Method for data traffic correlation and transmission

Abstract

A wireless communication method is disclosed for use in a first radio network node, the method including transmitting a packet in one of a plurality of quality of service (QoS) flows associated with an application data unit to a second radio network node, a packet header of the packet including traffic correlation information associated with the application data unit.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This specification relates generally to wireless communications, and in particular to fifth generation (5G) th generation) communication. [Background technology]

[0002] In a 5G network, internet protocol (IP) traffic transmitted to and from a user equipment (UE) is configured per quality-of-service (QoS) flow level. During a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment procedure, the 5G network can assign a specific QoS flow(s) to an application requested by the UE.

[0003] In addition, the QoS model is based on QoS flows. The 5G QoS model supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bit rate (i.e., GBR QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bit rate (i.e., non-GBR QoS flows).

[0004] QoS flow is the finest granularity of QoS differentiation in a PDU session. User plane traffic with the same QoS flow identifier (QFI) within a PDU session has the same traffic forwarding treatment (e.g., scheduling, admission thresholds). The QFI is carried within the encapsulation header of each GTP-U packet on the N3 / N9 interface, just as in the end-to-end (E2E) GTP-U packet header. The QFI is used for all types of PDU sessions.

[0005] A single QoS flow is identified by one QFI and is associated with QoS requirements specified by QoS parameters and QoS characteristics. The QFI of each QoS flow is unique within one PDU session. The QFI can be dynamically assigned or can be equal to a pre-configured 5G QoS Identifier (5QI) value.

[0006] During PDU session establishment, a default QoS flow needs to be established for the PDU session and remains established throughout the life of the PDU session. The default QoS flow may be a non-GBR QoS flow.

[0007] Within a 5G system (5GS), QoS flows are controlled by a session management function (SMF) and may be pre-configured or established via a PDU session establishment procedure or a PDU session modification procedure.

[0008] The existing QoS model supports normal IP communication (e.g., IP traffic transmission between a UE and an Application Server (AS)). However, the existing QoS model may not be able to fully support IP communication for Extended Reality (XR) services, such as Augmented Reality (AR) services, Virtual Reality (VR) services, and Mixed Reality (MR) services.

[0009] For example, an XR service may require several dedicated QoS flows for associated IP transmission to support audio traffic, video traffic, six degrees of freedom (6DoF) sensor traffic, etc. Based on the requirements of the XR service, the XR traffic on different QoS flows may need to be highly time-synchronized. However, such service requirements cannot be guaranteed by the existing 5G QoS model because the existing 5G QoS model does not guarantee synchronization between traffic belonging to different QoS flows. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present specification relates to methods, systems, and devices for supporting XR services, and in particular, to methods, systems, and devices for binding and handling traffic on different QoS flows.

[0011] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method for use in a first radio network node, the method comprising: The method includes transmitting a packet to a second wireless network node in one of a plurality of quality of service (QoS) flows associated with the application data unit, the packet header of the packet including traffic correlation information associated with the application data unit.

[0012] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features. Preferably, the traffic correlation information includes a traffic correlation identifier of the application data unit.

[0013] Preferably, the traffic correlation identifier indicates at least one of a correlation policy identifier associated with a correlation policy applied to the multiple QoS flows, an application data unit type associated with a type of application data unit, an application type associated with a type of application to which the packet belongs, or an application identifier associated with an application to which the packet belongs.

[0014] Preferably, the traffic correlation information includes information associated with at least one of a sequence number of an application data unit, a size of the application data unit, an importance level of a packet within the application data unit, or a duplication number of the application data unit.

[0015] Preferably, the first radio network node is one of a user plane function and a radio access network node.

[0016] Preferably, the packet is a General Packet Radio Service Tunneling Protocol User Plane GTP-U packet and the packet header is a GTP-U header.

[0017] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method for use in a second radio network node, the method comprising: receiving, from a first wireless network node, a packet in one of a plurality of quality of service (QoS) flows associated with the application data unit, a packet header of the packet including traffic correlation information associated with the application data unit; performing a correlation action on the packets based on the traffic correlation information; Includes.

[0018] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features. Preferably, the traffic correlation information includes a traffic correlation identifier of the application data unit.

[0019] Preferably, the traffic correlation identifier indicates at least one of a correlation policy identifier associated with a correlation policy applied to the multiple QoS flows, an application data unit type associated with a type of application data unit, an application type associated with a type of application to which the packet belongs, or an application identifier associated with an application to which the packet belongs.

[0020] Preferably, the traffic correlation information includes information associated with at least one of a sequence number of an application data unit, a size of the application data unit, an importance level of a packet within the application data unit, or a duplication number of the application data unit.

[0021] Preferably, the second radio network node is one of a user plane function and a radio access network node.

[0022] Preferably, the packet is a General Packet Radio Service Tunneling Protocol User Plane GTP-U packet and the packet header is a GTP-U header.

[0023] Preferably, performing a correlation action on the packet based on the traffic correlation information includes associating the packet with an application data unit based on the traffic correlation information.

[0024] Preferably, performing a correlation action on the packet based on the traffic correlation information includes applying a correlation policy associated with the application data unit based on the traffic correlation information.

[0025] Preferably, performing a correlation measure on the packets based on the traffic correlation information includes obtaining at least one measurement of the application data unit based on the traffic correlation information.

[0026] Preferably, the at least one measurement result comprises at least one of an average packet delay for the multiple QoS flows, a deviation in packet delay for the multiple QoS flows, an average packet loss rate for the multiple QoS flows, a deviation in packet loss rate for the multiple QoS flows, or an asynchrony rate between transmissions of packets belonging to the same application data unit and on different QoS flows.

[0027] Preferably, the step of performing a correlation action on the packet based on the traffic correlation information includes reporting at least one QoS event associated with the application data unit.

[0028] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method for use in a radio network node, the method comprising: receiving from a session management function a traffic correlation policy associated with the application data unit; applying a traffic correlation policy to a plurality of quality of service (QoS) flows associated with the application data units; Includes.

[0029] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features. Preferably, the traffic correlation policy includes at least one of a correlation policy identifier, a list of QoS flows, a list of QoS monitoring actions, a list of event reporting thresholds, or a list of event reporting triggers.

[0030] Preferably, the list of QoS monitoring measures includes at least one of monitoring packet delay for multiple QoS flows, monitoring packet loss rate for multiple QoS flows, or monitoring asynchrony rate between transmissions of packets belonging to the same application data unit and on different QoS flows.

[0031] Preferably, the list of event reporting thresholds is associated with at least one of an average packet delay for the multiple QoS flows, a deviation in packet delay for the multiple QoS flows, an average packet loss rate for the multiple QoS flows, a deviation in packet loss rate for the multiple QoS flows, or an asynchrony rate between transmissions of packets belonging to the same application data unit and on different QoS flows.

[0032] Preferably, the list of event reporting triggers includes at least one of: average packet delay for multiple QoS flows; deviation in packet delay for multiple QoS flows; average packet loss rate for multiple QoS flows; deviation in packet loss rate for multiple QoS flows; or asynchrony rate between transmissions of packets belonging to the same application data unit and on different QoS flows.

[0033] Preferably, the radio network node is one of a user plane function and a radio access network node.

[0034] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method for use in a session management function, the method comprising: The method includes transmitting a traffic correlation policy associated with the application data unit to a radio network node, the traffic correlation policy being applied to a plurality of quality of service (QoS) flows associated with the application data unit.

[0035] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features. Preferably, the traffic correlation policy includes at least one of a correlation policy identifier, a list of QoS flows, a list of QoS monitoring actions, a list of event reporting thresholds, or a list of event reporting triggers.

[0036] Preferably, the list of QoS monitoring measures includes at least one of monitoring packet delay for multiple QoS flows, monitoring packet loss rate for multiple QoS flows, or monitoring asynchrony rate between transmissions of packets belonging to the same application data unit and on different QoS flows.

[0037] Preferably, the list of event reporting thresholds is associated with at least one of an average packet delay for the multiple QoS flows, a deviation in packet delay for the multiple QoS flows, an average packet loss rate for the multiple QoS flows, a deviation in packet loss rate for the multiple QoS flows, or an asynchrony rate between transmissions of packets belonging to the same application data unit and on different QoS flows.

[0038] Preferably, the list of event reporting triggers includes at least one of: average packet delay for multiple QoS flows; deviation in packet delay for multiple QoS flows; average packet loss rate for multiple QoS flows; deviation in packet loss rate for multiple QoS flows; or asynchrony rate between transmissions of packets belonging to the same application data unit and on different QoS flows.

[0039] Preferably, the radio network node is one of a user plane function and a radio access network node.

[0040] Preferably, the wireless communication method comprises: transmitting a policy association related request to a policy control function; receiving a traffic correlation policy from a policy control function; Further includes:

[0041] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method for use in a policy control function, the method comprising: receiving a policy association related request from a session management function; transmitting a traffic correlation policy associated with the application data unit to a session management function; Includes.

