit congestion notification tag is in the one or more packets; and sending one or more packets with tags indicating that congestion has occurred to a destination, for a user plane function connected to a non-3GPP intermediate network entity in a cellular network.

[0031] In an exemplary embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising: for a user equipment connected to a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity, the user equipment receiving from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity an indication that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for an explicit congestion notification; the user equipment determining that congestion has occurred for one or more packets; and the user equipment sending one or more packets marked with an explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

[0032] Additional exemplary embodiments include a computer program that includes instructions for performing the methods described in the preceding paragraph when the computer program is run on the device. The computer program according to this paragraph is a computer program product including a computer-readable medium carrying instructions embodied therein for use with the device. Another example is a computer program according to this paragraph in which the program can be directly loaded into the internal memory of the device.

[0033] An exemplary apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: for a user equipment connected to a non-3GPP intermediate network entity, receiving from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity an indication that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; determining that congestion has occurred for one or more packets; and sending one or more packets marked with an explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

[0034] An exemplary computer program product includes a computer-readable storage medium carrying instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the following: for a user equipment connected to a non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the user equipment receives from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity an indication that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; the user equipment determines that congestion has occurred for one or more packets; and the user equipment sends one or more packets marked with an explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

[0035] In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus includes components for: receiving, for a user equipment connected to a non-3GPP intermediate network entity, an indication from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; determining, for one or more packets, that congestion has occurred; and sending, for the user equipment to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, one or more packets marked with an explicit congestion notification tag. Attached Figure Description

[0036] The accompanying drawings use reference numerals, where the same reference numerals can always be used to refer to the same parts, but parts with the same reference numerals may differ in operation and function. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating a congestion scenario in the downlink; Figure 1AThis is a block diagram illustrating a congestion scenario in the downlink when implementing the exemplary embodiments described herein; Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating the ECN-Decap capability indication exchange in a common scenario with inlet and outlet interfaces of a tunnel; Figure 3 This is a block diagram illustrating the ECN-Decap capability indication when an NWu / NWt network is congested in a specific n3GPP (un)trusted NW; Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating the ECN-Decap capability indication when the N3 network is congested in the n3GPP transmission NW; Figure 5 This is a block diagram illustrating the ECN-Decap capability indication in the uplink for L4S traffic; Figure 6 This is a signaling diagram illustrating the L4S mechanism for trusted / untrusted non-3GPP access N3IN; and Figure 7 This is a block diagram of a possible, non-limiting, exemplary system in which exemplary embodiments can be practiced. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The abbreviations that can be found in the specification and / or drawings are defined at the end of the detailed description section below.

[0038] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. All embodiments described in this detailed description are exemplary embodiments provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use these examples.

[0039] When more than one figure reference number, word or acronym is used with " / " in this specification, and generally as used in this specification, " / " can be interpreted as "or", "and" or "both". As used herein, "at least one of the following: " and "at least one of " and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements is connected by "and" or "or", indicates at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0040] As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that, when used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes,” and / or “including” specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0041] Note that words or phrases in uppercase and lowercase are considered the same in this article. For example, the word "slice" and "slice" are the same, as are the phrases "Network Repository Function" and "network repository function".

[0042] Any flowchart or signaling diagram herein is considered a logic flowchart and illustrates the operation of exemplary methods, the results of execution of computer program instructions embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, functions executed by logic implemented in hardware, and / or interconnecting components for performing functions according to exemplary embodiments. Block diagrams (such as...) Figure 7 The diagrams also illustrate the operation of exemplary methods, the results of execution of computer program instructions embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, functions performed by logic implemented in hardware, and / or interconnecting components for performing functions according to exemplary embodiments. For methods, flowcharts, and signaling diagrams, the order of method steps, blocks in the flow, or signaling is not critical but merely illustrative.

[0043] This section provides technical context for understanding the examples. These examples involve how information (particularly packets) travels through the cellular network, partially via non-3GPP intermediate network nodes, to network portions outside the cellular network, such as Wi-Fi. This also involves the protocol stack, with the highest layer typically being the application layer, supporting applications such as web browsers, video, extended reality, etc., and the lowest layer being the physical layer (PHY) that performs the actual transmission and reception of information such as packets. The examples also involve the application of L4S in networks involving cellular networks (particularly the core network), and a review of the L4S concept is helpful.

[0044] For example, one applicable service is L4S. If a configured policy threshold is exceeded, the L4S service allows network administrators to configure their routers to label packets based on CE (Experiencing Congestion). L4S-Prague compatible transport / higher layers can then infer congestion levels by the ratio of normal packets to CE-labeled packets and thus be able to reduce transmission rates accordingly. During normal operation, this method can completely avoid packet drop caused by congestion and maintain high utilization and low latency.

[0045] Another related topic is ECN tagging for L4S traffic. ECN stands for Experiential Congestion Notification, and this is implemented as an algorithm. This algorithm has only one responsibility: to notify the sender of the congestion forming at the router. Therefore, ECN is a congestion notification or congestion signaling algorithm, and congestion can be notified using experienced congestion (CE) tags (e.g., code points). ECN notifies the sender of congestion, allowing appropriate measures to be taken (e.g., reducing the data generated by the application and the resulting transmission rate) to avoid congestion. Because congestion is also widely interpreted as the rate at which an application receives packets exceeding the rate expected by the node's policy, this algorithm can be used to control the application's rate to match the node's policy, even if the node is not in a "congested" state.

[0046] Version 18 contains KI#3, a 3GPP SA2 study on XRM (Extended Reality and Media Services). For this KI, in order to support Extended Reality (XR) in 3GPP networks, Version 18 SA2 has studied mechanisms to enable codec / rate adaptation to meet the service requirements in KI 3 of 3GPP TS 23.700-60. Phase 2 conclusions of KI#3 yielded two options.

[0047] According to the conclusion of TR 23.700-60, congestion information can be sent back to the application (for rate adaptation) in two ways as follows.

[0048] 1) Option 1 (by enabling L4S): 5G systems can use ECN tags for L4S purposes—low latency, low loss, and scalable throughput services for uplink and / or downlink QoS flows—via one of the following methods: Explicit QoS flow level indications can be provided to PSAUPF to enable ECN tags for L4S purposes.

[0049] a) Method 1: In order to support L4S, NG-RAN performs ECN marking on the uplink and downlink in the IP layer of the received packets.

[0050] Note 1: The criteria by which the RAN determines when to implement a label (e.g., its congestion level) depend on the RAN implementation.

[0051] b) Method 2: PSA UPF performs ECN marking on the uplink and downlink IP layers of received packets based on the latest congestion information reported from NG-RAN via the GTP-U header. PSA UPF stops ECN marking when there is no congestion / congestion ends.

[0052] 2) Option 2 (via API-based openness): 5G systems can also support opening congestion level information to AF via API.

[0053] Another topic is the new research on XRM in 3GPP SA2 Rel 19. The newly approved SID, entitled "XRM Ph2 Architecture Enhancement Research" (SP-231198), includes the following non-3GPP aspects to be studied as part of Rel-19: WT#3 is further enhanced to support XR based on non-3GPP access.

[0054] WT#3.1 investigates how to support non-3GPP access networks and intermediate 5GS nodes (N3IWF, TNGF, and W-AGF) in performing ECN tagging for L4S.

[0055] - Support L4S in untrusted / trusted access (e.g., N3IWF, TNGF).

[0056] - Support L4S in wired access (e.g., W-AGF).

[0057] More details about the control plane protocol stack are now provided. At the end of the registration process, a signaling IPsec SA is established between the UE and the N3IWF. Afterward, the UE transmits NAS mobility and session management messages through the internal IP layer and the signaling IPsec SA. IPsec tunnel mode is used for the signaling SA to protect and encrypt the raw IP signaling packets and the port numbers used for communication with such IP packets.

[0058] Regarding the User Plane (U-plane) protocol stack, the U-plane protocol stack involves protocols used in the UE, WLAN (e.g., access point), N3IWF, and UPF for transmitting UP traffic between the UE and the data network. IPsec tunneling mode is used in the established sub-SA to protect and encrypt raw IP user data packets and the port numbers used for communication of such IP packets.

[0059] Regarding internal and external IP header processing, in non-3GPP interfaces such as N3IWF / TNGF, IP-to-IP layer protocol conversion may be required. The UPF's internal IP layer packets (e.g., header information) need to be encrypted / encapsulated into external IP layer packets at the N3IWF, and the N3IWF needs to decrypt / decapsulate the header information. Encapsulation / decapsulation uses IETF RFC 3819: B. Briscoe and J. Kaippallimalil, "Guidance for adding congestion notification to protocols encapsulating IP," draft-ietf-tsvwg-ecn-encap-guidelines-22, December 5, 2023.

[0060] According to the Rel 19 research task, L4S-specific enhancements will be applied to non-3GPP access nodes such as N3IWF, TNGF, or W-AGF when congestion occurs in those intermediate nodes.

[0061] Note that throughout the rest of this description, the term Non-3GPP Intermediate Node (N3IN) is used to refer to all three intermediate access nodes: N3IWF, TNGF, and W-AGF. N3IWF, TNGF, and W-AGF are not typical access nodes. These nodes can also be designated as “Non-3GPP Intermediate Network Entities.” For example, consider N3IWF. Consider untrusted Wi-Fi (e.g., 802.11) access, as most UEs have both a 3GPP radio interface and a Wi-Fi interface. Untrusted refers to the fact that non-3GPP access (i.e., Wi-Fi access points) is assumed to be not managed by the same operator as the 5G network: for example, access to an airport hotspot or a private home Wi-Fi router. For this purpose, an end-to-end secure association is established between the UE and N3IWF, regardless of which is established in Layer 2 access. N3IWF is responsible for “adapting” the access and authentication protocols of the non-3GPP Wi-Fi portion toward the 5GC, thus interfacing with the 5GC in the same role as the RAN (i.e., enabling N2 and N3). Simultaneously, TNGF provides trusted Wi-Fi. That is, in a trusted Wi-Fi scenario, the access function is referred to as the Trusted Non-3GPP Access Network (TNAN). TNAN is divided into two parts: Trusted Non-3GPP Access Point Function (TNAP) and Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function (TNGF), with TNGF interfacing with 5GC. Other types of access, different from Wi-Fi, have been defined, particularly with reference to fixed access represented by home broadband modems. The same approach can be extended to other fixed access technologies, including satellite-based technologies. In this case, a new Wired 5G Access Network (W-5GAN) gateway function is defined in the core network. W-5GAN includes the Wired Access Gateway Function (W-AGF), which is equivalent to TNGF in terms of its functionality and interface / relationship with CN. W-AGF is part of the terrestrial core ISP infrastructure and connects to the core network, thus implementing the N2 / N3 interface. This can also be accessed via 3GPP to the core network.

