Method for providing a communication service over a communication network

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a method for providing a communication service by a communication network is described, comprising the steps of: receiving a message from a user device indicating that non-satisfaction of one or more desired characteristics of the provision of the communication service to the user device would be acceptable to the user device if this could reduce energy consumption of the communication network providing the communication service; determining a plurality of options for providing the communication service to the user device; in response to receiving the message, determining, for each option for providing the communication service to the user device, respective energy consumption information related to energy consumption of the communication network for providing the communication service to the user device; notifying the user device of the energy consumption information of each option, and receiving from the user device a request to provide the communication service according to one option; and providing the communication service according to the one option.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for providing communication services over a communication network. [Background technology]

[0002] Energy efficiency has become very important for a wide range of technical systems. This includes mobile communication systems, where energy consumption depends on various factors, most importantly the quality of service (e.g., whether high-quality video is streamed), but also other factors such as the time of day or the part of the architecture (e.g., radio access network) used (e.g., since energy consumption may depend on the network load), and the location of the end user (e.g., since energy consumption may depend on different network equipment in different locations). As users become more aware of energy consumption (especially its associated environmental impact), showing flexibility regarding service provision may actually motivate users to cooperate in reducing energy consumption. Therefore, an approach that involves users to increase the energy efficiency of communication networks is desirable. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to one embodiment, there is provided a method for providing a communication service by a communication network, the method comprising the steps of: receiving, by the communication network, a message from a user device indicating that not satisfying one or more desired characteristics of the provision of the communication service to the user device would be acceptable to the user device if this could reduce energy consumption of the communication network for providing the communication service; determining, by the communication network, a plurality of options for providing the communication service to the user device; determining, by the communication network in response to receiving the message, for each of the plurality of options for providing the communication service to the user device, respective energy consumption information related to energy consumption of the communication network for providing the communication service to the user device; notifying, by the communication network, the user device of the communication service of the respective energy consumption information of the plurality of options; receiving, from the user device, a request to provide the communication service according to one of the plurality of options; and providing, by the communication network, the communication service according to one of the plurality of options. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0004] In the drawings, like reference numerals generally refer to like parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis generally being instead placed on illustrating the principles of the invention. In the following drawings, various aspects are described with reference to the following drawings: [Figure 1] A mobile wireless communication system 100 configured in accordance with 5G as defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), ie, a 5G communication system, is shown. [Figure 2] It represents the provision of communication services through quality of service (QoS) flows over a communication network. [Figure 3]The communication network architecture is presented in more detail for energy-efficient communication service provision. [Figure 4] 1 shows a flow diagram illustrating a procedure for energy-efficient provision of communications. [Figure 5] An example of a service offering in which the procedure of FIG. 4 may be used is shown. [Figure 6] 1 shows a flow diagram illustrating a method for providing communication services over a communication network. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings, which show, by way of example, specific details and aspects of the present disclosure in which the present invention may be practiced. Other aspects may be utilized, and structural, logical, and electrical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Various aspects of the present disclosure are not necessarily mutually exclusive, in that some aspects of the present disclosure may be combined with one or more other aspects of the present disclosure to form new aspects.

[0006] Various examples corresponding to aspects of the present disclosure are described below.

[0007] Example 1 is a method of providing a communication service by a communication network, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a message indicating that a desired characteristic of the provision of the communication service to a user device is not satisfied, which would be acceptable to the user device if this could reduce energy consumption of the provision of the communication service; in response to receiving the message, determining, for each of a plurality of options for providing the communication service to the user device, respective energy consumption information relating to energy consumption of the communication network for providing the communication service to the user device; notifying the user device of the communication service of the respective energy consumption information of the plurality of options; receiving a request from the user device to provide the communication service in accordance with one of the plurality of options; and providing the communication service in accordance with the one of the plurality of options.

[0008] Example 2 is the method of example 1, wherein the options differ in at least one of a quality of service of the communication service, which network slices among a plurality of network slices of the communication network are used to provide the communication service, a duration of the communication service, and a resolution of video data transmitted by the communication service.

[0009] Example 3 is the method of example 1 or 2, wherein the desired characteristic is a quality of service and / or a delivery time of the communication service.

[0010] Example 4 is the method of example 3, wherein the messages each indicate a quality of service and / or a range of delivery times for the communication service.

[0011] Example 5 is the method of any one of Examples 1 to 4, wherein the energy consumption information includes information regarding energy consumed by the communications network to provide the communications services and / or how much of the energy is renewable energy according to the respective options.

[0012] Example 6 is the method of any one of examples 1-5, wherein the energy consumption information includes information regarding an environmental impact of providing communication services according to each option.

[0013] Example 7 is the method of any one of Examples 1-6, including determining environmental impact information at least in part from a power source in the communications network.

[0014] Example 8 is the method of any one of Examples 1-7, including determining, for each of a plurality of options for providing the communication service, a respective compensation (as an incentive) for a user of a user device that uses that option.

[0015] Example 9 is the method of any one of Examples 1-8, wherein each of the plurality of options includes utilizing at least one quality of service flow, and the at least one quality of service flow differs among the plurality of options.

