Cloud-native scalable radio access network

Abstract

The present subject matter generally relates to cloud-native scalable radio access networks. In some implementations, a UE context can be established for a user equipment (UE) attempting to connect to a wireless communication system including a radio access network (RAN) communicatively coupled to a core network. The UE context can be separated from a transport layer connection specified in the UE context.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] In some implementations, the present subject matter relates to telecommunications systems, and in particular to cloud-native scalable radio access networks (RANs). [Background technology]

[0002] In today's world, cellular networks provide on-demand communication capabilities to individuals and businesses. Typically, cellular networks are wireless networks that can be distributed over a terrestrial area called a cell. Each such cell is served by at least one fixed-location transceiver called a cell site or base station. Each cell can use a different set of frequencies from its neighboring cells to avoid interference and provide improved service within each cell. When cells are combined together, they provide wireless coverage over a wide geographic area, allowing numerous mobile phones and / or other wireless devices or portable transceivers to communicate with each other and with fixed transceivers and phones anywhere in the network. Such communication is performed through base stations and is accomplished even when a mobile transceiver is moving through two or more cells during transmission. Major wireless communication providers have deployed such cell sites worldwide, allowing communicating mobile phones and mobile computing devices to connect to the public switched telephone network and the public Internet.

[0003] A mobile phone is a portable telephone that can receive and / or make phone and / or data communications through a cell site or transmission tower by using radio waves to transfer signals to and from the mobile phone. Given the large number of mobile phone users, current mobile phone networks offer limited shared resources. In that regard, cell sites and handsets may change frequencies and use low-power transmitters to allow for simultaneous use of the network by many callers with less interference. Coverage by a cell site may depend on the particular geographic location and / or the number of users who can use the network. For example, in cities, cell sites may have a range of up to about 1 / 2 mile, while in suburban areas, the range may be as much as 5 miles, and in some areas, users may receive signals from cell sites 25 miles away.

[0004] The following are some examples of digital cellular technologies used by communication providers: Global System for Mobile Communications ("GSM"), General Packet Radio Service ("GPRS"), cdmaOne, CDMA2000, Evolution Data Optimized ("EV-DO"), GSM Evolution Improved Data Rates ("EDGE"), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System ("UMTS"), Digital Improved Cordless Communications ("DECT"), Digital AMPS ("IS-136 / TDMA"), and Integrated Digital Improved Network ("iDEN"). 4G LTE, developed by the Long Term Evolution, or 3rd Generation Partnership Project ("3GPP®") standards organization, is a high-speed data wireless communication standard for mobile phones and data terminals. 5G standards are currently being developed and deployed. 3GPP cellular technologies such as LTE and 5G NR are an evolution of earlier generations of 3GPP technologies such as GSM / EDGE and UMTS / HSPA digital cellular technologies, and allow for increased capacity and speeds by using different air interfaces along with improvements to the core network.

[0005] A cellular network may be divided into a radio access network and a core network. The radio access network (RAN) may include network functions capable of handling radio layer communication processing. The core network may include network functions capable of handling higher layer communication, such as Internet Protocol (IP), transport layer, and application layer. In some cases, the RAN function may be divided into baseband unit function and radio unit function; for example, a radio unit connected to the baseband unit via a fronthaul network may be responsible for lower layer processing of the radio physical layer, and the baseband unit may be responsible for higher layer radio protocols, such as MAC, RLC, etc. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The Next-Generation RAN (NG-RAN) is defined by the 3GPP standards body as a radio access network that can connect to a 5G core network. NG-RAN includes the following radio access networks: New Radio (NR) and Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN). 5G technology was established by the 3GPP standards body, and only the core network is suitable for cloud-native deployment. The currently defined NG-RAN is not suitable for cloud-native deployment because of the strong binding between the UE context and the corresponding transport connection used toward the core network. Instead, disaggregation has become the focus of the RAN and is being further developed by the O-RAN Alliance. Therefore, the benefits of cloud-native deployment, such as stateless horizontal scalability and resilience to transport connection failures, may not be fully achieved in the RAN in a 5G system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In some implementations, the subject matter relates to a computer-implemented method that can include establishing a UE context for a user equipment (UE) attempting to connect to a wireless communication system including a radio access network (RAN) communicatively coupled to a core network, the UE context can be separated from a transport layer connection specified in the UE context.

[0008] In some implementations, the present subject matter may include one or more of the following optional features.

[0009] In some implementations, the RAN may be configured to address a UE context over any of a plurality of available transport layer connections. Further, the RAN may be configured to select one of the plurality of available transport layer connections to address an isolated UE context. Further, the RAN may be configured to randomly select one of the plurality of available transport layer connections, the RAN may be configured to select one of the plurality of available transport layer connections based on load balancing of the plurality of available transport layer connections, or the RAN may be configured to select one of the plurality of available transport layer connections based on a predetermined selection order of the plurality of available transport layer connections.

[0010] In some implementations, a failure of a transport layer connection may not release the UE context. Furthermore, re-establishment of a failed transport connection may be handled independently of the UE context.

[0011] In some implementations, the RAN may be configured to look up the UE context based solely on the application layer context identifier.

[0012] In some implementations, the method may further include communicating between the RAN and the core network after establishing the UE context.

[0013] In some implementations, the method may further include, after establishing the UE context, communicating between a distributed unit (DU) of the RAN and at least one of a control plane portion of a centralized unit (CU) of the RAN and a user plane portion of the CU using an available one selected by the RAN of multiple available transport layer connections between the DU and at least one of the control plane portion and the user plane portion.

[0014] In some implementations, the method may further include, after establishing the UE context, communicating between a control plane portion of a centralized unit (CU) of the RAN and a user plane portion of the CU using an available one selected by the RAN of multiple available transport layer connections between the control plane portion and the user plane portion.

[0015] In some implementations, the RAN may use protocols including one of the following for control plane transport layer communications: Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and QUIC.

[0016] In some implementations, the RAN may use protocols including User Datagram Protocol (UDP) for user plane transport layer communications.

[0017] In some implementations, the RAN may include base stations communicatively coupled to a core network.

[0018] In some implementations, the core network may establish a UE context.

[0019] Non-transitory computer program products (i.e., physically embodied computer program products) that store instructions that, when executed by one or more data processors of one or more computing systems, cause at least one data processor to perform the operations described herein are also described. Similarly, computer systems that may include one or more data processors and memory coupled to the one or more data processors are also described. The memory can store, on a temporary or permanent basis, instructions that cause at least one processor to perform one or more of the operations described herein. Furthermore, methods may be performed by one or more data processors within a single computing system or distributed across two or more computing systems. Such computing systems may be connected via one or more connections and may exchange data and / or commands or other instructions, etc., including, but not limited to, connections over a network (e.g., the Internet, a wireless wide area network, a local area network, a wide area network, a wired network, etc.), such as via a direct connection between one or more of the computing systems.

[0020] The details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the subject matter described herein will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

[0021] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate certain aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein and, together with the description, serve to explain some of the principles associated with the disclosed implementations. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1a] FIG. 1a illustrates an exemplary conventional Long Term Evolution ("LTE") communication system.