[0042] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features. Preferably, the traffic correlation policy includes at least one of a correlation policy identifier, a list of QoS flows, a list of QoS monitoring actions, a list of event reporting thresholds, or a list of event reporting triggers.

[0043] Preferably, the list of QoS monitoring measures includes at least one of monitoring packet delay for multiple QoS flows, monitoring packet loss rate for multiple QoS flows, or monitoring asynchrony rate between transmissions of packets belonging to the same application data unit and on different QoS flows.

[0044] Preferably, the list of event reporting thresholds is associated with at least one of an average packet delay for the multiple QoS flows, a deviation in packet delay for the multiple QoS flows, an average packet loss rate for the multiple QoS flows, a deviation in packet loss rate for the multiple QoS flows, or an asynchrony rate between transmissions of packets belonging to the same application data unit and on different QoS flows.

[0045] Preferably, the list of event reporting triggers includes at least one of: average packet delay for multiple QoS flows; deviation in packet delay for multiple QoS flows; average packet loss rate for multiple QoS flows; deviation in packet loss rate for multiple QoS flows; or asynchrony rate between transmissions of packets belonging to the same application data unit and on different QoS flows.

[0046] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method for use in a radio network node, the method comprising: receiving traffic characteristic information of application data unit transmissions from a session management function; recognizing at least one application data unit in the application data unit transmission based on the traffic characteristic information; Including, Each application data unit contains packets on multiple quality of service (QoS) flows.

[0047] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features. Preferably, the traffic characteristic information includes at least one of a list of QoS flows, at least one precenter QoS flow identifier associated with at least one precenter QoS flow over which a first data block in an application data unit transmission is transmitted, a precenter transmission pattern of the first data block transmitted on the at least one precenter QoS flow, a maximum size of a single application data unit in an application data unit transmission, a maximum duration of an application data unit transmission, or an application data unit transmission pattern of the application data unit transmission.

[0048] Preferably, the application data unit transmission pattern includes at least one of a duration of an application data unit transmission, a size of a single application data unit in the application data unit transmission, or an interval between two subsequent application data units in the application data unit transmission.

[0049] Preferably, the wireless communication method further includes at least one of transmitting a packet of at least one application data unit, a header of the packet including traffic correlation information associated with the application data unit to which the packet belongs, applying a traffic correlation policy to the application data unit transmission, obtaining at least one measurement result associated with the application data unit transmission, monitoring at least one QoS measurement result associated with the application data unit transmission, or reporting at least one QoS event associated with the application data unit transmission.

[0050] Preferably, the radio network node comprises a radio access network node or a user plane function.

[0051] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method for use in a session management function, the method comprising: The present invention includes transmitting traffic characteristic information of an application data unit transmission to a wireless network node, the traffic characteristic information being used to recognize at least one application data unit in the application data unit transmission, each application data unit including packets on a plurality of quality of service (QoS) flows.

[0052] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features. Preferably, the traffic characteristic information includes at least one of a list of QoS flows, at least one precenter QoS flow identifier associated with at least one precenter QoS flow over which a first data block in an application data unit transmission is transmitted, a precenter transmission pattern of the first data block transmitted on the at least one precenter QoS flow, a maximum size of a single application data unit in an application data unit transmission, a maximum duration of an application data unit transmission, or an application data unit transmission pattern of the application data unit transmission.

[0053] Preferably, the application data unit transmission pattern includes at least one of a duration of an application data unit transmission, a size of a single application data unit in the application data unit transmission, or an interval between two subsequent application data units in the application data unit transmission.

[0054] Preferably, the radio network node comprises a radio access network node or a user plane function.

[0055] Preferably, the wireless communication method comprises: transmitting a policy association related request to a policy control function; Receiving characteristic information from a policy control function; Further includes:

[0056] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method for use in a policy control function, the method comprising: receiving a policy association related request from a session management function; Transmitting traffic characteristic information of application data unit transmission to a session management function; Including, the traffic characteristic information is used to recognize at least one application data unit in the application data unit transmission; Each application data unit contains packets on multiple quality of service (QoS) flows.

[0057] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features. Preferably, the traffic characteristic information includes at least one of a list of QoS flows, at least one precenter QoS flow identifier associated with at least one precenter QoS flow over which a first data block in an application data unit transmission is transmitted, a precenter transmission pattern of the first data block transmitted on the at least one precenter QoS flow, a maximum size of a single application data unit in an application data unit transmission, a maximum duration of an application data unit transmission, or an application data unit transmission pattern of the application data unit transmission.

[0058] Preferably, the application data unit transmission pattern includes at least one of a duration of an application data unit transmission, a size of a single application data unit in the application data unit transmission, or an interval between two subsequent application data units in the application data unit transmission.

[0059] The present disclosure relates to a first radio network node, the first radio network node comprising: A communication unit configured to transmit a packet to a second radio network node in one of a plurality of quality of service (QoS) flows associated with an application data unit, wherein a packet header of the packet includes traffic correlation information associated with the application data unit.

[0060] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features. Preferably, the first radio network node further comprises a processor configured to perform any of the aforementioned wireless communication methods.

[0061] The present disclosure relates to a second radio network node, the second radio network node comprising: a communication unit configured to receive a packet from a first radio network node in one of a plurality of quality of service (QoS) flows associated with an application data unit, the packet header of the packet including traffic correlation information associated with the application data unit; and a processor configured to perform a correlation action on the packets based on the traffic correlation information; Equipped with.

[0062] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features. Preferably, the processor is further configured to perform any of the wireless communication methods described above.

[0063] The present disclosure relates to a radio network node, the radio network node comprising: a communication unit configured to receive from the session management function a traffic correlation policy associated with the application data unit; a processor configured to apply a traffic correlation policy to a plurality of quality of service (QoS) flows associated with the application data units; Equipped with.

[0064] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features. Preferably, the processor is further configured to perform any of the wireless communication methods described above.

[0065] The present disclosure relates to a session management function for a wireless device. The present invention comprises a communication unit configured to transmit a traffic correlation policy associated with an application data unit to a radio network node, the traffic correlation policy being applied to a plurality of quality of service (QoS) flows associated with the application data unit.

[0066] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features. Preferably, the wireless device further comprises a processor configured to perform any of the aforementioned wireless communication methods.

[0067] The present disclosure relates to a wireless device having policy control capabilities, A communication unit, receiving a policy association related request from a session management function; transmitting a traffic correlation policy associated with the application data unit to a session management function; The device further comprises a communication unit configured to:

[0068] Preferably, the wireless device further comprises a processor configured to perform any of the aforementioned wireless communication methods.

[0069] The present disclosure relates to a radio network node, the radio network node comprising: a communication unit configured to receive traffic characteristic information of application data unit transmissions from a session management function; a processor configured to recognize at least one application data unit in the application data unit transmission based on the traffic characteristic information; Equipped with Each application data unit contains packets on multiple quality of service (QoS) flows.

[0070] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features. Preferably, the processor is further configured to perform any of the wireless communication methods described above.

[0071] The present disclosure relates to a wireless device having a session management function, The present invention comprises a communication unit configured to transmit traffic characteristic information of an application data unit transmission to a radio network node, the traffic characteristic information being used to recognize at least one application data unit in the application data unit transmission, each application data unit including packets on a plurality of quality of service (QoS) flows.

[0072] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features. Preferably, the wireless device further comprises a processor configured to perform any of the aforementioned wireless communication methods.

[0073] The present disclosure relates to a wireless device having policy control capabilities, A communication unit, receiving a policy association related request from a session management function; and transmitting traffic characteristic information of the application data unit transmission to the session management function, the traffic characteristic information being used to recognize at least one application data unit in the application data unit transmission, each application data unit including packets on a plurality of quality of service (QoS) flows. The device further comprises a communication unit configured to:

[0074] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features. Preferably, the wireless device further comprises a processor configured to perform any of the aforementioned wireless communication methods.

[0075] The present disclosure relates to a computer program product having stored thereon a computer readable program medium code which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a wireless communication method as set forth in any one of the preceding methods.

[0076] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are intended to provide additional features that will become readily apparent by reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. According to various embodiments, exemplary systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are disclosed herein. However, it is understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example and not by way of limitation, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure that various modifications to the disclosed embodiments may be made while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0077] Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. Moreover, the specific order and / or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein are merely example approaches. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps of a disclosed method or process can be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, those skilled in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or operations in a sample order, and that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented, unless otherwise stated.

[0078] These and other aspects and implementations thereof are described in greater detail in the drawings, specification, and claims. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0079] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] A schematic diagram of a PDU session establishment procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of 5G data traffic according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram of 5G data traffic according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic diagram of 5G data traffic according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 is an example schematic diagram of a wireless terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an example schematic diagram of a radio network node according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 1 is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11]1 is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 1 is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] 1 is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] 1 is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] 1 is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] 1 is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] 1 is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0080] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a network (architecture) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In Figure 1, the network includes the following network functions / entities:

[0081] 1) User Equipment (UE): The UE corresponds to a mobile terminal that accesses the network.

