Continuity of multicast and broadcast services for user equipment in mobility

Abstract

To provide a method, a user equipment (UE), a network node, and a computer program product for transmission of multicast and broadcast services (MBS) to one or more UEs in mobility.SOLUTION: A method is performed by a target network node in a wireless communication network. The method comprises determining whether a UE is involved in an MBS session with a source network node. Upon determining that the UE is involved in the MBS session with the source network node, the method comprises obtaining an MBS context of the UE related to the MBS session. Further, the method comprises determining provisioning of a Point-To-Multipoint (PTM) configuration information associated with the MBS session to be acquired by the UE for enabling continuous reception of MBS data from the target network node.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of wireless communications. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method, a user equipment (UE), a network node, and a computer program product for providing continuity of multicast and broadcast services (MBS) to one or more UEs in mobility.

Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the Internet and the popularization of large-screen multifunctional mobile terminals, a number of mobile data multimedia services and various high-bandwidth multimedia services have emerged, such as video conferencing, television broadcasting, video on demand, advertising, online education, and interactive games. In particular, these mobile data multimedia services require that multiple users can receive the same data simultaneously. Compared with general data services, mobile data multimedia services have characteristics such as a large data volume, a long duration, and sensitivity to latency.

[0003] To effectively utilize mobile network resources, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) proposes Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS), a technology for transmitting data from one data source to multiple target mobile terminals.

[0004] MBMS defined by 3GPP can not only achieve the multicast and broadcast of low-rate plain text messages, but also achieve the broadcast and multicast of high-speed multimedia services, and thus can provide a wide range of rich video, audio and multimedia services. MBMS is transmitted on a point-to-multipoint (PTM) interface designed to provide efficient delivery of broadcast and multicast services within the 3GPP cellular network. When an MBMS service is broadcast, all cells within a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area transmit the same MBMS service.

[0005] Users access these services and obtain MBMS content through wireless communication devices such as cellular phones, tablets, laptop computers, and other devices with wireless transceivers that communicate with base stations within the wireless communication system. A base station, sometimes called an eNodeB, provides wireless services to wireless communication devices, sometimes called User Equipment (UE), within a cell.

[0006] The UE can be in at least one of two modes, including a connected mode and an idle mode. The UE is in the connected mode when a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection is established. If the RRC connection is not established, the UE is in the idle mode. Thus, the connected mode includes an established RRC connection, while there is no established RRC connection in the idle mode. After establishing an RRC connection, the UE receives MBMS content in the connected mode. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has specified the support for multicast and broadcast services in the new radio (NR) system in Technical Specifications TS38.300, TS38.331, TS38.413, TS38.423, TS23.501, and TS23.502.

[0007] In the existing NR specifications, there are no broadcast or multicast features for PTM transmission to the UE, and the available point-to-point transmission can be extended for PTM transmission to the UE in the RRC connected state. Since there are no broadcast or multicast features for PTM transmission to the UE in the NR system, there is no mobility support for providing continuous MBS services to the UE.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need for improved methods and configurations for providing multicast and broadcast services (MBS) to UEs with mobility that mitigate at least some of the problems cited above. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In particular, when the user equipment (UE) is in mobility, it is desirable to provide service continuity for MBS services for UEs in the RRC_CONNECTED state and in the RRC_IDLE or inactive state. In addition to service continuity, providing MBS services to UEs in mobility can be beneficial, for example, to save the battery life of the UE. Therefore, it is desirable to enable the UE to continue receiving the same MBS service at the new gNB with minimal interruption. To provide service continuity for the MBS service, the UE needs to collect PTM configuration information at the target network node, which is necessary for the UE to receive the same MBS it received from the last serving network node.

[0010] Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a method, network node, user equipment, and computer program product for the transmission of multicast and broadcast services (MBS) during mobility that seeks to alleviate, mitigate, or eliminate all or at least some of the drawbacks described above of the currently known solutions.

[0011] This and other objects are achieved by the methods, computer program products, and devices defined in the appended claims. The term exemplary is to be understood in this context as serving as an instance, example, or illustration.

[0012] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for transmitting multicast and broadcast services (MBS) to a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network is provided. The method is performed by a target network node in the wireless communication network. The method includes determining that the UE is to participate in an MBS session with a source network node. Upon determining that the UE is to participate in an MBS session with the source network node, the method includes obtaining an MBS context of the UE relevant to the MBS session. Further, the method includes determining the provisioning of point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration information associated with the MBS session to be collected by the UE to enable continuous reception of MBS data from the target network node.

[0013] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining, based on one or more of one or more network parameters for MBS, capability information of one or more UEs, and one or more MBS parameters, an RRC state of one or more UEs for reception of MBS data.

[0014] In some embodiments, the method includes receiving, from the UE, a message indicating that the UE is to participate in an MBS session with the source network node.

[0015] In some embodiments, the message is one of a random access procedure message A (MSG A), a message 3 (MSG3), and a message 5 (MSG5).

[0016] In some embodiments, MSG3 includes one or more of a cause - associated RRC setup request, a cause - associated RRC resume request, an RRC system information request, and one or more temporary mobile group identifiers (TMGIs).

[0017] In some embodiments, MSG5 includes one or more of an RRC setup complete message including a TMGI and an RRC resume complete message including a TMGI.

[0018] In some embodiments, the method further includes, when the UE is in the RRC connected state, receiving, from a source network node, a handover request message including the UE's MBS context related to the MBS session.

[0019] In some embodiments, the UE's MBS context related to the MBS session includes one or more of a UE identifier, a session identifier, a temporary mobile group identification information (TMGI), and a source network node identifier.

[0020] In some embodiments, when the UE participates in an MBS session with a source network node, the step of obtaining the UE's MBS context related to the MBS session includes obtaining the MBS context from one or more of the source network node and an access and mobility management function (AMF) in the core network (CN).

[0021] In some embodiments, the step of obtaining the MBS context from the source network node includes determining that the UE is in the RRC inactive state. The method includes receiving resume identification information related to the MBS session from the UE. Further, the method includes transmitting the resume identification information to the source network node to identify the UE's MBS context at the source network node. The method includes obtaining the UE's MBS context from the source network node.

[0022] In some embodiments, the step of obtaining, from the AMF in CN, the MBS context of the UE related to the MBS session includes determining that the UE is in the RRC idle state. Further, the method includes receiving information related to the MBS session, where the information includes one or more of serving temporary mobile subscriber identity (S-TMSI) from the UE, temporary mobile group identity (TMGI), and session identifier (ID). Further, the method includes performing RRC connection establishment with the AMF by transmitting an initial UE message to the AMF, and transmitting the TMGI related to the UE to the AMF. The method includes determining that the MBS context of the UE is available at the AMF. Further, the method includes obtaining the MBS context of the UE in an NGAP message when the MBS context is available at the AMF.

[0023] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining that the MBS context of the UE is not available at the AMF, and receiving, from the AMF, an instruction to start a new session for the UE when the MBS context of the UE is not available at the AMF.

[0024] In some embodiments, the PTM configuration information includes PTM configuration for the MBS session, and the PTM configuration for the MBS session includes one or more of a service identifier, a session identifier, a group radio network temporary identifier (G-RNTI), information related to scheduling of PTM data, information instructing at least one neighboring node to transmit the MBS session, PTM configuration for the cell served by the target network node, and PTM configuration for one or more MBS sessions at the target network node.

[0025] In some embodiments, the step of transmitting PTM configuration information related to the MBS session includes transmitting the PTM configuration to UE103 in Message B (MSG B) or Message 4 (MSG4). Further, the method includes transmitting the PTM configuration to the UE in Message 6 (MSG6), and transmitting the PTM configuration to the source network node in a handover request confirmation response message including the MBS configuration information when a handover request message is received from the source network node.

[0026] In some embodiments, MSG B or MSG4 includes one or more of a system information block (SIB) indicating the PTM configuration information, a new information element (IE) indicating the PTM configuration information, an indication as to whether the RRC state should be changed to continue receiving MBS data from the target network node, an indication for resuming an interrupted PTP radio bearer when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, and an indication for configuring a new PTP radio bearer when the UE is in the RRC connected state.

[0027] In some embodiments, MSG6 includes one or more of an indication as to whether the RRC state should be changed to continue receiving MBS data from the target network node, and an indication as to whether a PTP radio bearer or a PTM radio bearer should be used for receiving the MBS data.

[0028] In some embodiments, the method comprises determining that the MBS session of the UE is to be provided to one or more additional UEs in an area served by a target network node, and the MBS session of the UE is to be provided to one or more additional UEs, wherein the MBS session is provided to one or more additional UEs (103a-103n) using a point-to-point (PTP) bearer. The method further comprises determining to switch the PTP bearer to a PTM bearer for one or more additional UEs. Further, the method comprises determining to provision the PTM configuration to one or more additional UEs for transmitting MBS data to the UE.

[0029] In some embodiments, the method further comprises determining that the MBS session of the UE is not to be provided to one or more additional UEs in an area served by a target network node. Further, the method comprises initiating a new MBS session attachment procedure with the AMF and transmitting an indication to the UE to use the PTP bearer for provisioning of the PTM configuration for receiving MBS data.

[0030] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for enabling a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network to perform continuous reception of multicast and broadcast services (MBS). The method is performed by a source network node in the wireless communication network. The method comprises determining that the UE is in mobility and is involved in an MBS session with the source network node, and transmitting, while the UE is in mobility, an MBS context related to the MBS session to one or more neighboring network nodes, wherein one of the one or more neighboring network nodes is a target network node.

[0031] In some embodiments, the step of the UE transmitting an MBS context related to the MBS session to one or more neighboring network nodes while the UE is in mobility includes the UE determining that it is in the RRC connected state during mobility and receiving a handover request message from the UE. Further, the method includes transmitting a handover request message including the UE's MBS context related to the MBS session to one or more neighboring network nodes.

[0032] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving, from one or more neighboring network nodes, a PTM configuration in a handover request confirmation response message including MBS session setup information, and transmitting an RRC reconfiguration message including the MBS session setup information to the UE.

[0033] In some embodiments, the PTM configuration information includes a PTM configuration for the MBS session, and the PTM configuration for the MBS session includes one or more of a service identifier, a session identifier, a group radio network temporary identifier (G-RNTI), information related to the scheduling of PTM data, and information indicating that at least one neighboring node transmits the MBS session.

[0034] In some embodiments, the MBS context is identified using a context identifier allocated by a source network node.

[0035] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method for receiving multicast and broadcast services (MBS) from a target network node in a wireless communication network is provided. The method is implemented by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network. The method includes determining that an MBS session with a source network node is in progress at the UE. Further, the method includes sending a message indicating that the MBS session with the source network node is in progress, and determining, based on the sent message, to receive point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration information related to the MBS session to be collected for continuous reception of MBS data from the target network node.

[0036] In some embodiments, the step of sending a message indicating that the UE MBS session with the source network node is in progress further includes sending, to the target network node while the UE is in one of an idle state and a non-active state, a message indicating that the UE is involved in the MBS session with the source network node.

[0037] In some embodiments, the message is one of a random access procedure message B or message 3 (MSG3), and message 5 (MSG5).

[0038] In some embodiments, MSG B or MSG3 includes one or more of a radio resource control (RRC) setup request with cause, an RRC resume request with cause, an RRC system information request, an indication, and one or more temporary mobile group identifiers (TMGIs).

[0039] In some embodiments, MSG5 includes one or more of an RRC setup complete message including a TMGI and an RRC resume complete message including a TMGI.

[0040] In some embodiments, the method further includes, while the UE is in the RRC connected state, sending, to a source network node, a handover request message including the UE's MBS context related to the MBS session.

[0041] In some embodiments, the UE's MBS context related to the MBS session includes one or more of a UE identifier, a session identifier, a temporary mobile group identifier (TMGI), and a source node identifier.

[0042] In some embodiments, the PTM configuration information includes PTM configurations for the MBS session, and the PTM configurations for the MBS session include one or more of a service identifier, a session identifier, a group radio network temporary identifier (G-RNTI), information related to scheduling of PTM data, information indicating that at least one neighboring node transmits the MBS session, and PTM configuration information for one or more ongoing MBS sessions in a cell served by the target node.

[0043] In some embodiments, the step of receiving, from a target network node, PTM configuration information related to the MBS session includes receiving PTM configurations in Message B (MSG B), receiving PTM configurations in Message 4 (MSG4), and receiving PTM configurations in a handover request confirmation response message including MBS configuration information from the source network node.

[0044] In some embodiments, MSG4 includes one or more of a system information block (SIB) that indicates PTM configuration information, a new information element (IE) that indicates PTM configuration information, an indication as to whether to change the RRC state to continue receiving MBS data from the target network node, an indication to resume an interrupted PTP radio bearer when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, and an indication to configure a new PTP radio bearer when the UE is in the RRC connected state.

[0045] In some embodiments, MSG6 includes one or more of an indication as to whether to change the RRC state to continue receiving MBS data from the target network node, and an indication as to whether to use a PTP radio bearer or a PTM radio bearer for receiving MBS data.

[0046] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a target network node for transmitting multicast and broadcast services (MBS) to a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network is provided. The target network node is adapted to determine that the UE participates in an MBS session with a source network node. When the target network node determines that the UE participates in an MBS session with the source network node, the target network node is adapted to obtain the MBS context of the UE related to the MBS session and to transmit the point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration information related to the MBS session to be collected by the UE to enable continuous reception of MBS data from the target network node.

[0047] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a source network node is provided to enable a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network to perform continuous reception of multicast and broadcast services (MBS). The source network node is adapted to determine that the UE is in mobility and participates in an MBS session with the source network node. Further, the source network node is adapted to transmit an MBS context related to the MBS session to one or more adjacent network nodes while the UE is in mobility, wherein one of the one or more adjacent network nodes is a target network node.