[0016] Example 10 is the method of any one of Examples 1-9, wherein determining the optional energy consumption information includes estimating energy consumption with one or more machine learning models.

[0017] Example 11 is the method of any one of Examples 1 to 10, wherein the communications network includes a radio access network, a core network, and a transport network, and wherein determining the optional energy consumption information includes estimating energy consumption of each of the radio access network, the core network, and the transport network, and estimating the optional energy consumption information from the estimated energy consumption of the radio access network, the core network, and the transport network.

[0018] Example 12 is the method of example 11, wherein the optional energy consumption information is determined by an energy manager component of the communication network that obtains an estimate of radio access network energy consumption from an energy agent component of the radio access network, an estimate of core network energy consumption from an energy agent component of the core network, and an estimate of transport network energy consumption from an energy agent component of the transport network.

[0019] Example 13 is the method of any one of Examples 1-12, comprising determining a plurality of options as a function of a location of the user device and / or a prediction of one or more future locations of the user device.

[0020] Example 14 is the method of any one of Examples 1 to 13, comprising determining, for a requested communication service, whether the communication service is an energy-intensive communication service, and in response to determining that the requested communication service is an energy-intensive communication service, notifying the user device of the energy consumption.

[0021] Example 15 is the method of any one of Examples 1 to 14, wherein the user device is a subscriber terminal.

[0022] Example 16 is the method of example 15, wherein the request is a packet data unit session modification request for an established packet data unit session.

[0023] Example 17 is the method of any one of Examples 1 to 14, wherein the user device is an application function (or a data processing device that implements the application function or communicates with the application function over a network, e.g., a server).

[0024] Example 18 is the method of example 17, wherein the request is for an application function session with quality of service.

[0025] Example 19 is the method of any one of Examples 1-18, comprising displaying information about the options, including energy consumption information for each option, on a display of the user device.

[0026] Example 20 is a communication network configured to perform the method of any one of Examples 1-19.

[0027] It should be noted that one or more features of any of the above examples may be combined with any one of the other examples, and in particular, examples described in relation to devices are equally valid for methods.

[0028] According to further embodiments, a computer program and computer readable medium are provided that include instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of the above examples.

[0029] Various examples are described in more detail below.

[0030] 1 illustrates a mobile wireless communication system 100 configured in accordance with 5G as defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), i.e., a 5G communication system. It should be noted that although the 5G architecture is used herein as an example, embodiments may also use a 6G architecture.

[0031] The mobile radio communication system 100 includes a mobile radio terminal device 102, such as a user equipment (UE), a nano equipment (NE), etc. The mobile radio terminal device 102, also called a subscriber terminal (usually a mobile terminal), forms the terminal side, while the other components of the mobile radio communication system 100 described below are part of the mobile communication network side, i.e., part of a mobile communication network (e.g., a Public Land Mobile Network PLMN).

[0032] Furthermore, the mobile wireless communication system 100 includes a Radio Access Network (RAN) 103, which may include multiple radio access network nodes, i.e., base stations configured to provide radio access in accordance with 5G (Fifth Generation) radio access technology (5G New Radio). Note that the mobile wireless communication system 100 may also be configured in accordance with LTE (Long Term Evolution) or other mobile wireless communication standards (e.g., non-3GPP access such as Wi-Fi), although 5G is used herein as an example. Each radio access network node may provide wireless communication with the mobile wireless terminal device 102 over the air interface. Note that the radio access network 103 may include any number of radio access network nodes.

[0033] The mobile radio communication system 100 further comprises a core network (5GC) 119 comprising an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 101 connected to the RAN 103, a Unified Data Management (UDM) 104 and a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) 105. Here and in the following examples, the UDM may further comprise an actual UE subscription database, known for example as a Unified Data Repository (UDR). The core network 119 further comprises an Authentication Server Function (AUSF) 114 and a Policy Control Function (PCF) 115.

[0034] The core network 119 may have multiple core network slices 106, 107, and for each core network slice 106, 107, an operator (also referred to as MNO, short for mobile network operator) may create multiple core network slice instances 108, 109. For example, the core network 119 includes a first core network slice 106 including three core network slice instances (CNIs) that provide enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and a second core network slice 107 including three core network slice instances (CNIs) 109 that provide vehicle-to-everything (V2X).

[0035] Typically, when a core network slice is deployed (i.e., created), network functions (NFs) are instantiated or referenced (if already instantiated) to form a core network slice instance, and the network functions belonging to the core network slice instance are configured with a core network slice instance identification.

[0036] Specifically, in the example shown, each instance 108 of the first core network slice 106 includes a first session management function (SMF) 110 and a first user plane function (UPD) 111, and each instance 109 of the second core network slice 107 includes a second session management function (SMF) 112 and a second user plane function (UPD) 113. The SMFs 110, 112 are for handling PDUs (Protocol Data Units), i.e., for updating and deleting PDU sessions and managing session contexts with the user plane function (UPF).