[0082] 2) Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN): In a 5G network, the NG-RAN is a new radio (NR) base station, also called a gNB. In this disclosure, the NG-RAN may be equivalent to a NG-RAN node RAN, or a RAN node.

[0083] 3) Access and Mobility Management function (AMF): The AMF provides access management and mobility management for the UE, e.g., registration to the network, registration during UE mobility, etc.

[0084] 4) Session Management Function (SMF): The SMF provides PDU session management for the UE, such as IP address allocation, QoS flow setup, etc.

[0085] 5) User plane function (UPF): The UPF provides IP traffic routing and forwarding management.

[0086] 6) Policy Control Function (PCF): The PCF provides the QoS policy rules to a control plane function for enforcement of the QoS policy rules.

[0087] 7) Application Function (AF): The AF provides instructions to the PCF that affect QoS policy rules. In this disclosure, the AF may be equivalent to an application server (AS).

[0088] After the UE registers with the 5G network, the UE may request a PDU session establishment procedure towards the 5G network if the UE needs to communicate with an application server. During the PDU session establishment procedure, the 5G network may assign a default QoS flow to the UE and may further assign the indicated QoS flow(s) to the UE according to the UE request and / or according to instructions from a policy configured for the UE.

[0089] 2 shows a schematic diagram of a PDU session establishment procedure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 2, the SMF allocates a set of QoS flows to ensure communication between the UE and an application server (e.g., an AF). Specifically, after the UE registers with a 5G network, the UE can request a PDU session establishment procedure, which includes:

[0090] Step 201: The UE transmits a NAS message (e.g., Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI), UE requested Data Network Name (DNN), PDU Session ID, request type, N1 Session Management (SM) container (e.g., PDU Session Establishment Request)) to the AMF.

[0091] The PDU session establishment request is included in a NAS message and encapsulated in an N1 SM container. The NAS message sent by the UE is encapsulated by the RAN in an N2 message towards the AMF.

[0092] Step 202: The AMF selects an appropriate SMF (i.e., an anchor SMF) to serve the PDU session based on the requested DNN, S-NSSAI, and current UE location information.

[0093] Step 203: The AMF transmits an Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext request (including Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI), selected DNN, UE requested DNN, S-NSSAI(s), PDU Session ID, AMF ID, request type, N1 SM container (containing PDU session establishment request), user location information, access type, radio access technology (RAT) type, Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI), Generic Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI)) to the SMF.

[0094] The SUPI uniquely identifies the UE subscription. The AMF ID carries a Globally Unique AMF ID (GUAMI) that uniquely identifies the AMF serving the UE.

[0095] Step 204: To service the PDU session, the SMF retrieves session management subscription data from the UDM if it has not previously retrieved such information.

[0096] Step 205: The SMF sends a Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext response (including cause, SM context ID) to the AMF. The SM context ID identifies the SM context created in the SMF for the UE.

[0097] Step 206: If dynamic policy and charging control (PCC) is configured to be used for the PDU session, the SMF selects an appropriate PCF to serve the PDU session.

[0098] Step 207: The SMF sends an Npcf_PolicyAssociation_Create request to the PCF to perform an SM policy association establishment procedure and obtain a default PCC rule for the PDU session. Required parameters such as SUPI, PDU session ID, DNN, S-NSSAI, etc. shall be provided in the request. Other parameters such as GPSI, UE IP address, UE external ID, RAT type, access type, etc. may also be provided in the request message.

[0099] Step 208: The PCF may interact with the AF to establish an AF association, which allows the AF to dynamically influence the traffic model of the PDU session via the PCF, for example, to establish a new dedicated QoS flow or to modify an existing QoS flow.

[0100] Step 209: The PCF sends an Npcf_PolicyAssociation_Create response to the SMF to return the default PCC rule for the PDU session.

[0101] Step 210: The SMF selects a UPF to act as a PDU Session Anchor (PSA).

[0102] Step 211: The SMF sends an N4 session establishment request to the UPF to request the establishment of an N4 session for this PDU session, which carries a set of rules for packet detection and QoS enhancement to be installed in the UPF. The rules include a packet detection rule (PDR), a forward action rule (FAR), a QoS enhancement rule (QER), a usage reporting rule (URR), etc.

[0103] When the SMF receives the PCC rules from the PCF, the SMF maps the PCC rules to a set of QoS flows and generates a set of PDR / FAR / QER / URR rules accordingly to reflect the determined QoS flows.

[0104] The UPF installs these rules for this PDU session, filters uplink / downlink traffic using these rules, and implements corresponding QoS enhancements on the filtered uplink / downlink traffic.

[0105] Step 212: The UPF acknowledges by sending an N4 session establishment response to the SMF.

[0106] Step 213: The SMF transmits a Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer request (including PDU session ID, N2 SM information (PDU session ID, QFI, QoS profile, N3 CN tunnel information), and N1 SM container (PDU session establishment acknowledgment)) to the AMF.

[0107] The N2 SM information carries information forwarded by the AMF to the RAN. For example, the N2 SM information may include the I-UPF UL F-TEID, the QFI used by the RAN to set up the QoS flow, and the N3 CN tunnel information carrying the QoS profile.

[0108] To enable the RAN to control the QoS flows and perform traffic detection and admission control at the QoS flow level, one or more QoS profiles and corresponding QFIs are provided to the RAN.

[0109] In one embodiment, the QoS profile includes the following parameters: - a QFI used to uniquely identify one QoS flow within a PDU session, -ARP (Allocation and Retention Priority), which indicates the allocation and retention priority of QoS flows; -GBR QoS flow parameters used by the RAN to control QoS flows, such as maximum flow bit rate downlink, maximum flow bit rate uplink, guaranteed flow bit rate downlink, guaranteed flow bit rate uplink, maximum packet loss rate downlink, maximum packet loss rate uplink, etc.

[0110] The N1 SM container includes a PDU Session Establishment Acknowledgement that the AMF provides to the UE, including the following parameters within the PDU Session Establishment Acknowledgement: PDU Session ID, PDU Session Type, UE IP Address, one or more QoS rules, QoS flow level QoS parameters associated with the QoS rule(s), DNN, S-NSSAI, etc.

[0111] Step 214: The AMF transmits an N2 PDU session request (including N2 SM information, NAS message (PDU session ID, N1 SM container (PDU session establishment acknowledgement))) to the RAN. The AMF sends a NAS message to the RAN, including a PDU session ID and a PDU session establishment acknowledgement targeted to the UE, and the N2 SM information received from the SMF in the N2 PDU session request.

[0112] Step 215: The RAN may issue an AN-specific signaling exchange with the UE related to the information received from the SMF. For example, in the case of a 3GPP RAN, an RRC connection reconfiguration may be performed with the UE establishing the necessary RAN resources related to the QoS rules for the PDU session request. The RAN forwards a NAS message (PDU Session ID, N1 SM Container (PDU Session Establishment Acknowledge)) to the UE. The RAN also allocates the AN N3 tunnel information to the PDU session.

[0113] Step 216: The RAN transmits an N2 PDU session response (including PDU session ID, cause, N2 SM information (PDU session ID, AN tunnel information, list of approved / rejected QFI(s))) to the AMF.

[0114] In one embodiment, the AN tunnel information corresponds to the access network address of the N3 tunnel corresponding to the PDU session.

[0115] Step 217: The AMF transmits an Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request (N2 SM information) to the SMF. The AMF forwards the N2 SM information received from the RAN to the SMF. If the N2 SM information includes a list of rejected QFI(s), the SMF releases the QoS profiles associated with the rejected QFI(s).

[0116] Step 218: The SMF initiates an N4 session modification procedure with the UPF. The SMF provides the RAN tunnel information and corresponding forwarding rules to the UPF.

[0117] Step 219: The SMF sends a Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext response to the AMF. Step 220: The UE initiates uplink traffic transmission(s) (eg, towards its application server) or receives downlink traffic (eg, from its application server).

[0118] During the PDU session establishment procedure, the SMF allocates a default QoS flow to the UE for the PDU session. The SMF can also allocate a dedicated QoS flow for the PDU session if the SMF is dictated by a locally configured PCC rule (e.g. associated to the DNN, S-NSSAI) or by a dynamic PCC rule from the PCF.

[0119] A PDU session modification procedure can be initiated by the UE or PCF to request the SMF to allocate dedicated QoS flows to the PDU session according to the demand of application traffic transmission. The SMF obtains the updated PCC rules from the PCF and allocates the dedicated QoS flows accordingly. After allocating the dedicated QoS flows, the SMF sends the N2 SM information to the RAN to update the QFI and QoS profile stored in the RAN. The SMF also sends the N1 SM container to the UE to update the QoS flows and QoS rules stored in the UE.