[0048] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) is provided for receiving multicast and broadcast services (MBS) from a target network node in a wireless communication network. The UE is adapted to determine that an MBS session with a source network node is in progress at the UE. Further, the UE is adapted to send a message indicating that an MBS session with the source network node is in progress and, based on the sent message, receive point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration information related to the MBS session to be collected for continuous reception of MBS data from the target network node.

[0049] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having thereon a computer program comprising program instructions. The computer program is loadable into a data processing unit and is configured to cause execution of a method according to any of the first, second, and third aspects when the computer program is run by the data processing unit.

[0050] An advantage of some embodiments is that service continuity of MBS is maintained for UEs with mobility.

[0051] An advantage of some embodiments is that it enables a UE to collect PTM configuration information of multicast or broadcast services for a UE in the RRC idle or RRC inactive state without the need to transition to the RRC connected state.

[0052] An advantage of some embodiments is its efficient handling of UE MBS context transfer to avoid the need for a new session attachment with another MBS context at the target network node.

[0053] The above will become apparent from the following more specific description of exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the different figures. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, and instead emphasis is placed on showing exemplary embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0055] Aspects of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the apparatus and methods disclosed herein may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the aspects described herein. Like numbers in the drawings refer to like elements throughout.

[0056] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects of the present disclosure only and is not intended to limit the invention. The terms "comprises / comprising" used herein are to be construed as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components, or groups thereof. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are to be construed as including the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0057] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described and illustrated in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the solutions disclosed herein may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0058] When the present disclosure is described in terms of a method, it may also be embodied in one or more processors, and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memories storing one or more programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, implement the steps, services, and functions disclosed herein.

[0059] In the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE), also known as a mobile terminal, and / or a wireless terminal is enabled to wirelessly communicate with a network node in a wireless communication network.

[0060] Generally, a network node may serve or cover one or several cells of a wireless communication network. The network node may be a source network node or a target network node. The source network node serves the UE first and when the UE performs a handover from the source network node to the target network node, and the target network node serves the UE after the UE has performed the handover to the target network node. Thus, the network node may be a source network node or a target network node. Generally, a network node provides wireless coverage in a (one or more) cell and communicates on an air interface with a (one or more) UE operating on a radio frequency within its range. The network node may also be referred to as an "eNB", "e-node B", "node B" or "gNB" depending on the technology and terminology used. In the present disclosure, the network node may also be referred to as a base station (BS).

[0061] In the present disclosure, it is assumed that the connection establishment between a (one or more) UE and a network node has already been completed.

[0062] Throughout the description, the terms "inactive" state and "RRC inactive" are taken to have the same meaning, and the terms "idle" state and "RRC idle" state are taken to have the same meaning.

[0063] In the following description of the exemplary embodiments, the same reference numerals denote the same or similar components.

[0064] FIG. 1 discloses an exemplary wireless communication network 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication network 100 includes a plurality of radio access nodes, RANs 101a, 101b, 101c, such as gNBs, gNB distributed units (gNB-DUs) or network nodes, or other types of radio access points, each defining a corresponding coverage area. Each RAN 101a, 101b, 101c is connectable to a core network node 105 (i.e., a core node or CN) over a wired or wireless connection.

[0065] In some embodiments, the first RAN 101a is a source network node configured to wirelessly connect to the UE 103a.

[0066] In some embodiments, the second RAN 101b is a target network node. For example, the target network node can be any of the neighboring RANs to the first RAN 101a, i.e., network node 101b or network node 101c.

[0067] Although a plurality of UEs 103a, 103b are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where a single UE is within the corresponding coverage area, or where a single UE is connected to the corresponding RAN. Thus, it should be noted that there can be a plurality of UEs 103a - 103n (not shown in FIG. 1), and in some embodiments of the present disclosure, a single UE may sometimes be referred to as UE 103.

[0068] The source network node 101a and the target network node 101b can be, for example, a new radio (NR) base station, i.e., a gNB, or an evolved node base station, i.e., an eNB, etc. The communication from the source network node 101a or the target network node 101b to the UEs 103a and 103b is called downlink (DL) communication, and the communication from the UEs 103a and 103b to the source network node 101a or the target network node 101b is called uplink (UL) communication. Therefore, the UEs 103a and 103b are involved in two-way wireless communication with the source network node 101a or the target network node 101b.

[0069] The source network node 101a or the target network node 101b comprises a scheduler for dynamically scheduling downlink transmissions. The scheduler dynamically allocates resources for the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and sends scheduling information to the UEs 103a and 103b through a control channel.

[0070] To effectively utilize mobile network resources, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) proposes the Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS), which is a technology for transmitting data from one data source to multiple target mobile terminals.

[0071] MBMS defined by 3GPP can not only achieve the multicast and broadcast of low-rate plain text messages, but also achieve the broadcast and multicast of high-speed multimedia services, and thus can provide a wide range of rich video, audio and multimedia services. MBMS is transmitted on a point-to-multipoint (PTM) interface designed to provide efficient delivery of broadcast and multicast services within the 3GPP cellular network.

[0072] UEs 103a and 103b can be in one of at least two modes including a connected mode and an idle mode. For example, UE 103a is in the connected mode when a radio resource control (RRC) connection with a source network node is established. When the RRC connection is not established, UE 103a is in the idle mode. Thus, the connected mode includes an established RRC connection, while there is no established RRC connection in the idle mode. After establishing the RRC connection, UEs 103a and 103b receive MBMS content in the connected mode.

[0073] In existing New Radio (NR) specifications, there are no broadcast or multicast features for PTM transmission to UEs, and available point-to-point transmission can be extended for PTM transmission to UEs 103a and 103b in the RRC connected state. Since there are no broadcast or multicast features for PTM transmission to UEs 103a and 103b in the NR system, there is no mobility support for providing continuous MBS services to UEs.

[0074] In particular, when UEs 103a and 103b are in mobility, it is desirable to provide service continuity for MBS services for UEs 103a and 103b in the RRC_CONNECTED state and the RRC_IDLE or inactive state. In addition to service continuity, providing MBS services to UEs 103a and 103b in mobility can be beneficial, for example, to save the battery life of UEs 103a and 103b. Thus, it is desirable to enable UEs 103a and 103b to continue to receive the same MBS services with minimal interruption at the target network node 101b.

[0075] To provide service continuity for the MBS service, the UE needs to collect PTM configuration information at the target network node 101b, which is necessary for the UE 103a to receive the same MBS that the UE 103a received from the serving network node 101a.

[0076] Therefore, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the target network node 101b implements a method for transmitting MBS to the UE 103a as described herein. Alternatively, the UE 103a may also implement a method for receiving MBS data from the target network node 101b.

[0077] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the target network node 101b determines that the UE 103a is involved in an MBS session with the source network node 101a. For example, when the UE 103a is served by the source network node 101a, the UE 103b may be involved in an MBS session with the source network node 101a. The target network node 101b may determine that the UE 103 is in one of the RRC idle state, RRC inactive state, and RRC connected state. Further, when the UE is in one of the idle state and the inactive state, the target network node 101b may receive a message from the UE 103b instructing the UE to be involved in an MBS session with the source network node 101a. In some examples, the message from the UE 103 may be Message 3 (MSG3) or Message 5 of the random access procedure.

[0078] When the target network node 101b determines that the UE 103 is to participate in the MBS session with the source network node 101a, the target network node 101b obtains the MBS context related to the MBS session. For example, the MBS context of the UE related to the MBS session includes the identifier of the UE 103, the session identifier, the temporary mobile group identifier (TMGI), and the source network node identifier.

[0079] After obtaining the MBS context related to the MBS session, the target network node 101b transmits the point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration information related to the MBS session. The PTM configuration information should be collected by the UE 103, which enables the UE 103 to continuously receive MBS data from the target network node 101b.

[0080] In some examples, the PTM configuration information includes one or more of the service identifier for MBS, the session ID for MBS, the group radio network temporary identifier (G-RNTI), the information related to the scheduling of PTM data, the information indicating that at least one adjacent node transmits the MBS session, the PTM configuration for the cell served by the target network node, and the PTM configuration for one or more MBS sessions in the target network node.

[0081] In one example, when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, the target network node 101b transmits the PTM configuration information to the UE in message 4 (MSG4).

[0082] In another example, when the UE is in the RRC idle state, the target network node 101b transmits the PTM configuration information to the UE in message 6 (MSG6).

[0083] In another example, the target network node 101b transmits PTM configuration information to the source network node 101a, for example, in a handover request confirmation response message, and the source network node 101a transmits the PTM configuration information to the UE 103.

[0084] Accordingly, the UE 103 collects PTM configuration information from the target network node 101b in order to continue receiving the MBS service from the target network node 101a. Various embodiments in which the UE receives PTM configurations to continue receiving MBS data are described in the later part of the description.

[0085] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 200 for transmitting multicast and broadcast services (MBS) to one or more UEs in a wireless communication network. As described above, the target network node implements the method 200 to provide MBS to the UEs in the wireless communication network.

[0086] MBS data or MBS content, which may be services, data, or programs accessible through the UE, is referred to herein as PTM-compliant services. Examples of PTM-compliant services include streaming audio and video and other multimedia data.

[0087] The UE shown in FIG. 1 may be in one of the modes including an idle mode, a non-active mode, and a connected mode. When operating according to 3GPP communication specifications, the operation is defined at least for the idle mode and the connected mode. For example, two of the UEs may be in the idle mode and are called idle mode UEs. Further, some of the UEs may be in the connected mode and they are called connected mode UEs. The connected mode UEs are different from the idle mode UEs in that at least the connected mode UEs have an established RRC connection defined by a specific 3GPP specification, while the idle mode UEs do not have an established RRC connection.

[0088] Furthermore, some of the UEs in the wireless communication network 100 shown in FIG. 1 may be in an inactive state, and during a specific or predefined time interval, these UEs in the inactive state can be set by the RAN or network node when there is no data reception in these UEs.

[0089] The embodiments disclosed herein are more applicable for the transmission of MBS to a UE when (one or more) UEs perform a handover from the source network node 101a to the target network node, and when (one or more) UEs are in one of the idle state, inactive state, and connected state.

[0090] In step 202, method 200 includes determining that the UE participates in an MBS session with the source network node. For example, the UE may participate in communication with the source network node. When the UE participates in communication with the source network node, the UE may participate in an MBS session with the source network node. When the UE participates in an MBS session with the source network node, the UE may be in mobility. During mobility, while participating in the MBS session with the source network node, the UE may perform a handover from the source network node to the target network node to the target network node.

[0091] In some embodiments, the UE may be in any of the states such as the idle state, inactive state, or connected state while participating in the MBS session with the source network node during mobility.

[0092] After the UE performs a handover to the target network node, the target network node determines that the UE participates in the MBS session with the source network node, for example, to continue the MBS session for the UE at the target network node.

[0093] In some embodiments, the target network node 101b may receive, from the UE, a message instructing the UE to participate in the MBS session with the source network node when the UE is in one of the idle state and the inactive state. In some examples, the message from the UE may be Message 3 (MSG3) or Message 5 of the random access procedure.

[0094] For example, MSG3 includes one or more of a cause - associated RRC setup request, a cause - associated RRC resume request, an RRC system information request, and one or more of one or more TMGIs, and MSG5 includes one or more of an RRC setup completion message including a TMGI and an RRC resume completion message including a TMGI.

[0095] In some examples, the target network node determines one or more UEs that are in either the idle state or the inactive state or the connected state for the transmission of MBS data to one or more UEs that are in the idle state or the inactive state.

[0096] The target network node determines one or more UEs that are either in the idle / non-active state or the connected state in order to continue transmitting MBS data to the one or more UEs. However, the target network node may determine the RRC state of the one or more UEs in order to continue transmitting MBS data, as specified in optional step 201. For example, the target network node may determine the RRC state of the one or more UEs based on one or more network parameters for MBS, the capability information of the one or more UEs, and one or more MBS parameters, the capability information of the one or more UEs, and one or more MBS parameters.

[0097] In some examples, if the target network node determines that MBS data will only be received in the connected state, the target network node determines that one or more UEs are in the connected state for receiving MBS data.

[0098] In another example, if the target network node determines that there are a number of UEs equal to the maximum number of UEs that can receive MBS data in the connected state, the base station may determine that one or more UEs are in the idle or non-active state for receiving MBS data.

[0099] In another example, if the capability information of the one or more UEs indicates that the one or more UEs cannot receive MBS data in the idle or non-active state, the target network node may determine the RRC state of the one or more UEs for receiving MBS data. Therefore, the target network node may determine the RRC state of the one or more UEs based on the network parameters for MBS, the capability information of the one or more UEs, and one or more MBS parameters.

[0100] In step 208, method 200 includes obtaining the MBS context of the UE related to the MBS session. For example, the MBS context of the UE represents the MBS context related to the MBS session with the source network node that the UE is involved in. The MBS context of the UE may include the identifier of the UE, the session identifier related to the MBS session, the TMGI, and the source network node identifier.

[0101] In one embodiment, the target network node may obtain the MBS context of the UE from the UE. In another embodiment, the target network node may obtain the MBS context of the UE from the source network node. In yet another embodiment, the target network node may obtain the MBS context of the UE from the AMF in the core network.

[0102] In some embodiments, the target network node may determine whether the UE is in the idle state or the inactive state in order to obtain the MBS context of the UE. If the target network node determines that the UE is in the inactive state, the target network node may receive, from the UE, resume identification information related to the MBS session. Further, the target network node may send the resume identification information to the source network node to identify the MBS context of the UE in the source network node. The source network node uses the resume identification information received from the target network node to identify the MBS context of the UE and sends the identified MBS context of the UE to the target network node. Thus, the target network node obtains the MBS context.

