Collection of cell deployment information

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for obtaining information by user equipment (8) in a cellular communication network (NW), said method comprising: - a step of receiving, from at least one base station (6,7) of the network, information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one network cell (C1-C6) managed by said at least one base station; and - a step of transmitting all or some of the received information to at least one application entity in the network.

Description

Description COLLECTION OF INFORMATION ON CELL DEPLOYMENT Prior art

[0001] The invention belongs to the general field of telecommunications.

[0002] It relates more particularly to the provision of information enabling the improvement of certain functionalities implemented by entities of a cellular communication network or connected to a cellular communication network. The invention has a preferred but non-limiting application in the context of a cellular communication system or network based on a 5G core network (or 5GC for "5G Core network" in English) defined by the 3GPP standard.

[0003] In this context, it makes it possible to improve the functionalities implemented by a network data collection and analysis device also known as NWDAF (for “NetWork Data Analytics Function” in English).

[0004] Modern communication networks, such as the 5G networks defined by the 3GPP standard, are faced with complex situations, which are the consequence in particular of a very large number of user equipment (or UEs) to manage, the variety of uses made of the network (and the resulting requirements in terms of latency, throughput, volume), as well as the variety of behaviors of network users in time and space. To deal with these complex situations, operators set up within their networks one or more specialized entities, responsible for collecting network data and carrying out statistical analyses and predictions (also called "analytics" in English) based on this data, for example on the demand and response provided by the network in terms of quality of service.These predictions can be global, i.e., they can be established at the network, server, application or region level. Examples of global predictions are a network resource load rate, the average quality of service, the number of users connected to the network via their user equipment (or more simply UE for “User Equipment” in English) or active sessions. Individual predictions, i.e., predictions relating to a user or a group of users, can also be established, such as the future location of the user’s UE or the volume of a future communication session of the user established via their UE. For example, in a 5G core network, the NWDAF function performs such a role.

[0005] The production of predictions by an NWDAF function requires the prior collection of raw data representative of network facts (e.g., connected state of the UE, cell in which it is located, etc.) from different entities making up the network, also commonly referred to as “network functions” (or NF for “Network Functions” in English). This raw data can be global to each NF function, or concern each user. Once established, the predictions make it possible to implement corrective modifications to the network parameters in advance in order to optimize its operation. The entities using these predictions are typically NF functions, clients of the NWDAF function, which may or may not be distinct from the NF functions that collected and provided the raw data to the NWDAF function, such as for example an AMF (for “Access and Mobility management Function” in English) for access management, an SMF (for “Session Management Function” in English) for session management, etc. These client NF functions are then able to adapt their behavior according to the predictions received from the NWDAF function in order to optimize the operation of the network and the quality of the service delivered to each user on their UE.

[0006] 3GPP TR 23.791, "Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Study of Enablers for Network Automation for 5G (Release 16)", V16.2.0, June 2019, discusses various use cases for such predictions in a 5G network. For example, UE mobility predictions can be used by the AMF function to optimize UE mobility management, and in particular the determination of their registration area (RA), this registration area making it possible to locate UEs in standby and to send them paging messages when data intended for them reaches the network, etc.As another example, it may be useful for the SMF to have statistics or predictions about network traffic when selecting a user plane UPF (User Plane Function) to carry data from PDU (Packet Data Unit) sessions.

[0007] It is therefore clear, given their importance in the operational functioning of the network, that the statistics and / or predictions delivered by the NWDAF function must be precise and relevant. Statement of the invention

[0008] The invention makes it possible in particular to improve the accuracy and relevance of the statistics and / or predictions delivered by a network data collection and analysis device such as an NWDAF network function in a 5G network. However, it can contribute to improving the functionalities implemented by other application entities of a cellular communication network or connected to a cellular communication network. By "network application entity" is meant any type of entity belonging to the network and configured to implement one or more specific processing logics, such as an entity offering and / or consuming services in a network such as a network function or a network function instance (e.g. AMF, SMF, NRF (for "Network Repository Function"), etc.), a base station, etc.

[0009] More particularly, the invention relates to a method for obtaining information by user equipment of a cellular communication network, said method comprising: - a step of receiving, from at least one base station of the network, information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by said at least one base station; and - a step of transmitting to at least one application entity of the network all or part of said information received.

[0010] The invention also relates to user equipment for a cellular communications network comprising: - a reception module configured to receive, from at least one base station of the network, information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by said at least one base station; And - a processing module configured to transmit to at least one application entity of the network all or part of said information received.

[0011] The invention also relates to a method for collecting data by an application entity of a cellular communication network, said collection method comprising a step of receiving from user equipment information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by at least one base station of the network.

[0012] Correlatively, the invention also relates to an application entity of a cellular communications network comprising a collection module configured to receive from user equipment information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by at least one base station of the network.

[0013] By "information representative of current deployment conditions of a cell" is meant information that reflects the actual conditions in which the cell is deployed at the time in question. This information may include various types of indications. For example, at least one said information representative of current deployment conditions relates to: a disposition of the cell in a network architecture (e.g. coverage, radio neighborhood), a geographical environment of the cell, a type of deployment of the cell, a configuration of at least one antenna of the cell, at least one infrastructure covered by the cell (e.g. road, railway, building, etc.), and / or a state of the cell (e.g.cell load, load at each network slice, number of active users, uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) throughput, congestion indicators, alarm status, security status, etc.).

[0014] The choice of transmitting one or other of these pieces of information to the user equipment may be a matter of configuration of the base station by the network operator. Alternatively, it may be envisaged that the user equipment may be involved in this choice.

[0015] This information on current deployment conditions is dynamic and likely to change over time, for example due to a reconfiguration of base stations, the appearance of new infrastructures, the extinction of certain cells (e.g. small cells planned for capacity reasons, during periods when the network is little used such as at night, in order to reduce the network's energy consumption), etc.

[0016] Knowledge of the actual deployment of network cells can advantageously be used to improve the efficiency of the procedures implemented in the network, and incidentally the resulting quality of service. For example, the mobility predictions of a UE carried out by a network function NWDAF (application entity within the meaning of the invention) in a 5G network can be facilitated and made more precise if it is known that the UE is moving on a main road axis.

[0017] According to another example, information on cell congestion or average throughput achieved in UL and / or DL ​​can influence quality of service predictions, and incidentally the decisions made from these predictions.

[0018] Furthermore, providing such information to an NWDAF network function makes it possible to feed the artificial intelligence (or AI) models that it uses, where appropriate, with enriched input data, and thus to build AI models that are more accurate and more relevant to the needs / objectives of the client network functions requesting the NWDAF function. Typically, by enriching the input data of the AI ​​models with information representative of the current deployment conditions of the network cells, it is possible to reveal new associations and / or to eliminate variables that are not very relevant to the purposes of the processing implemented by the client network functions.