[0120] Once a PDU session is established, the UE transmits and / or receives data traffic (e.g., IP packets) via an IP address assigned to this PDU session by the network. Uplink data traffic transmitted by the UE is encapsulated into GTP-U packets that are forwarded by the RAN to the UPF, and downlink data traffic transmitted to the UE is encapsulated into GTP-U packets that are forwarded by the UPF to the RAN.

[0121] In 5G networks, to enable peer GTP-U entities (e.g., RAN and UPF) to know the QoS flow to which the GTP-U packet belongs, a PDU session container information element (IE) is added to the GTP-U header of the GTP-U packet. The PDU session container IE further carries a QFI IE that unambiguously identifies the QoS flow to which the inner packet belongs, as shown in Figure 3.

[0122] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of 5G data traffic according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 3, the 5G data traffic encapsulation and transmission model supports the QoS flow model. Data traffic is encapsulated into GTP-U packets, and each GTP-U packet is identified by a QFI carried in the GTP-U Extension Header-PDU Session Container IE. The data traffic encapsulation and transmission model shown in FIG. 3 may have difficulty supporting new service requirements caused by XR or XR-like services.

[0123] To support data transmission of XR and / or XR-like services, the present disclosure introduces a novel data traffic correlation model that groups different types of data traffic (e.g., audio / video / haptic / sensor traffic) that are processed together by applications within one specific time period into a single Application Data Unit (ADU), i.e., data traffic belonging to different QoS flows within one specific time period can be grouped into one ADU.

[0124] In one embodiment, to support ADU transmission, a data transmission node (e.g., a GTP-U entity such as a RAN and a UPF) may logically group data traffic belonging to different QoS flows into one single ADU and handle the data traffic within the same ADU according to the same traffic correlation policy.

[0125] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of 5G data traffic according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 4, sequential transmission of ADUs between two GTP-U entities, for example, from UPF to RAN, is described. As shown in FIG. 4, the transmitting GTP-U entity (i.e., UPF) recognizes that data traffic transmitted within one particular period on different QoS flows (i.e., QoS flows #x, #y, #z) belongs to ADU separately. Upon detection of ADU transmission, the transmitting GTP-U entity adds (marks) information associated with ADU transmission to the GTP-U packet when encapsulating the data traffic into a GTP-U packet, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 5. Specifically, when implementing GTP-U packet encapsulation for ADU transmission, the transmitting GTP-U entity (e.g., RAN / UPF) can carry traffic correlation information (TCI) in the GTP-U extension header.

[0126] In one embodiment, the traffic correlation information includes a Traffic Correlation ID (TCID), which may be used to uniquely identify the type of the corresponding ADU.

[0127] In one embodiment, the TCID may further include / indicate at least one of the following:

[0128] A correlation policy ID configured to identify a correlation policy that is to be applied to multiple QoS flows; - Application Data Unit Type (ADU Type), configured to identify the type of ADU being transmitted; an application type, which is configured to identify the type of application to which the data packet belongs; - An application ID that is configured to identify the application to which the data packet belongs.

[0129] In one embodiment, the traffic correlation information may further include at least one of the following:

[0130] ADU Sequence Number (ADU SN): ADU SN is used to distinguish consecutive ADUs under the same traffic correlation ID from each other. For example, two ADUs shown in Figure 5 have the same traffic correlation ID and include ADU SNs #aaa and #bbb, respectively. UPF / RAN can distinguish the ADUs shown in Figure 5 based on their own ADU SNs.

[0131] -ADU Size: ADU size is used to indicate the total size of one ADU package.

[0132] In one embodiment, some packets of the ADU are more important than other packets within the ADU. In this embodiment, the traffic correlation information may further include:

[0133] -ADU inner packet importance level: The importance level of the ADU inner packet is used to indicate the importance level of the packet inside the ADU. For example, the precenter data packet(s) of one ADU (e.g., announcement data block(s)) usually carries important information of the entire ADU. Therefore, the precenter data packet is marked with a higher importance level. That is, the importance of the ADU inner packet in the header of each precenter data packet indicates a higher importance level than the importance level of the remaining packets in the same ADU.

[0134] In embodiments where the redundant transmission feature is supported, the ADU traffic may be duplicated and sent over two separate transmission paths. Under such conditions, the traffic correlation information may further include the following:

[0135] - ADU duplication number used to identify duplication of ADU traffic. For example, if one ADU is duplicated and transmitted over two separate transmission paths, the traffic correlation information of the ADU (e.g., in the GTP-U header) carries the corresponding ADU duplication number.

[0136] Upon receiving a GTP-U packet in an ADU, the receiving GTP-U entity recognizes the traffic correlation information from the GTP-U header and can apply one of the following correlation measures to the ADU traffic transmission:

[0137] a) Traffic detection for ADU traffic: If traffic detection for (subsequent) ADU traffic is required, the GTP-U entity (e.g., RAN / UPF) monitors the GTP-U header and checks the traffic correlation information to detect whether the GTP-U packet belongs to an ADU. Upon detecting an ADU, the GTP-U entity can apply QoS policy enforcement to the detected ADU, as required, for example, according to item b) below. The GTP-U entity can also apply QoS monitoring to all detected ADU traffic, as required, according to item c) below, and / or report QoS monitoring events, as required, according to item d) below.

[0138] b) QoS policy enforcement for ADU traffic: When QoS policy enforcement for ADU traffic is required, the GTP-U entity (e.g., RAN / UPF) applies the traffic correlation policy corresponding to all QoS flows affected by the traffic correlation policy. For example, the same traffic correlation policy can be applied to data traffic of different QoS flows corresponding to the same traffic correlation ID.

[0139] c) QoS monitoring for ADU traffic: A GTP-U entity may perform measurements (e.g., monitor) against at least one of the following key performance indicators (KPIs): -ADU packet delay: the ADU packet delay may include at least one of an average ADU DL / UL packet delay, a maximum ADU DL / UL packet delay, and a deviation of the ADU DL / UL packet delay; -ADU packet loss rate: The ADU packet loss rate may include at least one of an average ADU DL / UL packet loss rate, a maximum ADU DL / UL packet loss rate, and a deviation of the ADU DL / UL packet loss rate; ADU asynchrony ratio: The ADU asynchrony ratio can be measured based on the ratio of asynchrony in the transmission of data traffic of different QoS flows (belonging to the same ADU).

[0140] In one embodiment, the maximum ADU DL / UL packet loss rate represents the maximum DL / UL packet loss rate among the QoS flows in the ADU.

[0141] d) QoS monitoring event reporting for ADU traffic: A GTP-U entity (e.g., RAN / UPF) may be required to report detected QoS monitoring events (e.g., report detected average packet delay of QoS flows, report average packet loss rate of QoS flows, etc.) That is, the GTP-U entity (e.g., RAN / UPF) can report detected QoS monitoring events to the NF, which collects QoS monitoring event reports for ADU traffic.

[0142] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of a procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In Figure 6, a GTP-U entity A (e.g., RAN / UPF) transmits a GTP-U packet supporting ADU transmission and calculates / monitors related KPIs (e.g., packet delay) for ADU transmission.

[0143] Step 601: A GTP-U entity A (eg, UPF) sends a GTP-U packet (eg, a DL GTP-U packet) to a GTP-U entity B (eg, a RAN).

[0144] In this embodiment, the GTP-U header of each GTP-U packet carries the following information: QFI: The QFI is used to identify a QoS flow. For example, the QFI indicates a value X.

[0145] - Traffic correlation information: In this embodiment, the traffic correlation information includes a traffic correlation ID. In one embodiment, the traffic correlation information further includes an ADU sequence number.

[0146] - Transmit Timestamp: The transmit timestamp can be used to identify the point in time at which a transmitting GTP-U entity A transmits a GTP-U packet to a receiving GTP-U entity B on the QoS flow identified by the indicated QFI. For example, the transmit timestamp may be equal to the value @val#1.

[0147] Step 602: GTP-U entity B receives a GTP-U packet from GTP-U entity A. Based on the transmission timestamp, GTP-U entity B calculates the packet delay result for this QoS flow (e.g., QFI=X) and the direction from GTP-U entity A to GTP-U entity B (e.g., DL direction when GTP-U entity A is UPF and GTP-U entity B is RAN).

[0148] For example, the receive timestamp of a received GTP-U packet is recorded by GTP-U entity B. The receive timestamp is used to identify when GTP-U entity B received a GTP-U packet with the indicated send timestamp on the indicated QoS flow (e.g., QFI=X). For example, the receive timestamp is equal to the value @val#2.

[0149] The packet delay result in the direction from GTP-U entity A to GTP-U entity B can be calculated by:

[0150] Packet Delay Result = Receive Timestamp - Transmit Timestamp. For example, the packet delay result (in the direction from A to B) is equal to @val#4=@val#2-@val#1.