[0023] [Figure 1b] FIG. 1b illustrates further details of the exemplary LTE system shown in FIG. 1a.

[0024] [Figure 1c] FIG. 1c illustrates further details of the evolved packet core of the exemplary LTE system shown in FIG. 1a.

[0025] [Figure 1d] FIG. 1d illustrates an exemplary evolved Node B for the exemplary LTE system shown in FIG. 1a.

[0026] [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows further details of the evolved NodeB shown in FIGS. 1a to 1d.

[0027] [Figure 3] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary virtual radio access network in accordance with some implementations of the present subject matter.

[0028] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary 3GPP split architecture for providing users with access to higher frequency bands.

[0029] [Figure 5a] FIG. 5a illustrates an exemplary 5G wireless communication system.

[0030] [Figure 5b] FIG. 5b illustrates an example layer architecture of a split gNB and / or a split ng-eNB (e.g., a next-generation eNB that may be connected to 5GC).

[0031] [Figure 5c] FIG. 5c illustrates an exemplary functional division in the gNB architecture shown in FIGS. 5a-5b.

[0032] [Figure 6a] FIG. 6a illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system in accordance with some implementations of the present subject matter.

[0033] [Figure 6b] FIG. 6b illustrates an exemplary layer architecture for a split gNB and / or a split ng-eNB.

[0034] [Figure 6c] FIG. 6c illustrates an exemplary functional division in the gNB architecture shown in FIGS. 6a-6b.

[0035] [Figure 6d] FIG. 6d illustrates a plurality of user equipment contexts stored in the system of FIG. 6a.

[0036] [Figure 7a] FIG. 7a illustrates an exemplary method according to some implementations of the present subject matter.

[0037] [Figure 7b] FIG. 7b illustrates another exemplary method according to some implementations of the present subject matter.

[0038] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary system in accordance with some implementations of the present subject matter.

[0039] [Figure 9] FIG. 9 illustrates another exemplary method according to some implementations of the present subject matter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] The present subject matter can provide systems and methods that can be implemented in a wireless communication system.

[0041] Generally, the present subject matter relates to cloud-native scalable radio access networks.

[0042] In some implementations of the present subject matter, 3GPP cellular technology may include a radio access network (RAN) configured for cloud native deployment. The RAN may be configured for cloud native deployment from an initial implementation of the 3GPP cellular technology, which may enable cloud native capabilities of the RAN to be utilized throughout the life of the 3GPP technology. The 3GPP cellular technology, including the RAN, may be a 6G standard and / or a later-developed standard, or may be an improvement to a 5G or LTE wireless communication system. The O-RAN Alliance may also develop standards to include cloud native capabilities of radio access networks.

[0043] Currently, core networks implemented according to the 5G standard are suitable for cloud-native deployment, but RANs (e.g., NG-RANs) implemented according to the 5G standard are not suitable for cloud-native deployment. The core network of a 5G wireless communication system establishes a UE context for a UE attempting to establish a connection for communication. Under the 5G standard, only the core network is permitted to move the UE context across available transport connections. Therefore, if the transport layer (TL) connection (also called a "transport network layer (TNL) connection") to which the UE context is bound fails, the RAN cannot use another transport layer connection and must wait for the core network to change the UE context. Therefore, the RAN of a 5G system cannot use the cloud principle of keeping application context separate from transport. This can result in delays in the communication system and increased use of limited bandwidth and processing resources associated with the UE context changes that must be performed by the core network.

[0044] When the RAN is configured for cloud-native deployment as described herein, the RAN can be configured to dynamically select any available transport layer connection for a given UE without having to wait for the core network to change the UE's UE context, thus allowing the RAN to use the cloud principle of keeping application context separate from transport.

[0045] One or more aspects of the present subject matter may be incorporated into transmitter and / or receiver components of base stations (e.g., gNodeB, eNodeB, etc.) within such communication systems. The following is a general discussion of Long Term Evolution and 5G New Radio communication systems. I. Long Term Evolution Communication System

[0046] 1a-1c and 2 illustrate an exemplary conventional Long Term Evolution ("LTE") communication system 100 along with its various components. The LTE system, or 4G LTE, as it is commercially known, is governed by a high-speed data wireless communication standard for mobile phones and data terminals. This standard is an evolution of GSM / EDGE ("Global System for Mobile Communications" / "GSM Evolution Improved Data Rates") and UMTS / HSPA ("Universal Mobile Telecommunications System" / "High-Speed ​​Packet Access") network technologies. This standard was developed by 3GPP ("3rd Generation Partnership Project").

[0047] As shown in FIG. 1a, system 100 may include an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network ("EUTRAN") 102, an evolved packet core ("EPC") 108, and a packet data network ("PDN") 101, where EUTRAN 102 and EPC 108 provide communications between user equipment 104 and PDN 101. EUTRAN 102 may include multiple evolved node Bs ("eNodeBs" or "ENODEBs" or "enodeb" or "eNBs") or base stations 106(a, b, c) that provide communications capabilities to multiple user equipment 104(a, b, c) (as shown in FIG. 1b). User equipment 104 may be a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant ("PDA"), a server, a data terminal, and / or any other type of user equipment, and / or any combination thereof. A user equipment 104 can connect to the EPC 108 and ultimately to the PDN 101 through any eNodeB 106. Typically, the user equipment 104 can connect to the eNodeB 106 that is closest in terms of distance. In the LTE system 100, the EUTRAN 102 and the EPC 108 work together to provide connectivity, mobility, and services for the user equipment 104.

[0048] Figure 1b shows further details of the network 100 shown in Figure 1a. As mentioned above, the EUTRAN 102 includes multiple eNodeBs 106, also known as cell sites. The eNodeBs 106 provide radio functionality and perform important control functions, including air link resource scheduling or radio resource management, active mode mobility or handover, and admission control for services. The eNodeBs 106 are responsible for selecting which mobility management entity (MME shown in Figure 1c) will serve the user equipment 104, as well as protocol functions such as header compression and encryption. The eNodeBs 106 that make up the EUTRAN 102 cooperate with each other for radio resource management and handover.

[0049] Communication between the user equipment 104 and the eNodeB 106 occurs over an air interface 122 (also known as the "LTE-Uu" interface). As shown in FIG. 1b, the air interface 122 provides communication between the user equipment 104b and the eNodeB 106a. The air interface 122 uses orthogonal frequency division multiple access ("OFDMA") and single-carrier frequency division multiple access ("SC-FDMA"), an OFDMA variant, on the downlink and uplink, respectively. OFDMA allows the use of multiple well-known antenna technologies, such as multiple-input multiple-output ("MIMO").

[0050] The air interface 122 uses various protocols, including radio resource control ("RRC") for signaling between the user equipment 104 and the eNodeB 106 and non-access stratum ("NAS") for signaling between the user equipment 104 and the MME (shown in FIG. 1c). In addition to signaling, user traffic is transferred between the user equipment 104 and the eNodeB 106. Both signaling and traffic in the system 100 are carried by physical layer ("PHY") channels.