[0019] The same applies to a base station in the cellular network, which can use the information that a UE sends back to it and has received from another base station to decide on the relevance of a transfer (or "handover" in English) and the target of this handover.

[0020] Of course, these examples of exploitation of the invention are given for illustrative purposes only.

[0021] The information representative of the current deployment conditions of the cells managed by the base station therefore enriches the information already available to the UE on certain cells, such as, for example, static configuration information such as the identity of the cells, the frequency band they use or the radio access technology(s) they support, as well as information related to the operational functioning of the network, such as, for example, the membership of a cell in a location area or TA (for "Tracking Area"), a TA being able to comprise one or more cells of the cellular network. It should be noted that the UE also already has information relating to the base station, such as the identity of the base station, the list of TAs (for "Tracking Area") and / or the network slices (or "slices") that it supports.It is possible to consider supplementing this information with other information relating to the base station, such as the status of the station (e.g. load level or congestion level).

[0022] In a particular embodiment, the UE may also transmit, to the network application entities that request it, all or part of this static configuration information and information related to operational functioning, as well as information relating to the base stations received from them in addition to information relating to the current deployment conditions of the cells.

[0023] The invention therefore proposes to configure all or part of the base stations of a cellular communication network so that they provide in particular to the client UEs of the network information representative of the current deployment conditions of the cells of the network (such as for example adjacency relationships of the cells). The UEs are then configured to transmit all or part of the information that they have received to other application entities of the network (in other words to play the role of relay), such as for example application entities of the core network hosting network functions.

[0024] Advantageously, the application entities of the network receiving this information can use it (or transmit it in turn to other interested network entities) to improve the functionalities that they implement in the network, for example to optimize their decision-making for devices hosting functions. AMF or SMF network functions, or improve the predictions they provide for a device hosting an NWDAF network function. The use of UEs as relays makes it possible to target the information to be transmitted to the network, according to the needs of the application entities of the network requesting the UEs to obtain this information. The invention thus has a preferred but non-limiting application when the application entities in question belong to the core network and host network functions. However, as indicated previously, it also applies to application entities located in the access network, such as other base stations of the cellular network.

[0025] The information received from the base stations can also be used directly by the UEs. The obtaining method can thus, in a particular embodiment, comprise a step of using all or part of said information received to select and / or reselect a cell of the network (for example to register with the network or when it is in standby mode respectively). Thus, the quality of service of the network and the user experience are improved overall, by optimizing decision-making not only at the level of the core network and the access network but also at the level of the UEs.

[0026] For example, a UE can take into account the type of deployment of the cells in its vicinity to choose one of them to connect to the network: thus, typically, a UE on board a boat can preferentially select a cell covering a port or a waterway (or of the “port” or “waterway” type depending on the form given to this information) to connect to the network.

[0027] The invention also advantageously offers the possibility of relying on signaling interfaces already existing in the network (e.g., programming interfaces or APIs (for "Application Programming Interface") or other types of standardized or non-standardized interfaces) to transmit information representative of the deployment conditions of the cells to the UEs to the network functions of the core network, or even to other base stations. It is not necessary to resort to an additional management layer to access this information, which would make the system more complex and limit the dynamicity of the information exchanges, for example in the event of a modification of the deployment conditions (e.g., linked to an automatic reconfiguration of a base station and the modification of the neighborhood information that may result therefrom).

[0028] For example, in a particular embodiment of the obtaining method, the information is received by the user equipment in at least one system information block broadcast by said at least one base station on said at least one cell.

[0029] Correlatively, in a corresponding embodiment of the providing method, the information is sent to said user equipment in at least one system information block broadcast by the base station on said at least one cell.

[0030] The use of system information blocks broadcast by the base station makes information representative of the current deployment conditions of the cells accessible to all UEs located in the vicinity of the base station, whether they are connected to the network (or "connected" in English) or not (standby mode or "idle" in English). This thus offers the possibility to UEs in standby mode to exploit this information when they have to select a cell to connect to the network. Furthermore, when a UE is connected, it can receive the system information blocks relating to cells other than the one it has selected, and thus exploit this information to reselect a cell, especially when mobile when in standby mode.

[0031] Furthermore, this allows information representative of current cell deployment conditions to be transmitted simultaneously to a large number of UEs, thus saving network resources for communicating this information.

[0032] In another embodiment, the information is received by the user equipment from the base station, respectively sent by the base station to the user equipment, in a signaling channel dedicated to the user equipment or in at least one system information block transmitted by the base station upon request from the user equipment.

[0033] This makes it possible to target the information transmitted by the base station according to the user equipment. For example, depending on the context in which it is located (e.g., whether or not it is mobile, depending on its location, etc.), certain information may not be relevant or may not provide any interesting elements to be used by the user equipment or by the application entities to which it is likely to transmit this information.

[0034] Additionally, using a dedicated signaling channel allows for a larger amount of information to be transmitted to the user equipment.

[0035] It should be noted that in order to limit the quantity of signaling exchanged between the base station and the UE, and between the UE and said at least one application entity of the network, and / or to secure the data exchanged, it may be envisaged that all or part of the information representative of the deployment conditions of the cells is received or transmitted in condensed form, for example in the form of hash values, keys or even links allowing access to the raw information in a secure database or from any other internal or external trusted entity or network.

[0036] Alternatively or additionally, it is also possible to consider selecting the information on current deployment conditions of the cells sent to the UE, for example as mentioned above, depending on the mobility context of the latter or other parameters such as the location of the base station and / or the UE (e.g. rural or urban environment).

[0037] Thus in one embodiment, all or part of the information received by the user equipment depends on a mobility context of the user equipment.

[0038] As mentioned previously, the invention applies in a preferred manner in the context of a 5G network. For example, said at least one application entity to which the user equipment transmits all or part of the information received from the base station may be a network device hosting a network function such as an application function (or AF for "Application Function" in English), requested to collect data from the user equipment (directly or via a device hosting a network function NEF (for "Network Exposure Function" in English) by a network data collection and analysis device such as a device hosting a function NWDAF.

[0039] Correlatively, in a particular embodiment, the collection method may comprise a step of transmitting to a network data collection and analysis device (e.g. device hosting an NWDAF function) all or part of the information received from the user equipment.

[0040] This example is given for illustrative purposes only, however, and other network devices hosting other network functions may be affected, for example devices hosting AMF or SMF functions, etc.