[0037] The RAN 103 and the core network 119 form the network side of a mobile radio communication system, or in other words, form a mobile radio communication network. The mobile radio communication network and the subscriber terminals accessing the mobile radio communication network together form the mobile radio communication system.

[0038] The mobile wireless communication system 100 may further include an OAM system 116 implemented by, for example, one or more Operation, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) servers connected to the RAN 103 and the core network 119 (connections not shown for simplicity). The OAM system 116 may include a Management Data Analytics Service (MDAS). The MDAS may provide, for example, analytical reports on network slice instance load. Various factors may affect the network slice instance load, such as the number of UEs accessing the network, the number of QoS flows, and resource utilization of different NFs associated with the network slice instance.

[0039] Furthermore, the core network 118 includes a Network Repository Function (NRF).

[0040] The core network 119 may further include a network data analysis function (NWDAF) 117. The NWDAF is responsible for providing network analysis and / or forecasting information upon request from a network function. For example, a network function may request specific analysis information regarding the load level of a particular network slice instance. Alternatively, the network function may use a subscription service to enable it to be notified by the NWDAF when the load level of a network slice instance changes or reaches a particular threshold. The NWDAF 117 may have interfaces to various network functions on the mobile communication network side, such as the AMF 101, the SMFs 110 and 112, and the PCF 115. For simplicity, only the interface between the NWDAF 117 and the AMF 101 is shown.

[0041] For example, NWDAF analysis should allow monitoring the number of UEs registered to a network slice instance and their observed service experience. In addition to the OAM system enforcing service level agreement (SLA) guarantees, the 5GC NF may take action based on NWDAF slice quality of experience (QoE) analysis to prevent further degradation of the service experience in the network slice instance.

[0042] The NSSF 105 or AMF 101 may determine when a load balancing decision is needed to address an identified problem, for example, by processing analysis results (i.e., network analysis and / or prediction information) provided by the NWDAF 117. For example, if a service experience degradation is detected or predicted in a network slice instance, new UE registrations or PDU sessions may no longer be allocated to that network slice instance by triggering a network slice load balancing mechanism. The NSSF 105, AMF 101, and / or OAM system 116 may, for example, simultaneously subscribe to both slice service experience and slice load analysis from the NWDAF 117. One or more subscriptions to one or more S-NSSAIs and NSIs are possible.

[0043] Therefore, the analytical information provided by the NWDAF 117 can be used to optimize load balancing, in particular to achieve Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. However, this may not be the only goal in a communication system. In particular, due to, for example, environmental concerns, energy efficiency is one of the key goals of 5G and 6G, and mobile network operators may want to achieve high energy efficiency, especially in the core network of their network, for example, for marketing or cost reasons.

[0044] Lowering energy consumption may often result in a reduction in quality of service, but users (also referred to as "consumers") of communication services may consider a reduction in QoS acceptable if it results in reduced energy consumption (and mobile network operators may offer incentives for this, such as lower fees for communication services, if users use the communication services with lower quality of service (and therefore lower energy consumption)).

[0045] FIG. 2 illustrates the provision of a communication service with QoS flows 201 (corresponding to respective QoS profiles) over a (e.g., 5G) communication network.

[0046] A communication service here is data transmission between an application function (AF) 203 and a subscriber terminal (UE) 204. A user 205 (also referred to herein as an end user) of the subscriber terminal 204 subscribes to the operator of the communication network 202. An application provider 206 uses the application function 203 to provide applications such as video data streaming or machine learning models for federated learning to the end user 205. The application provider 206 has a service level agreement (SLA) with the operator of the communication network 202.

[0047] Both the end user 205 and the application provider 206 are represented as consumers (or customers, each using a respective user device) of communication services (data transmission) of the 5G communication network.

[0048] As mentioned above, a service customer 205, 206 may consider a reduction in QoS or a delay in service delivery to be acceptable if this reduces energy consumption to provide the modified communication service.

[0049] Thus, according to various embodiments, a method is provided for customers 205, 206 to inform the communications network 202 that they are interested in energy-efficient services (and in particular, energy-efficient QoS flows 201). End-user subscriptions and application service SLAs may include energy efficiency information, such as an indication that these customers 205, 206 are interested in this option.

[0050] In the following example, it is assumed that a PDU session for the communication service has already been established, and therefore negotiation for energy-efficient service provision takes place subsequently.

[0051] Furthermore, the communication service is assumed to be an adaptive service in the sense that the customers 205, 206 can adapt to different QoS profiles, e.g., different multimedia qualities, and / or the customers 205, 206 can adapt to different service times, e.g., time for AIML (artificial intelligence machine learning) model updates, game start times, etc.

[0052] It is further assumed that at least one of the customers 205, 206 is interested in energy-efficient service provision, i.e., the customer 205, 206 is interested in reducing energy consumption, for example, for the following reasons: Operator incentives (e.g., claims compensation / discounts) Business goals (e.g., green business) External incentives (e.g., regulatory enforcement)

[0053] Therefore, the communication service provision mechanism provided in accordance with various embodiments can be considered to be based on the assumption that one or both customers 205, 206 intend to cooperate with the mobile network operator to reduce the energy consumption of the communication service by adapting to different service levels. In particular, in accordance with various embodiments, at least one of the customers 205, 206 is aware of the possibility of reducing energy consumption.