[0051] Multiple eNodeBs 106 may be interconnected with each other using X2 interfaces 130(a, b, c). As shown in FIG. 1b, the X2 interface 130a provides interconnection between eNodeB 106a and eNodeB 106b, the X2 interface 130b provides interconnection between eNodeB 106a and eNodeB 106c, and the X2 interface 130c provides interconnection between eNodeB 106b and eNodeB 106c. The X2 interfaces may be established between two eNodeBs to provide for the exchange of signals, which may include information related to loading and interference, as well as information related to handovers. The eNodeBs 106 communicate with the evolved packet core 108 via S1 interfaces 124(a, b, c). The S1 interface 124 may be split into two interfaces, one for the control plane (shown in FIG. 1c as control plane interface (S1-MME interface) 128) and one for the user plane (shown in FIG. 1c as user plane interface (S1-U interface) 125).

[0052] The EPC 108 establishes and enforces quality of service ("QoS") for user services and enables the user equipment 104 to maintain a consistent Internet Protocol ("IP") address while moving. Note that each node in the network 100 has its own IP address. The EPC 108 is designed to interwork with legacy wireless networks. The EPC 108 is also designed to separate the control plane (i.e., signaling) and the user plane (i.e., traffic) in the core network architecture, which allows for more flexibility in implementation and independent scalability of control and user data functions.

[0053] The EPC 108 architecture is dedicated to packet data and is shown in more detail in Figure 1c. The EPC 108 includes a Serving Gateway (S-GW) 110, a PDN Gateway (P-GW) 112, a Mobility Management Entity ("MME") 114, a Home Subscriber Server ("HSS") 116 (a subscriber database for the EPC 108), and a Policy Control and Charging Rules Function ("PCRF") 118. Some of these (such as the S-GW, P-GW, MME, and HSS) are often combined into a node according to manufacturer implementation.

[0054] The S-GW 110 functions as an IP packet data router and is the bearer path anchor for user equipment in the EPC 108. Thus, when a user equipment moves from one eNodeB 106 to another during mobility operation, the S-GW 110 remains the same and the bearer path towards the EUTRAN 102 is switched to communicate with the new eNodeB 106 serving the user equipment 104. If the user equipment 104 moves to the domain of another S-GW 110, the MME 114 transfers all of the user equipment's bearer path to the new S-GW. The S-GW 110 establishes a bearer path for the user equipment to one or more P-GWs 112. When downstream data is received for an idle user equipment, the S-GW 110 buffers the downstream packets and requests the MME 114 to identify and re-establish a bearer path to and through the EUTRAN 102.

[0055] The P-GW 112 is the gateway between the EPC 108 (as well as the user equipment 104 and EUTRAN 102) and the PDN 101 (shown in FIG. 1a). The P-GW 112 acts as a router for user traffic and performs functions on behalf of the user equipment. These include IP address allocation for the user equipment, packet filtering of downstream user traffic to ensure that it is placed on the appropriate bearer path, and enforcement of downstream QoS, including data rate. Depending on the services a subscriber is using, there may be multiple user data bearer paths between the user equipment 104 and the P-GW 112. A subscriber may use services on PDNs served by different P-GWs, in which case the user equipment has at least one bearer path established to each P-GW 112. During handover of a user equipment from one eNodeB to another, if the S-GW 110 also changes, the bearer path from the P-GW 112 is switched to the new S-GW.

[0056] The MME 114 manages user equipment 104 within the EPC 108, including managing subscriber authentication, maintaining context for authenticated user equipment 104, establishing a data bearer path within the network for user traffic, and tracking the location of idle mobiles that have not detached from the network. In the case of an idle user equipment 104 that needs to reconnect to the access network to receive downstream data, the MME 114 initiates paging to locate the user equipment and reestablishes a bearer path to and through the EUTRAN 102. The MME 114 for a particular user equipment 104 is selected by the eNodeB 106 through which the user equipment 104 initiates system access. The MME is typically part of a group of MMEs within the EPC 108 for load sharing and redundancy purposes. In establishing a user's data bearer path, the MME 114 is responsible for selecting the P-GW 112 and S-GW 110, which constitute the termination of the data path through the EPC 108.

[0057] The PCRF 118 is responsible for controlling policy control decision-making and flow-based charging functionality within the Policy Control Enforcement Function ("PCEF") residing within the P-GW 110. The PCRF 118 provides QoS authorization (QoS Class Identifier ("QCI") and bit rate), which determines how a data flow is treated within the PCEF and ensures that this is in accordance with the user's subscription profile.

[0058] As mentioned above, IP services 119 are provided by PDN 101 (shown in FIG. 1a).

[0059] 1d shows an example structure of an eNodeB 106. The eNodeB 106 may include at least one remote radio head (“RRH”) 132 (typically, there may be three RRHs 132) and a baseband unit (“BBU”) 134. The RRHs 132 may be connected to an antenna 136. The RRHs 132 and BBU 134 may be connected using an optical interface that conforms to the Common Public Radio Interface (“CPRI”) / enhanced CPRI (“eCPRI”) 142 standard specification, either using RRH-specific custom control and user plane framing methods or using O-RAN Alliance compliant control and user plane framing methods. The operation of the eNodeB 106 can be characterized using the following standard parameters (and specifications): radio frequency band (Band 4, Band 9, Band 17, etc.), bandwidth (5, 10, 15, 20 MHz), access method (downlink: OFDMA, uplink: SC-OFDMA), antenna technology (single-user and multi-user MIMO, uplink: single-user and multi-user MIMO), number of sectors (up to 6), maximum transmission speed (downlink: 150 Mb / s, uplink: 50 Mb / s), S1 / X2 interface (1000Base-SX, 1000Base-T), and mobile environment (up to 350 km / h). The BBU 134 can be responsible for digital baseband signal processing, S1 line termination, X2 line termination, call processing, and monitoring and control processing. IP packets (not shown in FIG. 1d) received from the EPC 108 can be modulated into digital baseband signals and transmitted to the RRH 132. Conversely, digital baseband signals received from the RRH 132 may be demodulated into IP packets for transmission to the EPC 108.

[0060] The RRH 132 can transmit and receive wireless signals using the antenna 136. The RRH 132 can convert digital baseband signals from the BBU 134 (using a converter (“CONV”) 140) to radio frequency (“RF”) signals and power amplify them (using an amplifier (“AMP”) 138) for transmission to the user equipment 104 (not shown in FIG. 1d). Conversely, RF signals received from the user equipment 104 are amplified (using AMP 138) and converted (using CONV 140) to digital baseband signals for transmission to the BBU 134.