[0041] The invention can also be used in contexts other than a 5G network. Indeed, some players in the telecommunications field are anticipating for the 6 èmegeneration of mobile networks (also more commonly called 6G), a blurring of the boundaries between access network(s) and core network. In this perspective, network architectures based on control plane signaling interfaces can offer significant advantages. The invention can therefore easily be applied in such a context as well.

[0042] As mentioned above, various types of information representative of the current deployment conditions of the cells can be envisaged within the framework of the invention. It should be noted that such information, with the exception of certain information relating to the state of the cell, is not known today to the base stations: the base station is not aware of the actual deployment context of the cells that it manages, it only has radio parameters that it uses to manage the quality of the radio links, maintain communications using measurements that it carries out and / or that are reported by the UEs and / or broadcast cell selection / reselection parameters to the UEs. This type of information is in fact not used today by the base stations in the processing entrusted to them. As for the information relating to the state of the cell, it is not shared with the core network or with the UEs.

[0043] In a particular embodiment, some or all of the information relating to the current deployment conditions of the network cells may be configured at the base stations by the network operator (e.g., in the form of unstructured metadata (e.g., XML, JSON, YAML, etc. formats) in a standardized or network operator-specific data repository) or be acquired or determined by the base stations themselves.

[0044] Thus, in a particular embodiment, at least part of said information has been evaluated by said at least one base station before sending it to said user equipment.

[0045] For example, it may be envisaged that the base station evaluates the geographical extent of the coverage area of ​​a cell from the geographical positions of the UEs served by it, these positions being able to be provided by satellite positioning modules (e.g. GPS (for "Global Positioning System" in English), GNSS (for "Global Navigation Satellite Systems" in English)) equipping the UEs or deduced by the base station from information that it has on these UEs such as their speed or an observed difference in time of arrival (or OTDOA for "Observed Time Difference of Arrival" in English).

[0046] Alternatively, at least part of said information has been obtained by the base station from a radio planning system adapted to said network before sending it to said user equipment.

[0047] A radio planning system can typically provide information on the type of deployment envisaged for a cell: in a dense, suburban or rural area, in line of sight (LOS) or not (NLOS for "Non Light Of Sight" in English), event-based or temporary deployment of the cell, configuration of the cell (e.g. macro, micro or pico cell), configuration of the cell's antennas (e.g. distributed antenna system or DAS) System" in English), etc. It can also provide information on the infrastructure covered by the cell, for example if it is deployed to cover a road axis, a waterway, a port, a railway line, a station, and where appropriate identify the infrastructure in question.

[0048] In a particular embodiment, the obtaining and collecting methods are implemented by a computer.

[0049] The invention thus relates to a computer program on a recording medium, this program being capable of being implemented in a computer or more generally in user equipment in accordance with the invention and comprising instructions adapted to the implementation of a obtaining method as described above.

[0050] The invention also relates to a computer program on a recording medium, this program being capable of being implemented in a computer or more generally in an application entity of the network in accordance with the invention and comprising instructions adapted to the implementation of a collection method as described above.

[0051] Each of these programs may use any programming language, and may be in the form of source code, object code, or code intermediate between source code and object code, such as in a partially compiled form, or in any other desirable form.

[0052] The invention also relates to an information medium or a recording medium readable by a computer, and comprising instructions of a computer program as mentioned above.

[0053] The information or recording medium may be any entity or device capable of storing programs. For example, the medium may include a storage medium, such as a ROM, for example a CD ROM or a microelectronic circuit ROM, or a magnetic recording medium, for example a hard disk, or a flash memory.

[0054] On the other hand, the information or recording medium may be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, which may be conveyed via an electrical or optical cable, by radio link, by wireless optical link or by other means.

[0055] The program according to the invention can in particular be downloaded from an Internet-type network.

[0056] Alternatively, the information or recording medium may be an integrated circuit in which a program is incorporated, the circuit being adapted to execute or to be used in the execution of the obtaining and collecting methods according to the invention.

[0057] According to another aspect, the invention relates to a system in a cellular communication network comprising: - at least one base station managing at least one cell of the network and comprising a sending module configured to send to at least one user equipment of the network information representative of current deployment conditions of said at least one cell; - at least one user equipment according to the invention receiving said information sent by said at least one base station; and - at least one application entity of the network according to the invention; in which said user equipment is configured to use and / or transmit to said at least one application entity information representative of conditions of current deployment of at least one cell managed by said at least one base station.

[0058] It may also be envisaged, in other embodiments, that the obtaining and collection methods, the user equipment, the application entity and the system according to the invention present in combination all or part of the aforementioned characteristics. Brief description of the drawings

[0059] Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the description given below, with reference to the appended drawings which illustrate an exemplary embodiment thereof without any limiting character. In the figures: [Fig. 1] Figure 1 represents, in its environment, a system in a network according to the invention, in a particular embodiment; [Fig. 2] Figure 2 schematically represents the hardware architecture of a base station, user equipment and an application entity of the system of Figure 1; [Fig. 3] Figure 3 represents the functional modules of a base station, a user equipment and an application entity of the system of Figure 1; and [Fig. 4] Figure 4 illustrates the steps of the obtaining, providing and collecting methods implemented by the system of Figure 1 in a particular embodiment. Description of the invention

[0060] Figure 1 represents a system 1 in a cellular communication NW network, according to the invention in a particular embodiment. The NW network is here a 5G network as defined by the 3GPP standard, managed by an operator OP; it comprises at least one access network AN and a core network CN.

[0061] In a manner known per se, the CN core network relies on a plurality of network functions or NFs offering various services and implementing various functionalities in the CN core network, such as for example an AMF function managing access to the network and the mobility of the UEs attached to the network, an SMF function managing the sessions established in the network, an NRF function maintaining the profiles of the NF functions of the network, an NWDAF function for collecting and analyzing network data, etc. One or more instances of each of the NF functions of the CN core network can be deployed to ensure the operational functioning of the latter. In the example of FIG. 1, we consider in particular a device 2 hosting an instance of AMF network function (also designated for the sake of simplification by AMF device 2), a device 3 hosting an SMF network function instance (or SMF device 3), a device 4 hosting an instance of a NWDAF network function (or NWDAF device 4) and a device 5 hosting an AF network function (or AF device 5). Of course, this example is given for illustrative purposes only and is in no way limiting of the invention. These various devices constitute application entities of the network within the meaning of the invention.

[0062] To access the services offered by the NW network, a user equipment or UE connects to the CN core network via the AN access network, and more particularly a gNB base station of this access network. There is no limitation on the nature of the UE 5: it can be a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, an object, a machine or a connected vehicle, etc.