[0103] In another embodiment, when the target network node determines that the UE is in the idle state, the target network node may receive information related to the MBS session, including the serving temporary mobile subscriber identification information (S-TMSI) from the UE, the temporary mobile group identification information (TMGI), and the session identifier (ID). Further, the target network node may perform RRC connection establishment with the AMF by sending an initial UE message to the AMF, and send the TMGI related to the UE to the AMF. Using the TMGI received from the target network node, the AMF identifies the MBS context stored in the AMF. If the MBS context is available in the AMF, the AMF sends the MBS context of the UE in the NGAP message. Thus, the target network node obtains the MBS context of the UE when the MBS context is available in the AMF.

[0104] If the MBS context is not available in the AMF, the AMF may send an instruction to the target network node to initiate a new MBS session for the UE. Thus, the target network node may receive an instruction from the AMF to initiate a new MBS session for the UE when the MBS context of the UE is not available in the AMF.

[0105] Thus, the target network node may obtain the MBS context of the UE using any of the above examples as described above.

[0106] In step 210, method 200 includes determining the provisioning of PTM configuration information related to the MBS session for the UE. The target network node sends the PTM configuration information related to the MBS session to the UE. The PTM configuration information should be collected by the UE for receiving MBS data in the idle state or the inactive state.

[0107] The PTM configuration information includes the PTM configuration for an MBS session, which includes a service identifier, a session identifier, a group radio network temporary identifier (G-RNTI), information related to the scheduling of PTM data, information instructing at least one neighboring node to transmit an MBS session, the PTM configuration for the cell served by the target network node, and the PTM configuration for one or more MBS sessions in the target network node.

[0108] For example, the target network node may determine whether to provision the PTM configuration information through a control channel. If the target network node determines to transmit the PTM configuration information through a control channel, the target network node may transmit the PTM configuration information to the UE through a common control channel. For example, the target network node may transmit the PTM configuration information through a common control channel in a system information block (SIB) periodically transmitted by the network node.

[0109] In one example, the common control channel is a PTM downlink control channel. In an alternative example, the common control channel may be a new PTM downlink control channel (DCCH), for example, a newly defined multicast broadcast common control channel (MBCCH) that may be carried on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) used for PTM. The scheduling information for this common control channel, such as the repetition period, modification period, first subframe, offset, and DRX parameters, which enables the UE to know when to monitor for PTM collection, may be provided in another SIB known to the UE.

[0110] In one example, the target network node may transmit the PTM configuration information to one or more UEs through a common control channel based on receiving a request for the PTM configuration information from a UE in one of the idle state and the inactive state.

[0111] In one example, a target network node receives a request for PTM configuration information from a UE in an idle or inactive state. In response to the request for PTM configuration information from the UE, the target network node transmits the PTM configuration information to the UE.

[0112] In some examples, the target network node may transmit the PTM configuration to the UE in Message 4 (MSG4) when the UE is in the RRC inactive state. When the PTM configuration is transmitted in MSG4, the MSG4 from the target network node may include a System Information Block (SIB) indicating the PTM configuration information, a new Information Element (IE) indicating the PTM configuration information, an indication of whether the UE needs to change its RRC state to continue receiving MBS data from the target network node, and an indication to resume the suspended PTP radio bearer when the UE is in the RRC inactive state.

[0113] In some examples, the target network node may transmit the PTM configuration to the UE in Message 6 (MSG6) when the UE is in the RRC idle state. When the PTM configuration is transmitted in MSG6, the MSG6 from the target network node may include an indication of whether the UE needs to change its RRC state to continue receiving MBS data from the target network node, and an indication of whether to use a PTP radio bearer or a PTM radio bearer for receiving the MBS data.

[0114] In some examples, the target network node may transmit the PTM configuration to the source network node in a handover request confirmation response message in response to receiving a handover request message from the source network node. Further, the source network node transmits the PTM configuration received from the target network node to the UE.

[0115] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the target network node may determine that the UE's MBS session is provided to one or more additional UEs in the area served by the target network node using a point-to-point (PTP) bearer. When the target network node determines that the UE's MBS session is provided to one or more additional UEs in the area served by the target network node using a PTP bearer, the target network node may determine to switch the PTP bearer to a point-to-multipoint (PTM) bearer for the one or more additional UEs. When determining to switch the PTP bearer to a PTM bearer for the one or more additional UEs, the target network node may send the PTM configuration to the one or more additional UEs for transmitting MBS data to the UE. Accordingly, additional UEs in the area served by the target network node together with the UE may receive continuous MBS transmissions from the target network node.

[0116] If the target network node determines that the UE's MBS session is not provided to one or more additional UEs in the area served by the target network node, the target network node may initiate a new MBS session establishment procedure with the AMF. When starting a new MBS session with the UE, the target network node may send an instruction to the UE to use a PTP bearer to continue receiving MBS data from the target network node.

[0117] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 300 implemented by a source network node to enable a UE for continuous reception of MBS. The source network node enables a handover of the UE to a target network node. Further, the source network node enables the UE to receive PTM settings of the target network node to continue receiving MBS data from the target network node.

[0118] In step 302, method 300 includes determining that the UE is in mobility and is involved in an MBS session with the source network node. The source network node may determine the movement or mobility of the UE within or outside the area covered by the source network node. For example, source network node 101a may enable the UE to perform a handover of the UE to an adjacent network node, i.e., either network node 101b or 101c shown in FIG. 1. Thus, any of the adjacent network nodes of source network node 101a described in FIG. 1 may be a target network node for the UE to perform a handover from the source network node to the target network node. Further, the source network node may also determine the MBS session of the UE when the UE is served by the target network node. The source network node may also identify the MBS context of the UE related to the MBS session. Further, the source network node may identify the MBS context of the UE using a context identifier allocated by the source network node.

[0119] In step 308, method 300 includes transmitting, while the UE is in mobility, an MBS context related to the MBS session to one or more adjacent network nodes. The one or more adjacent network nodes can be target network nodes for the UE after handover from the source network node. Thus, the source network node transmits the UE's MBS context to one or more adjacent nodes that can be target network nodes for the UE after handover from the source network node. Thus, the one or more adjacent network nodes or target network nodes can receive the UE's MBS context so that the one or more adjacent network nodes can receive the UE's MBS context in advance to provide continued MBS to the UE after handover from the source network node.

[0120] In some embodiments, transmitting an MBS context related to the MBS session to one or more adjacent network nodes while the UE is in mobility includes the UE determining that it is in a connected state during mobility. When the UE is in a connected state, the source network node receives a handover request message from the UE and transmits a handover request message including the UE's MBS context related to the MBS session to one or more adjacent network nodes, i.e., target network nodes.

[0121] Furthermore, the source network node receives a PTM configuration in a handover request confirmation response message including the MBS session setup information from one or more adjacent network nodes, and the source network node transmits an RRC reconfiguration message including the MBS session setup information to the UE. Thus, the source network node transmits an RRC reconfiguration message including the PTM configuration information of the adjacent network node to the UE to enable the UE to receive continued MBS transmission from the adjacent network node, i.e., the target network node.

[0122] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 400 performed by a UE for receiving MBS. As shown in FIG. 1, the UE may be in mobility while being served by the source network node 101a to obtain MBS from the source network node 101a. The UE may perform a handover from the source network node 101a to the target network node 101b as shown in FIG. 1. After performing the handover from the source network node to the target network node, the UE may perform method 400 to continue receiving MBS from the target network node.

[0123] In step 402, method 400 includes determining that an MBS session with the source network node is in progress at the UE. The UE participates in the MBS session with the source network node while being served by the source network node. Thus, the UE determines that the MBS session with the source network node is in progress.

[0124] In step 404, method 400 includes sending a message indicating that the MBS session with the source network node is in progress. After performing the handover to the target network node, the UE sends a message to the target network node indicating that the MBS session with the source network node is in progress.

[0125] In some embodiments, prior to sending a message to a target network node, the method includes determining that the UE is in one of an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, and an RRC connected state. When the UE is in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, the method includes sending a message to the target network node indicating that the UE is participating in an MBS session with a source network node.

[0126] In some examples, a message indicating that an MBS session with a source network node is in progress is sent during MSG3 or MSG5 of a random access procedure.

[0127] When the message is sent using MSG3 of a random access procedure, MSG3 includes an RRC setup request with cause, an RRC resume request with cause, an RRC system information request, an indication, and one or more temporary mobile group identifiers (TMGIs).

[0128] When the message is sent using MSG5 of a random access procedure, MSG5 includes an RRC setup complete message including a TMGI and an RRC resume complete message including a TMGI. Thus, a message indicating that the UE is participating in an MBS session with a source network node can be sent using MSG3 or MSG5 of a random access procedure.

[0129] In some embodiments, method 400 includes sending an MBS context related to the MBS session to the target network node, as indicated by optional step 406. In some examples, the UE's MBS context related to the MBS session includes one or more of a UE identifier, a session identifier, a TMGI, and a source node identifier.

[0130] To send the MBS context related to the MBS session, method 400 includes determining that the UE is in the RRC idle state. When the UE is in the idle state, method 400 includes obtaining MBS session information from the UE and sending information related to the MBS session information, and the information to be sent includes one or more of serving temporary mobile subscriber identity (S-TMSI) to the target network node, temporary mobile group identity (TMGI), and session identifier (ID).

[0131] In step 408, method 400 includes determining to receive PTM configuration information related to the MBS session. The PTM configuration information of the MBS session includes a service identifier, a session identifier, a G-RNTI, information related to the scheduling of PTM data, information indicating that at least one adjacent node transmits the MBS session, and PTM configuration information for one or more ongoing MBS sessions in the cell served by the target node.

[0132] In some examples, the PTM configuration can be received in MSG4 of the random access procedure when the UE is in the inactive state. When the PTM configuration is received in MSG4, MSG4 can include a SIB indicating the PTM configuration information, a new information element (IE) indicating the PTM configuration information, an indication of whether the RRC state should be changed to continue receiving MBS data from the target network node, an indication to resume an interrupted PTP radio bearer when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, and an indication to configure a new PTP radio bearer when the UE is in the RRC connected state.

[0133] In some examples, the PTM configuration is received in MSG6 of the random access procedure when the UE is in the idle state. When the PTM configuration is received in MSG6, MSG6 may include an indication of whether the UE should change its RRC state to continue receiving MBS data from the target network node, and an indication of whether to use a PTP radio bearer or a PTM radio bearer for the reception of MBS data.

[0134] In some examples, the PTM configuration is received from the source network node in a handover request confirmation response message including MBS configuration information.

[0135] Therefore, after a handover from the source network node, the UE may receive the PTM configuration according to any of the examples described above to continue receiving MBS data from the target network node.

[0136] FIG. 5 is a signal flow diagram illustrating exemplary operations in a wireless communication network initiated by a UE in mobility in the RRC inactive state. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE performs random access at a new RAN node, i.e., the target network node, indicates the UE's interest in continuing to receive one or more MBS sessions, and receives the corresponding PTM configuration. The PTM configuration to be collected may include the configuration of only the session(s) the UE is interested in, or the configuration of all ongoing sessions in the cell. The target network node may provide the PTM configuration to the UE with or without moving the UE to RRC_CONNECTED, depending on the load situation and service requirements.

[0137] As shown in Figure 5, the UE 103a in mobility has moved from the source network node and handed over to the target network node 101b. The UE performs a random access to the target network node 101b and, at 501, transmits a random access preamble to the target network node 101b. The UE 103a receives, at 502, a random access response message from the target network node 101b. The random access response message includes a UL grant for transmitting MSG3 to the target network node. Using the UL grant, the UE 103a transmits, at 503, an MSG3 that includes a cause indicating that the UE is interested in the MBS session that the UE has received from the source network node. MSG3 can be transmitted to the target network node 101b on a common control channel. When receiving MSG3 from the UE 103a, the target network node may receive, at 504a, the MBS context from the last serving node 101a, which is the source network node, when the MBS context related to the MBS session is available at the last serving node 101a.

[0138] If the MBS context of the UE 103a related to the MBS session is not available at the last serving node 101a, the target network node 101b may initiate, at 504b, an MBS session joining procedure with the AMF 105 if the UE 103a is the first UE for the MBS session. For example, if the UE 103a is the first UE interested in the session, it needs to communicate with the AMF 105 to join the session, obtain the MBS session context, and, at 504c, perform an NGAP path switch in order to be able to deliver MBS data to the UE 103a.

[0139] Furthermore, at 505, UE103a receives the PTM configuration from target network node 101b in MSG4 through the downlink control channel. Further, the target network node 101b may indicate to the UE in MSG4 whether the UE should change its RRC state. Based on the indication received in MSG4, the UE may either remain in the inactive state or enter the connected state as shown in Figure 5.

[0140] UE103a sends a MSG5 to target network node 101b indicating that the UE has resumed the RRC connection with target network node 101b at 506. At 507, UE103a establishes an MBS session with the AMF and receives MBS data. Further, when the MBS session is started, the UE releases the RRC connection with target network node 101b to enter the inactive state, and at 508, releases the RRC connection and then receives the transmission of MBS data from target network node 101b.

[0141] Figure 6 is a signal flow diagram showing exemplary operations in a radio communication network initiated by a UE in mobility in the RRC idle state.