[0054] According to various embodiments, a customer 205, 206 may express an interest in actively and explicitly contributing to energy efficiency in addition to a desired quality of service (and also flexibility regarding the quality of service considering potential energy savings), i.e., the customer 205, 206 provides information regarding the desired QoS (e.g., a particular range of acceptable QoS profiles) plus energy efficiency information (e.g., information that a loss in QoS is acceptable for reduced energy consumption).

[0055] The desired QoS is typically known by the customers 205, 206 and may be known to the communication network 202 by the QoS profile indicated by the application function 203 or subscriber terminal 204 when requesting a QoS flow.

[0056] However, the energy efficiency of a communication service is typically not static, is not given by information known to the customer in advance (even assuming a particular QoS profile), and is not easy for the customer 205, 206 to calculate using information typically published by the communication network 202. This is because the published information depends on the network deployment, and typically not all details are published to the customer, and energy consumption is time-dependent in that the network entities involved in the communication service may be different at different times. Furthermore, energy consumption typically depends on the location of the communication service endpoint (i.e., at least the location of the subscriber terminal 204, which may change over time) in that the network entities involved in the communication service may be different for different locations of the UE.

[0057] In view of the above, in accordance with various embodiments, users 205, 206 can actively and explicitly contribute to energy efficiency by being informed by the communication network of the energy consumption of different communication service (offering) options, i.e., options for providing communication services, e.g., transmission opportunity options (such as transmission times). The customer can then select an appropriate energy-efficient service offering.

[0058] According to various embodiments, an energy efficient (EE) QoS flow 201 of a communication service is provided by an agent 208 in a subscriber terminal 204 negotiating EE QoS flow parameters with the communication network 202 through EE QoS flow negotiation 207, or by an intermediary layer 210 in an AF 203 negotiating EE QoS flow parameters with the communication network 202 through EE QoS flow negotiation 209.

[0059] Once the QoS flow parameters have been negotiated, the corresponding EE QoS flow 201 can be requested by the subscriber terminal 204, for example, via a "PDU Session Modification" procedure, or by the AF 203 via an "AF Session With QoS" procedure triggered by a request from the subscriber terminal 204 received by the communication network 202 via application layer signaling or based on AF internal logic.

[0060] FIG. 3 shows in more detail the communication network architecture for providing energy-efficient communication services.

[0061] The communication network in this example comprises a Radio Access Network (RAN) 301, a core network 303, and a transport (communication) network 302 connecting the RAN 301 to the core network 303. Subscriber terminals 304 (one of which corresponds to the subscriber terminal 204) are connected to distributed units 305 of the RAN 301 which are connected to a centralized unit 306 (to implement a base station of the RAN 301). An application function 307 (corresponding to the AF 203) is connected to the core network 303. As described with reference to Figure 1, the core network 303 comprises various network functions such as an AMF 308, an SMF 309, an NEF 310, an UPF 311, an NWDAF 312, and a PCF 313.

[0062] The communications network, made up of three "domains", namely the RAN 301, the transport network 302 and the core network 303, is powered by power supplies 314 which may include different types of power sources 315, 316, namely one or more power sources that provide power from renewable sources 315 and one or more power sources that provide power from non-renewable sources 316. These have different environmental impacts, typically have different charging rates and may have different location and time dependent power supply characteristics.

[0063] For each domain 301, 302, 303, a respective energy analyzer 317, 318, 319 is provided. Each of these energy analyzers is configured to provide a prediction of the energy consumption of the communication service provision (according to a particular communication service provision option) using an ML model trained using data collected from each domain, e.g., at different times, different configurations, different load conditions, etc., taking into account the configuration of the corresponding domain and the resources required to provide the communication service. The energy analyzers may also be able to provide an accuracy level of the prediction, indicating how confident they are about the predicted energy consumption of a given communication service.

[0064] Additionally, an energy analyzer 320 for the AF 307 is also provided to provide an analysis of the energy consumption of service provision by the corresponding application service.

[0065] Further, a communication network energy manager 321 is provided, which is configured to calculate (i.e., estimate) the energy consumption of the communication service provision from the information predicted by the energy analyzers 317, 318, 319, 320, for example the energy consumption of a QoS flow with a given QoS profile, transmission time, and UE location (according to a particular communication service provision option).

[0066] The energy manager 321 is coupled to an OAM system 322 (including charging and billing functions), which is configured to store UE subscription information and application provider SLA information including charging rates for communication services (depending on provisioning options, e.g., energy saving considerations and compensation).

[0067] FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram 400 illustrating a procedure for energy-efficient provisioning of communications, and in this example, specifically, energy-efficient QoS flow provisioning of communication services.