[0063] In a manner known per se, each gNB base station is configured to manage one or more cells of the NW network. By "cell" is meant here a "unitary" geographical area of ​​the NW network to which is associated a cell identifier (or "NR Cell Identity" in English) designating it uniquely, and transmission parameters (e.g. a frequency band). It should be noted that the same transmission parameters can be used simultaneously by several cells of the network duly distributed to limit interference. In the example of Figure 1, two tri-sector gNB base stations 6, 7 are more particularly envisaged: each of these base stations manages three cells of the network (corresponding to the three sectors covered by the base station), namely cells C1, C2 and C3 for base station 6, and cells C4, C5 and C6 for base station 7. Of course, other configurations can be envisaged.

[0064] There are no limitations on the type of base stations considered for the AN network. Fixed and / or mobile base stations can be considered (for example, on board a vehicle, a drone, a high-altitude platform, or more generally, any system likely to move).

[0065] According to the invention, the system 1 comprises: at least one gNB base station managing at least one cell of the NW network, namely in the example of figure 1, the base station 6 managing the cells C1, C2 and C3, and the base station 7 managing the cells C4, C5 and C6; - at least one application entity of the network, such as a network function, or a device hosting such a network function. In the example of Figure 1, the AMF 2, SMF 3, NWDAF 4 and AF 5 devices are considered as application entities of the network, the AF 5 device being an application entity according to the invention; and at least one user equipment or UE 8, according to the invention. No limitation is attached to the nature of the UE 8: it may be a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, a connected object, etc.

[0066] In the embodiment described here, each base station of the system 1 (e.g. gNB 6 and 7) has the hardware architecture of a computer as shown in FIG. 2. This computer comprises in particular a processor 9, a random access memory 10, a read-only memory 11, a non-volatile memory 12, and communication means 13 allowing the base station to communicate with UEs (e.g. with the UE 8) as well as with other elements of the NW network, such as for example devices of the core network CN or entities external to the NW network, such as a radio planning system 14 adapted to the NW network (e.g., that used by the operator OP of the NW network to deploy its network).

[0067] The non-volatile memory 12 of the computer is here a recording medium readable by the processor 9 and on which is recorded a computer program PROG comprising instructions defining the main steps of a supply method.

[0068] The PROG program defines functional modules of the base station, which rely on or control the hardware elements 9 to 13 of the computer mentioned above. These functional modules include in particular, in the embodiment described here and as illustrated in FIG. 3, a sending module 15 configured to send to a user equipment of the NW network such as the UE 8, information noted INFO_CURR representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by the base station. The operation of the module 15 is described in more detail later with reference to the steps of the supply process.

[0069] Similarly, in the embodiment described here, the user equipment or UE 8 according to the invention has the hardware architecture of a computer as shown in FIG. 2. This computer comprises in particular a processor 16, a random access memory 17, a read-only memory 18, a non-volatile memory 19, and communication means 20 allowing the UE 8 to communicate on the one hand with the base stations of the system 1 (and in particular with the base stations 6 and 7) and more generally of the network NW, and on the other hand, with application entities of the network, and in particular with devices of the core network CN such as the device AF 5. The communication means 20 can for this purpose rely on standardized interfaces (e.g. on APIs) or not.

[0070] The non-volatile memory 19 of the computer here constitutes a recording medium in accordance with the invention, readable by the processor 16 and on which is recorded a computer program PROG' in accordance with the invention, comprising instructions defining the main steps of a obtaining method according to the invention.

[0071] The program PROG' defines functional modules of the UE 8 which rely on or control the hardware elements 16 to 20 of the computer cited previously. These modules comprise in particular here, as illustrated in FIG. 3: a reception module 21, configured to receive from at least one base station of the system 1, and in particular here from the base stations 6 and 7, INFO_CURR information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell managed by this base station; and a processing module 22, configured to transmit to at least one application entity of the network NW, all or part of said INFO_CURR information received by the reception module 21. In the embodiment described in more detail here, this application entity is a device of the core network CN hosting a network function, such as the device AF 5.However, as mentioned previously, other application entities may be envisaged, such as for example a base station of the cellular network NW. Furthermore, in the embodiment described here, the processing module 22 is also configured to use all or part of the INFO_CURR information to implement certain functionalities implemented by the UE 8, and in particular to select and / or reselect a cell of the network, for example to register with the network or when it is in standby mode.

[0072] The operation of modules 21 and 22 is described in more detail later with reference to the steps of the production method according to the invention.

[0073] In the embodiment described here, the application entities according to the invention such as the device AF 5 also have the hardware architecture of a computer as shown in FIG. 2. This computer comprises in particular a processor 23, a random access memory 24, a read-only memory 25, a non-volatile memory 26, and communication means 27 allowing the device AF 5 (and more generally each application entity according to the invention) to communicate on the one hand with the UEs of the system 1 (and in particular with the UE 8), and on the other hand, with devices of the core network CN, such as for example with the device NWDAF 4 (for example via an API).

[0074] The non-volatile memory 26 of the computer here constitutes a recording medium in accordance with the invention, readable by the processor 23 and on which a pro- computer program PROG" according to the invention, comprising instructions defining the main steps of a collection method according to the invention.

[0075] The program PROG" defines functional modules of an application entity according to the invention such as the device AF 5, which rely on or control the hardware elements 23 to 27 of the computer cited previously. These functional modules comprise in particular, in the embodiment described here, as illustrated in FIG. 3: a solicitation module 28, configured to receive a solicitation from here a device of the core network, such as for example the device NWDAF 4, to collect data on a UE such as the UE 8, or on a group of UEs. The solicitation module 28 is further configured to, following this solicitation received, in turn solicit the UE or the group of UEs in question so that it (they) provide it with the requested data.According to the invention, this data includes INFO_CURR information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell managed by at least one base station of the system 1 (and therefore of the NW network) that the UE has received or is able to receive from it. It should be noted that the requests (e.g. from the NWDAF device 4 or the AF device 5) can be made in the form of simple requests or subscriptions to given events, relying for example on mechanisms defined by the 3GPP standard; and a collection module 29, configured to receive the INFO_CURR information from the UE or the aforementioned group of UEs.

[0076] It should be noted that the solicitation module 28 is optional, the UE or group of UEs being able to be configured in another embodiment to spontaneously send the INFO_CURR information it has available to the AF device 5.

[0077] The operation of modules 28 and 29 is described in more detail later with reference to the steps of the collection method according to the invention.

[0078] We will now describe, with reference to Figure 4, the main steps of the provisioning method, and of the obtaining and collection methods according to the invention when they are implemented respectively, in the embodiment described here, by the base stations 6 and 7, by the UE 8, and by the AF device 5 of the system 1.