[0151] Step 603: GTP-U entity B sends a GTP-U packet to GTP-U entity A.

[0152] In this embodiment, the GTP-U header of each GTP-U packet includes the following information: QFI: The QFI is used to identify a QoS flow. For example, the QFI indicates a value X.

[0153] - Traffic correlation information: The traffic correlation information includes a traffic correlation ID and, optionally, an ADU sequence number.

[0154] - Transmit Timestamp Repetition: The transmit timestamp repetition is used to identify the timestamp indicated in the GTP-U packets transmitted by GTP-U entity A. For example, the transmit timestamp repetition is equal to the value @val#1.

[0155] - Receive Timestamp, which identifies the timestamp when GTP-U entity B receives a GTP-U packet with the indicated send timestamp on the indicated QoS flow. For example, the receive timestamp is equal to the value @val#2.

[0156] - Send Timestamp, which identifies the timestamp when GTP-U entity B sends a GTP-U packet to GTP-U entity A. For example, the Send Timestamp is equal to the value @val#3.

[0157] Packet Delay Result (in the direction A to B), which identifies the packet delay detected by the GTP-U entity in this direction (e.g., DL direction from UPF to RAN). For example, the packet delay result is equal to the value @val#4.

[0158] Step 604: GTP-U entity A stores the received packet delay result (in the direction from A to B) and calculates the packet delay result in the other direction (in the direction from GTP-U entity B to GTP-U entity A).

[0159] For example, the RAN calculates the packet delay result in the direction from the UPF to the RAN, i.e., the DL packet delay result, and the UPF calculates the packet delay result in the UL direction from the RAN to the UPF, i.e., the UL packet delay result.

[0160] Step 605: For other QoS flows, the UL / DL packet delay result is detected by the GTP-U entity A (eg, UPF) and / or the GTP-U entity B (eg, RAN) similarly to steps 601 to 604.

[0161] Step 606: Once the packet delay of each QoS flow associated with the ADU is detected / measured, the GTP-U entity A / B (e.g., RAN / UPF) can calculate the packet delay of the ADU transmission (i.e., ADU packet delay).

[0162] For example, a GTP-U entity (e.g., RAN / UPF) may use the UL / DL packet delay results for each QoS flow associated with the ADU to calculate one of the following KPIs:

[0163] -Average ADU UL Packet Delay, or Average ADU DL Packet Delay, - Maximum ADU UL packet delay, or Maximum ADU DL packet delay, -ADU UL packet delay deviation, or ADU DL packet delay deviation.

[0164] In one embodiment, the GTP-U entity may use a procedure similar to that described in FIG. 6 to calculate other KPIs (statistics) of ADU transmission, such as, for example, ADU packet loss rate, ADU out-of-sync rate, etc.

[0165] It should be noted that the above embodiment uses the GTP-U protocol, i.e. the protocol used between two data transmission nodes (e.g. UPF / RAN), for illustrative purposes only. For user data transmission, other data transmission protocols (e.g. Segment Routing IPv6 (SRV6)) may be introduced. That is, the data transmission node (e.g. UPF / RAN) may include traffic correlation information in the packet header of the adopted data transmission protocol.

[0166] The embodiments shown in Figures 4-6 explain how a GTP-U entity (e.g., RAN / UPF) applies correlation measures to data traffic of correlated QoS flows, e.g., applying correlation measures to ADU traffic transmissions. Figure 7 below shows a schematic diagram of a PDU session establishment procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In Figure 7, the RAN / UPF is provided with instructions on how to apply correlation measures to correlated QoS flows.

[0167] Step 701: The UE transmits a NAS message (including S-NSSAI(s), UE requested DNN, PDU session ID, request type, and N1 SM container (e.g., containing a PDU session establishment request)) to the AMF.

[0168] The PDU session establishment request is included in a NAS message and encapsulated in an N1 SM container. The NAS message sent by the UE is encapsulated by the RAN in an N2 message towards the AMF.

[0169] Step 702: The AMF selects an appropriate SMF (i.e., an anchor SMF) to serve the PDU session based on the requested DNN, S-NSSAI, and current UE location information.

[0170] Step 703: The AMF transmits an Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext request (including SUPI, selected DNN, UE requested DNN, S-NSSAI(s), PDU session ID, AMF ID, request type, N1 SM container (containing PDU session establishment request), user location information, access type, RAT type, PEI, GPSI) to the SMF.

[0171] The SUPI uniquely identifies the UE subscription. The AMF ID carries the GUAMI, which uniquely identifies the AMF serving the UE.

[0172] Step 704: To service the PDU session, the SMF retrieves session management subscription data from the UDM, if the SMF has not previously retrieved such information.

[0173] Step 705: The SMF sends a Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext response (including cause, SM context ID) to the AMF. The SM context ID identifies the SM context created in the SMF for the UE.

[0174] Step 706: If a dynamic PCC is configured to be used for the PDU session, the SMF selects an appropriate PCF to serve the PDU session.

[0175] Step 707: The SMF sends an Npcf_PolicyAssociation_Create request to the PCF to perform the SM policy association establishment procedure and obtain the default PCC rule for the PDU session. Required parameters such as SUPI, PDU session ID, DNN, S-NSSAI, etc. shall be provided in the request. Other parameters such as GPSI, UE IP address, UE external ID, RAT type, access type, etc. may also be provided in the request message.

[0176] Step 708: When replying to the AF establishment association request, the AF may return traffic transmission characteristics to the PCF to indicate the traffic transmission pattern / characteristics of this service.

[0177] For example, the traffic transmission characteristics are - a list of QoS flows, At least one precenter QoS flow ID associated with at least one precenter QoS flow through which a first data block (e.g., an announcement data block) in an APU transmission is transmitted; - a transmission pattern of a first data block in an ADU, identifying a transmission pattern of a first data block in one ADU; The remaining data blocks are transmitted after the first data block.

[0178] - the maximum size of one ADU, indicating the maximum size of one burst of ADUs; - maximum duration of one ADU, indicating the maximum transmission duration in one burst of ADUs; A fixed transmission pattern of ADUs, which indicates a fixed transmission pattern of ADUs, which may include at least one of a fixed duration of one ADU transmission, a fixed size of one ADU transmission, and a sleep duration between two subsequent ADUs.

[0179] Step 709: The PCF sends an Npcf_PolicyAssociation_Create response to the SMF to return / indicate / indicate the default PCC rule (e.g., correlation policy rule) for the PDU session.

[0180] In step 709, the PCF may include the traffic correlation policy and / or the correlation traffic characteristics in the response message.

[0181] The traffic correlation policy provides instructions to interested NFs (eg, SMF / UPF / RAN) to correlate different QoS flows and apply correlation policies and actions to those correlated QoS flows.

[0182] In one embodiment, the traffic correlation policy may include at least one of the following:

[0183] - a correlation policy ID that identifies the traffic correlation policy, - a list of correlated QoS flows, each of which is identified by its QFI; A list of QoS monitoring measures for the correlated QoS flows, such as monitoring packet delay for the correlated QoS flows, monitoring packet loss rate for the correlated QoS flows, etc. A list of event reporting thresholds for the correlated QoS flows, such as the average packet delay threshold for the correlated QoS flows, the average packet loss rate threshold for the correlated QoS flows, the packet delay deviation threshold for the correlated QoS flows, and the packet loss rate deviation threshold for the correlated QoS flows.

[0184] A list of event reporting triggers for correlated QoS flows, such as reporting average packet delay for correlated QoS flows, reporting average packet loss rate for correlated QoS flows, reporting deviation of packet delay for correlated QoS flows, reporting deviation of packet loss rate for correlated QoS flows.

[0185] In one embodiment, the correlated traffic characteristics provide instructions to an interested NF (e.g., SMF / RAN / UPF) to detect the start and stop of transmission of one correlated data unit. Thus, based on the correlated traffic characteristics, the SMF can mark traffic correlation information in the GTP-U header to identify the characteristics of the data traffic transmission of those correlated QoS flows.

[0186] In one embodiment, the traffic correlation characteristic is: - a list of QoS flows, At least one precenter QoS flow ID associated with at least one precenter QoS flow through which a first data block (e.g., an announcement data block) in an APU transmission is transmitted; - a transmission pattern of a first data block in an ADU, identifying the transmission pattern of a first data block of one ADU; The remaining data blocks are transmitted after the first data block.

[0187] - the maximum size of one ADU, indicating the maximum size of one burst of ADUs; - maximum duration of one ADU, indicating the maximum transmission duration in one burst of ADUs; A fixed transmission pattern of ADUs, which indicates a fixed transmission pattern of ADUs, which may include at least one of a fixed duration of one ADU transmission, a fixed size of one ADU transmission, and a sleep duration between two subsequent ADUs.