[0062] Whether a node is 3GPP or non-3GPP can be determined by the Radio Access Technology (RAT) being used. The RAT type identifies the transmission technology used for both 3GPP and non-3GPP access in the access network, such as NR (3GPP), NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things) (non-3GPP), untrusted non-3GPP (non-3GPP), trusted non-3GPP (non-3GPP), trusted IEEE 802.11 non-3GPP access (non-3GPP), wired (non-3GPP), wired-cable (non-3GPP), wired-BBF (Broadband Forum) (non-3GPP), etc. Furthermore, 3GPP RATs are defined by one or more 3GPP TSs, while non-3GPP RATs are not defined by one or more 3GPP TSs. More specifically, the following types of non-3GPP access networks are defined: untrusted non-3GPP access networks; trusted non-3GPP access networks; and wired access networks. See Clause 4.2.8.0 of 3GPP TS 23.501, and more generally see Clause 4.2.8.

[0063] When 5G traffic is transmitted via a non-3GPP intermediate access node (such as N3IWF, TNGF, or W-AGF), two separate IP tunnels are created in the downlink (DL) direction: (1a) between the UPF and N3IN, and (1b) between the N3IN and the UE. Similarly, for uplink (UL) traffic, two IP tunnels are created in the uplink (UL) direction: (2a) between the UE and N3IN, and (2b) between the N3IN and the UPF.

[0064] In DL, according to the IETF RFC (see the "Guidance for Adding Congestion Notification to Protocols Encapsulating IP" cited above), UPF 99-1 should first encapsulate the inner IP header ECN tag (and any other possible header information) into its outer header (tunnel IP header). When N3IN receives the IP header, N3IN may or may not be able to decapsulate the encapsulated ECN tag. This is valid for both tunnel scenarios (tunnels 1a and 1b), see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 1 . Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating a congestion scenario in the downlink. The diagram includes UE 10, N3IN 210, UPF 99-1, and source (Src) 220, all within network (NW) 100. Figure 1As shown, experiencing congestion 230 can occur in any queue, such as at the exit of the UPF (see Experiencing Congestion 230-1) or the exit of the N3 link (via tunnel 1a 145) (see Experiencing Congestion 230-2) or N3IN 230-3 (see Experiencing Congestion 230-3). This example involves an inner portion 110, which uses an inner IP header that may have an ECN tag, and an outer portion 120 with an outer IP header. It should be noted that the inner portion will also be referred to as "internal" in this document, and the outer portion will also be referred to as "outer" in this document. Assume that IP layer 102 tags packet 105, where the packet is tagged with an ECN tag in the inner IP header to indicate k% (k percentage), and k is some percentage, such as 20 as a non-limiting example. UPF99-1 performs encapsulation 130 to convert from the inner IP header to an outer IP header for tunnel 1a 145. There is also a transition from tunnel 1a 145 to tunnel 1b 155 at N3IN 210. Note that there is a Wi-Fi AP (access point) 160 between N3IN 210 and UE 10, but this is not in a 3GPP scenario, so it is not considered here.

[0065] Therefore, in order to perform a smooth transition (encapsulation / decapsulation) of ECN tags between tunnels 145 and 155, the source of the tunnel (e.g., the UPF for the first DL tunnel (1a 145) and the N3IN for the second tunnel (1b 155)) should ensure that the receiving end of the tunnel (e.g., the N3IN for the first tunnel (1a 145) and the UE for the second tunnel (1b 155)) can decapsulate the ECN tags. If the N3IN cannot correctly ECN-Decapsulate (ECN decapsulation, denoted as decapsulation 140) the external CE tag into the internal IP.ECN header, the ECN tag will be lost. This typically results in a fallback to normal congestion handling mechanisms, as shown in box 150, where, without decapsulation 140, the N3IN resolves congestion via several normal mechanisms such as dropping packets. Therefore, without ensuring this support, upstream nodes involved in the ECN mechanism (e.g., UPF, AF, etc.) may be unaware of this and assume the L4S mechanism is working correctly, when in reality the L4S mechanism has been interrupted midway, and in actual congestion, the expected rate control may not be applied at the source. This will have further negative impacts on network resources, application QoS / QoE, etc. Similar issues may exist in the uplink direction.

[0066] Therefore, there are issues associated with the implementation using the L4S mechanism.

[0067] The examples in this article at least address these issues. Consider... Figure 1A , Figure 1AThis is a block diagram illustrating a congestion scenario in the downlink when implementing exemplary embodiments of this document. In this example, in block 130-1, the UPF receives or does not receive an indication from the N3IN that the N3IN supports ECN-decap. In response to reception, the UPF 99-1 maintains the tag via encapsulation to the outer part 120, or in response to no reception, the UPF 99-1 does not maintain the tag while performing encapsulation to the outer part 120. In block 150-1, the N3IN 210 receives or does not receive an indication from the UE that ECN-decap support is supported; if supported, the N3IN performs decapsulation and tags the packet to the UE; if no ECN-decap support is supported, the N3IN resolves congestion via (multiple) conventional mechanisms (e.g., dropping packets or forwarding packets without ECN tags). In one example, the N3IN (which may be the same node but in a different layer) receives a packet, reads its header, and forwards the packet to the UE by placing another header on top. One technique for marking packets is to read the tags from the incoming packets and then copy and mark those packets in the overlay header.

[0068] Assuming N3IN 210 supports ECN-decapsulation, the UPF subsequently maintains the ECN tag via encapsulation of the external IP header, and N3IN receives packets with the encapsulated ECN tag via encapsulation of the external IP header. After decapsulation, N3IN (e.g., the ECN portion of the same N3IN) tags DL packets based on the received ECN decapsulation support indication. In box 170, the UE determines congestion based on the tagged DL packets and notifies the App (Application 125) via one or more indications. The packet flow is directed to App 125 in the DL. In box 180, Application (App) 125 receives the congestion indication(s) and adjusts accordingly; for example, as an example, App 125 reports back to App 135. Other examples include App 125 adjusting its request to request less data.

[0069] More specifically, one example in this article is the introduction of support for ECN encapsulation / decapsulation capability indicators between the UE and the network.

[0070] 1) The L4S-ID consists of two code points, both of which identify the L4S packet. One value indicates the CE state, and the other value indicates the non-CE state of the packet. The unique L4S-ID of the IP layer is IP.ECN=0x01 / mask=0x01 (mapped to the ECN code point ECT_1==L4S_ID==0x01 and CE=0x03).

[0071] 2) For downlink (and also applicable to UL) L4S QoS traffic, an L4S ID, in addition to the IP.ECN code point, is created during encapsulation and included in the outer header to distinguish L4S traffic in tunnel traffic based on the IP.ECN code point of the AF / application. This proxy-L4S.Id helps differentiate between L4S and non-L4S traffic (possible QoS flows include a mixture of L4S and non-L4S traffic).

[0072] 3) For end-to-end processing of L4S IDs, each intermediate NF and node should carry the code point in a consistent manner (it needs to maintain its meaning throughout the network even when remapped to other values ​​on the way, and only allow conversions from L4S-ID / non-CE to L4S-ID / CE). Here, the term "consistent manner" means that each intermediate node should support the same L2QoS code point; for example, DSCP or PCP (802.1p) or VLAN or DEI code points can be configured on each intermediate node, which will be the additional or alternative classifier / CE tag carrier across the network. Therefore, the CE tag will be forwarded in a consistent manner.

[0073] Several exemplary embodiments are now described: Embodiment 1—Downlink Encap-Decap Support Processing; Embodiment 1a—Downlink Encap-Decap Support Processing Below the IP Layer (i.e., L2 Layer); and Embodiment 2—Uplink Encap-Decap Support Processing. The embodiments are not limited to these.

[0074] First, we describe Example 1—Downlink Encap-Decap support processing. In this example, the ingress node ensures that the corresponding egress node of the tunnel will propagate any congestion notifications added to the external header along the path.

[0075] If the tunnel's exit node can support the eventual decapsulation of collected ECN-CE markers (e.g., CE code points) into the inner IP header (possibly via several intermediate steps and possibly by the same or subsequent nodes), then the ingress node should encapsulate the ECN field information from the inner IP packet into the outer IP packet. Otherwise, the outer IP header ECN field can be set to 0x00 (not-ECT code point) by the ingress node. If the application does not support L4S, the inner IP.ECN field will already have a value of 0x00.

[0076] In the DL direction, N3IN indicates ECN-Decap support to the UPF / SMF. N3IN can indicate this support indication in the GTP-U message to the UPF or in the N2 message to the SMF.

[0077] Similarly, UE 10 should indicate ECN-Decap support to N3IN in the IPsec SA signaling.

[0078] For example, when congestion exists within the N3IN itself (e.g., in the NWu / NWt interface or in the processing CPU or internal application queue) and the N3IN can directly set the internal IP.ECN field to the CE code point, then the UE's decapsulation function is not required; only L4S support is needed, as can be seen from the presence of the L4S-ID in the internal IP.ECN field. If the UE supports decapsulation, the N3IN can set either the internal or external IP.ECN, or both, to the CE code point.