[0079] It is assumed that the UE 8 is located in the cell C1 of the NW network (managed by the base station 6) and receives, in a manner known per se, from this cell, system information SI broadcast in system information blocks (or SIBs for "System Information Bloc" in English) by the neighboring base stations, and more particularly in the example envisaged here, by the gNB base stations 6 and 7 (steps E10 and E20). The acquisition of the system information SI by the UE 8 and the broadcasting of this information by the base stations 6 and 7 on the cells that they manage are based here on the procedures described in paragraph 5.2.2 of the document 3GPP TS 38.331 entitled "Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol Specification (Release 17)”, V17.0.0, March 2022. These procedures can be implemented while the UE 8 is in a network-connected or standby mode.

[0080] As described in TS 38.331 in section 6.3.1, the system information SI broadcast in the SIBs by a base station contains, for each cell managed by the base station, information common to the cell (i.e. not specific to a UE in the cell) that a UE needs to access the cell and operate correctly within the network. It includes, in particular, as described in paragraph 4.4 of the 3GPP TS 38.331 document, common NAS (for "Non-Access Stratum" in English), location assistance data, cell (re)selection parameters, information on neighboring cells, configuration information of the common channels of the cell, etc. In accordance with the invention, the system information SI conventionally broadcast in the context of a 5G network and described in the 3GPP TS 38.331 document is enriched by the sending module 15 of each base station 6, 7 with INFO_CURR information representative of the current deployment conditions of the cells managed by said base station 6, 7.

[0081] The INFO_CURR information relating to the cells of the NW network reflects the actual deployment of the NW network at a given time, i.e., the geographical areas and infrastructures covered by the cells, the topology of the NW network architecture (e.g. adjacency between cells), etc. They are dynamic in the sense that they can evolve over time, depending on the decisions taken by the OP operator of the NW network or autonomously by the base stations (e.g. reconfiguration of certain base stations, etc.), the appearance of new infrastructures (e.g. roads, buildings, etc.), the relocation of base stations if necessary, the extinction of certain cells (e.g. to limit the energy consumption of the network), etc.

[0082] Thus, for example, the INFO_CURR information representative of the current deployment conditions of a cell managed by a base station (6 or 7 in the example of Figure 1) may comprise all or part of the following information: information relating to the arrangement of the cell in the network architecture, such as the logical or radio neighborhood of the cells (for example in the form of the identity of the neighboring cells of said cell); information relating to the geographical environment of the cell such as the geographical area covered by the cell (expressed for example from the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the center of the cell and its radius, or from a polygonal spatial pattern using the same type of coordinates or via a reference to a coverage map, etc.); information relating to the type of cell deployment, such as indoor / outdoor deployment, line of sight (LOS) or indirect line of sight (NLOS), in a white, dense, suburban or rural area, for coverage or capacity purposes, in support of a private network, infrastructure or critical vertical, event / temporary deployment, deployment configuration (e.g. macro / small / pico cell, cell managed by a base station on board a high-altitude platform, a drone or a satellite, etc.); information relating to a configuration of at least one antenna of the cell such as the position and orientation of this antenna (latitude, longitude, altitude, height above ground, azimuth, inclination), the deployment of a distributed antenna system (or DAS); information relating to at least one infrastructure covered by the cell, for example a road axis, a railway, a waterway, one or more buildings, an industrial zone, etc. (expressed for example in the form of the identity of the infrastructure in question); information relating to the state of the cell, such as the load or the load level (e.g. low, medium, high) of the cell, the load or the load level of. the cell at the level of each network slice, the number of active users in the cell, the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) throughput, congestion indicators (e.g. radio resource utilization rate, number of packets in queues), a fault state or alarm level, a security status (e.g. jamming detection, detection of "Man In The Middle Attack" attacks, "fake base station", distributed denial of service (DDoS), compromise by botnets), etc.).

[0083] This list is of course not exhaustive and other information representative of current cell deployment conditions may be considered in the context of the invention.

[0084] The sending module 15 of the base station can also add to the system information SI information noted here INFO_gNB concerning it, such as its identity (in the form for example of a “Global RAN Node ID” identifier), the list of TAs and / or slices that it supports, information representative of its state (e.g. load or load level, number of users using the base station), etc.

[0085] It should be noted that the INFO_CURR and / or INFO_gNB information may have been configured at each base station 6, 7 of the system 1 by the operator OP of the NW network (via means known per se and not described here), or be obtained or discovered dynamically by each base station 6, 7 before transmitting it to the UE 8.

[0086] For example, a base station 6, 7 may evaluate some of the INFO_CURR information, in particular itself, such as the geographical area covered by each of the cells that it manages. For this purpose, it may in particular use the geographical location of the UEs connected to the cell, this location being able to be fed back by satellite positioning modules (or PNT for “Positioning Navigation and Timing Service” in English) such as GPS or GNSS modules equipping the UEs or being calculated by the base station from the TDOA and speed information that it has on the UEs. Thanks to the location of the UEs and the knowledge of the cells serving each of these UEs, the base station 6, 7 can establish a “map” of the UEs that each cell that it manages and deduce therefrom the coverage limits of this cell.

[0087] According to another example, particularly well suited in the case of a mobile base station equipped with a PNT receiver and a compass, a base station 6, 7 can evaluate the position and orientation of the antennas serving the cells that it manages from the positions returned by its PNT receiver and the indications provided by its compass.

[0088] According to yet another example, a base station 6, 7 can determine the identity of the neighboring cells of each cell that it manages by using the ANR (Automatic Neighbor Relation) functionality of the SON (Self-Organizing Networks) technology designed in a manner known per se to allow self-configuration, self-operation and self-optimization of the equipment of a cellular communication network.

[0089] According to another example, base station 6,7 can infer information about the state of the cell from its own state: for example, if base station 6,7 encounters an overload problem typically caused by the limitation of its processing capacities, this will have repercussions on the state of the cells it manages which will themselves be in an overloaded state.

[0090] In addition, the base station 6,7 has, in a manner known per se, information on the use of network resources. From this information, it can detect a state (or level) of congestion of the cells that it manages. Such congestion is likely to affect different types of resources used by the cell, such as radio resources or PRB (for "Physical Resource Block" in English), buffers or radio channels (e.g., traffic, signaling or paging channels), and occurs when 100% of the resources in question are used (e.g., 100% of the buffers are full). To detect such a state, various advanced indicators of congestion can be monitored, such as, for example, a percentage of resource use that is approaching a critical threshold, an increase in delays or packet losses observed on the cell, etc. These indicators can be considered among the INFOJZURR information.