[0068] The flow involves a customer 401 (corresponding to a subscriber terminal 204 or AF 203), a network entry network function 402 (e.g., AMF, etc.) (of the communication network 202), a PCF 403, an NWDAF 404, an energy manager 405 (corresponding to the energy manager 321), energy analyzers 406, 407, 408 (corresponding to the domain energy analyzers 317-319, and possibly also to the AF energy analyzer 320), a power supply 409 (corresponding to the power supply 314) and an OAM system 410 (corresponding to the OAM system 322).

[0069] At 411, the customer 401 initiates an energy efficient (EE) QoS flow negotiation (i.e., negotiation of (service provision) parameters for an energy efficient QoS flow) by a QoS flow negotiation request to the PCF 403 via the network entry network function 402.

[0070] If the customer is an end user subscription and, this is done by the agent 208 sending an Energy Efficient QoS Flow Negotiation NAS message to the AMF (which in that case is the network entity NF402), and the AMF responding to the Energy Efficient QoS Flow Negotiation NAS message by sending Npcf_EEQF_PolicyControl_Create to the PCF 403 via the corresponding PCF API (application programming interface).

[0071] Instead of a new NAS message "Energy Efficient QoS Flow Negotiation NAS message", the 411 request may be implemented by extending an existing NAS message (in case the customer is an end user), for example by extending the "PDU Session Modification NAS" message with an indicator that there should be a negotiation before the QoS request.

[0072] If the customer is an application provider 206, 401, the request at 411 may be implemented by the intermediary layer 210 sending an Nnef_EEQFNegotiation_Create message to the NEF (in that case, the network entity NF 402) via the corresponding NEF API, and the NEF responding to the Nnef_EEQFNegotiation_Create message by sending an Npcf_EEQF_PolicyControl_Create message to the PCF 403 via the corresponding PCF API.

[0073] Instead of a new NEF API, the 411 request may be implemented by extending the existing NEF API (when the customer is an AF), for example by extending the Nnef_AFSessionWithQoS message with an indicator that a negotiation should exist before the QoS request.

[0074] Furthermore, instead of a new PCF API, the 411 request can be implemented by extending an existing PCF API, for example, by extending the Npcf_PDTQPolicyControl_Create message with an indicator that energy efficiency and environmental impact should be negotiated.

[0075] Each message sent by a customer 401 for a QoS negotiation request includes: Desired QoS profile Target UE (implicit or explicit) Energy efficient service indicator: 0 / 1 (i.e., an indication of whether energy efficiency is desired) the desired transmission time (and optionally the duration of the service) The level of QoS profile adaptation in the interval [0,1] (i.e., a measure of the customer's flexibility regarding QoS, where a higher value indicates a higher flexibility toward QoS profiles other than the indicated desired QoS profile). The level of adaptation of the transmission time in the interval [0,1] (i.e., an indicator of the customer's flexibility regarding transmission times that differ from the indicated desired transmission time). Includes:

[0076] Due to the possible dependency of the service energy consumption on the end user's location, the PCF 403 derives potential UE locations at 412. For this purpose, it first derives a list of potential transmission time windows taking into account the desired transmission time and the adaptation level of the transmission time, then the PCF 403 subscribes to an analysis of the UE location provided, for example, by the NWDAF 404, thus obtaining a prediction of the UE location for each transmission derivation time window. For example, for a given request: Reg.1: (QoS profile = 5QI-88, target UE = UE1, EE service index = 1, desired transmission time = current, QoS adaptation level = 0.3, transmission adaptation level = 0.8)

[0077] The PCF first derives a transmission time given the desired transmission time and its corresponding adaptability. For example, in this example: T1 = now, T2 = now + 10 minutes

[0078] It then obtains predictions of the UE's location within these time windows by subscribing to the NWDAF. For example, in this example: Position at T1 → L1, Position at T2 → L2

[0079] In 413, the PCF 403 derives transmission opportunity options (i.e., different options for providing a communication service, specifically options for QoS flows). This means that the PCF 403 derives a list of transmission opportunity options, taking into account the desired QoS profile and adaptation level of the QoS profile, the desired transmission time window, and also the location of the UE, where each option is given, for example, as (UE, time, location, QoS profile). For example, for a given request Req.1 and its corresponding predicted UE location, the PCF may derive, for example, a list of three options: (UE1, currently L1, 5QI-88) (UE1, current +10 minutes, L2, 5QI-88) (UE1, current, L1, 5QI-86).

[0080] At 414, the PCF 403 requests from the energy manager 405 information on the energy consumption of each transmission opportunity in the list that the PCF derived at 413, which is calculated (estimated).

[0081] At 415, the energy manager 405 subscribes to each energy analyzer 404, 407, 408 to request a prediction of energy consumption for a given transmission opportunity. It is assumed that each energy analyzer 406, 407, 408 has trained an ML model and is configured to provide the requested prediction using the ML model.