[0079] For example, consider Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating ECN-Decap capability indication switching in a common scenario with ingress and egress interfaces having tunnels. Note that reference numeral 145 is shown for tunnel 1a and reference numeral 155 for tunnel 1b, but tunnels are not shown in this or subsequent diagrams. The diagram uses source (Src) 220, ingress node 330, egress node 340, and destination 350. When congestion exists in NWu / NWt access (where NWu (untrusted) / NWt (trusted) is the interface used for non-3GPP access (e.g., WLAN / Wi-Fi)), as... Figure 2 The network shown can address this issue via ECN-Decap support information from the UE (e.g., Dest 350): {ECN_decap = Yes / No} (see reference numeral 360), which will be known to N3IN (e.g., egress node 340). In this example, the UE supports decapsulation (e.g., Destination 350), and N3IN (as egress node 340) sets the external IP.ECN to L4S-ID (information copied from the internal IP.ECN field: L4S-ID). In this case, congestion within the NWu / NWt itself can be reported by setting the external IP.ECN to CE (because the internal is inaccessible due to encryption). The UE's decapsulation capability will ensure that the CE tag becomes visible to the application by copying the CE to the internal IP.ECN field. Box 380 indicates that ECN-encapsulation is performed by ingress 330 if ECN-decap from egress 340 is true. That is, in block 390, in response to the UE indicating that it supports ECN-decap, egress 340 sends an indication 360 of its support for ECN-decap to ingress 330. In block 391, in response to the egress indicating that it supports ECN-decap (e.g., ECN-decap = True), ingress 330 maintains the ECN tag via an internal-to-external encapsulation conversion.

[0080] Similarly, such as Figure 3As shown, when N3IN has L4S decapsulation capability, congestion in the N3 transport network can be handled when the L4S capability is visible. This example includes UE 10, N3IN 210 (e.g., one of N3IWF or TNGF), UPF 99-1, and DN91. If ECN-Decap support for N3IN is known, UPF 99-1 can directly handle internal UPF congestion or congestion on the interface toward its N3 link in the internal IP.ECN and / or external IP.ECN fields (see Experienced Congestion 230). In this example, the UE sends Instruction 410-1 to N3IN 210 indicating that UE 10 has ECN-decap capability, and N3IN 210 sends Instruction 410-2 to UE 10 indicating that N3IN 210 has ECN-decap capability.

[0081] This allows UE 10 to execute box 470, where the UE sends an indication to N3IN that it has ECN-decap capability, and the UE can execute box 170 (the UE determines that there is congestion due to packet marking and notifies the App via indication(s)). In box 450, N3IN receives the indication of ECN-decap support from the UE; performs decapsulation (in response to ECN-decap support = true in 380-1); and also sends the indication of ECN-decap support to the UPF. In box 491, in response to the outgoing indication that it supports ECN-decap (e.g., ECN-decap = true in 380-2), the UPF maintains the ECN mark via an internal-to-external encapsulation transformation.

[0082] Notice, Figure 3 The interface 493 between N3IN 210 and UE 10 is an NWu / NWt interface, and the N3 network 495 is shown as a 3GPP network (e.g., part of a 3GPP network). Figure 4 This illustrates the case where interface 494 is an NR-Uu interface, which is typically used for 3GPP access (between the RAN and UE), but here it is used for a non-3GPP access interface. That is, Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating, at least via NR-Uu 494, an indication of ECN-Decap capability when the N3 network 495 experiences congestion in an n3GPP (non-3GPP) transmission NW (corresponding to experienced congestion 230). In block 450-1, N3IN 210 sends an indication of ECN-decap support to the UPF and performs decapsulation. In block 491-1, in response to N3IN indicating its support for ECN-decap (e.g., in 380, ECN-decap=true), the UPF maintains the ECN tag via an inside-out encapsulation transition.

[0083] Another example relates to Implementation 1a—downlink encapsulation-decapsulation support processing below the IP layer (i.e., L2 layer). If the tunneling protocol is not IP-based, or the transport or access NW does not support IP, a Layer 2 (e.g., Layer 2 for WLAN or Ethernet) QoS mechanism can be used to classify L4S traffic (e.g., traffic with ECN tags). The L4S-ID and CE code points are defined / configurable by the operator for VLAN or PCP (802.1p bits) and optionally for the DEI value in the underlying NW configuration. Additionally, extra DSCP code points can be configured, which may be useful for the operator and can serve as another potential additional or alternative classifier / CE tag carrier. For example, consider the following: 1) A static configuration (operator-configurable mapping or implementation-specific mapping) should exist in the intermediate transmission nodes to map IP.ECN L4S_ID (which also includes CE) to L2.PCP code points, and when a packet with L2.PCP == CE is received (re-marked from L2.PCP == L4S_ID to L2.PCP == CE by the intermediate NW node), this L2.PCP == CE should be set in IP.ECN. Similarly, L2.VLAN code points can also be used in this mapping. Alternatively, if L2.DEI is used to indicate non-CE or CE, a single L4S-ID value can be used.

[0084] 2) Similarly, IP.ECN L4S_ID (which also includes CE) can be mapped to IP.DSCP code points in the IP tunnel network, and when a packet with IP.DSCP == CE is received (re-marked from IP.DSCP == L4S_ID to IP.DSCP == CE by the intermediate NW node), it can be set in IP.ECN.

[0085] In one alternative approach, the egress node advertises its ECN-Decapsulation capability and the supported L2 QoS fields in {ECN-Decap-capability-set} via user plane signaling (e.g., during N3 GTP-U tunnel establishment). For example, the ECN-Decap capability set could be {ECN_decap = Yes; DSCP (PCP / 802.1p DEI) mapped to CE == Yes}. If the ingress node knows that the transport egress node can support ECN_Decap and that the L2 / L3 QoS code points correspond to CE, the ingress node should encapsulate the ECN field information from the internal IP packets into the external IP packets received by the egress node. In this way, (multiple) CE code points are not lost, and (multiple) CE code points are retained E2E. That is, the same L2 QoS code points (e.g., DSCP, PCP (802.1p), VLAN, or DEI code points) are sent by the ingress node 330 and received by the egress node 340.

[0086] In an alternative approach, the ingress node needs to verify E2E ECN CE retention capability using its configured L4S-CE codepoint by setting the codepoint on the initial packet. A capable egress node will verify that the initial packet contains a locally configured L4S-CE codepoint, and if it can guarantee propagation toward the internal IP.ECN field (possibly via other codepoints mapped to cause IP.ECN updates at other nodes along the path), the egress node will send an acknowledgment response to the ingress node indicating CE receipt. The ingress node only activates the encapsulation function upon receiving the CE receipt acknowledgment response. In this way, remapping in intermediate nodes (e.g., on different administrator domains at the domain edge) can be supported, remapping the L4S-CE codepoint from one codepoint / header to another, which cannot be checked by capability checks that assume the same E2E codepoint is used and retained. Additionally, this method verifies that E2E traversal is working effectively.

[0087] It should be noted that if the size of the L2 NW can be designed to be non-blocking for L4S, then only a single 802.1p code point can be used to identify L4S traffic and classify it in a higher priority queue. In this way, L4S traffic leaves sufficient capacity for lower priority services, and we achieve low-latency, low-loss, and low-jitter L4S services (zero queuing latency) across the entire transport or access pipeline.

[0088] Another example is Implementation 2—Uplink Encapsulation-Decapsulation Support Processing. This part involves... Figure 5 , Figure 5This is a block diagram illustrating ECN-Decap capability indication in the uplink for L4S traffic. In this example, UPF 99-1 sends indication 410-1 to N3IN210, indicating that UPF 99-1 has ECN-decap capability, and N3IN 210 sends indication 410-2 to UPF 99-1, indicating that N3IN 210 has ECN-decap capability. There is congestion 230 between UE 10 and N3IN 210.

[0089] More specifically, in block 510, the UE receives ECN-decap support from N3IN, and (in response) the UE performs ECN marking via encapsulation switching to the outside. That is, the UE can mark the CE bit in response to receiving a decapsulation capability indication from N3IN and determining that (multiple) packets are congested. Otherwise, the UE can report back to a higher layer or drop the packet, and / or perform other (multiple) mechanisms. In block 530, if N3IN has ECN-decap support, N3IN maintains the ECN mark (e.g., via marking the packet to the UPF or maintaining encapsulation switching from inside to outside). Note that if ECN-decap support is not present, N3IN can resolve congestion via (multiple) conventional mechanisms (e.g., dropping packets or forwarding packets without ECN marks). Note that other mechanisms are also possible, such as those defined in the IETF (RFC 9331, 6040), such as AQM (Active Queue Management), Fair Queue Model, etc. These mechanisms can be combined. In box 560, the UPF sends an indication of ECN-decap support to N3IN; and performs decapsulation and marks the UL packets destined for the DN. If ECN-decap support is not present, the UPF can resolve congestion via several conventional mechanisms. In box 570, the DN determines that congestion exists due to packet marking and notifies App 135 via several indications. In box 580, App 135 receives the congestion indication and adjusts accordingly, for example, App 135 feeds back to App 125. Other options are possible, such as App 135 throttling the data rate or sending lower quality video, among many others.

[0090] For upstream L4S traffic, the N3IN and / or UPF should notify the SMF (not shown) of its ECN-Decapsulation capability during initialization. Subsequently, the SMF should notify the UE and / or N3IN of the corresponding N3IN and / or UPF's ECN-Decapsulation capability. Consider the following: 1) The UPF should indicate to N3IN ECN-Decap support for uplink L4S traffic flows.

[0091] 2) Similarly, N3IN should indicate to the UE ECN-Decap support for uplink L4S traffic flows.

[0092] Another example is Implementation 2a—Uplink Encapsulation-Decapsulation Support Processing Below the IP Layer. This implementation is similar to Implementation 1a, except that it is used for the uplink.