[0091] Each base station 6, 7 can also obtain some of the INFO_CURR information from third-party entities, for example from entities of the NW network or from external entities. In particular, it can be envisaged that each base station 6, 7 is configured to communicate with the radio planning system 14 adapted to the NW network, and obtain certain information from this radio planning system, such as for example the information relating to the type of deployment of the cells that it manages, the identity of the infrastructures covered by each of these cells, or even the information relating to the deployment configuration of these cells.

[0092] The base station 6, 7 may also be aware of some of the INFO_CURR and / or INFO_gNB information, because it uses it to implement the processing it is responsible for or because it is configured to broadcast this information on the NW network (for example, the identity of the cells it manages, or the list of TAs and / or slices it supports).

[0093] The nature of the information INFO_CURR (and where appropriate INFO_gNB) used by each sending module 15 of a base station 6, 7 to enrich the system information SI can be defined by default at the base station level, for example by the operator OP of the NW network, or by a management platform also known as an OAM platform (for "Operations, Administration and Maintenance" in English). Alternatively or additionally, it can be envisaged that the sending module 15 of a base station is configured to operate a selection of all or part of the information on current deployment conditions of the cells that it sends in the SIBs according to one or more given factors, such as for example the location of the base station to which it belongs (e.g. rural or urban environment), or the mobility of the UEs attached to the cells that the base station manages, etc.

[0094] Once the INFO_CURR (and where applicable INFO_gNB) information that it wishes / must broadcast on the cells it manages has been obtained, the base station 6, 7 transmits it via its sending module 15 in system information blocks SIBs according to the procedure described in 3GPP TS 38.331, paragraph 5.2.2 (steps E10 and E20). Thus, the base station 6 broadcasts via its sending module 15 in the SIBs the INFO_CURR (and where applicable INFO_gNB) information that it has obtained on cells C1, C2 and C3, and the base station 7 broadcasts via its sending module 15 in the SIBs the INFO_CURR (and where applicable INFO_gNB) information that it has obtained on cells C4, C5 and C6.

[0095] It should be noted that the INFO_CURR (and where appropriate INFO_gNB) information broadcast by the base station 6, 7 may be transmitted by its sending module 15 in the SIBs in raw form or in condensed form, for example, in the form of hash values, keys or links allowing access to the raw information in a secure database or from any other internal or external trusted entity or NW network (not shown in FIG. 1). The use of hash functions makes it possible in particular to secure the transmitted INFO_CURR information: in fact, such hash functions have varied properties and may in particular be used in a known manner to authenticate and protect the integrity of the data to which they are applied, manage the confidentiality of this data or mask it.

[0096] It is further noted that in accordance with the 3GPP standard, the SIBs (and a fortiori in the embodiment described here the INFO_CURR information, and where appropriate INFO_gNB) can be broadcast periodically by the base stations of the NW network (including base stations 6 and 7 of system 1) or be transmitted by the base stations upon request from the UEs.

[0097] In the example envisaged here, it is assumed that the UE 8, via its reception module 21 and its communication means 20, receives the SIBs broadcast by the base station 6 containing the information INFO_CURR (and where appropriate INFO_gNB) relating to the cells C1, C2 and C3, and the SIBs broadcast by the base station 7 containing the information INFO_CURR (and where appropriate INFO_gNB) relating to the cells C4, C5 and C6.

[0098] In the embodiment described here, the UE 8 via its processing module 22 uses the INFO_CURR information relating to the current deployment conditions of the cells C1 to C6 to select a cell to register with the core network CN of the cellular network NW (step E30). For example, the processing module 22 can take into account for this purpose the usage context in which the UE 8 is located and select according to this context the most appropriate cell from among the cells C1 to C6 with regard to the INFO_CURR information available to it. This context can be defined at the level of the UE 8 in a static manner (for example configured during the manufacture of the UE or by the user) and reflect a particular use of the UE 8: for example, the UE 8 is a device intended to equip a boat, a car, a train, etc.The context of use of the UE 8 may alternatively be determined dynamically by the processing module 22, for example by querying the user of the UE 8 via a user interface provided for this purpose, or autonomously by relying for example on the history of the cells that it has used and the type of deployment associated with these cells (for example the last N cells were of the road type), and / or on information sent back where appropriate by its accelerometer (which makes it possible in particular to distinguish pedestrian use from car use, the movements of the UE not being the same), etc.

[0099] Thus, by way of illustration, if the processing module 22 determines that the UE 8 equips a boat and that it has among the information INFO_CURR, information on the deployment conditions of the cells C1 to C6 and / or on the infrastructures that they cover, the processing module 22 can select a cell from the cells C1 to C6 for which this information indicates a deployment of the port or waterway type or covering a port or a waterway.

[0100] According to another example, if the processing module 22 determines that the UE is at board a train (respectively a car or a truck) and that it has among the information INFO_CURR, information on the deployment conditions of cells Cl to C6 and / or on the infrastructures that they cover, the processing module 22 can select a cell from cells Cl to C6 for which this information indicates a deployment of the railway type or covering a railway (respectively of the road type).

[0101] Of course, these examples are given for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the invention.

[0102] It is assumed, in the example illustrated in Figure 1, that the processing module 22 of the UE 8 selects the cell C1 to allow the UE 8 to register with the core network CN and more precisely with the AMF device 2. The registration of the UE 8 with the AMF device 2 (step E40) and the establishment of a PDU (for "Packet Data Unit" in English) session following via the SMF device 3 (step E50) take place in a similar or identical manner to what is described in the 3GPP standard and in particular in the document 3GPP 23.502 entitled "Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Procedures for the 5G System (5GS); Stage 2; (Release 17)", V17.4.0, March 2022, in paragraphs 4.2.2.2.2 and 4.3.2.2.1 respectively.

[0103] It should be noted that other base stations of the system 1 may be required to transmit INFO_CURR information (and where appropriate INFO_gNB) to the UE 8 as it moves. They do this in an identical manner to what was described previously for steps E10 and E20. Furthermore, in the event of a modification of one or more INFO_CURR information relating to the current deployment conditions of the cells that it manages, a base station of the system 1 may inform the UE 8 of the modifications made. To this end, it may communicate these modifications to the UE 8 by means of SIBs broadcast on the cells that it manages, as described previously for steps E10 and E20, if the UE 8 is still within the radio range of one of these cells.

[0104] It is now assumed that a device of the CN core network hosting a network function, for example the AMF device 2 used by the UE 8, requests the NWDAF device 4 to obtain predictions and / or statistics in relation to the UE 8 such as mobility forecasts of the UE 8 (step E60). It is noted that the invention is not limited to a request originating from the AMF device 2 used by the UE 8: the request for predictions and / or statistics may in fact come from another AMF device of the CN core network (in other words hosting another instance of AMF function) than the AMF device 2 used by the UE 8, or from a device of the CN core network hosting another network function than an AMF function as mentioned later. It may furthermore relate to other types of predictions and / or statistics.