[0061] 2 shows further details of an exemplary eNodeB 106. The eNodeB 106 includes multiple layers: LTE Layer 1 202, LTE Layer 2 204, and LTE Layer 3 206. LTE Layer 1 includes the physical layer ("PHY"). LTE Layer 2 includes medium access control ("MAC"), radio link control ("RLC"), and packet data convergence protocol ("PDCP"). LTE Layer 3 includes various functions and protocols, including radio resource control ("RRC"), dynamic resource allocation, eNodeB measurement configuration and provisioning, radio admission control, connection mobility control, and radio resource management ("RRM"). The RLC protocol is an automatic repeat request ("ARQ") fragmentation protocol used over the cellular air interface. The RRC protocol handles LTE Layer 3 control plane signaling between user equipment and the EUTRAN. The RRC includes functions for connection establishment and release, system information broadcast, radio bearer establishment / reconfiguration and release, RRC connection mobility procedures, paging notification and release, and outer loop power control. The PDCP performs IP header compression and decompression, user data transfer, and radio bearer sequence number maintenance. The BBU 134 shown in FIG. 1d may include LTE layers L1-L3.

[0062] One of the primary functions of the eNodeB 106 is radio resource management, including scheduling of both uplink and downlink air interface resources for the user equipment 104, control of bearer resources, and admission control. As an agent for the EPC 108, the eNodeB 106 is responsible for forwarding paging messages used to locate a mobile device when it is idle. The eNodeB 106 also communicates common control channel information over the air, performs header compression, encryption and decryption of user data sent over the air, and establishes handover reporting and trigger criteria. As mentioned above, the eNodeB 106 can cooperate with other eNodeBs 106 via the X2 interface for handover and interference management purposes. The eNodeB 106 communicates with the MME of the EPC via the S1-MME interface and with the S-GW using the S1-U interface. Additionally, the eNodeB 106 exchanges user data with the S-GW via the S1-U interface. The eNodeBs 106 and the EPC 108 have a many-to-many relationship to support load sharing and redundancy between MMEs and S-GWs. The eNodeB 106 selects an MME from a group of MMEs so that it can distribute the load across multiple MMEs to avoid congestion. II. 5G NR Wireless Communication Network

[0063] In some implementations, the present subject matter relates to 5G New Radio ("NR") communication systems. 5G NR is the next communication standard beyond the 4G / IMT-Advanced standard. 5G networks offer higher capacity than current 4G, allowing for more mobile broadband users per area unit, and enabling higher and / or unlimited data consumption in gigabytes per month and per user. This may allow users to stream high-definition media for hours per day using their mobile devices, even when Wi-Fi networks do not. 5G networks have improved support for device-to-device communication, lower costs, lower latency than 4G equipment, and less battery consumption. Such a network would have data rates of tens of megabits per second for many users, data rates of 100 Mb / s for large metropolitan areas, simultaneous 1 Gb / s to users within an enclosed area (e.g., an office floor), many simultaneous connections for wireless sensor networks, increased spectral efficiency, improved coverage, increased signaling efficiency, 1-10 ms latency, and reduced latency compared to existing systems.

[0064] 3 illustrates an exemplary virtual radio access network 300. The network 300 can provide communication between various components, including a base station (e.g., eNodeB, gNodeB) 301, radio equipment 303, a centralized unit 302, a digital unit 304, and wireless devices 306. The components within the system 300 can be communicatively coupled to a core using backhaul links 305. The centralized unit ("CU") 302 can be communicatively coupled to a distributed unit ("DU") 304 using midhaul connections 308. The radio frequency ("RU") components 306 can be communicatively coupled to the DU 304 using fronthaul connections 310.

[0065] In some implementations, the CU 302 can provide intelligent communication capabilities to one or more DU units 304. The units 302, 304 can include one or more base stations, macro base stations, micro base stations, remote radio heads, etc., and / or any combination thereof.

[0066] In a lower layer split architecture environment, the CPRI bandwidth requirement for NR can be several hundred Gb / s. CPRI compression can be implemented in the DU and RU (as shown in Figure 3). In 5G communication systems, compressed CPRI over Ethernet frames is called eCPRI and is the recommended fronthaul network. This architecture can enable standardization of fronthaul / midhaul, which can include upper layer splitting (e.g., Option 2 or Option 3-1 (upper / lower RLC split architecture)) and fronthaul using L1 split architecture (Option 7).

[0067] In some implementations, a lower layer split architecture (e.g., Option 7) may include receiver in the uplink and joint processing across multiple transmission points (TPs) for both DL / UL and transport bandwidth and latency requirements to facilitate deployment. Additionally, the subject lower layer split architecture may include splitting of cell-level and user-level processing, which may include cell-level processing in a remote unit ("RU") and user-level processing in a DU. Furthermore, using the subject lower layer split architecture, frequency-domain samples may be transported over the Ethernet fronthaul, and the frequency-domain samples may be compressed for reduced fronthaul bandwidth.

[0068] 4 illustrates an example communication system 400 that can implement 5G technology and provide users with access to higher frequency bands (e.g., greater than 10 GHz). The system 400 can include a macro cell 402 and small cells 404 and 406.

[0069] The mobile device 408 may be configured to communicate with one or more of the small cells 404, 406. The system 400 may enable splitting of the control plane (C-plane) and user plane (U-plane) between the macrocell 402 and the small cells 404, 406, with the C-plane and U-plane utilizing different frequency bands. Specifically, the small cells 404, 406 may be configured to utilize higher frequency bands when communicating with the mobile device 408. The macrocell 402 may utilize existing cellular bands for C-plane communications. The mobile device 408 may be communicatively coupled via the U-plane 412, where the small cell (e.g., the small cell 406) may provide higher data rates and more flexible, cost-efficient, and energy-efficient operation. The macrocell 402 may maintain good connectivity and mobility via the C-plane 410. Furthermore, in some cases, LTE and NR may be transmitted on the same frequency.

[0070] 5a illustrates an exemplary 5G wireless communication system 500 according to some implementations of the present subject matter. The system 500 may be configured to have a lower-layer split architecture according to Option 7-2. The system 500 may include a core network 502 (e.g., 5G Core) and one or more gNodeBs (or gNBs), where the gNBs may have a centralized unit gNB-CU. The gNB-CU may be logically divided into a control plane portion gNB-CU-CP 504 and one or more user plane portions gNB-CU-UP 506. The control plane portion 504 and the user plane portion 506 may be configured to be communicatively coupled using an E1 communication interface 514 (defined in the 3GPP standard). The control plane portion 504 may be configured to be responsible for executing the RRC and PDCP protocols of the radio stack.

[0071] The control plane portion 504 and user plane portion 506 of the centralized unit of the gNB may be configured to be communicatively coupled to one or more distributed units (DUs) 508, 510 according to an upper layer split architecture. The distributed units 508, 510 may be configured to execute upper portions of the RLC, MAC, and PHY layer protocols of the radio stack. The control plane portion 504 may be configured to be communicatively coupled to the distributed units 508, 510 using an F1-C communication interface 516, and the user plane portion 506 may be configured to be communicatively coupled to the distributed units 508, 510 using an F1-U communication interface 518. The distributed units 508, 510 may be coupled to one or more remote radio units (RUs) 512 via a fronthaul network 520 (which may include one or more switches, links, etc.), which communicate with one or more user equipment (not shown in FIG. 5a). The remote radio unit 512 may be configured to execute lower portions of the PHY layer protocol and provide antenna capabilities to the remote unit for communication with user equipment (similar to the description above in connection with Figures 1a to 2).