[0142] As shown in FIG. 6, the UE 103a in mobility moves from the source network node and hands over to the target network node 101b. The UE 103a performs a random access to the target network node 101b and, at 601, transmits a random access preamble to the target network node 101b. The UE 103a receives, at 602, a random access response message from the target network node 101b. The random access response message includes a UL grant for transmitting MSG3 to the target network node. Using the UL grant, the UE 103a transmits, at 603, an MSG3 including an RRC setup request to the target network node 101b. MSG3 may be transmitted to the target network node 101b on a common control channel. Upon receiving MSG3 from the UE 103a, the target network node 101b transmits, at 604, an MSG4 with cause as RRC setup on the downlink control channel to the UE 103a. Further, upon receiving MSG4, the UE 103a enters the RRC connected state and transmits, at 605, an MSG5 with cause as RRC setup complete together with the TMGI. Together with MSG5, the UE 103a indicates that the UE 103a has received MBS data from the source network node and is interested in receiving the same MBS from the target network node 101b.

[0143] When the MBS context related to the MBS session is available at the last serving node 101 which is the source network node, the target network node may receive, at 606aa, that MBS context from the last serving node 101a.

[0144] If the MBS context of UE103a related to the MBS session is not available at the last serving node 101a, the target network node 101b may initiate an MBS session attachment procedure with the AMF105 at 606b when UE103a is the first UE for the MBS session. For example, if UE103a is the first UE interested in the session, it needs to communicate with the AMF105 to join the session, obtain the MBS session context, and, at 606c, perform an NGAP path switch before it can deliver MBS data to UE103a.

[0145] Furthermore, UE103a receives a PTM configuration from the target network node 101b in MSG6 through the downlink control channel at 607. Additionally, the target network node 101b may indicate to the UE in MSG6 whether the UE should change its RRC state. Based on the indication received in MSG6, the UE may remain in the idle state as shown in Figure 6.

[0146] UE103a establishes an MBS session with the AMF and receives MBS data at 608. Additionally, when the MBS session is initiated, the UE releases the RRC connection with the target network node 101b to enter the inactive state at 609 and continues to receive the transmission of MBS data from the target network node 101b.

[0147] FIG. 7 is an exemplary schematic diagram showing functional modules of a UE according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 7, the UE 103 may include, for example, an antenna 707 corresponding to the antenna 4111 in FIG. 10, and a transmitter and receiver configured to provide uplink and downlink wireless communications with (one or more) base stations corresponding to, for example, the network node 4160 in FIG. 10, also referred to as a radio access network, such as a transceiver circuit 701, also referred to as a transceiver, corresponding to the interface 4114 in FIG. 10. The UE 103 may also include a processing circuit 703, also referred to as a processor, coupled to the transceiver circuit and corresponding to, for example, the processing circuit 4120 in FIG. 10, and a memory circuit 705, also referred to as a memory, coupled to the processing circuit and corresponding to, for example, the device-readable medium 4130 in FIG. 10. The memory circuit 705 may include computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processing circuit 703, causes the processing circuit to perform operations according to the embodiments disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, the processing circuit 703 may be defined to include memory such that a separate memory circuit is not required.

[0148] Various operations of the UE 103 may be performed by the processing circuit 703 and / or the transceiver circuit 701. For example, the processing circuit 703 may control the transceiver circuit 701 to transmit communications through the transceiver circuit 701 over a wireless interface to a radio access network node that is a base station, and / or to receive communications from the base station through the transceiver circuit 701 over a wireless interface. Additionally, modules may be stored in the memory circuit 705, and these modules may provide instructions such that when the instructions of the modules are executed by the processing circuit 703, the processing circuit 703 performs each of the operations defined in the steps shown in FIG. 4.

[0149] FIG. 8 is an exemplary schematic diagram showing the functional modules of the radio access network nodes 101a / 101b according to some embodiments. As shown, the network nodes 101a / 101b may include a transceiver circuit 801 (also referred to as a transceiver, for example, corresponding to the portion of interface 4190 in FIG. 10) configured to provide uplink and downlink radio communication with mobile terminals. The network nodes 101a / 101b may include a network interface circuit 807 (also referred to as a network interface, for example, corresponding to the portion of interface 4190 in FIG. 10) configured to provide communication with other nodes of the radio access network and / or the core network, such as with other base stations. The network nodes 101a / 101b may also include a processing circuit 803 (also referred to as a processor, for example, corresponding to processing circuit 4170) coupled to the transceiver circuit, and a memory circuit 805 (also referred to as a memory, for example, corresponding to device-readable medium 4180 in FIG. 10) coupled to the processing circuit. The memory circuit 805 may include computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processing circuit 803, causes the processing circuit to perform operations according to the embodiments disclosed in FIGS. 2 and 3. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 803 may be defined to include memory such that a separate memory circuit is not required.

[0150] The various operations of network nodes 101a / 101b may be performed by processing circuitry 803, network interface 807, and / or transceiver 801. For example, the processing circuitry 803 may control the transceiver 801 to transmit downlink communications to one or more UEs over a radio interface through the transceiver 801 and / or receive uplink communications from one or more UEs over a radio interface through the transceiver 801. Similarly, the processing circuitry 803 may control the network interface 807 to transmit communications to one or more other network nodes over the network interface 807 and / or receive communications from one or more other network nodes over the network interface. Additionally, modules may be stored in the memory 805, and these modules may provide instructions such that when the instructions of the modules are executed by the processing circuitry 803, the processing circuitry 803 performs respective operations, such as the operations described below with respect to embodiments related to the network nodes described in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0151] In some embodiments, network nodes 101a / 101b may be implemented as core network (CN) nodes without transceivers. In such embodiments, transmissions to UEs may be initiated by network nodes 101a / 101b such that the transmissions to UEs are provided through a network node 101a / 101b that includes a transceiver, for example, through a base station or RAN node.

[0152] Figure 9 is an exemplary schematic diagram showing the functional modules of a core network (CN) node 900 according to some embodiments. The CN node 900 can be a session management function (SMF) or an access and mobility management function (AMF). The CN node 900 can include a network interface 907 configured to provide communication with other nodes of the core network and / or the RAN. The CN node 900 can include a processor 903 coupled to the network interface 907 and a memory 905 coupled to the processor 903. The memory 905 can include computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processor 903, causes the processing circuitry to perform the various steps described in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0153] The various operations of the CN node 900 can be performed by the processor 903 and / or the network interface 907. For example, the processor 903 can control the network interface 907 to transmit communications to one or more other network nodes through the network interface 907 and / or receive communications from one or more other network nodes through the network interface 907. Additionally, modules can be stored in the memory 905, and these modules can provide instructions such that when the instructions of the modules are executed by the processor 903, the processor 903 performs the respective operations described in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0154] Figure 10 is another block diagram of a wireless network according to some embodiments. The subject matter described herein may be implemented in any suitable type of system using any suitable components, but the embodiments disclosed herein are described with respect to wireless networks such as the exemplary wireless network shown in Figure 10. For simplicity, the wireless network of Figure 10 only shows network 4106, network nodes 4160 and 4160b, and WDs (also called mobile terminals) 4110, 4110b, and 4110c. In practice, a wireless network may further include any additional elements suitable for supporting communication between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device such as a landline phone, a service provider, or any other network node or end device. Among the components shown, network node 4160 and wireless device (WD) 4110 are illustrated with additional detail. A wireless network may provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate access of the wireless devices to the wireless network and / or use of services provided by or via the wireless network.

[0155] A wireless network may comprise any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, and / or wireless network, or other similar type of system, and / or interface with them. In some embodiments, the wireless network may be configured to operate according to a particular standard or other type of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, particular embodiments of the wireless network may implement communication standards such as the pan-European digital cellular system (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G standards, wireless local area network (WLAN) standards such as the IEEE 802.11 standard, and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standards such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave and / or ZigBee standards.

[0156] Network 4106 may comprise one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTN), packet data networks, optical networks, wide area networks (WAN), local area networks (LAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks for enabling communication between devices.

[0157] The network nodes 4160 and WD4110 comprise various components that are described in more detail below. These components cooperate to provide network node and / or wireless device functionality, such as providing a wireless connection in a wireless network. In different embodiments, the wireless network may comprise any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals, whether via a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0158] As used herein, a network node refers to a device that is configured, constructed, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and / or other network nodes or devices in a wireless network to enable and / or provide wireless access to the wireless device and / or perform other functions (e.g., administration) in the wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., wireless access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., wireless base stations, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), and NR Node B (gNB)). Base stations can be categorized based on the amount of coverage provided by the base station (or, alternatively, the transmission power level of the base station), in which case they may also be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station can be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node can also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed wireless base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), which may sometimes be referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed wireless base station may sometimes be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS). Further examples of network nodes include MSR devices such as multi-standard radio (MSR) BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), core network nodes (e.g., MSC, MME), O&M nodes, OSS nodes, SON nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., E-SMLC), and / or MDT. As another example, a network node can be a virtual network node, as will be described in more detail below.However, more generally, a network node can represent any suitable device (or group of devices) that is configured, constructed, and / or operable to enable access to a wireless network and / or provide access to and / or provide some service to a wireless device that has accessed the wireless network.

[0159] In FIG. 10, network node 4160 includes a processing circuit 4170, a device-readable medium 4180, an interface 4190, auxiliary equipment 4184, a power supply 4186, a power circuit 4187, and an antenna 4162. The network node 4160 shown in the exemplary wireless network of FIG. 10 can represent a device that includes the shown combination of hardware components, although other embodiments can include network nodes with different combinations of components. It should be understood that the network node can comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to implement the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Moreover, although the components of network node 4160 are shown as a single box located within a larger box or as a single box nested within multiple boxes, in reality, the network node can comprise multiple different physical components that make up the single shown component (e.g., device-readable medium 4180 can comprise multiple separate hard drives as well as multiple RAM modules).

[0160] Similarly, network node 4160 can be assembled from a plurality of physically distinct components (e.g., a Node B component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), each of which can have its own respective components. In some scenarios where network node 4160 comprises a plurality of distinct components (e.g., a BTS component and a BSC component), one or more of the distinct components can be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC can control a plurality of Node Bs. In such scenarios, in some cases, each unique pair of Node B and RNC can be considered a single distinct network node. In some embodiments, network node 4160 can be configured to support a plurality of radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components can be replicated (e.g., separate device-readable media 4180 for different RATs), and some components can be reused (e.g., the same antenna 4162 can be shared by RATs). Network node 4160 can also include a plurality of sets of various illustrated components for different radio technologies, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth radio technology, integrated into network node 4160. These radio technologies can be integrated with the same or different chips or sets of chips, and other components within network node 4160.

[0161] The processing circuit 4170 is configured to perform any decision-making operation, computational operation, or similar operation (e.g., some acquisition operations) as described herein as provided by a network node. These operations performed by the processing circuit 4170 may include processing the information obtained by the processing circuit 4170, for example, by converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with the information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information and as a result of the processing having made a decision.

[0162] The processing circuit 4170 can be a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, a combination of one or more of the resources, or a combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic, operable to provide the network node 4160 function either alone or in combination with other network node 4160 components such as the device-readable medium 4180. For example, the processing circuit 4170 can execute instructions stored in the device-readable medium 4180 or instructions stored in the memory within the processing circuit 4170. Such functions may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits described herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 4170 may include a system-on-chip (SOC).

[0163] In some embodiments, the processing circuit 4170 may include one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 4172 and a baseband processing circuit 4174. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 4172 and the baseband processing circuit 4174 may be on separate chips (or a set of chips), boards, or units such as a radio unit and a digital unit. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 4172 and the baseband processing circuit 4174 may be on the same chip or a set of chips, board, or unit.

[0164] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein as provided by a network node, base station, eNB, or other such network device may be performed by a processing circuit 4170 that executes instructions stored in a device-readable medium 4180 or in a memory within the processing circuit 4170. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by the processing circuit 4170 without executing instructions stored in a separate or discrete device-readable medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of those embodiments, whether or not executing instructions stored in a device-readable storage medium, the processing circuit 4170 may be configured to perform the described functions. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited to the processing circuit 4170 alone or to other components of the network node 4160, but are enjoyed generally by the network node 4160 as a whole, and / or by end users and wireless networks.

[0165] The device-readable medium 4180 can include, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drive, compact disc (CD) or digital video disc (DVD)), any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that can store information, data, and / or instructions used by the processing circuit 4170. The device-readable medium 4180 can store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including one or more of an application, such as a computer program, software, logic, rules, code, tables, etc., and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuit 4170 and utilized by the network node 4160. The device-readable medium 4180 can be used to store calculations performed by the processing circuit 4170 and / or data received via the interface 4190. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 4170 and the device-readable medium 4180 can be considered integrated.