[0188] If a traffic correlation characteristic is provided, it shall be associated with a list of correlated QoS flows. The list of correlated QoS flows may be included in the traffic correlation characteristic or may be included in the associated traffic correlation policy.

[0189] Step 710: The SMF selects a UPF to act as a PDU Session Anchor (PSA).

[0190] Step 711: The SMF sends an N4 session establishment request to the UPF to request the establishment of an N4 session for this PDU session, where the N4 session establishment request carries a set of PDR / FAR / QER / URR rules (e.g., N4 correlation rules).

[0191] If a traffic correlation policy was received by the SMF in the previous step, the SMF may also include the received traffic correlation policy in the request message. Alternatively or in addition, the SMF includes a mapping N4 correlation rule mapped from the traffic correlation policy in the request message.

[0192] If the correlated traffic characteristics were received by the SMF in the previous step, the SMF can also provide the correlated traffic characteristics to the UPF, which provides instructions to the UPF on how to detect bursts of ADUs so that corresponding measures can be applied to the ADUs.

[0193] Step 712: The UPF acknowledges by sending an N4 session establishment response.

[0194] When a traffic correlation policy (or N4 correlation rule) is received by the UPF, the UPF installs such rules along with the PDR / FAR / QER / URR rules. The traffic correlation policy (or N4 correlation rule) provides instructions to the UPF on how to correlate different QoS flows, apply the correlation policy to those correlated QoS flows, and perform QoS monitoring of those correlated QoS flows.

[0195] If correlated traffic characteristics are received by the UPF, the UPF stores such information and subsequently uses this information to detect and handle transmissions of ADUs.

[0196] Step 713: The SMF transmits a Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer request to the AMF. In one embodiment, the Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer request includes a PDU session ID, N2 SM information (e.g., PDU session ID, QFI(s), QoS profile(s), N3 CN tunnel information, correlation policy rule), and an N1 SM container (PDU session establishment acknowledgement).

[0197] If a traffic correlation policy was received by the SMF in a previous step, the SMF may also include such information in the N2 SM information. The traffic correlation policy provides instructions to the RAN on how to correlate different QoS flows, apply the correlation policy to those correlated QoS flows, and perform QoS monitoring of those correlated QoS flows.

[0198] If correlation traffic characteristics were received by the SMF in the previous step, the SMF may also include such information in the N2 SM information. The correlation traffic characteristics provide instructions to the RAN on how to detect a burst of ADUs so that it can apply corresponding measures to it.

[0199] Step 714: The AMF transmits an N2 PDU session request (including N2 SM information, NAS message (PDU session ID, N1 SM container (PDU session establishment acknowledgement))) to the RAN. The AMF sends a NAS message to the RAN, including the PDU session ID and PDU session establishment acknowledgement targeted to the UE, and the N2 SM information received from the SMF in the N2 PDU session request.

[0200] Step 715: The RAN may issue an AN-specific signaling exchange with the UE related to the information received from the SMF. For example, in the case of a 3GPP RAN, an RRC connection reconfiguration may be performed with the UE establishing the necessary RAN resources related to the QoS rules for the PDU session request. The RAN forwards a NAS message (PDU Session ID, N1 SM Container (PDU Session Establishment Acknowledge)) to the UE. The RAN also allocates the AN N3 tunnel information to the PDU session.

[0201] Step 716: The RAN transmits an N2 PDU session response (including PDU session ID, cause, N2 SM information (PDU session ID, AN tunnel information, list of approved / rejected QFI(s))) to the AMF.

[0202] In one embodiment, the AN tunnel information corresponds to the access network address of the N3 tunnel corresponding to the PDU session.

[0203] Step 717: The AMF transmits an Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext request (N2 SM information) to the SMF. The AMF forwards the N2 SM information received from the RAN to the SMF. If the N2 SM information includes a list of rejected QFI(s), the SMF releases the QoS profiles associated with the rejected QFI(s).

[0204] Step 718: The SMF initiates an N4 session modification procedure with the UPF. The SMF provides the RAN tunnel information and corresponding forwarding rules to the UPF.

[0205] Step 719: The SMF sends a Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext response to the AMF. Step 720: The UE initiates uplink traffic transmission (eg, towards its application server) or receives downlink traffic (eg, from its application server).

[0206] In the procedure described in Figure 7, the SMF / UPF / RAN obtains instructions on how to correlate different QoS flows and / or how to detect the start / end of transmission of an ADU and apply correlation policies to the ADU.

[0207] In the case of the UPF, upon obtaining the traffic correlation characteristics and / or the N4 correlation rules, the UPF may implement at least one of the following:

[0208] a) Detecting the start / end of transmission of a burst of ADUs: To detect the start / end of burst ADU transmission, the UPF can implement the following measures for data transmission:

[0209] - identifying a QoS flow to which the data traffic belongs; - identifying whether the identified QoS flow is in a list of correlated QoS flows; - Identifying whether the data transmission matches the characteristics described in the traffic correlation characteristics.

[0210] b) adding traffic correlation information to the GTP-U header for these GTP-U packets to encapsulate data traffic belonging to one ADU, for example as illustrated in Figures 4 to 6; c) applying a traffic correlation policy to the ADU transmission, for example as described in FIGS. 4-6; d) Performing QoS monitoring and event reporting of ADU transmissions, for example as described in FIGS. 4-6.

[0211] In the case of the RAN, once the RAN obtains the traffic correlation characteristics and / or traffic correlation policies, the RAN can implement similar measures as the UPF does.

[0212] FIG. 8 relates to a schematic diagram of a wireless terminal 80 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The wireless terminal 80 may be a user equipment (UE), a mobile phone, a laptop, a tablet computer, an e-reader, or a portable computer system, and is not limited herein. The wireless terminal 80 may include a processor 800, such as a microprocessor or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a storage unit 810, and a communication unit 820. The storage unit 810 may be any data storage device that stores program code 812 that is accessed and executed by the processor 800. The embodiments of the storage unit 812 include, but are not limited to, a subscriber identity module (SIM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a random-access memory (RAM), a hard disk, and an optical data storage device. The communication unit 820 may be a transceiver, and is used to transmit and receive signals (e.g., messages or packets) according to the processing results of the processor 800. In one embodiment, the communication unit 820 transmits and receives signals via at least one antenna 822 as shown in FIG.

[0213] In one embodiment, the memory unit 810 and the program code 812 may be omitted and the processor 800 may include a memory unit having the program code stored therein.

[0214] The processor 800 may, for example, by executing the program code 812 to perform any one of the steps in the illustrated embodiments on the wireless terminal 80 .

[0215] The communication unit 820 may be a transceiver. Alternatively or additionally, the communication unit 820 may combine a transmitting unit and a receiving unit configured to transmit and receive signals, respectively, to and from a wireless network node (e.g., a base station).

[0216] 9 relates to a schematic diagram of a radio network node 90 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The radio network node 90 may be a satellite, a base station (BS), a network entity, a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Serving Gateway (S-GW), a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW), a radio access network (RAN) node, a next generation RAN (NG-RAN) node, a gNB, an eNB, a gNB central unit (gNB-CU), a gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU), a data network, a core network, or a Radio Network Controller (RNC), and is not limited herein. In addition, the radio network node 90 may comprise (perform) at least one network function, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a user place function (UPF), a policy control function (PC), an application function (AF), etc. The radio network node 90 may include a processor 900, such as a microprocessor or an ASIC, a storage unit 910, and a communication unit 920. The storage unit 910 may be any data storage device that stores program code 912 that is accessed and executed by the processor 900. Examples of the storage unit 912 include, but are not limited to, a SIM, a ROM, a flash memory, a RAM, a hard disk, and an optical data storage device. The communication unit 920 may be a transceiver and is used to transmit and receive signals (e.g., messages or packets) according to the processing results of the processor 900. In one example, the communication unit 920 transmits and receives signals via at least one antenna 922 shown in FIG. 9.

[0217] In one embodiment, the storage unit 910 and the program code 912 may be omitted. The processor 900 may include a storage unit having program code stored therein.

[0218] The processor 900 may perform any of the steps described in the illustrated embodiments on the radio network node 90, for example by executing the program code 912.

[0219] The communication unit 920 may be a transceiver. Alternatively, or in addition, the communication unit 920 may combine a transmitting unit and a receiving unit configured to transmit and receive, respectively, signals to and from a wireless terminal (e.g., user equipment or another wireless network node).

[0220] 10 shows a flowchart of a method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method shown in FIG. 10 can be used in a first radio network node (e.g., a UPF, a RAN, a radio network node including a UPF or a RAN, a radio network node implementing at least a part of the functionality of a UPF or a RAN), and includes:

[0221] Step 1001: Transmit a packet in one of a plurality of QoS flows associated with the ADU to a second radio network node.