[0072] Figure 5b shows an example layer architecture 530 for a split gNB. The architecture 530 may be implemented within the communication system 500 shown in Figure 5a, which may be configured as a virtualized disaggregated radio access network (RAN) architecture, whereby layers L1, L2, L3 and radio processing may be virtualized and disaggregated across centralized, distributed, and radio units. As shown in Figure 5b, the gNB-DU 508 may be communicatively coupled to the gNB-CU-CP control plane portion 504 (also shown in Figure 5a) and the gNB-CU-UP user plane portion 506. Each of the components 504, 506, 508 may be configured to include one or more layers.

[0073] The gNB-DU 508 may include RLC, MAC, and PHY layers, as well as various communication sublayers. These may include an F1-Application Protocol (F1-AP) sublayer, a GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTPU) sublayer, a Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) sublayer, a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) sublayer, and an Internet Protocol (IP) sublayer. As described above, the distributed unit 508 may be communicatively coupled to the control plane portion 504 of the centralized unit, which may also include the F1-AP, SCTP, and IP sublayers, as well as the Radio Resource Control and PDCP Control (PDCP-C) sublayers. Furthermore, the distributed unit 508 may also be communicatively coupled to the user plane portion 506 of the centralized unit of the gNB. The user plane portion 506 may include the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), PDCP User (PDCP-U), GTPU, UDP, and IP sublayers.

[0074] Figure 5c shows an example functional division in the gNB architecture shown in Figures 5a-5b. As shown in Figure 5c, the gNB-DU 508 may be communicatively coupled to the gNB-CU-CP 504 and the gNB-CU-UP 506 using an F1-C communication interface. The gNB-CU-CP 504 and the gNB-CU-UP 506 may be communicatively coupled using an E1 communication interface. An upper portion of the PHY layer (or Layer 1) may be performed by the gNB-DU 508, and a lower portion of the PHY layer may be performed by the RU (not shown in Figure 5c). As shown in Figure 5c, the RRC and PDCP-C portions may be performed by the control plane portion 504, and the SDAP and PDCP-U portions may be performed by the user plane portion 506.

[0075] Some of the functions of the PHY layer in a 5G communication network may include error detection on transport channels and indication to higher layers, FEC encoding / decoding of transport channels, hybrid ARQ soft combining, rate matching of coded transport channels to physical channels, mapping of coded transport channels to physical channels, power weighting of physical channels, modulation and demodulation of physical channels, frequency and time synchronization, radio characteristic measurements and indication to higher layers, MIMO antenna processing, digital and analog beamforming, RF processing, and other functions.

[0076] The MAC sublayer of Layer 2 performs beam management, random access procedures, mapping of logical channels to transport channels, concatenation of multiple MAC service data units (SDUs) belonging to one logical channel into transport blocks (TBs), multiplexing / demultiplexing of SDUs belonging to logical channels to / from TBs passed to / from the physical layer on transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction using HARQ, priority handling between logical channels for one UE, priority handling between UEs using dynamic scheduling, transport format selection, and other functions. The RLC sublayer's functions may include forwarding upper-layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction using ARQ, reordering of data PDUs, duplication and protocol error detection, reestablishment, etc. The PDCP sublayer is responsible for forwarding user data, various functions during reestablishment procedures, retransmission of SDUs, discarding SDUs in the uplink, forwarding of control plane data, etc.

[0077] The RRC sublayer of Layer 3 may perform the broadcasting of system information to the NAS and AS, establishment, maintenance, and release of RRC connections, security, establishment, configuration, maintenance, and release of point-to-point radio bearers, mobility functions, reporting, and other functions. III. Cloud-native Scalable Radio Access Network

[0078] In some implementations of the present subject matter, 3GPP cellular technology may include a radio access network (RAN) configured for cloud native deployment. The RAN may be configured for cloud native deployment from an initial implementation of the 3GPP cellular technology, which may enable cloud native capabilities of the RAN to be utilized throughout the life of the 3GPP technology. The 3GPP cellular technology, including the RAN, may be a 6G standard and / or a later-developed standard, or may be an improvement to a 5G or LTE wireless communication system. The O-RAN Alliance may also develop standards to include cloud native capabilities of radio access networks.

[0079] Currently, a core network implemented in accordance with the 5G standard (e.g., core network 502 in FIG. 5a) establishes a UE context for a UE attempting to establish a connection for communication, and under the 5G standard, only the core network is permitted to move the UE context. Furthermore, the 5G standard mandates binding a UE context to a specific transport connection, which allows for easy direct lookup of the UE context from the transport layer connection and application layer identifier, thereby minimizing the latency of the UE context lookup and subsequent processing in the RAN. Such core network functionality is discussed, for example, in 3GPP TS 23.501, "System Architecture for 5G Systems (5GS)," Sections 5.21.1.2 (NGAP UE-TNLA Binding) and 5.21.1.3 (N2 TNL Association Selection), 3GPP TS 37.482, "E1 Signaling Transport," Section 7 (Transport Layer), 3GPP TS 38.412, "NG-RAN; NG Signaling Transport," Section 7 (Transport Layer), and 3GPP TS 38.472, "NG-RAN; F1 Signaling Transport," Section 7 (Transport Layer). The 3GPP standards define a user equipment transport network layer association binding (UE-TNLA binding) as the binding of a UE association to a specific TNL association for a given UE.

[0080] Also, currently, a RAN implemented in accordance with the 5G standard may include a base station (e.g., a gNodeB) gNB-CU that is logically divided into one or more control plane portions gNB-CU-CP (e.g., gNB-CU-CP 504 in Figures 5a to 5c) and one or more user plane portions gNB-CU-UP (e.g., gNB-CU-UP 506 in Figures 5a to 5c). For the E1 communication interface between one or more control plane portions gNB-CU-C and one or more user plane portions gNB-CU-UP (e.g., E1 communication interface 514 in Figures 5a and 5c), and the F1 communication interface between one or more DUs (e.g., DUs 508, 510 in Figures 5a to 5c) and the control plane portion and user plane portion (e.g., F1-C communication interface 516 and F1-U communication interface 518 in Figures 5a and 5c), the gNB-CU can update the UE-TNLA binding, but only unidirectionally towards the gNB-DU, and not towards the core network. Such functionality is discussed, for example, in 3GPP TS 38.401 "NG-RAN; Architecture Description," Sections 8.8 (Multiple TNLAs in F1-C) and 8.10 (Multiple TNLAs in E1).

[0081] Therefore, if the transport layer connection to which a UE context is bound fails, the downstream network function cannot select an available transport layer connection and cannot rebind the UE context to the selected transport layer connection. Therefore, the RAN cannot use another transport layer connection and must wait for the core network to change the UE context. Therefore, the RAN in a 5G system cannot use the cloud principle of keeping application context separate from transport. This can result in delays in the communication system and increased use of limited bandwidth and processing resources associated with UE context changes that must be performed by the core network. As mentioned above, while 5G can achieve latency minimization for UE context lookup and subsequent processing in the RAN, such minimization is not currently a required standard core network function and is primarily an efficiency improvement achievable through specific vendor implementations.