[0093] Another example involves the downlink and references Figure 6 Describe, Figure 6 This is a signaling diagram illustrating the L4S mechanism for trusted / untrusted non-3GPP access N3IN. Figure 6 This applies to any N3IN (such as N3IWF, TNGF, or W-AGF) except for UE-W-AGF interfaces that do not establish IPSec tunnels. Note that implicit trigger 610 is shown, and explicit trigger 620 is shown. These may not all be used. The entities involved are UE 10, non-3GPP AP 160, N3IN 210, UPF99-1, AMF 99-2, SMF 99-3, and other control plane / user plane (CP / UP) functions 650.

[0094] The signaling is as follows. The prerequisite is the existence of IPsec SA signaling for NAS signaling between UE 10, non-3GPP AP 160 and N3IN 210.

[0095] 1. The UE has registered with the 5GC via N3IN (e.g., via N3IWF, TNGF, or W-AGF) through a non-3GPP access. The UE should send a PDU session establishment request message to the AMF, as specified in step 1 of clause 4.3.2.2.1 of TS 23.502. This message should be sent to the N3IN via an IPsec SA for NAS signaling (established as specified in clause 4.12.2 of 3GPP TS 23.502), and the N3IN should transparently forward the message to the AMF in the 5GC.

[0096] 2a. Step 2-11, specified in Clause 4.3.2.2.1 of 3GPP TS 23.502, is performed according to the PDU session establishment procedure on the 3GPP access. In the case of home route roaming, step 2-14, specified in Clause 4.3.2.2.2 of 3GPP TS 23.502, is performed according to the PDU session establishment procedure on the 3GPP access.

[0097] Along with QoS-related parameters, the UPF's L4S indication should be sent from the SMF to the AMF. This forms part of the implicit trigger 610.

[0098] 2b. The AMF shall send an N2 PDU session request message to the N3IWF to establish access resources for the PDU session. The AMF shall include the UPF's L4S indication in the N2 message sent to N3IN. This forms part of implicit trigger 610.

[0099] 3. Create multiple IPSec SAs for L4S specific flows.

[0100] 4a. N3IN sends an IKE Create_Child_SA request to the UE in accordance with the IKEv2 specification in (IETF) RFC 7296 to establish the first IPsec child SA for the L4S-specific PDU session. This is in addition to existing parameters (3GPP TS 23.502). Figure 4 In addition to 4a) of .12.5-1, N3IN should also include its L4S indication in the request.

[0101] One option is to explicitly trigger 620, where the SMF instructs N3IN (using N2) to notify the ECN-Decap-Support of the UPF-N3IN DL tunnel, and the SMF instructs the UE (using NAS) to notify the N3IN-UE DL tunnel of the ECN-Decap-Support.

[0102] 4b. If the UE accepts the new IPsec child SA, the UE sends an IKECreate_Child_SA response according to the IKEv2 specification in RFC 7296. The UE should send an ECN-Decap-Support indication in the response message.

[0103] 5. After all IPsec sub-SAs have been established, N3IN shall forward the PDU session establishment accept message received in step 2b to the UE via the signaling IPsec SA (see Clause 4.12.2.2 of 3GPP TS23.502).

[0104] 6. N3IN shall send its ECN-Decap-Support instruction to UPF for tunnel packets received from UPF.

[0105] Steps 6a and 6b: The ECN-Decap-Support instruction should be sent to the SMF via the AMF (using Nsmf_PDUSessionUpdateSMContext), and then sent by the SMF to the UPF (N4 message); or Step 6: Send the GTP-U header information directly from N3IN to UPF.

[0106] Note: The sending of the ECN-Decap-Support instruction (from UE to N3IN in step 4 and / or from N3IN to SMF / UPF in step 6) can occur in two ways: (i) Implicit: Once the UE (step 4a) or N3IN (step 2b) receives the L4S indication for the N3IN-to-UE tunnel and / or the UPF-to-N3IN tunnel respectively, they can send the ECN-Decap-Support indication (for the UE, step 4b, and for N3IN, step 6a, which is also via 6b). (ii) Explicit (in) Figure 6 (As shown in the dashed box in step 6): SMF 99-3 can send an explicit instruction (620) to the egress node (e.g., UE or N3IN) to send ECN-Decap-Support to the ingress node. For example, SMF can instruct N3IN to send a report to UPF (for UPF-to-N3IN tunnels), and it can send a NAS instruction to UE to send ECN-Decap-Support to N3IN (for N3IN-to-UE tunnels). The explicit instruction flows from N3IN to UPF via step 6.

[0107] 7. TS 23.502 Figure 4 Step 7 of .12.5-1.

[0108] 8a. TS 23.502 Figure 4 Step 8 of .12.5-1 has the following enhancements (see box 630): If the UPF has received ECN-Decap-Support = Yes, it should create a rule to encapsulate the ECN tag (if received) from the inner IP layer to the outer IP layer.

[0109] If ECN-Decap-Support = No, then: i) the ECN tag (if received) is not encapsulated from the inner IP layer to the outer IP layer; ii) classic congestion control mechanisms are used (e.g., packets are dropped in congestion situations).

[0110] 8b. TS 23.502 Figure 4 Step 8 of .12.5-1 has the following enhancements (see box 640): If N3IN has received ECN-Decap-Support=Yes, then N3IN should create a rule to encapsulate the ECN tag (if received) from the inner IP layer to the outer IP layer.

[0111] If ECN-Decap-Support = No, then: i) the ECN tag (if received) is not encapsulated from the inner IP layer to the outer IP layer; ii) classic congestion control mechanisms are used (e.g., packets are dropped in congestion situations).

[0112] Now, let's describe the uplink. Everything is similar. Figure 6 The differences between the contents are as follows: 1) L4S flow in the UL direction.

[0113] 2) The ECN-Decap-Support indication for UL L4S QoS flows should be sent from N3IN to the UE in the IKE Create_Child_SA request (the UE should execute the UL congestion handling ECN rules accordingly). Similarly, the UPF should send the ECN-Decap-Support indication to N3IN in the GTP-U header information or via SMF and AMF using N4 and N2 signaling respectively (N3IN should execute the UL congestion handling ECN rules accordingly).

[0114] Go to Figure 7 The figure illustrates a block diagram of a possible, non-limiting example of a cellular network 1 connected to a user equipment (UE) 10. Figure 7 In this configuration, User Equipment (UE) 10 communicates with N3IN 210 via link 79. It is assumed that UE 10, N3IN 210, core network 90, and data network 91 are part of network 100, which is both 3GPP (e.g., core network 90 of Cellular Network 1) and non-3GPP (at least N3IN 210). A non-3GPP access point between UE 10 and N3IN 210 is not shown. UE 10 is a wired or wireless communication device, such as a mobile device, configured to access N3IN 210. UE 10 is shown as having one or more antennas 28. UE 10 includes one or more processors 13, one or more memories 15, and other circuitry 16. The other circuitry 16 includes one or more receivers (Rx) 17 and one or more transmitters (Tx) 18. Procedure 12 is used to cause UE 10 to perform the operations described herein. For UE 10, the other circuitry 16 may include circuitry such as for user interface elements (not shown) like a display. Program 12 may be implemented via instructions stored in one or more memories 15 and executed by processor(s) 13, or by hardware such as processor(s) or other hardware elements or both.

[0115] N3IN 210, as a network element of cellular network 1, provides UE 10 with access to cellular network 1 (and can therefore be referred to as an access node), and subsequently with access to data network 91 via core network 90 (e.g., via the user plane function (UPF) of core network 90). N3IN 210 includes one or more processors 73, one or more memories 75, and other circuitry 76. The other circuitry 76 includes one or more receivers (Rx) 77 and one or more transmitters (Tx) 78. Program 72 is used to cause N3IN 210 to perform the operations described herein. Program 72 may be implemented via instructions stored in one or more memories 75 and executed by processor(s) 73, or by hardware such as that implemented as processor(s) or other hardware elements or both.

[0116] Cellular network 1 includes a core network 90, which may include core network functions and provides connectivity to a data network 91 (such as a telephone network and / or a data communication network (e.g., the Internet)) via one or more links 81. Core network 90 includes one or more processors 93, one or more memories 95, and other circuitry 96. The other circuitry 96 includes one or more receivers (Rx) 97 and one or more transmitters (Tx) 98. Program 92 is used to cause core network 90 to perform the operations described herein. Program 92 may be implemented via instructions stored in one or more memories 95 and executed by the processor(s) 93, or by hardware such as that implemented as part of the processor(s) or other hardware elements, or both.

[0117] Core network functions 90 for 5G may include access and mobility management functions provided by network functions 99, such as Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMF), and session management functions provided by network functions, such as Session Management Functions (SMF). Core network functions for access and mobility management in LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks may be provided by MME (Mobility Management Entity) and / or SGW (Serving Gateway) functions, which route data to the data network. For example... Figure 7 As shown in the examples, many other aspects are possible: UPF 99-1; AMF 99-2; SMF 99-3; MME; SGW; GMLC (Gateway Mobility Location Center); LMF (Location Management Function); UDM (Unified Data Management) / UDR (Unified Data Repository); NRF (Network Repository Function); and / or E-SMLC (Evolved Services Mobility Location Center). These are merely exemplary core network functions that can be provided by core network 90, and note that both 5G and LTE core network functions can be provided by core network 90. ​​N3IN 210 is coupled to core network 90 via link 31.

[0118] In data network 91, there is a computer-readable medium 94. The computer-readable medium 94 contains instructions that, when downloaded and installed into the memory 15, 75, or 95 of the corresponding UE 10, N3IN 210, and / or (multiple) core network elements 90 and executed by (multiple) processors 13, 73, or 93, cause the corresponding device to perform the corresponding actions described herein. The computer-readable medium 94 may be implemented in other forms, such as via optical disc or memory stick.

[0119] The core network 90 can be a 5GC (5G core network). The core network 90 can implement or include multiple network functions (NFs) 99, and program 92 can include one or more of NFs 99. The 5G core network can use hardware such as memory and processors, as well as virtualization layers. It can be a single standalone computing system, a distributed computing system, or a cloud computing system. The NFs 99 of the core network as network elements can be containers or virtual machines running on the hardware of the computing systems(s) constituting the core network 90.