[0222] In this embodiment, the concept of ADU is introduced. Packets belonging to one ADU may be transmitted on multiple different QoS flows. For example, packets of ADU may contain data that needs to be highly synchronized (e.g., video, voice, sensor data for XR or XR-like services). Before transmitting packets of ADU, the first radio network node appends / adds / encapsulates traffic correlation information of ADU to the header of each packet. The traffic correlation information may be used to correlate / associate packets on different QoS flows together (e.g., as a single ADU). That is, based on the traffic correlation information, the second radio network node receiving the packet can identify / recognize the ADU to which the packet belongs and perform subsequent actions on the packet.

[0223] In one embodiment, the traffic correlation information includes a traffic correlation ID for the ADU. For example, the traffic correlation ID may include a correlation policy ID associated with a correlation policy that is applied to multiple QoS flows; The application data unit type associated with the ADU type, An application type associated with the type of application to which the packet belongs, or The application ID associated with the application to which the packet belongs It may include / indicate at least one of the following:

[0224] In one embodiment, the traffic correlation information comprises: The sequence number of the ADU, Size of ADU, The importance level of the packet in the ADU, or ADU overlap count The information includes information associated with at least one of the following:

[0225] In one embodiment, the packet is a GTP-U packet and the packet header is a GTP-U header, although other protocols may be used for data transmission between the first radio network node and the second radio network node.

[0226] 11 shows a flowchart of a method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method shown in FIG. 11 can be used in a second radio network node (e.g., a UPF, a RAN, a radio network node including a UPF or a RAN, a radio network node implementing at least a part of the functionality of a UPF or a RAN), and includes:

[0227] Step 1101: Receive a packet from a first radio network node in one of a plurality of QoS flows associated with the ADU.

[0228] Step 1102: Perform correlation measures on the packets based on the traffic correlation information.

[0229] In Fig. 11, the second radio network node receives a packet from the first radio network node in one of multiple QoS flows associated with the ADU, and a packet header of the packet includes traffic correlation information associated with the ADU. The traffic correlation information can be used to correlate / associate packets on different QoS flows together (e.g., as a single ADU). Based on the traffic correlation information, the second radio network node performs subsequent correlation measures on the packet. For details of the traffic correlation information, reference can be made to the above embodiments.

[0230] In one embodiment, the packet is a GTP-U packet and the packet header is a GTP-U header, although other protocols may be used for data transmission between the first radio network node and the second radio network node.

[0231] In one embodiment, the correlation measure performed by the second radio network node includes associating the packet with an ADU based on the traffic correlation information. That is, the second radio network node identifies / recognizes the ADU to which the packet belongs. After identifying the ADU, the second radio network node may apply a correlation policy associated with the ADU to the packet, and / or obtain at least one measurement result of the ADU, and / or report QoS event(s) associated with the ADU.

[0232] In one embodiment, the correlation action performed by the second radio network node includes applying a correlation policy associated with the ADU based on the traffic correlation information, wherein the second radio network node acknowledges the correlation policy associated with the ADU according to the traffic correlation information and applies the correlation policy to packets in the ADU.

[0233] In one embodiment, the correlation action performed by the second radio network node includes obtaining at least one measurement result of the ADU (based on the traffic correlation information). For example, the measurement result(s) may be: Average packet delay for multiple QoS flows, Packet delay deviation of multiple QoS flows, Average packet loss rate for multiple QoS flows, The deviation of packet loss rates for multiple QoS flows, or The rate of asynchrony between the transmission of packets belonging to the same application data unit and on different QoS flows Includes at least one of the following:

[0234] In one embodiment, the correlation action performed by the second radio network node includes reporting at least one QoS event associated with the ADU (e.g., reporting the average packet delay / packet loss rate of the QoS flow, the deviation of the packet delay / packet loss rate of the QoS flow, and / or the asynchrony rate, etc.).

[0235] 12 shows a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method shown in FIG. 12 can be used in a radio network node (e.g., a UPF, a RAN, a radio network node including a UPF or a RAN, a radio network node performing at least a part of the functionality of a UPF or a RAN), and includes:

[0236] Step 1201: Receive a traffic correlation policy associated with the ADU from the SMF.

[0237] Step 1202: Apply a traffic correlation policy to a plurality of QoS flows associated with the ADU.

[0238] In Fig. 12, a radio network node receives a traffic correlation policy associated with an ADU. The ADU contains (overlapping) packets transmitted in different QoS flows. The radio network node applies the traffic correlation policy to the multiple QoS flows associated with the ADU (i.e., the QoS flows through which the packets / data traffic of the ADU are transmitted).

[0239] In one embodiment, the traffic correlation policy comprises: Correlation policy ID, A list of QoS flows, A list of QoS monitoring measures, A list of event reporting thresholds, or List of event reporting triggers Includes at least one of the following:

[0240] In particular, the correlation policy ID may be configured to indicate the correlation policy to be applied, and the list of QoS flows may be configured to indicate the associated QoS flows.

[0241] In one embodiment, the list of QoS monitoring actions includes: monitoring packet delays of a plurality of QoS flows; Monitoring the packet loss rate of multiple QoS flows; or Monitoring the rate of asynchrony between the transmission of packets belonging to the same application data unit and on different QoS flows Includes at least one of the following:

[0242] In one embodiment, the list of event reporting thresholds includes: Average packet delay for multiple QoS flows, Packet delay deviation of multiple QoS flows, Average packet loss rate for multiple QoS flows, The deviation of packet loss rates for multiple QoS flows, or The rate of asynchrony between the transmission of packets belonging to the same application data unit and on different QoS flows is associated with at least one of

[0243] In one embodiment, the list of event reporting triggers includes: Average packet delay for multiple QoS flows, Packet delay deviation of multiple QoS flows, Average packet loss rate for multiple QoS flows, The deviation of packet loss rates for multiple QoS flows, or The rate of asynchrony between the transmission of packets belonging to the same application data unit and on different QoS flows The report includes at least one of the following:

[0244] In one embodiment, the radio network node may further receive traffic characteristic information of an ADU transmission (e.g., a transmission of one or more ADUs) to the radio network node, the traffic characteristic information being used to identify / recognize (data traffic / packets of) the ADU transmission.

[0245] In one embodiment, the traffic characteristic information is A list of QoS flows, at least one precenter QoS flow identifier associated with at least one precenter QoS flow over which a first data block (e.g., packet) in an application data unit transmission is transmitted; a pre-center transmission pattern of a first data block transmitted on at least one pre-center QoS flow; The maximum size of a single ADU in an ADU transmission, The maximum duration of an ADU transmission, or ADU transmission pattern of ADU transmission Includes at least one of the following:

[0246] In one embodiment, the ADU transmission pattern is: Duration of ADU transmission, The size of a single ADU in an ADU transmission, or The interval between two subsequent ADUs in an ADU transmission Includes at least one of the following:

[0247] Based on the traffic characteristic information, the radio network node can recognize / detect an ADU transmission (i.e., one or more ADUs) and take corresponding action on the recognized / detected ADU(s). For example, the radio network node can: transmitting a packet of one of the ADU(s), the header of the packet including traffic correlation information associated with the ADU to which the packet belongs; applying traffic correlation policies to ADU transmissions; obtaining at least one measurement associated with the ADU transmission; monitoring at least one QoS measurement associated with the ADU transmission; or reporting at least one QoS event associated with the ADU transmission; At least one of the following can be implemented.

[0248] For details of these measures, please refer to the above embodiments, and they will not be described here for the sake of brevity.

[0249] 13 shows a flowchart of a method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method shown in FIG. 13 can be used in an SMF (e.g., a radio network node / radio device that includes an SMF or that performs at least a part of the functionality of an SMF), and includes:

[0250] Step 1301: Send a traffic correlation policy associated with the ADU to a radio network node.

[0251] In Figure 13, the SMF transmits a traffic correlation policy associated with the ADU to a radio network node (e.g., UPF or RAN). The traffic correlation policy is applied to multiple QoS flows associated with the ADU (i.e., the QoS flows through which the packet / data traffic of the ADU is transmitted).

[0252] For details of the traffic correlation policy, reference can be made to the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0253] In one embodiment, the SMF may further transmit traffic characteristic information of an ADU transmission (e.g., transmission of one or more ADUs) to a radio network node. The traffic characteristic information is used to identify / recognize (data traffic / packets) of the ADU transmission. For details of the traffic characteristic information, reference may be made to the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0254] In one embodiment, the traffic correlation policy and / or traffic characteristic information is received from a PCF. For example, the SMF may transmit an associated request associated with the policy to the PCF to obtain the traffic correlation policy and / or traffic characteristic information.

[0255] 14 shows a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method shown in FIG. 14 can be used in a PCF (a radio network node / radio device that includes a PCF or that performs at least part of the functionality of a PCF), and includes:

[0256] Step 1401: A policy association related request is received from the SMF. Step 1402: Send a traffic correlation policy associated with the ADU to the SMF.