[0166] Interface 4190 is used for wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network node 4160, network 4106, and / or WD 4110. As shown, interface 4190 comprises (one or more) ports / (one or more) terminals 4194 for sending and receiving data to and from network 4106, for example, over a wired connection. Interface 4190 also includes a radio front-end circuit 4192 that is coupled to antenna 4162 or, in some embodiments, can be part of antenna 4162. The radio front-end circuit 4192 comprises a filter 4198 and an amplifier 4196. The radio front-end circuit 4192 can be connected to antenna 4162 and processing circuit 4170. The radio front-end circuit can be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 4162 and processing circuit 4170. The radio front-end circuit 4192 can receive digital data to be transmitted to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 4192 can convert the digital data into a wireless signal having appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filter 4198 and / or amplifier 4196. The wireless signal can then be transmitted via antenna 4162. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 4162 can collect the wireless signal, which is then converted into digital data by radio front-end circuit 4192. The digital data can be passed to processing circuit 4170. In other embodiments, the interface can comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0167] In some alternative embodiments, network node 4160 may not include a separate radio front-end circuit 4192. Instead, processing circuit 4170 may comprise a radio front-end circuit and may be connected to antenna 4162 without a separate radio front-end circuit 4192. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or part of RF transceiver circuit 4172 may be regarded as part of interface 4190. In yet other embodiments, interface 4190 may include one or more ports or terminals 4194, radio front-end circuit 4192, and RF transceiver circuit 4172 as part of a wireless unit (not shown), and interface 4190 may communicate with baseband processing circuit 4174, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0168] Antenna 4162 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 4162 may be coupled to radio front-end circuit 4192 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 4162 may comprise one or more omnidirectional, sector, or panel antennas operable to transmit / receive wireless signals, for example, between 2 GHz and 66 GHz. Omnidirectional antennas may be used to transmit / receive wireless signals in any direction, sector antennas may be used to transmit / receive wireless signals from devices within a particular area, and panel antennas may be line-of-sight antennas used to transmit / receive wireless signals in a relatively straight line. In some cases, the use of two or more antennas may be referred to as MIMO. In some embodiments, antenna 4162 may be separate from network node 4160 and may be connectable to network node 4160 through an interface or port.

[0169] Antenna 4162, interface 4190, and / or processing circuit 4170 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or some acquisition operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, antenna 4162, interface 4190, and / or processing circuit 4170 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network equipment.

[0170] Power circuit 4187 may comprise a power management circuit or be coupled to a power management circuit and is configured to supply power for performing the functions described herein to the components of network node 4160. Power circuit 4187 may receive power from power source 4186. Power source 4186 and / or power circuit 4187 may be configured to provide power to the various components of network node 4160 in a form suitable for each respective component (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required for each respective component). Power source 4186 may be either included in power circuit 4187 and / or network node 4160 or external to power circuit 4187 and / or network node 4160. For example, network node 4160 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuit 4187. As a further example, power source 4186 may comprise a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack connected to or integrated in power circuit 4187. The battery may provide backup power in the event that the external power source fails. Other types of power sources such as photovoltaic devices may also be used.

[0171] An alternative embodiment of network node 4160 may be responsible for providing some aspects of the functionality of a network node, including any of the functions described herein and / or any of the functions necessary to support the subject matter described herein, and may include additional components other than those shown in FIG. 10. For example, network node 4160 may include user interface equipment to enable the input of information to network node 4160 and to enable the output of information from network node 4160. This may enable a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for network node 4160.

[0172] As used herein, a wireless device (WD) refers to a UE or device that is configured, constructed, and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with a network node and / or another wireless device. Unless otherwise specified, the term WD may be used interchangeably with UE herein. Wireless communication may involve transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information through the air. In some embodiments, a WD may be configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, a WD may be designed to transmit information to a network at a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the network. Examples of WDs include, but are not limited to, smartphones, mobile phones, cell phones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, gaming consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback appliances, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablets, laptop computers, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart devices, wireless customer premise equipment (CPE), in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, etc. A WD may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example, by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), in which case it may be referred to as a D2D communication device.

[0173] As yet another specific example, in an Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a WD may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another WD and / or network node. The WD may, in this case, be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which may be referred to as an MTC device in a 3GPP context. As one specific example, the WD may be a UE implementing the 3GPP narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. Specific examples of such machines or devices include sensors, metering devices such as power meters, industrial machinery, or household or personal electrical appliances such as refrigerators, televisions, personal wearables such as watches, fitness trackers, etc. In other scenarios, the WD may represent a vehicle or other equipment, which is capable of monitoring its operating status and / or reporting on its operating status, or other functions associated with its operation. The WD described above may represent an endpoint of a wireless connection, in which case the device may sometimes be referred to as a wireless terminal. Further, the WD described above may be mobile, in which case the device may also sometimes be referred to as a mobile device or mobile terminal.

[0174] As shown, wireless device 4110 includes an antenna 4111, an interface 4114, a processing circuit 4120, a device-readable medium 4130, a user interface device 4132, an auxiliary device 4134, a power source 4136, and a power circuit 4137. WD 4110 may include one or more sets of the illustrated components for different wireless technologies supported by WD 4110, such as, by way of example only, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or sets of chips as other components within WD 4110.

[0175] Antenna 4111 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and is connected to interface 4114. In some alternative embodiments, antenna 4111 is separate from WD 4110 and may be connectable to WD 4110 through an interface or port. Antenna 4111, interface 4114, and / or processing circuit 4120 may be configured to perform any of the receiving or transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the WD. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a network node and / or another WD. In some embodiments, the radio front-end circuitry and / or antenna 4111 may be regarded as an interface.

[0176] As shown, interface 4114 includes a radio front-end circuit 4112 and an antenna 4111. The radio front-end circuit 4112 includes one or more filters 4118 and an amplifier 4116. The radio front-end circuit 4112 is connected to the antenna 4111 and the processing circuit 4120 and is configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 4111 and the processing circuit 4120. The radio front-end circuit 4112 may be coupled to the antenna 4111 or may be part of the antenna 4111. In some embodiments, WD 4110 may not include a separate radio front-end circuit 4112; rather, the processing circuit 4120 may include a radio front-end circuit and may be connected to the antenna 4111. Similarly, in some embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 4122 may be regarded as part of the interface 4114. The radio front-end circuit 4112 may receive digital data to be sent to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 4112 may convert the digital data into a wireless signal having appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of the filters 4118 and / or the amplifier 4116. The wireless signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 4111. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 4111 may collect the wireless signal, which is then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuit 4112. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuit 4120. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0177] The processing circuit 4120 can be a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or a combination of one or more of them, or a combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic, operable to provide the WD4110 functionality, either alone or in conjunction with other WD4110 components such as the device-readable medium 4130. Such functionality can include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits described herein. For example, the processing circuit 4120 can execute instructions stored on the device-readable medium 4130 or instructions stored in the memory within the processing circuit 4120 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.

[0178] As shown, processing circuit 4120 includes one or more of RF transceiver circuit 4122, baseband processing circuit 4124, and application processing circuit 4126. In other embodiments, the processing circuit may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 4120 of WD4110 may comprise a system-on-a-chip (SOC). In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuit 4122, baseband processing circuit 4124, and application processing circuit 4126 may be on separate chips or a set of chips. In an alternative embodiment, some or all of baseband processing circuit 4124 and application processing circuit 4126 may be combined to form one chip or a set of chips, and RF transceiver circuit 4122 may be on a separate chip or a set of chips. In yet another alternative embodiment, some or all of RF transceiver circuit 4122 and baseband processing circuit 4124 may be on the same chip or a set of chips, and application processing circuit 4126 may be on a separate chip or a set of chips. In still other alternative embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuit 4122, baseband processing circuit 4124, and application processing circuit 4126 may be combined within the same chip or a set of chips. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuit 4122 may be part of interface 4114. RF transceiver circuit 4122 may condition RF signals for processing circuit 4120.

[0179] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein as being performed by the WD may be provided by processing circuitry 4120 that executes instructions stored on a device-readable medium 4130, which in some embodiments may be a computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by the processing circuitry 4120 in a hard-wired manner, such as without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium. In any of those particular embodiments, whether or not executing instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium, the processing circuitry 4120 may be configured to perform the described functions. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited to the processing circuitry 4120 alone or to other components of the WD4110, but are enjoyed by the WD4110 as a whole and / or generally by the end user and the wireless network.

[0180] The processing circuitry 4120 may be configured to perform any decision-making operation, computational operation, or similar operation (e.g., some acquisition operations) described herein as being performed by the WD. Such operations as performed by the processing circuitry 4120 may include processing information obtained by the processing circuitry 4120, e.g., by converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with information stored by the WD4110, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information and as a result of the processing having made a decision.

[0181] The device-readable medium 4130 may be operable to store an application including one or more of a computer program, software, logic, rules, code, tables, etc., and / or other instructions that may be executed by the processing circuit 4120. The device-readable medium 4130 may include a computer memory, such as a random access memory (RAM) or a read-only memory (ROM), a mass storage medium, such as a hard disk, a removable storage medium, and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that may store information, data, and / or instructions used by the processing circuit 4120. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 4120 and the device-readable medium 4130 may be considered integrated.

[0182] The user interface device 4132 may provide components that enable a human user to interact with the WD4110. Such interactions can be in many forms, such as visual, auditory, tactile, etc. The user interface device 4132 may be operable to create outputs to the user and to enable the user to provide inputs to the WD4110. The type of interaction may vary depending on the type of user interface device 4132 installed on the WD4110. For example, if the WD4110 is a smartphone, the interaction may be via a touch screen, and if the WD4110 is a smart meter, the interaction may be through a screen that provides usage amounts (e.g., the number of gallons used) or a speaker that provides an audible alarm (e.g., if smoke is detected). The user interface device 4132 may include an input interface, devices and circuits, as well as an output interface, devices and circuits. The user interface device 4132 is configured to enable the input of information to the WD4110 and is connected to the processing circuit 4120 to enable the processing circuit 4120 to process the input information. The user interface device 4132 may include, for example, a microphone, a proximity or other sensor, keys / buttons, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other input circuits. The user interface device 4132 is also configured to enable the output of information from the WD4110 and to enable the processing circuit 4120 to output information from the WD4110. The user interface device 4132 may include, for example, a speaker, a display, a vibration circuit, a USB port, a headphone interface, or other output circuits. Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuits of the user interface device 4132, the WD4110 may communicate with an end user and / or a wireless network, enabling the end user and / or the wireless network to benefit from the functions described herein.

[0183] Auxiliary device 4134 is operable to provide more specific functions that may not generally be performed by the WD. This may include specialized sensors for performing measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communication such as wired communication, etc. The inclusion and type of components of the auxiliary device 4134 may vary depending on the embodiment and / or scenario.

[0184] Power source 4136 may, in some embodiments, be in the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may also be used, such as an external power source, for example, an electrical outlet, a photovoltaic device, or a battery. The WD 4110 may further include a power circuit 4137 for delivering power from the power source 4136 to various parts of the WD 4110 that require power to perform any of the functions described or indicated herein. The power circuit 4137 may, in some embodiments, include a power management circuit. The power circuit 4137 may alternatively or additionally be operable to receive power from an external power source, in which case the WD 4110 may be connectable to an external power source (such as an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface such as a power cable. The power circuit 4137 may also, in some embodiments, be operable to deliver power from an external power source to the power source 4136. This may be for, example, charging the power source 4136. The power circuit 4137 may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 4136 to make it suitable for each component of the WD 4110 to which the power is supplied.

[0185] FIG. 11 is another block diagram of an exemplary user equipment according to some embodiments. As used herein, a UE does not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated device. Instead, a UE may represent a device, such as a smart sprinkler controller, that is intended for sale to or operation by a human user, but may not be associated with a particular human user, or may not be initially associated with a particular human user. Alternatively, a UE may represent a device, such as a smart power meter, that is not intended for sale to or operation by an end user, but may be associated with a user or operated for the benefit of a user. UE4200 can be any UE identified by 3GPP, including an NB-IoT UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an extended MTC (eMTC) UE. The UE4200 shown in FIG. 11 is an example of a WD configured for communication according to one or more communication standards published by 3GPP, such as 3GPP's GSM, UMTS, LTE, and / or 5G standards. As described above, the terms WD and UE may be used interchangeably. Thus, FIG. 10 is a UE, but the components described herein are equally applicable to a WD, and vice versa.

[0186] In FIG. 10, the UE 4200 includes a processing circuit 4201 operably coupled to an input / output interface 4205, a radio frequency (RF) interface 4209, a network connection interface 4211, a memory 4215 including a random access memory (RAM) 4217, a read-only memory (ROM) 4219, a storage medium 4221, etc., a communication subsystem 4231, a power supply 4213, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 4221 includes an operating system 4223, an application program 4225, and data 4227. In other embodiments, the storage medium 4221 may include other similar types of information. Some UEs may utilize all of the components shown in FIG. 11, or only a subset of those components. The level of integration between components may vary from UE to UE. Further, some UEs may include multiple instances of components such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0187] In FIG. 11, the processing circuit 4201 may be configured to process computer instructions and data. The processing circuit 4201 may be operable to execute machine instructions stored in memory as a machine-readable computer program, such as any sequential state machine, programmable logic together with appropriate firmware, a microprocessor or a digital signal processor (DSP) together with appropriate software, etc., such as one or more hardware-implemented state machines in discrete logic, FPGA, ASIC, etc., one or more program embedded, general-purpose processors, or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuit 4201 may include two central processing units (CPUs). Data may be information in a form suitable for use by a computer.

[0188] In the illustrated embodiment, the input / output interface 4205 can be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, an output device, or an input / output device. The UE 4200 can be configured to use an output device via the input / output interface 4205. The output device can use the same type of interface port as the input device. For example, a USB port can be used to provide input to and output from the UE 4200. The output device can be a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smart card, another output device, or any combination thereof. The UE 4200 can be configured to use an input device via the input / output interface 4205 to enable a user to capture information to the UE 4200. The input device can include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera, a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smart card, and the like. The presence-sensitive display can include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor for detecting input from a user. The sensor can be, for example, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, another similar sensor, or any combination thereof. For example, the input device can be an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone, and an optical sensor.

[0189] In FIG. 11, the RF interface 4209 can be configured to provide a communication interface to RF components such as a transmitter, a receiver, and an antenna. The network connection interface 4211 can be configured to provide a communication interface to the network 4243a. The network 4243a can include wired and / or wireless networks such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a communication network, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 4243a can include a Wi-Fi network. The network connection interface 4211 can be configured to include a receiver and a transmitter interface used to communicate with one or more other devices on a communication network according to one or more communication protocols such as Ethernet, TCP / IP, SONET, ATM, etc. The network connection interface 4211 can implement receiver and transmitter functions suitable for a communication network link (e.g., optical, electrical, etc.). The transmitter and receiver functions can share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively, can be implemented separately.