[0105] In the embodiment described here, the AMF device 2 uses to request predictions and / or statistics from the NWDAF device 4 the Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo service described in the documents 3GPP TS 23.288 entitled “Architecture Enhancements for 5G system (5GS) to support network data analytics services (Release 17)”, V17.4.0, March 2022, and TS 28.520 entitled “Technical Specification Group Core Network and Terminals; 5G System; Network Data Analytics Services; Stage 3; (Release 17)”, V17.6.0, March 2022. It is noted that this request can be made in the form of a simple request (message “Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo Request” as illustrated in FIG. 4), or alternatively in the form of a subscription as described in the aforementioned documents.

[0106] Upon receipt of the request for predictions and / or statistics from the AMF 2 device, the NWDAF device 4 collects the INPUT_DATA data necessary for calculating the requested predictions and / or statistics from various entities, as described in document TS 23.288 in paragraph 6.7.2.4 (step E70). Thus, in accordance with the procedure described in this document, the NWDAF device 4 can subscribe to the notification of service data relating to the UE 8 to the AMF device used by the latter (including the AMF device 2), for example to be informed of changes in the location of the UE 8 (step E71). It can also request the OAM system for operation, administration and management of the cellular network NW (not shown in the figures) (step E72). It can also collect data from the UE 8 or another UE.In the embodiment described here, it is assumed that the NWDAF device 4 also collects data from the UE 8 to obtain in particular all or part of the INFO_CURR information received by the UE 8 from the base stations 6 and 7 (step E73).

[0107] For this purpose, the NWDAF device 4 implements the procedure described in paragraph 6.2.8 of the 3GPP TS 23.288 document, adapted for the purposes of the invention. More particularly, it requests a device hosting an AF application function, capable of collecting such data from the UE 8 (i.e. in particular authorized by the OP operator to do so and able to interact with the UE 8). The NWDAF device 4 discovers which AF device to request by querying the NRF network function (which maintains the profiles of the network AF functions). It is assumed here that the NWDAF device 4 determines that it must request the AF device 5 to obtain data from the UE 8. It should be noted that in the embodiment described here based on a 5G cellular network as defined by the 3GPP standard, the NWDAF device 4 is caused to interact with the AF device 5 directly if the AF device 5 is a device considered to be reliable (i.e.trusted), or via an intermediate device hosting a NEF function otherwise. For the sake of simplification, it is assumed here that the AF 5 device is reliable.

[0108] The NWDAF device 4 thus requests the AF device 5 (and more specifically its solicitation module 28) to collect data from the UE 8 and in particular all or part of the INFO_CURR information that the UE 8 has received; for this purpose, it invokes the Naf_EventExposure_Subscribe service (or the Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe service if the intervention of an NEF network function is required) as described in the 3GPP TS 23.502 document (step E73a). This service allows the NWDAF device 4 to subscribe to the notification of any event affecting the UE 8 detected by the AF device 5. In the example envisaged here, the NWDAF device 4 indicates during its subscription request that it wishes to be notified of information representative of the current deployment conditions of the cells of the NW network available to the UE 8 (i.e. INFO_CURR information on the cells C1 to C6 managed by the base stations 6 and 7 in the example envisaged here).To indicate the events to which the NWDAF 4 device subscribes (information representative of the current deployment conditions of the cells), it can be envisaged that the NWDAF 4 device uses, when invoking the Naf_EventExposure_Subscribe service, a new type of event defined for the needs of the invention.

[0109] It is noted that when invoking the Naf_EventExposure_Subscribe service, the NWDAF device 4 can designate the types of INFO_CURR information that interest it and / or the cells for which it wishes to obtain all or part of the INFO_CURR information. Thus, it may wish to receive all the INFO_CURR information held by the UE 8 or, on the contrary, make a selection from this information based on one or more several selection criteria. Typically, it can limit the INFO_CURR information it wishes to receive to certain cells of the NW network (e.g., cells C1, C2 and C3 managed by the base station 6), or to the cells managed by a particular base station (e.g., by the base station 6 managing the cell in which the UE 8 is located or used by the UE 8). Similarly, it can target the type of INFO_CURR information it wishes to receive, for example, information relating to the deployment types of the cells only. The limitations as to the desired INFO_CURR information can be determined by the NWDAF device 4 in particular from the INPUT_DATA information it has collected and / or the nature of the predictions / statistics requested from it.

[0110] Following this subscription of the NWDAF device 4, the AF device 5 collects, via its collection module 29, the data corresponding to the events to which the NWDAF device 4 has subscribed (including the INFO_CURR information held by the UE 8 which the base stations 6 and 7 have transmitted to it) (step E73b). The UE 8 transmits to the AF device 5 the data required by the latter via its processing module 22 (step E73b). Upon receipt of this data, the AF device 5 notifies it to the NWDAF device 4 in accordance with the subscription of the NWDAF device 4 (step E73c).

[0111] It is noted that in the embodiment described here, the NWDAF device 4 obtains the INFO_CURR information via the AF device 5 (and possibly a NEF device) using the existing Naf_EventExposure_Subscribe procedure defined in the 3GPP standard (and adapted for the purposes of the invention to notify the INFO_CURR information). This advantageously allows the NWDAF device 4 to be informed, as long as the subscription is valid, of the events to which it has subscribed, and in particular of possible updates to the INFO_CURR information (for example of the reception by the UE 8 of new INFO_CURR information relating to new cells).Alternatively, the NWDAF device 4 may obtain this information by using a simple request addressed to the AF device 5 (or to the NEF device) to trigger the collection of the desired data from the UE 8 (including all or part of the INFO_CURR information held by the UE 8), this request indicating the desired data, or by directly requesting the UE 8 (via a subscription to events or sending a simple request as mentioned above).

[0112] In general, the NWDAF device 4 can request the UE 8 via the AF device 5 directly in connection with a prediction / statistics request addressed to it or asynchronously, for example in anticipation of future requests. It can also, for the same request, query the UE 8 several times via the AF device 5.

[0113] Furthermore, the INFO_CURR information may be transmitted by the UE 8 to the AF device 5 and / or by the AF device 5 to the NWDAF device 4 in raw form or in condensed form as previously described for the sending of this data by the base stations 6 and 7 to the UE 8.