[0082] When the RAN is configured for cloud-native deployment as described herein, it can be configured to dynamically select any available transport layer connection for a given UE without having to wait for the core network to change the UE's UE context. Thus, the RAN can use the cloud principle of keeping application context separate from transport. Minimizing the latency of UE context lookup and subsequent processing in the RAN can also be achieved due to the ease of directly looking up the UE context from the application layer identifier.

[0083] 6a illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system 600 including a cloud-native scalable RAN in accordance with some implementations of the present subject matter. The wireless communication system 600 may be a 6G wireless communication system and / or a later-developed wireless communication system, or may be an LTE wireless communication system.

[0084] The system 600 of Figure 6a includes elements that are configured and used similarly to the similarly named elements of Figures 5a through 5c, except as described herein with respect to RAN cloud native capabilities. The system 600 includes a core network 602, one or more gNB-CU-CPs 604, one or more gNB-CU-UPs 606, one or more DUs 608, 610, one or more RUs 612 communicatively coupled to the DUs 608, 610 via a fronthaul network 620 (which may include one or more switches, links, etc.), an E1 communication interface 614 communicatively coupling the control plane portion 604 and the user plane portion 606, an F1-C communication interface 616 communicatively coupling the control plane portion 604 and the DUs 608, 610, and an F1-U communication interface 618 communicatively coupling the user plane portion 606 and the DUs 608, 610. A base station gNB, for example its RU 612, may be communicatively coupled to one or more UEs (not shown in Figure 6a).

[0085] Figure 6b shows an example layer architecture 630 for the split gNB of Figure 6a. The layer architecture 630 is configured and used similarly to the layer architecture 530 of Figure 5b. As shown in Figure 6b, the gNB-DU 608 may be communicatively coupled to the gNB-CU-CP control plane portion 604 and the gNB-CU-UP user plane portion 606. Each of the control plane portion 604, the gNB-CU-UP user plane portion 606, and the DU 608 (and the DU 610, not shown in Figure 6b) may be configured to include one or more layers.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 6b, the gNB-DU 608 may include RLC, MAC, and PHY layers, as well as various communication sublayers. These may include an F1-Application Protocol (F1-AP) sublayer, a GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTPU) sublayer, a Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) sublayer, a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) sublayer, and an Internet Protocol (IP) sublayer. As mentioned above, the distributed unit 608 may be communicatively coupled to the control plane portion 604 of the centralized unit, which may also include the F1-AP, SCTP, and IP sublayers, as well as the Radio Resource Control and PDCP Control (PDCP-C) sublayers. Furthermore, the distributed unit 608 (and other DUs 610) may also be communicatively coupled to the user plane portion 606 of the centralized unit of the gNB. The user plane portion 606 may include the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), PDCP User (PDCP-U), GTPU, UDP, and IP sublayers.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 6c, the system 600 may include a functional division configured and used similarly to that described above with respect to FIG. 5c. As shown in FIG. 6c, the gNB-DU 608 may be communicatively coupled to the gNB-CU-CP 604 and the gNB-CU-UP 606 using an F1-C communication interface. The gNB-CU-CP 604 and the gNB-CU-UP 606 may be communicatively coupled using an E1 communication interface. The upper portion of the PHY layer (or Layer 1) may be performed by the gNB-DU 608, and the lower portion of the PHY layer may be performed by the RU 612 (not shown in FIG. 6c). As shown in FIG. 6c, the RRC and PDCP-C portions may be performed by the control plane portion 604, and the SDAP and PDCP-U portions may be performed by the user plane portion 606. Other DUs 610 not shown in FIG. 6c may be configured similarly to the DU 608.

[0088] FIG. 6b illustrates Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) sublayers configured to facilitate communication in accordance with SCTP. For example, transport layer communication may use SCTP, and application layer communication may use 3GPP Application Protocol (AP) using ASN.1 encoding. However, other protocols and / or various combinations of protocols may also be used in transport layer communication, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), QUIC, etc., and application layer communication may use, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), 3GPP AP using protocol buffer (protobuf) encoding, etc. For example, transport layer communication may use TCP, and application layer communication may use HTTP, such as HTTP 1.1 or HTTP 2.0. As another example, transport layer communication may use TCP, and application layer communication may use 3GPP AP using protobuf encoding. As yet another example, transport layer communication may use QUIC, and application layer communication may use HTTP, such as HTTP 3.0.

[0089] 6d shows multiple UE contexts 624 stored in the DU 608, multiple UE contexts 626 stored in the CU-CP 604, and multiple UE contexts 628 stored in the CU-UP 606. Each of the UE contexts 624, 626, 628 is detached from the transport layer connection as initiated by the core network 602 (e.g., by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 622 of the core network 602). The number of UE contexts 624, 626, 628 shown in FIG. 6d in each of the DU 608, CU-CP 604, and CU-UP 606 is merely exemplary. Other numbers of UE contexts are possible in each of the DU 608, CU-CP 604, and CU-UP 606. Like the DU 608, the other DUs 610 (and any other DUs in the system 600) have multiple UE contexts stored in the DU 610.

[0090] 6d also shows an E1 communication interface 614 between the CU-CP 604 and the CU-UP 606 that includes four transport layer connections, an F1-C communication interface 616 that communicatively couples the CU-CP 604 and the DU 608 that includes three transport layer connections, and an F1-U communication interface 618 that communicatively couples the CU-UP 606 and the DU 608 that includes three transport layer connections. The numbers of each of the transport layer connections are merely examples, and other numbers of each are possible.

[0091] Figure 6d also shows the CU-CP 604 communicatively coupled to a core network control plane function 602a (e.g., a function of the AMF 622) distributed in the cloud of the core network 602, and the CU-UP 606 communicatively coupled to a core network user plane function 602b distributed in the cloud of the core network 602. By way of example, four transport layer connections are shown between the core network 602 and each of the CU-CP 604 and the CU-UP 606. Other numbers of transport layer connections are possible.

[0092] 7a illustrates one implementation of a method 700 in accordance with some implementations of the present subject matter. Generally, the method 700 includes creating a UE context for a given UE as part of the UE's registration process with a wireless communication system, where the UE context is separate from the transport layer connection. For ease of explanation, the method 700 is described with respect to the implementation of the system 600 of FIGS. 6a-6d, but may be implemented with respect to another wireless communication system as well.

[0093] The method 700 includes a UE sending 702 a service request to a RAN (e.g., a base station) requesting service over a wireless communication system, such as to one of the RAN's RUs 612. The service request may conform to a service request defined by 3GPP.

[0094] In response to receiving the service request, the RAN, for example its CU-CP 604, sends 704 an N2 message (service request) to the core network 602, for example to the AMF 622 of the core network 602. The N2 message (service request) may conform to the N2 message (service request) specified by 3GPP.

[0095] In response to receiving the N2 message, the core network 602 (e.g., its AMF 622) registers the UE and establishes a UE context for the given UE as part of the UE's registration process (706). The UE may be registered and the UE context may be established (706) as specified by 3GPP.