[0257] In this embodiment, the PCF receives a policy association related request (associated with the UE). The PCF sends a traffic correlation policy associated with the ADU to the SMF.

[0258] In one embodiment, the PCF may further transmit traffic characteristic information of the ADU transmission to the SMF.

[0259] For details of the traffic characteristic policy and the traffic characteristic information, reference can be made to the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0260] 15 shows a flowchart of a method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method shown in FIG. 15 can be used in a radio network node (e.g., a UPF, a RAN, a radio network node including a UPF or a RAN, a radio network node performing at least a part of the functionality of a UPF or a RAN), and includes:

[0261] Step 1501: Receive traffic characteristic information of ADU transmission from the SMF. Step 1502: Recognize at least one ADU in the ADU transmission based on traffic characteristic information.

[0262] In this embodiment, the radio network node receives traffic characteristic information of an ADU transmission (i.e., one or more ADUs) from the SMF. Based on the traffic characteristic information, the radio network node can recognize / detect / identify one or more ADUs, where each ADU includes packets / data traffic transmitted on multiple QoS flows.

[0263] For details of the traffic characteristic information, refer to the above embodiment. The radio network node may then implement further actions on the identified ADU (packets / data traffic). For example, the radio network node may: transmitting a packet of one of the ADU(s), the header of the packet including traffic correlation information associated with the ADU to which the packet belongs; applying traffic correlation policies to ADU transmissions; obtaining at least one measurement associated with the ADU transmission; monitoring at least one QoS measurement associated with the ADU transmission; or reporting at least one QoS event associated with the ADU transmission; At least one of the following can be implemented.

[0264] For details of these measures, please refer to the above embodiments, and they will not be described here for the sake of brevity.

[0265] 16 shows a flowchart of a method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method shown in FIG. 16 can be used in an SMF (e.g., a radio network node / radio device that includes an SMF or that performs at least a part of the functionality of an SMF), and includes:

[0266] Step 1601: Send traffic characteristic information of ADU transmission to a radio network node.

[0267] In Figure 16, the SMF transmits traffic characteristic information of an ADU transmission (i.e., one or more ADUs) to a radio network node (e.g., UPF / RAN). The traffic characteristic information is used to detect / identify / recognize the ADU transmission.

[0268] For details of the traffic characteristic information, refer to the above embodiment. In one embodiment, the traffic characteristic information is received from a PCF, for example, the SMF may transmit a related request associated with the policy to the PCF to obtain the traffic characteristic information.

[0269] 17 shows a flowchart of a method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method shown in FIG. 17 can be used in a PCF (a radio network node / radio device that includes a PCF or that performs at least part of the functionality of a PCF), and includes:

[0270] Step 1701: A policy association related request is received from the SMF. Step 1702: Transmit traffic characteristic information associated with the ADU transmission to the SMF.

[0271] In this embodiment, the PCF receives a policy association related request (associated with a UE) and transmits traffic characteristic information associated with an ADU transmission (i.e., one or more ADUs) to the SMF. The traffic characteristic information is used to detect / identify / recognize the ADU transmission.

[0272] For details of the traffic characteristic information, refer to the above embodiment. Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented only as examples and not as limitations. Similarly, various figures may depict exemplary architectures or configurations provided to enable those skilled in the art to appreciate exemplary features and functions of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary architectures or configurations depicted, but may be implemented using various alternative architectures and configurations. Furthermore, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, one or more features of one embodiment may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the exemplary embodiments described above.

[0273] It is also understood that any reference to an element herein using a designation such as "first," "second," etc., generally does not limit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, these designations may be used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to a first element and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be utilized or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner.

[0274] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals may be represented using any one of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits and symbols that may be referenced in the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0275] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that any of the various illustrative logical blocks, units, processors, means, circuits, methods, and functions described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementations, analog implementations, or a combination of the two), firmware, various forms of program or design code incorporating instructions (which for convenience may be referred to herein as "software" or "software units"), or any combination of these techniques.

[0276] To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, various exemplary components, blocks, units, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination of these techniques, depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in various ways for each particular application, and such implementation decisions do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure. According to various embodiments, a processor, device, component, circuit, structure, machine, unit, etc. may be configured to perform one or more functions described herein. The term "configured to" or "configured for" as used herein with respect to a specified operation or function refers to a processor, device, component, circuit, structure, machine, unit, etc. that is physically constructed, programmed, and / or configured to perform the specified operation or function.

[0277] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various exemplary logical blocks, units, devices, components, and circuits described herein may be implemented or embodied in an integrated circuit (IC), which may include a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logical blocks, units, and circuits may further include an antenna and / or a transceiver for communicating with various components in a network or device. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in combination with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration for performing the functions described herein. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Thus, the steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium.

[0278] Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that can enable a computer program or code to be transferred from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

[0279] In this specification, the term "unit" as used herein refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performing the relevant functions described herein. Moreover, for purposes of explanation, various units are described as separate units. However, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, two or more units can be combined to form a single unit that performs the relevant functions according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0280] Further, memory or other storage devices and communication components may be utilized in embodiments of the present disclosure. For clarity, it will be appreciated that the above description has described embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality between different functional units, processing logic elements, or domains may be used without detracting from the disclosure. For example, functionality shown to be performed by separate processing logic elements or controllers may be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Thus, references to specific functional units are merely to suitable means for providing the described functionality, rather than to a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0281] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. A wireless communication method for use in a first radio network node, comprising: transmitting packets in a quality of service (QoS) flow associated with the application data unit to a second radio network node; A packet header of the packet includes traffic correlation information associated with the application data unit.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the traffic correlation information includes a traffic correlation identifier of the application data unit.

3. The traffic correlation identifier: a correlation policy identifier associated with a correlation policy to be applied to the QoS flow; an application data unit type associated with the type of said application data unit; an application type associated with the type of application to which the packet belongs; or An application identifier associated with the application to which the packet belongs The wireless communication method according to claim 2 , further comprising at least one of:

4. The traffic correlation information includes: A sequence number of the application data unit; the size of the application data unit; the importance level of the packet within the application data unit; or The number of overlaps of the application data unit The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising information associated with at least one of:

5. the first radio network node is one of a user plane function and a radio access network node; and / or The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the packet is a General Packet Radio Service Tunneling Protocol User Plane GTP-U packet, and the packet header is a GTP-U header.

6. 1. A wireless communication method for use in a second radio network node, comprising: receiving from a first radio network node a packet in a quality of service (QoS) flow associated with an application data unit, the packet header of the packet including traffic correlation information associated with the application data unit; performing a correlation action on the packets based on the traffic correlation information; and A wireless communication method comprising:

7. the traffic correlation information includes a traffic correlation identifier of the application data unit; Preferably, The traffic correlation identifier: a correlation policy identifier associated with a correlation policy to be applied to the QoS flow; an application data unit type associated with the type of said application data unit; an application type associated with the type of application to which the packet belongs; or An application identifier associated with the application to which the packet belongs The wireless communication method according to claim 6, further comprising at least one of:

8. The traffic correlation information includes: A sequence number of the application data unit; the size of the application data unit; the importance level of the packet within the application data unit; or The number of overlaps of the application data unit 8. The method of claim 6 or 7, further comprising information associated with at least one of:

9. the second radio network node is one of a user plane function and a radio access network node; and / or The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the packet is a General Packet Radio Service Tunneling Protocol User Plane GTP-U packet, and the packet header is a GTP-U header.

10. performing the correlation action on the packets based on the traffic correlation information, Associating the packets with the application data units based on the traffic correlation information; and / or A method of wireless communication according to any one of claims 6 to 9, comprising applying a correlation policy associated with said application data unit based on said traffic correlation information.

11. performing the correlation action on the packets based on the traffic correlation information, obtaining at least one measurement of the application data unit based on the traffic correlation information; Preferably, The at least one measurement result is the average packet delay of said QoS flow; The deviation of packet delay of the QoS flow; the average packet loss rate of said QoS flows; the deviation in packet loss rate of said QoS Flow; or The rate of asynchrony between the transmission of packets belonging to the same application data unit and on different QoS flows The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, comprising at least one of the following:

12. performing the correlation action on the packets based on the traffic correlation information, A method for wireless communication according to any one of claims 6 to 11, comprising reporting at least one QoS event associated with said application data unit.

13. A first radio network node, 1. A first radio network node comprising: a communication unit configured to transmit a packet in a quality of service (QoS) flow associated with an application data unit to a second radio network node, the packet header of the packet including traffic correlation information associated with the application data unit.

14. A second radio network node, a communication unit configured to receive packets from a first radio network node in a quality of service (QoS) flow associated with an application data unit, the packet header of the packets including traffic correlation information associated with the application data unit; and a processor configured to perform a correlation action on the packets based on the traffic correlation information; A second radio network node comprising:

15. A computer program product having stored thereon a computer readable program medium code, which when executed by a processor causes the processor to implement a wireless communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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