[0120] Box 2 illustrates a core network 90 with a resource set including 92, 93, 95, and 96. Individual NFs 99 (such as UPF 99-1, AMF 99-2, or SMF 99-3) can be implemented via a corresponding subset 2' of the resources including 92', 93', 95', and 96'. Regardless of how the individual NFs 99 are implemented, such as via a virtualization layer above the subset 2' of resources, the NFs 99 are implemented via circuitry like processor 93', memory 95', and other circuitry 96', and the virtualization layer can be part or all of program 92'.

[0121] UPF is a network function that plays a role in data transmission. It interconnects the data network (DN) in the 5G architecture. UPF99-1 is also responsible for packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, QoS (Quality of Service) processing, and anchor points for intra- and inter-RAT mobility. AMF 99-2 receives all connection and session-related information from the User Equipment (UE) (using N1 / N2 reference points) and is responsible for handling connection and mobility management tasks. SMF 99-3 is a core 5G component that performs essential roles in the 5G Service-Based Architecture (SBA). SMF is primarily responsible for interacting with the decoupled data plane, creating, updating, and removing Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions, and managing session context with the User Plane Function (UPF).

[0122] Programs 12, 72, and 92 contain instructions (as part of corresponding programs 12, 72, and 92) stored by one or more corresponding memories 15, 75, or 95. These instructions, when executed by one or more corresponding processors 13, 73, or 93, cause the corresponding devices 10, 210, or 90 to perform the operations described herein. Computer-readable memories 15, 75, or 95 are circuits and can be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, firmware, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. Computer-readable memories 15, 75, and 95 can be components for performing storage functions. Processors 13, 73, and 93 are circuits and can be of any type suitable to the local technical environment. For example, by non-limiting example, these processors may include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, and may also include special-purpose circuitry such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), signal processing devices, and other devices or combinations thereof. Processors 13, 73, and 93 are circuits that can be programmed to perform functions via software, firmware, etc. (including microcode), and not just software. Processors 13, 73, and 93 can be components for causing their respective devices to perform functions such as those described herein. In particular, for any device having components that perform the functions described herein, those components may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to perform.

[0123] Receivers 17, 77, and 97, and transmitters 18, 78, and 98 can implement wired or wireless interfaces. Receivers and transmitters can be grouped together as transceivers.

[0124] Cellular network 1 can achieve network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functions into a single software-based management entity (virtual network). Network virtualization involves platform virtualization, often combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization is classified as external, combining many networks or parts of networks into virtual units, or internal, providing network-like functionality to a software container on a single system. Note that the virtualized entities created by network virtualization (such as network function 99) are still implemented to some extent using hardware such as processors 73 and / or 93 and memory 75 and / or 95, and such virtualized entities also produce technical effects.

[0125] Typically, various embodiments of user equipment 10 may include, but are not limited to, cellular phones (such as smartphones, mobile phones, cell phones, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones and / or wireless local loop phones), tablet computers, portable computers, vehicles or in-vehicle devices for, for example, wireless V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication, image capture devices such as digital cameras, gaming devices, music storage and playback devices, internet devices (including Internet of Things (IoT) devices), IoT devices with sensors and / or actuators for, for example, automation applications, and portable units or terminals combining such functions, LEE (Laptop Embedded Equipment), LME (Laptop Mounted Equipment), Universal Serial Bus (USB) dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In other words, UE 10 can be any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, UE may also be referred to as a communication device, terminal device (MT), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT).

[0126] The following are additional examples.

[0127] Example 1. A method that includes: For a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity connected to a user plane function in a cellular network and for flow positioning between the user plane function and the user equipment in the network, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more packets received through the first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function include at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of the one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines whether the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notifications; and Perform one of the following: Based on the user equipment's support for decapsulation and the determination that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the user equipment through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment; or Since the user equipment does not support decapsulation and it is determined that congestion has occurred, one or more mechanisms are used to resolve the congestion.

[0128] Example 2. According to the method described in Example 1, wherein: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that sending an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines, implicitly, to send the indication based on receiving an L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) indication from the user plane function; and Sending the indication includes: in response to receiving the L4S indication, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sending the indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

[0129] Example 3. According to the method described in Example 1, wherein: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that sending an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity receives an explicit indication from the 5G network function to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and Sending the instruction includes: in response to receiving the explicit instruction, sending to the user plane function the instruction that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

[0130] Example 4. The method according to Example 2 or 3, wherein in response to receiving the L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) instruction, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, either via a session management function or directly to the user plane function using GTP-U header information.

[0131] Example 5. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 4, wherein: Determining whether the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification is based on receiving an indication from the user equipment that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; and Sending the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag is performed in response to the instruction from the user equipment to support the decapsulation of the explicit congestion notification.

[0132] Example 6. The method according to Example 5, wherein the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag are sent using a Layer 2 Quality of Service mechanism to classify L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) traffic with the explicit congestion notification tag.

[0133] Example 7. The method described in Example 5 or 6, wherein: Sending the indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: sending the indication via user plane signaling and the indication for the supported L2 quality of service fields; and The method further includes: receiving explicit congestion notification field information by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the explicit congestion notification field information having an L2 quality of service field in the flow that matches the supported L2 quality of service fields.

[0134] Example 8. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 4, wherein: In response to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity not receiving an indication from the user equipment that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the determination of whether the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification determines that the user equipment does not support decapsulation; and The congestion is resolved by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity through one or more mechanisms.

[0135] Example 9. The method according to Example 8, wherein the one or more mechanisms include: discarding one or more packets to resolve the congestion.

[0136] Example 10. The method according to Example 8, wherein the one or more mechanisms include: the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sending the one or more packets without the explicit congestion notification tag to the user equipment through the second tunnel.

[0137] Example 11. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 10, wherein the non-3GPP intermediate network entity includes one of the following: N3IWF; TNGF; or W-AGF.

[0138] Example 12. A method comprising: For user plane functions connecting to non-3GPP intermediate network entities in a cellular network, the user plane function determines whether the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notifications. The user plane function uses explicit congestion notification tags in one or more packets received for forwarding to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity to determine that congestion has occurred. Perform one of the following: Based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function sends one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; or Based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function resolves the congestion via one or more mechanisms.

[0139] Example 13. The method according to Example 12 further includes: resolving the congestion by the user plane function via one or more mechanisms based on determining that the user plane function does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

[0140] Example 14. The method according to Example 13, wherein the one or more mechanisms include: discarding the one or more packets to resolve the congestion.

[0141] Example 15. The method according to Example 13, wherein the one or more mechanisms include: sending the one or more packets without the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity by the user plane function.

[0142] Example 16. The method described in Example 12, wherein: The method further includes: receiving from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity an indication that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification by the user plane function; The user plane function determines that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notifications based on an indication received from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notifications; and The user plane function sends one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

[0143] Example 17. The method according to Example 16, wherein receiving the indication from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: receiving the indication from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity or from a session management function regarding the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supporting decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

[0144] Example 18. The method according to any one of Examples 12 to 17, wherein the non-3GPP intermediate network entity includes one of the following: N3IWF; TNGF; or W-AGF.

[0145] Example 19. A method comprising: For user equipment connected to a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity, the user equipment sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notifications. The user equipment receives one or more packets through a tunnel from the user equipment to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the one or more packets including at least an explicit congestion notification tag; The user equipment decapsulates or decapsulates the one or more packets; The user equipment uses the decapsulated one or more packets to determine that congestion has occurred in the tunnel; and The user equipment sends an indication that congestion has occurred to the application targeted by the one or more packets.

[0146] Example 20. A method comprising: For a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity that connects to a user plane function in a cellular network and is used for flow positioning between a user equipment and a user plane function in the network, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the instruction to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more packets received through the first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment include at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of the one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines whether the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and Perform one of the following: Based on the user plane function's support for decapsulation and the determination that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the user plane function through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function; or Since the user plane function does not support decapsulation and it is determined that congestion has occurred, one or more mechanisms are used to resolve the congestion.

[0147] Example 21. A method comprising: For user plane functions connected to non-3GPP intermediate network entities in a cellular network, the user plane function sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The user plane function receives one or more packets with explicit congestion notification tags from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity. The user plane function performs decapsulation of the one or more packets to determine the explicit congestion notification tag in the one or more packets; and The user plane function sends one or more packets to the destination with a tag indicating that congestion has occurred.

[0148] Example 22. A method comprising: For user equipment connected to a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity, the user equipment receives from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity an indication that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The user equipment determines that congestion has occurred for one or more packets; and The user equipment sends one or more packets marked with an explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

[0149] Example 23. An apparatus comprising components for: For a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity connected to a user plane function in a cellular network and for flow positioning between the user plane function and the user equipment in the network, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more packets received through the first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function include at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of the one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines whether the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notifications; and Perform one of the following: Based on the user equipment's support for decapsulation and the determination that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the user equipment through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment; or Since the user equipment does not support decapsulation and it is determined that congestion has occurred, one or more mechanisms are used to resolve the congestion.

[0150] Example 24. The apparatus according to Example 23, wherein: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that sending an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines, implicitly, to send the indication based on receiving an L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) indication from the user plane function; and Sending the indication includes: in response to receiving the L4S indication, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sending the indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

[0151] Example 25. The apparatus according to Example 23, wherein: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that sending an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity receives an explicit indication from the 5G network function to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and Sending the instruction includes: in response to receiving the explicit instruction, sending to the user plane function the instruction that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

[0152] Example 26. The apparatus according to Example 24 or 25, wherein in response to receiving the L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) instruction, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, either via a session management function to the user plane function or directly to the user plane function using GTP-U header information.

[0153] Example 27. The apparatus according to any one of Examples 23 to 26, wherein: Determining whether the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification is based on receiving an indication from the user equipment that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; and Sending the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag is performed in response to the instruction from the user equipment to support the decapsulation of the explicit congestion notification.

[0154] Example 28. The apparatus according to Example 27, wherein one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag are sent using a Layer 2 Quality of Service mechanism to classify L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) traffic with the explicit congestion notification tag.