[0190] RAM 4217 can be configured to interface with the processing circuit 4201 via the bus 4202 to provide storage or caching of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs such as an operating system, application programs, and device drivers. ROM 4219 can be configured to provide computer instructions or data to the processing circuit 4201. For example, ROM 4219 can be configured to store invariant low-level system code or data for basic system functions such as basic input / output (I / O), startup, or reception of keystrokes from a keyboard, which are stored in non-volatile memory. The storage medium 4221 can be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disk, optical disk, floppy disk, hard disk, removable cartridge, or flash drive. In one example, the storage medium 4221 can be configured to include an operating system 4223, an application program 4225 such as a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine, or another application, and a data file 4227. The storage medium 4221 can store any of a variety of operating systems or combinations of operating systems for use by the UE 4200.

[0191] The storage medium 4221 can be configured to include several physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a floppy disk drive, a flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard disk drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, an internal hard disk drive, a Blu-Ray optical disc drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), an external micro DIMM SDRAM, a subscriber identity module or a removable user identity information (SIM / RUIM) module such as a smart card memory, other memories, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 4221 can enable the UE4200 to access computer-executable instructions, application programs, etc. stored in a temporary or non-temporary memory medium, offload data, or upload data. A manufactured product, such as a manufactured product using a communication system, can be tangibly embodied in the storage medium 4221, and the storage medium 4221 can comprise a device-readable medium.

[0192] In FIG. 11, the processing circuit 4201 can be configured to communicate with the network 4243b using the communication subsystem 4231. The network 4243a and the network 4243b can be the same one or more networks or different one or more networks. The communication subsystem 4231 can be configured to include one or more transceivers used to communicate with the network 4243b. For example, the communication subsystem 4231 can be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another WD, UE, or base station capable of wireless communication, such as another device capable of wireless communication according to one or more communication protocols such as IEEE802.11, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, etc., in a radio access network (RAN). Each transceiver can include a transmitter 4233 and / or a receiver 4235 for implementing a transmitter function or a receiver function suitable for the RAN link, respectively. Further, the transmitter 4233 and the receiver 4235 of each transceiver can share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively, can be implemented separately.

[0193] The communication functions of the communication subsystem 4231 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) for determining location, other similar communication functions, or any combination thereof. For example, the communication subsystem 4231 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. The network 4243b may include wired and / or wireless networks such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a communication network, other similar networks, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 4243b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and / or a near-field network. The power supply 4213 may be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to the components of the UE 4200.

[0194] The features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented in one of the components of the UE 4200 or may be distributed across multiple components of the UE 4200. Further, the features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented in any combination of hardware, software, or firmware. In one example, the communication subsystem 4231 may be configured to include any of the components described herein. Further, the processing circuit 4201 may be configured to communicate with any of such components over the bus 4202. In another example, any of such components may be represented by program instructions stored in a memory that, when executed by the processing circuit 4201, implement the corresponding functions described herein. In another example, the functions of any of such components may be divided between the processing circuit 4201 and the communication subsystem 4231. In another example, the non-computation-intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware, and the computation-intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0195] FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a virtualization environment 4300 in which functions implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized. In this context, virtualizing means creating a virtual version of a device or apparatus that may include virtualizing a hardware platform, memory device, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to nodes, such as virtualized base stations or virtualized radio access nodes, or to devices, such as UEs, wireless devices, or any other type of communication device, or components of such devices, where at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components that execute on one or more physical processing nodes in one or more networks via one or more applications, components, functions, virtual machines, or containers.

[0196] Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines hosted in one or more virtual environments 4300 by one or more of the hardware nodes 4330. Further, in embodiments where the virtual node is not a radio access node or does not require wireless connectivity, the network node may be fully virtualized.

[0197] The functionality may be implemented by one or more applications 4320, alternatively referred to as software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc., that are operable to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein. The application 4320 is operative in a virtualized environment 4300 that provides hardware 4330 comprising a processing circuit 4360 and a memory 4390. The memory 4390 includes instructions 4395 executable by the processing circuit 4360, whereby the application 4320 is operable to provide one or more of the features, benefits, and / or functions disclosed herein.

[0198] The virtualized environment 4300 comprises a general-purpose or special-purpose network hardware device 4330 that includes a set of one or more processors or a processing circuit 4360, where the set of one or more processors or the processing circuit 4360 can be a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processor, a dedicated application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other type of processing circuit including digital or analog hardware components or a dedicated processor. Each hardware device can include a memory 4390-1, which can be a non-persistent memory for temporarily storing instructions 4395 or software executed by the processing circuit 4360. Each hardware device can include one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 4370, also known as network interface cards, where the network interface controller (NIC) 4370 includes a physical network interface 4380. Each hardware device can also include a non-transitory, persistent, machine-readable storage medium 4390-2 that stores software 4395 and / or instructions executable by the processing circuit 4360. The software 4395 can include any type of software, including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 4350, software for executing virtual machines 4340, and software that enables it to perform the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation to some of the embodiments described herein.

[0199] The virtual machine 4340 comprises virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage, and can be operated by a corresponding virtualization layer 4350 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of instances of virtual appliances 4320 can be implemented on one or more of the virtual machines 4340, and the implementation can be done in different ways.

[0200] During operation, the processing circuit 4360 executes software 4395 to instantiate a hypervisor or virtualization layer 4350, which may sometimes be referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM). The virtualization layer 4350 may present to the virtual machines 4340 a virtual operating platform that appears as networking hardware.

[0201] As shown in FIG. 12, the hardware 4330 can be a stand-alone network node with general or specific components. The hardware 4330 can include an antenna 43225 and can implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 4330 can be part of a larger class of hardware, such as in the case of a data center or customer premise equipment, where multiple hardware nodes cooperate and are managed via a management and orchestration (MANO) 43100 that oversees, in particular, the lifecycle management of the application 4320.

[0202] The virtualization of hardware is referred to in some contexts as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage that can be located within data centers and customer premise equipment.

[0203] In the context of NFV, the virtual machines 4340 can be software implementations of physical machines that run programs as if those programs were running on non-virtualized physical machines. Each of the virtual machines 4340 forms a separate virtual network element (VNE) with that part of the hardware 4330 that executes the virtual machine, whether it is hardware dedicated to that virtual machine and / or hardware shared by that virtual machine with other virtual machines among the virtual machines 4340.

[0204] Furthermore, in the context of NFV, a virtual network function (VNF) is responsible for handling a specific network function running on one or more virtual machines 4340 on the hardware networking infrastructure 4330, corresponding to the application 4320 in FIG. 12.

[0205] One or more radio units 43200, each including one or more transmitters 43220 and one or more receivers 43210, may be coupled to one or more antennas 43225. The radio unit 43200 may communicate directly with the hardware node 4330 via one or more suitable network interfaces and may be used in combination with virtual components to provide a virtual node with wireless capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station.

[0206] Some signaling may be implemented using a control system 43230 that may alternatively be used for communication between the hardware node 4330 and the radio unit 43200.

[0207] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a communication network connected to a host computer via an intermediate network according to some embodiments. Referring to FIG. 13, according to one embodiment, a communication system includes a communication network 4410, such as a 3GPP type cellular network, comprising an access network 4411, such as a wireless access network, and a core network 4414. The access network 4411 includes a plurality of base stations 4412a, 4412b, 4412c, such as NB, eNB, gNB, or other types of wireless access points, each defining a corresponding coverage area 4413a, 4413b, 4413c. Each base station 4412a, 4412b, 4412c is connectable to the core network 4414 over a wired or wireless connection 4415. A first UE 4491 located in the coverage area 4413c is configured to wirelessly connect to or be paged by the corresponding base station 4412c. A second UE 4492 in the coverage area 4413a is wirelessly connectable to the corresponding base station 4412a. Although a plurality of UEs 4491, 4492 are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where only one UE is in the coverage area or only one UE is connected to the corresponding base station 4412.

[0208] The communication network 4410 is itself connected to a host computer 4430, which may be embodied in the hardware and / or software of a stand-alone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, or as processing resources in a server farm. The host computer 4430 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of a service provider. The connections 4421 and 4422 between the communication network 4410 and the host computer 4430 may extend directly from the core network 4414 to the host computer 4430, or may proceed via an optional intermediate network 4420. The intermediate network 4420 may be one of a public network, a private network, or a hosted network, or a combination of two or more of them, and the intermediate network 4420 may, if any, be a backbone network or the Internet, and in particular, the intermediate network 4420 may comprise two or more sub-networks (not shown).

[0209] The communication system of FIG. 13 enables connectivity between the connected UEs 4491, 4492 and the host computer 4430. The connectivity can be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 4450. The host computer 4430 and the connected UEs 4491, 4492 are configured to communicate data and / or signaling via the OTT connection 4450, mediated by access network 4411, core network 4414, any intermediate network 4420, and any additional infrastructure (not shown) that may be contemplated. The OTT connection 4450 can be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices through which the OTT connection 4450 passes are unaware of the routing of uplink and downlink communications. For example, base station 4412 may not be informed or need to be informed about the past routing of incoming downlink communications with data originating from host computer 4430 that is to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to connected UE 4491. Similarly, base station 4412 need not be aware of the future routing of outgoing uplink communications originating from UE 4491 and destined for host computer 4430.

[0210] FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a host computer communicating with a user equipment via a base station over a partial wireless connection. Next, an exemplary implementation of the UE, base station, and host computer described in the previous paragraph according to one embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 14. In communication system 4500, host computer 4510 comprises hardware 4515 including a communication interface 4516 configured to set up and maintain a wired or wireless connection with an interface of different communication devices of communication system 4500. Host computer 4510 further comprises a processing circuit 4518 that may have storage capabilities and / or processing capabilities.

[0211] In particular, the processing circuit 4518 may comprise one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown), adapted to execute instructions. The host computer 4510 further comprises software 4511 stored in or accessible by the host computer 4510 and executable by the processing circuit 4518. The software 4511 includes a host application 4512. The host application 4512 may be operable to provide services to remote users, such as the UE 4530, which is connected via an OTT connection 4550 that terminates at the UE 4530 and the host computer 4510. When providing services to a remote user, the host application 4512 may provide user data transmitted using the OTT connection 4550.

[0212] The communication system 4500 further includes a base station 4520 provided in the communication system. The base station 4520 includes hardware 4525 that enables the base station 4520 to communicate with the host computer 4510 and the UE 4530. The hardware 4525 includes a communication interface 4526 for setting up and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with an interface of different communication devices of the communication system 4500, and a wireless interface 4527 for setting up and maintaining at least a wireless connection 4570 with a UE 4530 located in a coverage area (not shown in FIG. 13) served by the base station 4520. The communication interface 4526 can be configured to facilitate a connection 4560 to the host computer 4510. The connection 4560 can be direct, or the connection 4560 can pass through a core network of the communication system (not shown in FIG. 14) and / or one or more intermediate networks external to the communication system. In the illustrated embodiment, the hardware 4525 of the base station 4520 further includes a processing circuit 4528, which can include one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The base station 4520 further has software 4521 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[0213] The communication system 4500 further includes the UE 4530 already mentioned. The hardware 4535 of the UE 4530 may include a radio interface 4537 configured to set up and maintain a radio connection 4570 with a base station serving the coverage area where the UE 4530 is currently located. The hardware 4535 of the UE 4530 further includes a processing circuit 4538, which may comprise one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The UE 4530 further comprises software 4531 stored in or accessible by the UE 4530 and executable by the processing circuit 4538. The software 4531 includes a client application 4532. The client application 4532 may be operable to provide services to a human or non-human user via the UE 4530 under the support of the host computer 4510. In the host computer 4510, the running host application 4512 may communicate with the running client application 4532 via an OTT connection 4550 that terminates at the UE 4530 and the host computer 4510. When providing services to the user, the client application 4532 may receive request data from the host application 4512 and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 4550 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The client application 4532 may interact with the user to generate the user data provided by the client application 4532.

[0214] Note that the host computer 4510, base station 4520, and UE 4530 shown in FIG. 17 can be the same as or equivalent to one of the host computer 4430, base stations 4412a, 4412b, 4412c in FIG. 16, and one of the UEs 4491, 4492, respectively. That is, the operation inside these entities can be as shown in FIG. 14, and separately, the surrounding network topology can be the same as that in FIG. 13.

[0215] In FIG. 14, the OTT connection 4550 is abstractly depicted to show the communication between the host computer 4510 and the UE 4530 via the base station 4520 without explicit mention of the mediation device and the exact routing of messages through these devices. The network infrastructure can determine the routing, and the network infrastructure can be configured to hide the routing from the UE 4530, from the service provider operating the host computer 4510, or from both. While the OTT connection 4550 is active, the network infrastructure can further make a determination to dynamically change the routing (e.g., based on network load distribution considerations or reconfiguration).

[0216] The radio connection 4570 between the UE 4530 and the base station 4520 follows the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments can use the OTT connection 4550 of which the radio connection 4570 forms the last segment to improve the performance of the OTT service provided to the UE 4530. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments can improve the random access speed and / or reduce the random access failure rate, thereby providing benefits such as faster and / or more reliable random access.