[0082] Thus, the energy manager 405 may map an energy consumption value or level, e.g., low, medium, high, (EC, e.g., per domain), etc., to each transmission opportunity: (UE1, current, L1, 5QI-88) → RAN EC1, Core EC1

[0083] At 416, the energy manager 405 requests information about the power source for each domain for each option (i.e., transmission opportunity in the list) and the corresponding energy consumption (estimated at 415) from the power supply 409, and the power supply 409 responds by providing the amount of (non)renewable energy ((N)RF) and / or the corresponding environmental impact (EI) (e.g., carbon emissions) for each domain and option (e.g., each time window). For example: (UE1, current, L1, 5QI-88), RAN EC1, Core EC1→ RAN RE1,RAN NRE1,RAN EI1 Core RE1, Core NRE1, Core EI1

[0084] At 417, the energy manager 405 requests charging information for transmission opportunities related to energy efficiency from the OAM system 410. The OAM 410 uses information contained in the UE subscription or application provider SAL, respectively, and information regarding operator policies, and returns charging information to the energy manager 405. For example: (UE1, current, L1, 5QI-88), EC1, RE1, NRE1, EI1 →Charge rate 1, compensation 1.

[0085] At 418, the energy manager 405 collects information about energy consumption, environmental impact, and EE compensation. This means that the energy manager 405 calculates the following criteria for each transmission opportunity option (in the list of transmission opportunity options) based on the information it collects from the energy analyzers 406, 407, 408, the power supply 409, and the OAM system 410: 1) (Estimated) total energy consumption of the option 2) The environmental impact of the option, e.g., estimated carbon emissions 3) Compensation offered by the operator as an incentive to customers for this option

[0086] for example: (UE1, current, L1, 5QI-88)→ 1) EC1 2) RE1, NRE1, EI1 3) Compensation 1.

[0087] Applying corresponding criteria, customer 401 may use this information to select one of the proposed transmission opportunity options.

[0088] To this end, in 419, the energy manager 405 (in response to the request of 414) sends a QoS flow energy consumption information response to the PCF including the collected information, i.e., energy consumption, environmental impact, and compensation per transmission opportunity option, and in 420, the PCF 403, in response to the request of 411, sends a list of transmission opportunities (i.e., service option list) and corresponding information, i.e., e.g., tuple (Time, QoS profile, energy consumption, environmental impact, compensation) The list is sent to the UE401.

[0089] At 421, the customer 401 selects one of the options and accordingly requests the provision of a communication service, in this case requesting a particular QoS flow.

[0090] If the customer is an end user 205, this can be done by the subscriber terminal 204 (e.g., agent 208) sending a PDU Session Modification NAS message to the AMF (which in that case is the network entity NF402), and the AMF responding to the PDU Session Modification NAS message by sending an Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext message to the SMF.

[0091] If the customer is an application provider 206, the request 421 can be made by the AF 203 (e.g., the intermediary layer 210) sending an Nnef_AFSessionWithQoS message to the NEF (which in that case is the network entity NF 402), and the NEF responding to the Nnef_AFSessionWithQoS message by sending an Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create message to the PCF 403.

[0092] FIG. 5 shows an example of a service offering (in this example, data transmission for a video game) for which the procedure of FIG. 4 may be used.

[0093] The flow involves an end user 501, a UE 502 (corresponding to the mobile terminal 204) and a 5G / 6G network 503 (corresponding to the communication network 202).

[0094] In UE502, an application to play a 4K game is (currently) running, but it is assumed that the user wants to improve energy efficiency, HD instead of 4K is acceptable to the end user, and it is not a problem for the user to play in an hour instead of now.

[0095] A UE agent (eg, agent 208) initiates negotiations regarding energy-efficient service provision.

[0096] The network 503 operates, for example, according to FIG. 4 and provides the following offers: #1:(Currently, 4K, EC1, EI1, 0) #2: (Currently, HD, EC2, EI1, 10) #3:(+30 minutes,4K,EC3,EI3,20) #4:(+1 hour,HD,EC4,EI4,40) Here, the last value is the compensation.

[0097] The UE agent informs the end user 501 of these options (i.e., displays them to the end user).

[0098] The end user 501 then evaluates these options based on his or her preferences and selects one from them, for example, #3.

[0099] The UE agent then informs the network of the user's decision and accordingly requests 4K gaming at +30 minutes (i.e., within 30 minutes).

[0100] The network 503 then provides the service in anticipation of the predicted EC and EI, and also takes into account compensation for the end user 501 .

[0101] The AF 203 may also request multiple QoS flows, for example for multiple UEs 304 (such as downloading an AIML model) or for a single UE 201 but for a complex application (such as an augmented reality application).

[0102] As explained above, a customer may be an end user or an application provider. In an exemplary embodiment: · The customer is an end user and the QoS flow is requested by the PDU session modification procedure. The customer is the application provider, and the AF requests a QoS flow via AFSessionWithQoS. The customer is the end user, and the UE App has application layer signaling with the AF, which requests QoS flows on behalf of the UE.

[0103] According to one embodiment, if an energy analyzer (EA) 317, 318, 319 for a domain (eg, transport) is not available, the approach described above may be applied to domains that have available EAs.