[0155] Example 29. The apparatus according to Example 27 or 28, wherein: Sending the indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: sending the indication via user plane signaling and the indication for the supported L2 quality of service fields; and The component is also configured to: receive explicit congestion notification field information by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the explicit congestion notification field information having an L2 quality of service field in the flow that matches a supported L2 quality of service field.

[0156] Example 30. The apparatus according to any one of Examples 23 to 26, wherein: In response to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity not receiving an indication from the user equipment that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the determination of whether the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification determines that the user equipment does not support decapsulation; and The congestion is resolved by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity through one or more mechanisms.

[0157] Example 31. The apparatus according to Example 30, wherein the one or more mechanisms include: discarding one or more packets to resolve the congestion.

[0158] Example 32. The apparatus according to Example 30, wherein the one or more mechanisms include: the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sending the one or more packets without the explicit congestion notification tag to the user equipment via the second tunnel.

[0159] Example 33. The apparatus according to any one of Examples 23 to 32, wherein the non-3GPP intermediate network entity comprises one of the following: N3IWF; TNGF; or W-AGF.

[0160] Example 34. An apparatus comprising components for: For user plane functions connecting to non-3GPP intermediate network entities in a cellular network, the user plane function determines whether the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notifications. The user plane function uses explicit congestion notification tags in one or more packets received for forwarding to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity to determine that congestion has occurred. Perform one of the following: Based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function sends one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; or Based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function resolves the congestion via one or more mechanisms.

[0161] Example 35. The apparatus according to Example 34, wherein the component is further configured to: resolve the congestion by the user plane function via one or more mechanisms based on determining that the user plane function does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

[0162] Example 36. The apparatus according to Example 35, wherein the one or more mechanisms include: discarding the one or more packets to resolve the congestion.

[0163] Example 37. The apparatus according to Example 35, wherein the one or more mechanisms include: sending the one or more packets without the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity by the user plane function.

[0164] Example 38. The apparatus according to Example 34, wherein: The component is also configured to: receive from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity an indication that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification by the user plane function; The user plane function determines that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notifications based on an indication received from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notifications; and The user plane function sends one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

[0165] Example 39. The apparatus according to Example 38, wherein receiving the indication from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: receiving the indication from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity or from a session management function regarding the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supporting decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

[0166] Example 40. The apparatus according to any one of Examples 34 to 39, wherein the non-3GPP intermediate network entity comprises one of the following: N3IWF; TNGF; or W-AGF.

[0167] Example 41. An apparatus comprising components for: For user equipment connected to a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity, the user equipment sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notifications. The user equipment receives one or more packets through a tunnel from the user equipment to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the one or more packets including at least an explicit congestion notification tag; The user equipment decapsulates or decapsulates the one or more packets; The user equipment uses the decapsulated one or more packets to determine that congestion has occurred in the tunnel; and The user equipment sends an indication that congestion has occurred to the application targeted by the one or more packets.

[0168] Example 42. An apparatus comprising components for: For a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity that connects to a user plane function in a cellular network and is used for flow positioning between a user equipment and a user plane function in the network, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the instruction to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more packets received through the first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment include at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of the one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines whether the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and Perform one of the following: Based on the user plane function's support for decapsulation and the determination that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the user plane function through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function; or Since the user plane function does not support decapsulation and it is determined that congestion has occurred, one or more mechanisms are used to resolve the congestion.

[0169] Example 43. An apparatus comprising components for: For user plane functions connected to non-3GPP intermediate network entities in a cellular network, the user plane function sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The user plane function receives one or more packets with explicit congestion notification tags from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity. The user plane function performs decapsulation of the one or more packets to determine the explicit congestion notification tag in the one or more packets; and The user plane function sends one or more packets to the destination with a tag indicating that congestion has occurred.

[0170] Example 44. An apparatus comprising components for: For user equipment connected to a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity, the user equipment receives from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity an indication that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The user equipment determines that congestion has occurred for one or more packets; and The user equipment sends one or more packets marked with an explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

[0171] Example 45. The apparatus according to any of the foregoing apparatus examples, wherein the component comprises: At least one processor; and At least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the device to execute.

[0172] Example 46. An apparatus comprising: One or more processors; and One or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform at least the following: For a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity connected to a user plane function in a cellular network and for flow positioning between the user plane function and the user equipment in the network, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more packets received through the first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function include at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of the one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines whether the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notifications; and Perform one of the following: Based on the user equipment's support for decapsulation and the determination that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the user equipment through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment; or Since the user equipment does not support decapsulation and it is determined that congestion has occurred, one or more mechanisms are used to resolve the congestion.

[0173] Example 47. The apparatus according to Example 46, wherein: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that sending an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines, implicitly, to send the indication based on receiving an L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) indication from the user plane function; and Sending the indication includes: in response to receiving the L4S indication, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sending the indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

[0174] Example 48. The apparatus according to Example 46, wherein: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that sending an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity receives an explicit indication from the 5G network function to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and Sending the instruction includes: in response to receiving the explicit instruction, sending to the user plane function the instruction that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

[0175] Example 49. The apparatus according to Example 47 or 48, wherein in response to receiving the L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) instruction, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, either via a session management function to the user plane function or directly to the user plane function using GTP-U header information.

[0176] Example 50. The apparatus according to any one of Examples 46 to 49, wherein: Determining whether the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification is based on receiving an indication from the user equipment that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; and Sending the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag is performed in response to the instruction from the user equipment to support the decapsulation of the explicit congestion notification.

[0177] Example 51. The apparatus according to Example 50, wherein one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag are sent using a Layer 2 Quality of Service mechanism to classify L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) traffic with the explicit congestion notification tag.

[0178] Example 52. The apparatus according to Example 50 or 51, wherein: Sending the indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: sending the indication via user plane signaling and the indication for the supported L2 quality of service fields; and The one or more memories also store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving explicit congestion notification field information by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the explicit congestion notification field information having an L2 quality of service field in the flow that matches a supported L2 quality of service field.

[0179] Example 53. The apparatus according to any one of Examples 46 to 49, wherein: In response to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity not receiving an indication from the user equipment that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the determination of whether the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification determines that the user equipment does not support decapsulation; and The congestion is resolved by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity through one or more mechanisms.

[0180] Example 54. The apparatus according to Example 53, wherein the one or more mechanisms include: discarding one or more packets to resolve the congestion.

[0181] Example 55. The apparatus according to Example 53, wherein the one or more mechanisms include: the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sending the one or more packets without the explicit congestion notification tag to the user equipment via the second tunnel.

[0182] Example 56. The apparatus according to any one of Examples 46 to 55, wherein the non-3GPP intermediate network entity comprises one of the following: N3IWF; TNGF; or W-AGF.

[0183] Example 57. An apparatus comprising: One or more processors; and One or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform at least the following: For user plane functions connecting to non-3GPP intermediate network entities in a cellular network, the user plane function determines whether the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notifications. The user plane function uses explicit congestion notification tags in one or more packets received for forwarding to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity to determine that congestion has occurred. Perform one of the following: Based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function sends one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; or Based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function resolves the congestion via one or more mechanisms.

[0184] Example 58. The apparatus according to Example 57, wherein the one or more memories further store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least: based on determining that the user plane function does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function resolves the congestion via one or more mechanisms.

[0185] Example 59. The apparatus according to Example 58, wherein the one or more mechanisms include: discarding the one or more packets to resolve the congestion.

[0186] Example 60. An apparatus according to Example 58, wherein the one or more mechanisms include: sending the one or more packets without the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity by the user plane function.

[0187] Example 61. The apparatus according to Example 57, wherein: The one or more memories also store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform at least the following: receiving from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity an instruction from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; The user plane function determines that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notifications based on an indication received from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notifications; and The user plane function sends one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

[0188] Example 62. The apparatus according to Example 61, wherein receiving the indication from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: receiving the indication from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity or from a session management function regarding the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supporting decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

[0189] Example 63. The method according to any one of Examples 57 to 62, wherein the non-3GPP intermediate network entity includes one of the following: N3IWF; TNGF; or W-AGF.

[0190] Example 64. An apparatus comprising: One or more processors; and One or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform at least the following: For user equipment connected to a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity, the user equipment sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notifications. The user equipment receives one or more packets through a tunnel from the user equipment to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the one or more packets including at least an explicit congestion notification tag; The user equipment decapsulates or decapsulates the one or more packets; The user equipment uses the decapsulated one or more packets to determine that congestion has occurred in the tunnel; and The user equipment sends an indication that congestion has occurred to the application targeted by the one or more packets.

[0191] Example 65. An apparatus comprising: One or more processors; and One or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform at least the following: For a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity that connects to a user plane function in a cellular network and is used for flow positioning between a user equipment and a user plane function in the network, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the instruction to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more packets received through the first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment include at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of the one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines whether the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and Perform one of the following: Based on the user plane function's support for decapsulation and the determination that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the user plane function through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function; or Since the user plane function does not support decapsulation and it is determined that congestion has occurred, one or more mechanisms are used to resolve the congestion.

[0192] Example 66. An apparatus comprising: One or more processors; and One or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform at least the following: For user plane functions connected to non-3GPP intermediate network entities in a cellular network, the user plane function sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The user plane function receives one or more packets with explicit congestion notification tags from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity. The user plane function performs decapsulation of the one or more packets to determine the explicit congestion notification tag in the one or more packets; and The user plane function sends one or more packets to the destination with a tag indicating that congestion has occurred.

[0193] Example 67. An apparatus comprising: One or more processors; and One or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform at least the following: For user equipment connected to a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity, the user equipment receives from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity an indication that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The user equipment determines that congestion has occurred for one or more packets; and The user equipment sends one or more packets marked with an explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

[0194] Example 68. A computer program including instructions for performing a method of any one of Examples 1 to 22 when the computer program is run on a device.