[0217] Measurement procedures may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency, and other factors that one or more embodiments improve. There may further be optional network functions for reconfiguring the OTT connection 4550 between the host computer 4510 and the UE 4530 in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedures and / or the network functions for reconfiguring the OTT connection 4550 may be implemented in the software 4511 and hardware 4515 of the host computer 4510 or in the software 4531 and hardware 4535 of the UE 4530, or both. In an embodiment, a sensor (not shown) may be deployed in or in relation to a communication device through which the OTT connection 4550 passes, and the sensor may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above or by supplying values of other physical quantities that the software 4511, 4531 may calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguration of the OTT connection 4550 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc., and the reconfiguration need not affect the base station 4520 and may be unknown or imperceptible to the base station 4520. Such procedures and functions are known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, the measurement may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurement of the host computer 4510 such as throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. The measurement may be implemented in that the software 4511 and 4531 cause messages, particularly empty or "dummy" messages, to be transmitted using the OTT connection 4550 while the software 4511 and 4531 monitor propagation time, errors, etc.

[0218] FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to some embodiments. The communication system may include a host computer, a base station, and a UE as described with reference to FIGS. 10-11. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only the reference to FIG. 15 is included in this section. In step 4610, the host computer provides user data. In an optional sub-step 4611 of step 4610, the host computer provides user data by executing a host application. In step 4620, the host computer initiates a transmission to carry the user data to the UE. In an optional step 4630, the base station transmits the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host computer to the UE according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure. In an optional step 4640, the UE executes a client application related to the host application executed by the host computer.

[0219] FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to some embodiments. The communication system may include a host computer, a base station, and a UE as described with reference to FIGS. 10-11. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only the reference to FIG. 16 is included in this section. In step 4710 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional sub-step (not shown), the host computer provides user data by executing a host application. In step 4720, the host computer initiates a transmission to carry the user data to the UE. The transmission may proceed via the base station according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure. In an optional step 4730, the UE receives the user data carried in the transmission.

[0220] FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to some embodiments. The communication system can be the one described with reference to FIGS. 10 - 11 and includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only the reference to FIG. 16 is included in this section. (Optionally) In step 4810, the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 4820, the UE provides user data. In an (optionally) sub - step 4821 of step 4820, the UE provides user data by executing a client application. In an (optionally) sub - step 4811 of step 4810, the UE executes a client application that provides user data in response to the received input data provided by the host computer. When providing user data, the executed client application may further consider user input received from the user. Regardless of the particular manner in which user data is provided, the UE starts transmitting the user data to the host computer in an (optionally) sub - step 4830. In step 4840 of the method, the host computer receives the user data transmitted from the UE according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure.

[0221] FIG. 18 is a block diagram of a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to some embodiments. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system may be the one described with reference to FIGS. 10 - 11 and includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE. For the sake of simplicity of the present disclosure, only the reference to FIG. 18 is included in this section. In (optional) step 4910, according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the base station receives user data from the UE. In (optional) step 4920, the base station initiates the transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In (optional) step 4930, the host computer receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the base station.

[0222] Any suitable steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be implemented through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual devices. Each virtual device may comprise several of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via a processing circuit including one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers, and other digital hardware which may include a digital signal processor (DSP), dedicated digital logic, etc. The processing circuit may be configured to execute program code stored in a memory which may include one or several types of memory such as read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. The program code stored in the memory includes program instructions for executing one or more communication and / or data communication protocols, as well as instructions for performing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuit may be used to cause each functional unit to perform the corresponding function according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0223] Figure 19 discloses an exemplary computing environment 1900 that implements a method and network nodes and UEs for transmitting MBS services to a UE, as described in Figures 2, 3, and 4. As shown in Figure 19, the computing environment 1900 includes at least one data processing unit 1906 equipped with a control unit 1902 and an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) 1904, a memory 1908, a storage 1910, a plurality of networking devices 1914, and a plurality of input / output (I / O) devices 1912. The data processing unit 1906 is responsible for processing algorithmic instructions. For example, the data processing unit 1906 is equivalent to a processor of a network node. The data processing unit 1906 is capable of executing software instructions stored in the memory 1908. The data processing unit 1906 receives commands from the control unit 1902 to perform its processing. Further, logical and arithmetic operations involved in the execution of instructions are calculated with the help of the ALU 1904.

[0224] A computer program may be loadable into the data processing unit 1906, for example, provided in an electronic device (such as a UE or a network node). When loaded into the data processing unit 1906, the computer program may be stored in the memory 1908 that is associated with or provided in the data processor. According to some embodiments, when the computer program is loaded into and operated by the data processing unit 1906, it may cause the execution of method steps, for example, according to any of the methods shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4 or otherwise described herein.

[0225] The overall computing environment 1900 can be composed of multiple homogeneous and / or heterogeneous cores, multiple CPUs of different types, special media, and other accelerators. The data processing unit 1906 is responsible for processing the instructions of the algorithm. Further, multiple data processing units 1906 can be located on a single chip or across multiple chips.

[0226] The algorithm with the instructions and code required for implementation is stored in either the memory 1908 or the storage 1910, or both. At runtime, the instructions can be fetched from the corresponding memory 1908 and / or storage 1910 and executed by the data processing unit 1906.

[0227] In the case of a hardware implementation form, various networking devices 1914 or external I / O devices 1912 can be connected to the computing environment to support the implementation through the networking devices 1914 and the I / O devices 1912.

[0228] The embodiments disclosed in this specification can be implemented through at least one software program that runs on at least one hardware device and implements a network management function to control elements. The elements shown in FIG. 19 include blocks that can be at least one of a hardware device or a combination of a hardware device and a software module.

[0229] The foregoing description of specific embodiments fully discloses the general nature of the embodiments herein, such that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and / or adapt such specific embodiments for various applications without departing from the general concept, and therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are to be understood to be within the meaning and equivalence of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the terminology or phrasing used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Accordingly, while embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein may be practiced with modification within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method (200) implemented by a target network node (101b) for transmission of a Multicast and Broadcast Service (MBS) to a User Equipment (UE) (103) in a wireless communication network (100), the method (200) comprising: determining (202) that said UE (103) is involved in an MBS session with a source network node (101a); upon said determination that said UE is involved in said MBS session with said source network node (101a), i. obtaining (208) an MBS context of the UE (103) related to the MBS session; ii. determining (210) provisioning of Point-to-Multipoint (PTM) configuration information related to the MBS session to be collected by the UE (103) to enable continuous reception of MBS data from the target network node (101b); A method comprising:

2. determining (201) an RRC state of the UE (103) for reception of MBS data based on one or more of the following: one or more network parameters for the MBS, capability information of the UE (103), and one or more MBS parameters; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

3. The step of determining that the UE (103) is involved in an MBS session with the source network node (101a) further comprises: receiving a message from the UE (103) indicating that the UE (103) is involved in an MBS session with the source network node; The method of claim 1 or 2, comprising:

4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the message is one of message A (MSG A), message 3 (MSG3), and message 5 (MSG5) of a random access procedure.

5. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the MSG3 includes one or more of an RRC setup request with a cause, an RRC resume request with a cause, an RRC system information request, and one or more Temporary Mobile Group Identifiers (TMGIs).

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the MSG5 comprises one or more of an RRC setup complete message including TMGI and an RRC resume complete message including TMGI.

7. receiving, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, from a source network node (101a), a handover request message including the MBS context of the UE related to the MBS session; The method of any one of claims 3 to 6, further comprising:

8. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the MBS context of the UE related to the MBS session includes one or more of a UE identifier, a session identifier, a Temporary Mobile Group Identity (TMGI), and a source network node identifier.

9. When the UE (103) is involved in the MBS session with the source network node (101a), the step of acquiring the MBS context of the UE (103) related to the MBS session comprises: said source network node (101a), - an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) (105) in the Core Network (CN); The method of claim 1 , further comprising obtaining the MBS context from one or more of:

10. The step of obtaining the MBS context from the source network node (101a) comprises: - determining that the UE (103) is in an RRC inactive state; receiving a resumption identity related to said MBS session from said UE (103); sending said resumption identification information to said source network node (101a) in order to identify said MBS context of said UE in said source network node (101a); - obtaining the MBS context of the UE from the source network node (101a); 10. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

11. The step of obtaining the MBS context of the UE (103) related to the MBS session from the AMF (105) in the CN includes: - determining that the UE (103) is in an RRC idle state; receiving information related to the MBS session, the information including one or more of a Serving Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (S-TMSI), a Temporary Mobile Group Identity (TMGI), and a Session Identifier (ID) from the UE; - performing an RRC connection establishment with the AMF (105) by sending an Initial UE message to the AMF (105); sending the TMGI associated with the UE to the AMF; and - determining that the MBS context of the UE (103) is available in the AMF (105); - when the MBS context is available in the AMF (105), acquiring the MBS context of the UE in an NGAP message; 10. The method of claim 9, comprising:

12. - determining that the MBS context of the UE (103) is unavailable in the AMF (105); receiving an instruction from the AMF (105) to initiate a new MBS session for the UE (105) when the MBS context of the UE (103) is unavailable in the AMF; The method of claim 11 further comprising:

13. The PTM setting information includes a PTM setting for the MBS session, and the PTM setting for the MBS session includes: - a service identifier; - a session identifier; and A Group Radio Network Temporary Identifier (G-RNTI), - information relating to the scheduling of PTM data; - information indicating that at least one neighbouring node transmits said MBS session; - PTM configuration for cells served by the target network node; and - PTM setup for one or more MBS sessions in the target network node; 13. The method of claim 1 , comprising one or more of the following:

14. transmitting the PTM configuration information associated with the MBS session, - sending said PTM configuration to said UE (103) in a message B (MSG B) or in a message 4 (MSG4); - sending the PTM configuration to the UE in a message 6 (MSG6); sending said PTM configuration to said source network node in a handover request acknowledgement message containing MBS configuration information when said handover request message is received from said source network node; 14. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7 or 13, comprising:

15. The MSG B or the MSG 4 is a System Information Block (SIB) indicating said PTM configuration information; a new Information Element (IE) indicating said PTM configuration information; - an indication whether the RRC state should be changed in order to continue the reception of MBS data from the target network node; and - an instruction to resume a suspended PTP radio bearer when the UE (103) is in an RRC inactive state; and - when the UE (103) is in RRC connected state, an instruction to set up a new PTP radio bearer; 15. The method of claim 13 or 14, comprising one or more of:

16. The MSG6 is - an indication whether the RRC state should be changed in order to continue the reception of MBS data from the target network node (101b); and – an indication whether a PTP or a PTM radio bearer shall be used for receiving MBS data; 16. The method of any one of claims 13 to 15, comprising one or more of:

17. determining that the MBS session of the UE is provided to one or more additional UEs (103a-103n) in an area served by the target network node (101b), wherein the MBS session is provided to the one or more additional UEs (103a-103n) using a Point-to-Point (PTP) bearer; - determining to switch the PTP bearer to a PTM bearer for the one or more additional UEs (103a-103n); determining to provision said PTM configuration to said one or more additional UEs (103a-103n) for the transmission of said MBS data to said UE (103); 17. The method of any one of claims 1 to 16, further comprising:

18. determining that the MBS session of the UE (103) is not provided to the one or more additional UEs (103a-103n) in the area served by the target network node (101b); - Initiating a new MBS session join procedure with the AMF (105); and sending an instruction to the UE (103) to use a PTP bearer for provisioning a PTM configuration for receiving the MBS data; 20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

19. A method (300) implemented by a source network node (101a) for enabling a User Equipment (UE) (103) in a wireless communication network (100) to implement continuous reception of a Multicast and Broadcast Service (MBS), the method (300) comprising: determining (302) that the UE (103) is in mobility and is involved in an MBS session with the source network node (101a); - transmitting (308) an MBS context related to said MBS session to one or more neighboring network nodes (101b-101n) while said UE (103) is in mobility, one of said one or more neighboring network nodes being a target network node (101b); The method (300).

20. The step of transmitting, while the UE (103) is in mobility, to one or more neighboring network nodes, an MBS context related to the MBS session, comprising: - determining that the UE is in an RRC connected state during mobility; receiving a handover request message from said UE (103); sending said handover request message to one or more neighbouring network nodes (101b-101n) including said MBS context of said UE related to said MBS session; 20. The method of claim 19, comprising:

21. receiving a PTM configuration from one or more neighboring network nodes (101b-101n) in a handover request acknowledgement message containing configuration information of said MBS session; sending an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE (103), the RRC reconfiguration message including the configuration information of the MBS session; 21. The method of claim 19 or 20, further comprising:

22. The PTM setting information includes a PTM setting for the MBS session, and the PTM setting for the MBS session includes: - a service identifier; - a session identifier; and A Group Radio Network Temporary Identifier (G-RNTI), - information relating to the scheduling of PTM data; - information indicating that at least one neighboring node transmits said MBS session; 22. The method of any one of claims 19 to 21, comprising one or more of:

23. 23. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 22, wherein the MBS context is identified using a context identifier allocated by the source network node (101a).

24. A method (400) implemented by a User Equipment (UE) (103) for receiving a Multicast and Broadcast Service (MBS) from a target network node (101b) in a wireless communication network (100), the method (400) comprising: - determining (402) that an MBS session with a source network node (101a) is ongoing in said UE (103); - sending (404) a message indicating that the MBS session with the source network node is ongoing; determining (408) based on said transmitted message to receive Point-to-Multipoint (PTM) configuration information related to said MBS session to be collected for continuous reception of MBS data from a target network node (101b); The method (400).

25. The step of sending (404) a message indicating that the MBS session of the UE (103) with the source network node is ongoing, sending a message to the target network node (101b) while the UE is in one of an idle state and an inactive state, indicating that the UE is involved in the MBS session with the source network node; 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

26. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the message is one of message A (MSG A), message 3 (MSG3), and message 5 (MSG5) of a random access procedure.

27. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the MSG A or the MSG 3 includes one or more of an RRC setup request with a cause, an RRC resume request with a cause, an RRC system information request, an indication, and one or more Temporary Mobile Group Identifiers (TMGIs).

28. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the MSG5 comprises one or more of an RRC setup complete message including TMGI and an RRC resume complete message including TMGI.

29. sending, while said UE (103) is in an RRC connected state, to a source network node (101a) a handover request message including an MBS context of said UE related to said MBS session.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

30. 30. The method according to claim 24, wherein the MBS context of the UE related to the MBS session includes one or more of a UE identifier, a session identifier, a Temporary Mobile Group Identity (TMGI), and a source node identifier.

31. The PTM setting information includes a PTM setting for the MBS session, and the PTM setting for the MBS session includes: - a service identifier; - a session identifier; and A Group Radio Network Temporary Identifier (G-RNTI), - information relating to the scheduling of PTM data; - information indicating that at least one neighbouring node transmits said MBS session; PTM configuration information for one or more ongoing MBS sessions in a cell served by the target node; and 31. The method of any one of claims 24 to 30, comprising one or more of:

32. receiving, from the target network node (101b), the PTM configuration information related to the MBS session, receiving said PTM settings in message B (MSG B) or message 4 (MSG4); receiving said PTM settings in a message 6 (MSG6) procedure; receiving said PTM configuration from said source network node in a handover request acknowledgement message including MBS configuration information; 32. The method of any one of claims 24 to 31, comprising:

33. The MSG B or the MSG 4 is a System Information Block (SIB) indicating said PTM configuration information; a new Information Element (IE) indicating said PTM configuration information; - an indication whether the RRC state should be changed in order to continue the reception of MBS data from the target network node; and - an instruction to resume a suspended PTP radio bearer when the UE (103) is in an RRC inactive state; and - when the UE (103) is in RRC connected state, an instruction to set up a new PTP radio bearer; 33. The method of claim 31 or 32, comprising one or more of:

34. The MSG6 is - an indication whether the RRC state should be changed in order to continue the reception of MBS data from the target network node; and – an indication of whether a PTP or a PTM radio bearer shall be used for receiving MBS data; 33. The method of claim 32, comprising one or more of:

35. A target network node (101b) for transmission of a Multicast and Broadcast Service (MBS) to a User Equipment (UE) (103) in a wireless communication network (100), said target network node (101b) comprising: determining (202) that said UE (103) is involved in an MBS session with a source network node (101a); upon said determination that said UE is involved in said MBS session with said source network node (101a), i. obtaining (208) an MBS context of the UE (103) related to the MBS session; ii. transmitting (210) point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration information related to the MBS session to be collected by the UE (103) to enable continuous reception of MBS data from the target network node (101b); A target network node (101b) adapted to perform the steps:

36. The target network node (101b), determining (201) an RRC state of the UE (103) for reception of MBS data based on one or more of the following: one or more network parameters for the MBS, capability information of the UE (103), and one or more MBS parameters; The target network node (101b) of claim 35, further adapted to:

37. The target network node (101b) receiving, from the UE (103), a message indicating that the UE (103) is involved in an MBS session with the source network node when the UE (103) is in one of an idle state and an inactive state; The target network node (101b) according to claim 35 or 36, adapted for determining that the UE (103) is involved in an MBS session with the source network node (101a) by

38. 38. The target network node (101b) of claim 37, wherein the message is one of message A (MSG A), message 3 (MSG3), and message 5 (MSG5) of a random access procedure.

39. The target network node (101b) of claim 38, wherein the MSG A or the MSG 3 includes one or more of an RRC setup request with a cause, an RRC resume request with a cause, an RRC system information request, and one or more Temporary Mobile Group Identifiers (TMGIs).

40. 39. The target network node (101b) of claim 38, wherein the MSG5 comprises one or more of an RRC setup complete message including TMGI and an RRC resume complete message including TMGI.

41. The target node (101b) receiving, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, from a source network node (101a), a handover request message including the MBS context of the UE related to the MBS session; A target network node (101b) according to any one of claims 37 to 40, further adapted to:

42. The target network node (101b) according to any one of claims 37 to 41, wherein the MBS context of the UE related to the MBS session includes one or more of a UE (103) identifier, a session identifier, a Temporary Mobile Group Identity (TMGI), and a source network node identifier.

43. the target network node (101b) obtains the MBS context of the UE (103) related to the MBS session when the UE (103) is involved in the MBS session with the source network node (101a); said source network node (101a), - an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) (105) in the Core Network (CN); 43. The target network node (101b) according to any one of claims 37 to 42, adapted for doing so by obtaining the MBS context from one or more of:

44. The target network node (101b) obtains the MBS context from the source network node (101a), - determining that the UE (103) is in an RRC inactive state; receiving a resumption identity related to said MBS session from said UE (103); sending said resumption identification information to said source network node (101a) in order to identify said MBS context of said UE in said source network node (101a); - obtaining the MBS context of the UE from the source network node (101a); A target network node (101b) according to any one of claims 37 to 42, adapted to perform by:

45. The target network node (101b) obtains the MBS context of the UE (103) related to the MBS session from the AMF (105) in the CN. - determining that the UE (103) is in an RRC idle state; receiving information related to the MBS session, the information including one or more of a Serving Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (S-TMSI), a Temporary Mobile Group Identity (TMGI), and a Session Identifier (ID) from the UE; - performing an RRC connection establishment with the AMF (105) by sending an Initial UE message to the AMF (105); sending the TMGI associated with the UE to the AMF; and - determining that the MBS context of the UE (103) is available in the AMF (105); - when the MBS context is available in the AMF (105), acquiring the MBS context of the UE in an NGAP message; A target network node (101b) according to claim 43, adapted to perform by:

46. The target network node (101b) - determining that the MBS context of the UE (103) is unavailable in the AMF (105); receiving an instruction from the AMF (105) to initiate a new session for the UE (105) when the MBS context of the UE (103) is unavailable in the AMF; The target network node (101b) of claim 45, further adapted to:

47. The PTM setting information includes a PTM setting for the MBS session, and the PTM setting for the MBS session includes: - a service identifier; - a session identifier; and A Group Radio Network Temporary Identifier (G-RNTI), - information relating to the scheduling of PTM data; - information indicating that at least one neighbouring node transmits said MBS session; - PTM configuration for cells served by the target network node; and - PTM setup for one or more MBS sessions in the target network node; 47. A target network node (101b) according to any one of claims 37 to 46, comprising one or more of:

48. the target network node (101b) transmits the PTM configuration information related to the MBS session; - sending said PTM configuration to said UE (103) in message B (MSG B), message 4 (MSG4); - sending the PTM configuration to the UE in a message 6 (MSG6); sending said PTM configuration to said source network node in a handover request acknowledgement message containing MBS configuration information when said handover request message is received from said source network node; A target network node (101b) according to any one of claims 37 to 41 or 47, adapted to perform by:

49. The MSG4 is a System Information Block (SIB) indicating said PTM configuration information; a new Information Element (IE) indicating said PTM configuration information; - an indication whether the RRC state should be changed in order to continue the reception of MBS data from the target network node; and - an instruction to resume a suspended PTP radio bearer when the UE (103) is in an RRC inactive state; and - when the UE (103) is in RRC connected state, an instruction to set up a new PTP radio bearer; 49. A target network node (101b) according to claim 47 or 48, comprising one or more of:

50. The MSG6 is - an indication whether the RRC state should be changed in order to continue the reception of MBS data from the target network node (101b); and – an indication of whether a PTP or a PTM radio bearer shall be used for receiving MBS data; 50. A target network node (101b) according to any one of claims 47 to 49, comprising one or more of:

51. The target network node (101b) determining that the MBS session of the UE is provided to one or more additional UEs (103a-103n) in an area served by the target network node (101b), wherein the MBS session is provided to the one or more additional UEs (103a-103n) using a Point-to-Point (PTP) bearer; - determining to switch the PTP bearer to a PTM bearer for the one or more additional UEs (103a-103n); sending said PTM configuration to said one or more additional UEs (103a-103n) for the transmission of said MBS data to said UE (103); A target network node (101b) according to any one of claims 37 to 50, further adapted to:

52. The target network node (101b) determining that the MBS session of the UE (103) is not provided to the one or more additional UEs (103a-103n) in the area served by the target network node (101b); - Initiating a new MBS session join procedure with the AMF (105); and sending an instruction to the UE (103) to use a PTP bearer for receiving the MBS data; The target network node (101b) of claim 51, further adapted to:

53. A source network node (101a) for enabling a user equipment (UE) (103) in a wireless communication network (100) to perform continuous reception of a multicast and broadcast service (MBS), said source network node (101a) comprising: determining (302) that the UE (103) is in mobility and is involved in an MBS session with the source network node (101a); - transmitting (308) an MBS context related to said MBS session to one or more neighboring network nodes (101b-101n) while said UE (103) is in mobility, one of said one or more neighboring network nodes being a target network node (101b); A source network node (101a) adapted to perform the steps:

54. The source network node (101a) transmits, while the UE (103) is in mobility, an MBS context related to the MBS session to one or more neighboring network nodes. - determining that the UE is in an RRC connected state during mobility; receiving a handover request message from said UE (103); sending said handover request message to one or more neighbouring network nodes (101b-101n) including said MBS context of said UE related to said MBS session; The source network node (101a) according to claim 53, adapted to perform by:

55. The source network node (101a), receiving a PTM configuration from one or more neighboring network nodes (101b-101n) in a handover request acknowledgement message containing configuration information of said MBS session; sending an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE (103), the RRC reconfiguration message including the configuration information of the MBS session; 55. A source network node (101a) according to claim 53 or 54, further adapted to:

56. The PTM setting information includes a PTM setting for the MBS session, and the PTM setting for the MBS session includes: - a service identifier; - a session identifier; and A Group Radio Network Temporary Identifier (G-RNTI), - information relating to the scheduling of PTM data; - information indicating that at least one neighboring node transmits said MBS session; 56. A source network node (101a) according to any one of claims 53 to 55, comprising one or more of:

57. A source network node (101a) according to any one of claims 53 to 56, wherein the source network node (101a) is adapted to identify the MBS context using a context identifier allocated by the source network node (101a).

58. A User Equipment (UE) (103) for receiving a Multicast and Broadcast Service (MBS) from a target network node (101b) in a wireless communication network (100), said UE (103) comprising: - determining (402) that an MBS session with a source network node (101a) is ongoing in said UE (103); - sending (404) a message indicating that the MBS session with the source network node is ongoing; determining (408) based on said transmitted message to receive Point-to-Multipoint (PTM) configuration information related to said MBS session to be collected for continuous reception of MBS data from a target network node (101b); A user equipment (UE) (103) adapted to perform the steps:

59. The UE (103) sends (404) a message indicating that the MBS session of the UE (103) with the source network node is ongoing; sending a message to the target network node (101b) while the UE is in one of an idle state and an inactive state, indicating that the UE is involved in the MBS session with the source network node; The UE (103) according to claim 58, adapted to perform the

60. 60. The UE (103) of claim 59, wherein the message is one of message B (MSG B), message 3 (MSG3), and message 5 (MSG5) of a random access procedure.

61. 61. The UE (103) of claim 60, wherein the MSG B or the MSG3 includes one or more of an RRC setup request with a cause, an RRC resume request with a cause, an RRC system information request, an indication, and one or more Temporary Mobile Group Identifiers (TMGIs).

62. 61. The UE (103) of claim 60, wherein the MSG5 comprises one or more of an RRC setup complete message including a TMGI and an RRC resume complete message including a TMGI.

63. The UE (103) sending, while said UE (103) is in an RRC connected state, to a source network node (101a) a handover request message including an MBS context of said UE related to said MBS session. The UE (103) of claim 59, further adapted to:

64. 64. The UE (103) of any one of claims 58 to 63, wherein the MBS context of the UE related to the MBS session includes one or more of a UE identifier, a session identifier, a Temporary Mobile Group Identity (TMGI), and a source node identifier.

65. The PTM setting information includes a PTM setting for the MBS session, and the PTM setting for the MBS session includes: - a service identifier; - a session identifier; and A Group Radio Network Temporary Identifier (G-RNTI), - information relating to the scheduling of PTM data; - information indicating that at least one neighbouring node transmits said MBS session; PTM configuration information for one or more ongoing MBS sessions in a cell served by the target node; and 65. The UE (103) of any one of claims 58 to 64, comprising one or more of:

66. The UE (103) receives, from the target network node (101b), the PTM configuration information related to the MBS session. receiving said PTM configuration in message B (MSG B) or message 4 (MSG4) when said UE (103) is in an RRC inactive state; receiving the PTM configuration in a Message 6 (MSG6) procedure when the UE is in an RRC idle state; receiving said PTM configuration from said source network node in a handover request acknowledgement message including MBS configuration information; 66. The UE (103) of any one of claims 58 to 65, adapted to perform by:

67. The MSG B or the MSG 4 is a System Information Block (SIB) indicating said PTM configuration information; a new Information Element (IE) indicating said PTM configuration information; - an indication whether the RRC state should be changed in order to continue the reception of MBS data from the target network node; and - an instruction to resume a suspended PTP radio bearer when the UE (103) is in an RRC inactive state; and - when the UE (103) is in RRC connected state, an instruction to set up a new PTP radio bearer; 67. The UE (103) of claim 65 or 66, comprising one or more of:

68. The MSG6 is - an indication whether the RRC state should be changed in order to continue the reception of MBS data from the target network node; and – an indication of whether a PTP or a PTM radio bearer shall be used for receiving MBS data; 67. The UE (103) of claim 66, comprising one or more of:

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