[0104] In accordance with one embodiment, in addition to the adaptation level, the PCF 403 may consider the accuracy of the predictions provided by the NWDAF 404 and the EAs 406, 407, 408 when deriving transmission opportunity options. For example, if the accuracy of the prediction of the UE's location by the NWDAF 404 or the accuracy of the prediction of the domain's energy consumption by its corresponding EAs 406, 407, 408 is low for a given time window, the PCF 403 may remove that time window from the list.

[0105] 5 is described with respect to the QoS flow level, a similar approach can also be used to negotiate energy-efficient network slice selection (i.e., the communication service provision options may include which slice is selected in addition to or instead of the QoS flow selection). In that case, instead of (or in addition to) estimating the energy consumption and / or environmental impact of the QoS flows, the energy manager 405 provides the network slice selection function (NSSF) with estimates of the energy consumption and environmental aspects of various possible network slices.

[0106] Similarly, a similar approach can be used to negotiate energy-efficient access network selection and roaming, where instead of estimating the energy consumption and / or environmental impact of QoS flows, the energy manager 405 provides estimates of the energy consumption and environmental aspects of different possible network operators, and the customer 401 (in that case the UE) can select the most energy-efficient one.

[0107] Thus, various communication service provision options may differ in QoS flows (ie, QoS profiles, etc.), slices used, and / or radio access networks used by the UE (or UEs).

[0108] Furthermore, it should be noted that, according to various embodiments, negotiation and selection (following the procedure of FIG. 4) is not performed for every PDU establishment. Rather, a communications network operator may limit the negotiation to be performed only for communication services that have high energy consumption, in order to avoid expending energy performing this negotiation for very short-lived services (which in any event have low energy consumption). For example, for each requested communication service, the network may determine whether it qualifies as a high energy consumption communication service, and may treat the requested communication service as described above only if it is determined to be a high energy consumption communication service (e.g., the expected energy consumption is above a predefined threshold and / or the requested communication service belongs to a predefined set of high energy consumption services (e.g., video streaming, etc.)).

[0109] An example of how the energy manager 321 can predict (estimate) the energy consumption of the QoS flows per domain 301, 302, 303 using the energy consumption of the equipment in that domain is as follows: Calculation based on the equipment energy model and its corresponding parameters provided by the equipment vendor. The energy model and parameters can be derived by laboratory measurements. For example, the energy consumption model of a gNB is e=x1×DRB+x2×F, where x1 and x2 are equipment parameters, DRB is the number of data radio bearers, and F is the frequency. Estimation and prediction based on the use of ML models. For example, the energy manager 321 monitors the energy consumption of equipment (e.g., provided by an operator using the 3GPP SA5 standard) for different configurations (load, number of QoS flows, etc.) and uses the data to train an ML model to predict the energy consumption of a given QoS flow.

[0110] In summary, according to various embodiments, a method is provided as depicted in FIG.

[0111] FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram 600 illustrating a method for providing communication services over a communication network.

[0112] At 601, a message is received indicating that it would be acceptable to the user device that desired characteristics of the provision of a communication service to the user device are not met if this would allow the energy consumption of the provision of the communication service to be reduced. The message may be received, for example, from the user device. This may be considered the start of negotiation for the provision of the communication service.

[0113] At 602, in response to receiving the message (i.e., in reaction to receiving the message, i.e., triggered by receiving the message), for each of a plurality of options for providing communication services to the user device, respective energy consumption information regarding energy consumption of the communication network for providing the communication services to the user device is determined.

[0114] At 603, a user device of the communication service is notified of energy consumption information for each of a plurality of options.

[0115] At 604, a request to provide communication services according to one of a plurality of options is received from a user device.

[0116] At 605, communication services are provided according to one of a plurality of options.

[0117] In other words, according to various embodiments, a user can select an option for how the communication services that the user desires are provided, depending on the energy consumption of the various available options.

[0118] By providing this new functionality, the energy efficiency of 5G can be improved (at least on average across multiple users). A user can request energy-efficient (EE) services through negotiation between their user device and the core network (e.g., 5GC), where the user expresses interest in contributing to energy efficiency and is flexible in terms of service, and the network side offers multiple offers (i.e., options) for service provision, e.g., with different QoS (e.g., QoS profiles), service provision times, energy consumption, and incentives (i.e., compensation).

[0119] To implement the approach of Figure 6 within a 3GPP network, new inputs to the service requesting APIs (in particular, parameters related to energy efficiency) and new back-end procedures may be introduced to derive the energy efficiency information of the service and to negotiate between the 5GC and the customer.

[0120] The energy consumed to provide a communication service is not a predetermined, static, given value, but depends on the quality of service, the location of the service (i.e., the location of the devices involved in the service), and the time the service is provided. On the other hand, some applications (and the services they use) are not restricted with respect to quality of service and time. The approach of Figure 6 allows utilizing application adaptability to reduce the network's energy consumption, contributing to operational costs, the respective network's environmental impact, and service degradation, thereby helping to satisfy business and societal goals through negotiation between customers and networks (and, for example, providing incentives to customers).