[0195] Example 69. A computer program according to Example 68, wherein the computer program is a computer program product including a computer-readable medium carrying instructions embodied therein for use with the device.

[0196] Example 70. A computer program according to Example 68, wherein the computer program can be directly loaded into the internal memory of the device.

[0197] As used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more of the following: (a) Hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation in analog and / or digital circuits only), and (b) Combinations of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) combinations of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, and (ii) hardware processors with software and any part of the software (including (multiple) digital signal processors, software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable devices such as mobile phones or servers to perform various functions), and (c) A hardware circuit and / or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion thereof, that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but which may not exist when the software is not required for operation.

[0198] This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application (including in any claim). As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" also covers only hardware circuitry or processors (or processors) or a portion thereof and their accompanying software and / or firmware implementations. The term "circuit" also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices or other computing or network devices.

[0199] The embodiments described herein can be implemented as software (executed by one or more processors), hardware (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits), or a combination of software and hardware. In example embodiments, software (e.g., application logic, instruction set) is maintained on any of a variety of conventional computer-readable media. In the context of this document, "computer-readable media" can be any medium or component that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transmit instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (such as a computer), wherein, for example, on Figure 7 An example of a computer is described and depicted herein. A computer-readable medium may include a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., memories 15, 75, and 95 or other devices), which may be any medium or component that can contain, store, and / or transmit instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (such as a computer). Computer-readable storage media do not include propagated signals and can therefore be considered non-transitory. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not signaling), not a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM, random access memory and ROM, read-only memory).

[0200] If necessary, the different functions discussed in this article may be executed in different orders and / or simultaneously with each other. Furthermore, if necessary, one or more of the above functions may be optional or may be combined.

[0201] Although various aspects of the invention are set forth in the independent claims, other aspects of the invention include other combinations of features from the described embodiments and / or dependent claims with features of the independent claims, and not only the combinations expressly set forth in the claims.

[0202] It should also be noted that while exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described above, these descriptions should not be construed as limiting. Rather, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

[0203] The following abbreviations, which can be found in the instruction manual and / or accompanying drawings, are defined as follows: 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project 5G fifth generation AF application functions AMF Access and Mobility Management Functions AP access point API Application Programming Interface App application CE experiences congestion CP / UP control plane / user plane Decap decapsulation or perform decapsulation. DEI Discard Qualification Indicator DSCP Differential Service Code Point E2E end-to-end Encap packaging or encapsulation ECN Explicit Congestion Notification E-SMLC Evolved Service Mobility Center eNB (or eNodeB) evolved Node B (e.g., LTE base station) GMLC Gateway Mobile Location Center GPRS General Packet Radio Service gNB (or gNodeB) is used for 5G / NR base stations. GRE Universal Router Encapsulation GPRS tunneling protocol in the user plane of GTP-U ID or Id identifier IETF Internet Engineering Task Force I / F interface IK Internet Key Exchange Protocol IP Internet Protocol IPSec or IPsec Internet Protocol Security KI key issues L2 Floor 2 L4S offers low latency, low loss, and scalable throughput. LMF location management function LTE Long Term Evolution MAC Media Access Control MME Mobility Management Entity NAS Non-Access Layer N3IWF Non-3GPP Interoperability Function N3IN Non-3GPP Intermediate Access Node: N3IWF, TNGF, or W-AGF NF Network Functions ng or NG next generation NR New Radio NRF Network Repository Functionality N / W or NW network Trusted reference point between NWt UE and TNGF Unreliable reference points between NWu UE and N3IWF PCP priority code point PHY physical layer PSA PDU (Protocol Data Unit) Session Anchor QoE experience quality QoS (Quality of Service) RAN Radio Access Network Rel. Version RFC requests comments Rx receiver SA security association SA23GPP TSG SA WG2, 3GPP Technical Specification Group Services and Systems, Working Group 2 SGW Service Gateway SMF Session Management Function TCP Transmission Control Protocol TNGF Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function TRP transceiver point Tx transmitter UDM Unified Data Management UDP User Datagram Protocol UDR Unified Data Repository UE (User Equipment) (e.g., wireless, typically mobile device) UPF User Face Functions VLAN Virtual Local Area Network W-AGF wired access gateway function WLAN wireless local area network XR Extended Reality XRM Extended Reality and Media Services

Claims

1. A method comprising: For a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity connected to a user plane function in a cellular network and for flow positioning between the user plane function and the user equipment in the network, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more packets received through the first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function include at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of the one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. Whether the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notification is determined by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity. as well as Perform one of the following: Based on the user equipment's support for decapsulation and the determination that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the user equipment through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment; or Based on the fact that the user equipment does not support decapsulation and it is determined that congestion has occurred, one or more mechanisms are used to resolve the congestion.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that sending an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines implicitly to send the indication based on receiving an L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) indication from the user plane function; and Sending the indication includes: in response to receiving the L4S indication, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sending the indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that sending an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity receives an explicit indication from the 5G network function to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and Sending the instruction includes: in response to receiving the explicit instruction, sending to the user plane function the instruction that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

4. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein in response to receiving the L4S (Low Latency, Low Loss, Scalable Throughput) instruction, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, which is performed to the user plane function via a session management function or directly to the user plane function using GTP-U header information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: Determining whether the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification is based on receiving an indication from the user equipment that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity. as well as Sending the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag is performed in response to the instruction from the user equipment to support the decapsulation of the explicit congestion notification.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag are sent using a Layer 2 Quality of Service mechanism to classify L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) traffic with the explicit congestion notification tag.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: Sending the indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: sending the indication via user plane signaling and the indication for the supported L2 quality of service fields; and The method further includes: receiving explicit congestion notification field information by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the explicit congestion notification field information having an L2 quality of service field in the flow that matches the supported L2 quality of service fields.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: In response to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity not receiving an indication from the user equipment that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the determination of whether the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification determines that the user equipment does not support decapsulation. as well as The congestion is resolved by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity through one or more mechanisms.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein one or more mechanisms comprise: Discard one or more packets to resolve the congestion.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein one or more mechanisms comprise: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends one or more packets without the explicit congestion notification tag to the user equipment through the second tunnel.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the non-3GPP intermediate network entity comprises one of the following: N3IWF; TNGF; or W-AGF.

12. A method comprising: For user plane functions connecting to non-3GPP intermediate network entities in a cellular network, the user plane function determines whether the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notifications. The user plane function uses explicit congestion notification tags in one or more packets received for forwarding to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity to determine that congestion has occurred. Perform one of the following: Based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function sends one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; or Based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function resolves the congestion via one or more mechanisms.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: Based on the determination that the user plane function does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notifications, the user plane function resolves the congestion via one or more mechanisms.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more mechanisms comprise: Discard one or more packets to resolve the congestion.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein one or more mechanisms comprise: The user plane function sends one or more packets without the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein: The method further includes: receiving from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity an indication that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification by the user plane function; The user plane function determines that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notifications based on an indication received from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notifications; and The user plane function sends one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein receiving the indication from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification comprises: Receive, from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity or from the session management function, an indication for the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein the non-3GPP intermediate network entity comprises one of the following: N3IWF; TNGF; or W-AGF.

19. A method comprising: For user equipment connected to a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity, the user equipment sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notifications. The user equipment receives one or more packets through a tunnel from the user equipment to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the one or more packets including at least an explicit congestion notification tag; The user equipment decapsulates or decapsulates the one or more packets; The user equipment uses the decapsulated packets to determine that congestion has occurred in the tunnel; as well as The user equipment sends an indication that congestion has occurred to the application targeted by the one or more packets.

20. A method comprising: For a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity that connects to a user plane function in a cellular network and is used for flow positioning between a user equipment and a user plane function in the network, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the instruction to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more packets received through the first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment include at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of the one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. Whether the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification is determined by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity. as well as Perform one of the following: Based on the user plane function's support for decapsulation and the determination that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the user plane function through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function. or Since the user plane function does not support decapsulation and it is determined that congestion has occurred, one or more mechanisms are used to resolve the congestion.

21. A method comprising: For user plane functions connected to non-3GPP intermediate network entities in a cellular network, the user plane function sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The user plane function receives one or more packets with explicit congestion notification tags from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity. The user plane function performs decapsulation of the one or more packets to determine the explicit congestion notification tag in the one or more packets; as well as The user plane function sends one or more packets to the destination with a tag indicating that congestion has occurred.

22. A method comprising: For user equipment connected to a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity, the user equipment receives from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity an indication that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The user equipment determines that congestion has occurred for one or more packets; as well as The user equipment sends one or more packets marked with an explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

23. An apparatus comprising components for: For a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity connected to a user plane function in a cellular network and for flow positioning between the user plane function and the user equipment in the network, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more packets received through the first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function include at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of the one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. Whether the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notification is determined by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity. as well as Perform one of the following: Based on the user equipment's support for decapsulation and the determination that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the user equipment through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment; or Based on the fact that the user equipment does not support decapsulation and it is determined that congestion has occurred, one or more mechanisms are used to resolve the congestion.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that sending an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines implicitly to send the indication based on receiving an L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) indication from the user plane function; and Sending the indication includes: in response to receiving the L4S indication, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sending the indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that sending an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity receives an explicit indication from the 5G network function to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and Sending the instruction includes: in response to receiving the explicit instruction, sending to the user plane function the instruction that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 or 25, wherein the sending of an indication by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity to the user plane function in response to receiving the L4S (Low Latency, Low Loss, Scalable Throughput) instruction, indicating that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, is performed to the user plane function via a session management function or directly to the user plane function using GTP-U header information.

27. The apparatus according to any one of claims 23 to 26, wherein: Determining whether the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification is based on receiving an indication from the user equipment that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity. as well as Sending the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag is performed in response to the instruction from the user equipment to support the decapsulation of the explicit congestion notification.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the one or more packets having the explicit congestion notification tag are transmitted using a Layer 2 Quality of Service mechanism to classify L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) traffic having the explicit congestion notification tag.