[0096] After the UE context is established (706), the core network 602 sends an N2 request including the UE context to the RAN, for example, to its CU-CP 604. The N2 request may conform to an N2 request defined by 3GPP. The UE context received at the base station may be stored in the DU 608 (e.g., as one of the UE contexts 624), in the CU-CP 604 (e.g., as one of the UE contexts 626), and in the CU-UP 606 (e.g., as one of the UE contexts 628). The UE can then communicate over a wireless communication system after any other activities are performed as necessary in accordance with 3GPP.

[0097] In the course of a UE communicating over a wireless communication system, a transport layer connection (e.g., an SCTP association, a TCP association, a QUIC association, etc.) specified in a UE context established (706) for the UE may fail. However, because the RAN is configured for cloud-native deployment, where the RAN can address a UE context through any of multiple available transport layer connections, in the event of such a failure, communication can continue using the established (706) separate UE context. According to some implementations of the present subject matter, a failure of a transport layer connection does not release the UE context. Re-establishment of a failed transport connection is handled independently of the UE context. Thus, a failed transport connection may be repaired and, after being repaired, re-established without affecting the established (706) UE context.

[0098] FIG. 7b illustrates another implementation of a method 710 for indicating that a RAN is configured for cloud-native deployment, in accordance with some implementations of the present subject matter. Generally, method 710 involves a radio access network dynamically selecting an available transport layer connection for a given UE, where the selected transport layer connection may not be specified in the created UE context for the given UE (e.g., created in method 700 of FIG. 7a). Thus, for a given UE, different messages may be transmitted over different transport layer connections. For ease of explanation, method 710 is described with respect to method 700 of FIG. 7a and the implementation of system 600 of FIGS. 6a-6d, but may be similarly implemented with respect to other wireless communication systems. Method 710 begins after a UE context is established (706) for the UE and the UE context is stored in the DU 608 (and DU 610 and any other DUs), the CU-CP 604, and the CU-UP 606.

[0099] The method 710 includes a UE sending a message to the RU 612 in accordance with the UE requesting normal communication over a wireless communication network. In response to receiving the message, the RU 612 sends a message to the DU 608 to facilitate the UE's communication request. In response to receiving the message, the DU 608 sends a message to the CU using the F1 communication interface.

[0100] The transport layer used to send a message from the DU 608 to the CU (716) depends on the availability of the transport layer connection specified in the UE context for that particular UE. Because the message includes an application layer context identifier in accordance with 3GPP, the DU 608 can look up the UE context based solely on the application layer context identifier included in the message sent by the RU 612 and received by the DU 608 (and sent by the UE and RU 612 (712, 714)). The DU 608 can look up the application layer identifier in a table correlating application layer context identifiers with UE identifiers, thereby identifying the UE context associated with the UE identifier corresponding to the application layer context identifier. Thus, the DU 608 can identify the transport layer connection specified in the UE context. The content of the application layer context identifier may vary depending on the protocol used for application layer communication. For example, the application layer context identifier in HTTP may include a URL or a portion thereof.

[0101] If the transport layer connection specified in the UE context is available, the DU 608 sends the message using the transport layer connection specified in the UE context of the UE (720). If the transport layer connection specified in the UE context is unavailable, for example because the transport layer connection failed, the DU 608 selects an available transport layer connection from among the possible F1 transport layer connections between the DU 608 and the CU (722). Using Figure 6d as an example, the DU 608 can select an available transport layer connection from among two other possible F1 transport layer connections between the DU 608 and the CU (722).

[0102] In some implementations, the DU 608 randomly selects an available transport layer connection from among the possible F1 transport layer connections 722. Random selection may be relatively easy to implement and may use a relatively small amount of processing power.

[0103] In some implementations, the DU 608 selects 722 an available transport layer connection based on a predetermined selection order of the multiple available transport layer connections. The predetermined selection order may be pre-programmed in the DU 608. Following the predetermined selection order may be relatively easy to implement, may use a relatively small amount of processing power, and may provide improved load balancing compared to random selection because the transport layer connections are each selected in turn according to the predetermined selection order.

[0104] In some implementations, the DU 608 selects an available transport layer connection based on load balancing of multiple available transport layer connections (722). In such a load balancing technique, the DU 608 may determine which of the available transport layer connections has the fewest number of messages being transmitted and select that one of the transport layer connections (722). According to 3GPP, the DU 608 has knowledge of the number of messages being transmitted over the various transport layer connections. Using a load balancing technique may enable the most efficient use of the transport layer connections.

[0105] After selecting 722 an available transport layer connection, for example, by random selection, by using a predetermined selection order, or by using a load balancing technique, the DU 708 sends 724 a message to the CU using the selected 722 transport layer connection. Thus, even if the transport layer connection specified in the UE context for a given UE is unavailable, communication over the F1 interface may be possible for that UE.

[0106] The CU-CP 604 and CU-UP 606 can select an available transport layer connection from among the possible E1 transport layer connections 614 similar to that described above with respect to the DU 608 selecting an available transport layer connection for E1 communications. Thus, even if the transport layer connection specified in the UE context for a given UE is unavailable, communications over the E1 interface may still be possible for that UE.

[0107] Similarly, the CU-CP 604 can select an available transport layer connection from among the available NG(N2) transport layer connections 632, similar to those described above with respect to the DU 608. Thus, even if the transport layer connection specified in the context of a given UE is unavailable, communication over the NG(N2) interface may be possible for that UE.

[0108] In some implementations, the present subject matter may be configured to be implemented in a system 800, as shown in FIG. 8 . System 800 may include one or more of a processor 810, a memory 820, a storage device 830, and an input / output device 840. Each of the components 810, 820, 830, and 840 may be interconnected using a system bus 850. Processor 810 may be configured to process instructions for execution within system 600. In some implementations, processor 810 may be a single-threaded processor. In alternative implementations, processor 810 may be a multi-threaded processor. Processor 810 may be further configured to process instructions stored in memory 820 or storage device 830, including receiving or transmitting information through input / output device 840. Memory 820 may store information within system 800. In some implementations, memory 820 may be a computer-readable medium. In alternative implementations, memory 820 may be a volatile memory unit. Further, in some implementations, memory 820 may be a non-volatile memory unit. Storage device 830 may be capable of providing mass storage for system 800. In some implementations, storage device 830 may be a computer-readable medium. In alternative implementations, storage device 830 may be a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, a tape device, a non-volatile solid-state memory, or any other type of storage device. Input / output device 840 may be configured to provide input / output operations to system 800. In some implementations, input / output device 840 may include a keyboard and / or a pointing device. In alternative implementations, input / output device 840 may include a display unit for displaying a graphical user interface.

[0109] 9 illustrates an example method 900 for a cloud-native scalable radio access network in accordance with some implementations of the present subject matter. Method 900 may be performed, for example, using the implementations shown in and described with respect to FIGS.