[0114] The NWDAF device 4 then establishes the mobility forecasts of the UE 8 requested by the AMF device 2 using the collected INPUT_DATA data but also all or part of the INFO_CURR information that it has received and which has been collected from the UE 8 via the AF device 5 (step E80). The mobility forecasts of the UE 8 produced by the NWDAF device 4 may for example be influenced by the type of deployment of the cell C1 and in particular the fact that it is deployed in support of a given infrastructure such as a motorway: the future positions of the UE 8 located on this motorway will then have a higher probability. According to another example, if the last X (e.g. X=3) cells used by UE 8 cover the same road axis, the NWDAF 4 device can predict with a fairly high probability that the next cell visited by UE 8 also covers this road axis. Of course, these examples are given for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting in themselves.

[0115] The NWDAF device 4 transmits the mobility forecasts thus established on the UE 8 to the AMF device 2 (message “Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo Response”) (step E90), which in turn uses them to implement the functionalities for which it is responsible. For example, the AMF device 2 uses the forecasts of the NWDAF device 4 to establish the registration area or RA (for “Registration Area” in English) of the UE 8 in a manner known to those skilled in the art and not described in detail here (step E100). The RA thus established may in particular contain all the TAs containing the future positions of the UE 8 predicted by the NWDAF device 4. Of course, this example is given only for illustrative purposes and is not limiting in itself.

[0116] Similarly, other network functions of the CN core network, such as in particular the SMF device 3, can request the NWDAF device 4 to obtain predictions and / or statistics concerning the UE 8 (for example predictions on the communications of the UE 8) or concerning other aspects, using as described previously the Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo service defined by the 3GPP standard (message “Nnwdaf_AnalysticsInfo Request”) (step E110).The NWDAF device 4 can then use, to establish these predictions and / statistics requested by the SMF device 3, the data already collected during step E70 (including the INFO_CURR information) if they are relevant, or request different entities again to collect new data in a similar or identical manner to what was previously described during step E70 to establish the predictions / statistics requested by the AMF device 2 (all the more so if the predictions / statistics requested by the SMF device 3 differ from those requested by the AMF device 2) (step E120).

[0117] The NWDAF device 4 then transmits the established predictions / statistics to the SMF device 3 (message “Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo Response”) (step E130), which can use them to optimize various procedures for managing its session with the UE 8 (step E140). For example, the SMF device 3 can use the predictions to optimally determine certain parameters of the session such as the network function(s) of the user plane or UPF (for “User Plane Function”) which will route the data according to the communication rates predicted by the NWDAF device 4 (e.g. depending on whether the rates are high or whether, on the contrary, they are sporadic transmissions). Of course, this example is given only for illustrative purposes and is not limiting in itself.

[0118] In the embodiment described here, the UE 8 transmits via its processing module 22 the INFO_CURR information that it has received from the base stations of the system 1 to devices of the CN core network and in particular to network functions to enable them to use this information to implement the functionalities for which they are responsible in the CN core network. In another embodiment, as mentioned previously, the UE 8 can transmit the INFO_CURR information to other application entities of the network and in particular to a base station of the access network. Knowledge of the INFO_CURR information can then be used by this base station to optimally select the target cell during a handover (of the UE 8 or of another UE).

[0119] Furthermore, in the embodiment described herein, the base stations 6 and 7 of the system 1 transmit the INFO_CURR information representative of the actual deployment conditions of the cells that they manage respectively in SIBs broadcast on said cells. Alternatively, it can be envisaged that the INFO_CURR information is transmitted to a UE (for example to the UE 8) in a dedicated signaling channel. It is then possible for the base stations to adapt (or not) the INFO_CURR information sent to a UE according to this UE (for example its mobility context, its location, etc.). As described previously for the SIBs, the INFO_CURR information can be transmitted in the dedicated signaling channel in raw or condensed form.

[0120] The invention has just been described with reference to a 5G cellular network defined by the 3GPR standard. This hypothesis is not limiting in itself, and the invention can be applied in other contexts, for example in a 6G cellular network or a proprietary cellular network.

Claims

Claims

1. Method for obtaining information by a user equipment (8) of a cellular communication network (NW), said method comprising: - a step (E10, E20) of receiving, from at least one base station (6, 7) of the network, information (INFO_CURR) representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell (C1-C6) of the network managed by said at least one base station; and - a step (E73b) of transmitting to at least one application entity of the network all or part of said information received.

2. Obtaining method according to claim 1 wherein said information (INFO_CURR) is received: - in at least one system information block broadcast by said at least one base station on said at least one cell or transmitted at the request of the user equipment; or - in a signaling channel dedicated to the user equipment.

3. Obtaining method according to claim 1 or 2 further comprising a step (E30) of using all or part of said information received to select and / or reselect a cell of the network.

4. Obtaining method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said application entity (5) is a device hosting an application function requested to collect data from said user equipment by a device (4) for collecting and analyzing network data.

5. Obtaining method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 in which all or part of the information is received from said at least one base station and / or transmitted to said at least one application entity of the network in condensed form.

6. Obtaining method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 in which all or part of the information received depends on a mobility context of the user equipment.

7. Method for collecting data by an application entity (5) of a cellular communication network (NW), said collection method comprising a step (E73b) of receiving from a user equipment (8) information (INFO_CURR) representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell (C1-C6) of the network managed by at least one base station (6,7) of the network.

8. Collection method according to claim 7 further comprising a step (E73c) of transmitting to a device (4) for collecting and analyzing network data all or part of said information received from the user equipment.

9. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 in which at least one said information (INFO_CURR) representative of conditions of Current deployment of a cell relates to a layout of the cell in a network architecture, a geographic environment of the cell, a configuration of at least one antenna of the cell, a deployment type of the cell, at least one infrastructure covered by the cell, and / or a state of the cell.

10. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 in which at least one said information (INFO_CURR) representative of current deployment conditions of a cell has been evaluated by said at least one base station and / or obtained by the base station from a radio planning system adapted to the network.

11. User equipment (8) of a cellular communications network comprising: - a reception module (21) configured to receive, from at least one base station of the network, information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by said at least one base station; and - a processing module (22) configured to transmit to at least one application entity of the network all or part of said information received.

12. Application entity (5) of a cellular communications network comprising a collection module (29) configured to receive from user equipment information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell of the network managed by at least one base station of the network.

13. System (1) of a cellular communications network (NW) comprising: - at least one base station (6,7) managing at least one cell (C1-C6) of the network and comprising a sending module (15) configured to send to at least one user equipment of the network information representative of current deployment conditions of said at least one cell; - at least one user equipment (8) according to claim 11 receiving said information sent by said at least one base station; and - at least one application entity (5) of the network according to claim 12; wherein said user equipment is configured to send to said at least one application entity of the network information representative of current deployment conditions of at least one cell managed by said at least one base station.

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