[0121] According to various embodiments, the approach of Figure 6 enables collaboration between the network and the customer for energy efficiency by providing a list of transmission opportunity options that take into account the dynamic nature of the energy consumption of services, e.g., with respect to QoS, time, and location.

[0122] According to various embodiments: · Negotiations regarding service energy efficiency, as indicated by customer interest in energy-efficient services, occur prior to service establishment. · The customer indicates his / her flexibility in service characteristics with respect to QoS and / or service delivery time by means of a corresponding adaptation level. Energy consumption dynamics are considered depending on QoS, time and location. · Different energy sources and the resulting environmental impacts are taken into account. Customer incentives are provided through compensation; and / or · Information is provided on multiple selection criteria (energy consumption, environmental impact, compensation) for service selection.

[0123] According to various embodiments, a customer can select an energy-efficient service offering by providing an energy manager that predicts (estimates) energy efficiency information of QoS flows (for example) by connecting to energy analyzers in different domains, and by providing a procedure for negotiating an energy-efficient service offering, e.g., allowing the customer to provide an indication of energy efficiency and service adaptability and allowing the network to offer service offering options including transmission time, QoS profile, energy consumption, environmental impact, and compensation. Different power sources can provide the required energy to the network at different prices and with different environmental impacts, and customers can be motivated to contribute to energy savings by compensation offered by the operator. Energy consumption (within the time window in the figure) is predicted by an ML model, e.g., by energy analyzers in different domains.

[0124] The options may, for example, differ in quality of service profile (of a set of quality of service profiles predefined in the communications network).

[0125] The method may be performed, and the various components involved in performing the method (in particular the various network components, such as the energy manager, the energy agent, and the various network functions) may be implemented, for example, by one or more circuits. A "circuit" may be understood as any kind of logic implementation entity, and may be a dedicated circuit, or a processor executing software stored in a memory, firmware, or any combination thereof. Thus, a "circuit" may be a hardwired logic circuit, or a programmable logic circuit, such as a programmable processor, for example a microprocessor. A "circuit" may also be a processor executing software, for example any kind of computer program. Any kind of implementation of each of the above functions may also be understood as a "circuit".

[0126] While particular aspects have been described, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the aspects of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims. The scope is accordingly indicated by the appended claims, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced.

Claims

1. 1. A method of providing a communication service over a communication network, comprising: receiving, by the communications network, a message from a user device indicating that non-satisfaction of one or more desired characteristics of the provision of a communications service to the user device would be acceptable to the user device if this could reduce energy consumption of the communications network for providing the communications service; determining, by the communications network, a plurality of options for providing the communications service to the user device; determining, by the communications network, in response to receiving the message, for each of the plurality of options for providing the communications service to the user device, respective energy consumption information related to energy consumption of the communications network to provide the communications service to the user device; communicating, by the communications network, the energy consumption information of each of the plurality of options to the user device of the communications service; receiving a request from the user device to provide the communication service in accordance with one of the plurality of options; providing, by said communications network, said communications service in accordance with said one of said plurality of options; A method having the following.

2. The plurality of options differ in at least one of a quality of service of the communication service, which network slice among a plurality of network slices of the communication network is used to provide the communication service, a providing time of the communication service, and a resolution of video data transmitted by the communication service. The method of claim 1.

3. the desired characteristics are the service quality and / or the delivery time of the communication service; The method of claim 1.

4. the messages each indicate a range of service quality and / or a range of provision time of the communication service; The method of claim 3.

5. the energy consumption information includes information about the energy consumed by the communications network to provide the communications services and / or how much of that energy is renewable energy according to the respective options; The method of claim 1.

6. the energy consumption information includes information regarding the environmental impact of providing the communication service in accordance with the respective option. The method of claim 1.

7. determining environmental impact information at least in part from a power source of said communications network; The method of claim 1.

8. determining, for each of the plurality of options for providing the communication service, a respective compensation for a user of the user device that uses that option; The method of claim 1.

9. each of the plurality of options includes utilizing at least one quality of service flow; the at least one quality of service flow differs among the plurality of options; The method of claim 1.

10. the communication network includes a radio access network, a core network, and a transport network; determining the optional energy consumption information includes estimating energy consumption of each of the radio access network, the core network, and the transport network, and estimating the optional energy consumption information from the estimated energy consumption of the radio access network, the core network, and the transport network; The method of claim 1.

11. optionally, the energy consumption information is determined by an energy manager component of the communications network that obtains an estimate of the energy consumption of the radio access network from an energy agent component of the radio access network, an estimate of the energy consumption of the core network from an energy agent component of the core network, and an estimate of the energy consumption of the transport network from an energy agent component of the transport network. The method of claim 10.

12. determining the plurality of options in response to a location of the user device and / or a prediction of one or more future locations of the user device; The method of claim 1.

13. determining, for a requested communication service, whether the communication service is a high energy consumption communication service; and in response to determining that the requested communication service is a high energy consumption communication service, notifying the user device of the energy consumption. The method of claim 1.

14. The user device is a subscriber terminal or an application function; The method of claim 1.

15. A communications network configured to carry out a method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

Images