29. The apparatus according to claim 27 or 28, wherein: Sending the indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: sending the indication via user plane signaling and the indication for the supported L2 quality of service fields; and The component is also configured to: receive explicit congestion notification field information by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the explicit congestion notification field information having an L2 quality of service field in the flow that matches a supported L2 quality of service field.

30. The apparatus according to any one of claims 23 to 26, wherein: In response to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity not receiving an indication from the user equipment that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the determination of whether the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification determines that the user equipment does not support decapsulation. as well as The congestion is resolved by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity through one or more mechanisms.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein one or more mechanisms comprise: Discard one or more packets to resolve the congestion.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein one or more mechanisms comprise: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends one or more packets without the explicit congestion notification tag to the user equipment through the second tunnel.

33. The apparatus according to any one of claims 23 to 32, wherein the non-3GPP intermediate network entity comprises one of the following: N3IWF; TNGF; or W-AGF.

34. An apparatus comprising components for: For user plane functions connecting to non-3GPP intermediate network entities in a cellular network, the user plane function determines whether the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notifications. The user plane function uses explicit congestion notification tags in one or more packets received for forwarding to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity to determine that congestion has occurred. Perform one of the following: Based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function sends one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; or Based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function resolves the congestion via one or more mechanisms.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the component is further configured to: resolve the congestion by the user plane function via one or more mechanisms based on determining that the user plane function does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein one or more mechanisms comprise: Discard one or more packets to resolve the congestion.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein one or more mechanisms comprise: The user plane function sends one or more packets without the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

38. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein: The component is also configured to: receive from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity an indication that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification by the user plane function; The user plane function determines that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notifications based on the indication received from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notifications. as well as The user plane function sends one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein receiving the indication from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification comprises: Receive, from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity or from the session management function, an indication for the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

40. The apparatus according to any one of claims 34 to 39, wherein the non-3GPP intermediate network entity comprises one of: N3IWF; TNGF; or W-AGF.

41. An apparatus comprising components for: For user equipment connected to a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity, the user equipment sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notifications. The user equipment receives one or more packets through a tunnel from the user equipment to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the one or more packets including at least an explicit congestion notification tag; The user equipment decapsulates or decapsulates the one or more packets; The user equipment uses the decapsulated packets to determine that congestion has occurred in the tunnel; as well as The user equipment sends an indication that congestion has occurred to the application targeted by the one or more packets.

42. An apparatus comprising components for: For a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity that connects to a user plane function in a cellular network and is used for flow positioning between a user equipment and a user plane function in the network, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the instruction to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more packets received through the first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment include at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of the one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. Whether the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification is determined by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity. as well as Perform one of the following: Based on the user plane function's support for decapsulation and the determination that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the user plane function through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function. or Since the user plane function does not support decapsulation and it is determined that congestion has occurred, one or more mechanisms are used to resolve the congestion.

43. An apparatus comprising components for: For user plane functions connected to non-3GPP intermediate network entities in a cellular network, the user plane function sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The user plane function receives one or more packets with explicit congestion notification tags from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity. The user plane function performs decapsulation of the one or more packets to determine the explicit congestion notification tag in the one or more packets; as well as The user plane function sends one or more packets to the destination with a tag indicating that congestion has occurred.

44. An apparatus comprising components for: For user equipment connected to a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity, the user equipment receives from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity an indication that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The user equipment determines that congestion has occurred for one or more packets; as well as The user equipment sends one or more packets marked with an explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

45. The apparatus according to any of the preceding device claims, wherein the component comprises: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the device to execute.

46. ​​An apparatus comprising: One or more processors; as well as One or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform at least the following: For a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity connected to a user plane function in a cellular network and for flow positioning between the user plane function and the user equipment in the network, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more packets received through the first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function include at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of the one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. Whether the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notification is determined by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity. as well as Perform one of the following: Based on the user equipment's support for decapsulation and the determination that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the user equipment through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment; or Based on the fact that the user equipment does not support decapsulation and it is determined that congestion has occurred, one or more mechanisms are used to resolve the congestion.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that sending an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines implicitly to send the indication based on receiving an L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) indication from the user plane function; and Sending the indication includes: in response to receiving the L4S indication, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sending the indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

48. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that sending an instruction to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity receives an explicit indication from the 5G network function to send an indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; and Sending the instruction includes: in response to receiving the explicit instruction, sending to the user plane function the instruction that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

49. The apparatus of claim 47 or 48, wherein the sending of an indication by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity to the user plane function in response to receiving the L4S (Low Latency, Low Loss, Scalable Throughput) instruction, indicating that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, is performed to the user plane function via a session management function or directly to the user plane function using GTP-U header information.

50. The apparatus according to any one of claims 46 to 49, wherein: Determining whether the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification is based on receiving an indication from the user equipment that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity. as well as Sending the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag is performed in response to the instruction from the user equipment to support the decapsulation of the explicit congestion notification.

51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the one or more packets having the explicit congestion notification tag are sent using a Layer 2 Quality of Service mechanism to classify L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput) traffic having the explicit congestion notification tag.

52. The apparatus according to claim 50 or 51, wherein: Sending the indication to the user plane function that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification includes: sending the indication via user plane signaling and the indication for the supported L2 quality of service fields; and The one or more memories also store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving explicit congestion notification field information by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the explicit congestion notification field information having an L2 quality of service field in the flow that matches a supported L2 quality of service field.

53. The apparatus according to any one of claims 46 to 49, wherein: In response to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity not receiving an indication from the user equipment that the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the determination of whether the user equipment supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification determines that the user equipment does not support decapsulation. as well as The congestion is resolved by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity through one or more mechanisms.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein one or more mechanisms comprise: Discard one or more packets to resolve the congestion.

55. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein one or more mechanisms comprise: The non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends one or more packets without the explicit congestion notification tag to the user equipment through the second tunnel.

56. The apparatus according to any one of claims 46 to 55, wherein the non-3GPP intermediate network entity comprises one of: N3IWF; TNGF; or W-AGF.

57. An apparatus comprising: One or more processors; as well as One or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform at least the following: For user plane functions connecting to non-3GPP intermediate network entities in a cellular network, the user plane function determines whether the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notifications. The user plane function uses explicit congestion notification tags in one or more packets received for forwarding to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity to determine that congestion has occurred. Perform one of the following: Based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function sends one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity; or Based on the determination that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, the user plane function resolves the congestion via one or more mechanisms.

58. The apparatus of claim 57, wherein the one or more memories further store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform at least: based on determining that the user plane function does not support decapsulation for explicit congestion notification, resolve the congestion by the user plane function via one or more mechanisms.

59. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein one or more mechanisms comprise: Discard one or more packets to resolve the congestion.

60. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein one or more mechanisms comprise: The user plane function sends one or more packets without the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

61. The apparatus according to claim 57, wherein: The one or more memories also store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform at least the following: receiving from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity an instruction from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification; The user plane function determines that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notifications based on the indication received from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notifications. as well as The user plane function sends one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

62. The apparatus of claim 61, wherein receiving the indication from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification comprises: Receive, from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity or from the session management function, an indication for the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification.

63. The method according to any one of claims 57 to 62, wherein the non-3GPP intermediate network entity comprises one of the following: N3IWF; TNGF; or W-AGF.

64. An apparatus comprising: One or more processors; as well as One or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform at least the following: For user equipment connected to a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity, the user equipment sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user equipment supports decapsulation in response to explicit congestion notifications. The user equipment receives one or more packets through a tunnel from the user equipment to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity, the one or more packets including at least an explicit congestion notification tag; The user equipment decapsulates or decapsulates the one or more packets; The user equipment uses the decapsulated packets to determine that congestion has occurred in the tunnel; as well as The user equipment sends an indication that congestion has occurred to the application targeted by the one or more packets.

65. An apparatus comprising: One or more processors; as well as One or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform at least the following: For a non-3GPP (non-3GPP) intermediate network entity that connects to a user plane function in a cellular network and is used for flow positioning between a user equipment and a user plane function in the network, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines to send an indication to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the instruction to the user equipment that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity determines that one or more packets received through the first tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user equipment include at least an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. The non-3GPP intermediate network entity uses the encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag to determine that congestion has occurred in the network based on the fact that at least one of the one or more packets has an encapsulated explicit congestion notification tag. Whether the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification is determined by the non-3GPP intermediate network entity. as well as Perform one of the following: Based on the user plane function's support for decapsulation and the determination that congestion has occurred, the non-3GPP intermediate network entity sends the one or more packets with the explicit congestion notification tag to the user plane function through a second tunnel between the non-3GPP intermediate network entity and the user plane function. or Since the user plane function does not support decapsulation and it is determined that congestion has occurred, one or more mechanisms are used to resolve the congestion.

66. An apparatus comprising: One or more processors; as well as One or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform at least the following: For user plane functions connected to non-3GPP intermediate network entities in a cellular network, the user plane function sends an indication to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity that the user plane function supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The user plane function receives one or more packets with explicit congestion notification tags from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity. The user plane function performs decapsulation of the one or more packets to determine the explicit congestion notification tag in the one or more packets; as well as The user plane function sends one or more packets to the destination with a tag indicating that congestion has occurred.

67. An apparatus comprising: One or more processors; as well as One or more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform at least the following: For user equipment connected to a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project) intermediate network entity, the user equipment receives from the non-3GPP intermediate network entity an indication that the non-3GPP intermediate network entity supports decapsulation for explicit congestion notification. The user equipment determines that congestion has occurred for one or more packets; as well as The user equipment sends one or more packets marked with an explicit congestion notification tag to the non-3GPP intermediate network entity.

68. A computer program comprising instructions for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 22 when the computer program is run on a device.

69. The computer program of claim 68, wherein the computer program is a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium carrying instructions embodied therein for use with the device.

70. The computer program of claim 68, wherein the computer program can be directly loaded into the internal memory of the device.

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