[0110] The method 900 includes establishing 902 a UE context (e.g., UE contexts 624, 626, 628, etc., of FIG. 6d) for a UE attempting to connect to a wireless communication system including a RAN (e.g., the RAN of FIG. 6a) communicatively coupled to a core network (e.g., the core network 602 of FIG. 6a). The UE context is disassociated from a transport layer connection specified in the UE context.

[0111] In some implementations, the present subject matter may include one or more of the following optional features.

[0112] In some implementations, the RAN may be configured to address a UE context over any of a plurality of available transport layer connections. Further, the RAN may be configured to select one of the plurality of available transport layer connections to address an isolated UE context. Further, the RAN may be configured to randomly select one of the plurality of available transport layer connections, the RAN may be configured to select one of the plurality of available transport layer connections based on load balancing of the plurality of available transport layer connections, or the RAN may be configured to select one of the plurality of available transport layer connections based on a predetermined selection order of the plurality of available transport layer connections.

[0113] In some implementations, a failure of a transport layer connection may not release the UE context. Furthermore, re-establishment of a failed transport connection may be handled independently of the UE context.

[0114] In some implementations, the RAN may be configured to look up the UE context based solely on the application layer context identifier.

[0115] In some implementations, the method may further include communicating between the RAN and the core network after establishing the UE context.

[0116] In some implementations, the method may further include, after establishing the UE context, communicating between a distributed unit (DU) of the RAN and at least one of a control plane portion of a centralized unit (CU) of the RAN and a user plane portion of the CU using an available one selected by the RAN of multiple available transport layer connections between the DU and at least one of the control plane portion and the user plane portion.

[0117] In some implementations, the method may further include, after establishing the UE context, communicating between a control plane portion of a centralized unit (CU) of the RAN and a user plane portion of the CU using an available one selected by the RAN of multiple available transport layer connections between the control plane portion and the user plane portion.

[0118] In some implementations, the RAN may use protocols including one of the following for control plane transport layer communications: Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and QUIC.

[0119] In some implementations, the RAN may use protocols including User Datagram Protocol (UDP) for user plane transport layer communications.

[0120] In some implementations, the RAN may include base stations communicatively coupled to a core network.

[0121] In some implementations, the core network may establish a UE context.

[0122] The systems and methods disclosed herein may be embodied in various forms, including, for example, a data processor such as a computer, including a database, digital electronic circuitry, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, the above-described features and other aspects and principles of the implementations of the present disclosure may be implemented in various environments. Such environments and associated applications may be specially constructed to perform the various processes and operations in accordance with the disclosed implementations, or they may include general-purpose computers or computing platforms selectively activated or reconfigured by code to provide the required functionality. The processes disclosed herein are not inherently related to any particular computer, network, architecture, environment, or other apparatus, but may be implemented by any suitable combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. For example, various general-purpose machines may be used with programs written in accordance with the teachings of the disclosed implementations, or it may be more convenient to construct specialized apparatus or systems to perform the required methods and techniques.

[0123] The systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented as a computer program product, i.e., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier, e.g., a machine-readable storage device or a propagated signal, for execution by or to control the operation of a data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor, computer, or multiple computers. The computer program may be written in any type of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and may be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. The computer program may be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communications network.

[0124] As used herein, the term "user" may refer to any entity, including a person or a computer.

[0125] Although ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. may relate to order in some circumstances, as used in this document, ordinal numbers do not necessarily imply order. For example, ordinal numbers may be used simply to distinguish one item from another. For example, distinguishing a first event from a second event need not imply any chronological order or fixed frame of reference (just as a first event in one paragraph of description may differ from a first event in another paragraph of description).

[0126] The foregoing description is intended to illustrate, but not to limit, the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims. Other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.

[0127] These computer programs, which may also be referred to as programs, software, software applications, applications, components, or code, include machine instructions for a programmable processor and may be implemented in a high-level procedural and / or object-oriented programming language and / or in assembly / machine language. As used herein, the term “machine-readable medium” refers to any computer program product, apparatus, and / or device used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, such as, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a memory, and a programmable logic device (PLD), including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term “machine-readable signal” refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor. A machine-readable medium may non-transitory store such machine instructions, such as, for example, a non-transitory solid-state memory or a magnetic hard drive or any equivalent storage medium. Alternatively or additionally, a machine-readable medium may temporarily store such machine instructions, such as, for example, a processor cache or other random access memory associated with one or more physical processor cores.

[0128] To provide for user interaction, the subject matter described herein may be implemented on a computer having a display device, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor, for displaying information to the user, and a keyboard and pointing device, such as a mouse or trackball, by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other types of devices may also be used to provide for user interaction. For example, feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback, and input from the user may be received in any form, including, but not limited to, acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

[0129] The subject matter described herein may be implemented in a computing system that includes back-end components, such as, for example, one or more data servers, or that includes middleware components, such as, for example, one or more application servers, or that includes front-end components, such as, for example, one or more client computers having a graphical user interface or web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the subject matter described herein, or any combination of such back-end, middleware, or front-end components. The components of the system may be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication, such as, for example, a communications network. Examples of communications networks include, but are not limited to, a local area network ("LAN"), a wide area network ("WAN"), and the Internet.

[0130] A computing system may include clients and servers. Clients and servers are generally, but not exclusively, remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

[0131] The implementations described in the foregoing description do not represent all implementations consistent with the subject matter described herein. Rather, they are merely some examples consistent with aspects related to the subject matter described. While several variations have been described in detail above, other modifications or additions are possible. In particular, additional features and / or variations may be provided in addition to those described herein. For example, the implementations described above may be directed to various combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed features and / or combinations and subcombinations of certain additional features disclosed above. In addition, the logic flow illustrated in the accompanying figures and / or described herein does not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. Other implementations may be within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. establishing a UE context for a user equipment (UE) attempting to connect to a wireless communication system including a radio access network (RAN) communicatively coupled to a core network, the UE context being dissociated from a transport layer connection specified in the UE context; Computer-implemented methods.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the RAN is configured to address the UE context by any of a number of available transport layer connections.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the RAN is configured to select one of the plurality of available transport layer connections to address the separated UE context.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the RAN is configured to randomly select the one of the plurality of available transport layer connections.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the RAN is configured to select the one of the plurality of available transport layer connections based on load balancing of the plurality of available transport layer connections.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the RAN is configured to select the one of the plurality of available transport layer connections based on a predetermined selection order of the plurality of available transport layer connections.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a failure of the transport layer connection does not release the UE context.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the re-establishment of the failed transport connection is handled independently of the UE context.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the RAN is configured to look up the UE context based solely on an application layer context identifier.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising communicating between the RAN and the core network after establishing the UE context.

11. 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after establishing the UE context, communicating between a distributed unit (DU) of the RAN and at least one of a control plane part of a centralized unit (CU) of the RAN and a user plane part of the CU using an available one selected by the RAN from a plurality of available transport layer connections between the DU and at least one of the control plane part and the user plane part.

12. 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after establishing the UE context, communicating between a control plane part of a centralized unit (CU) of the RAN and a user plane part of the CU using an available one selected by the RAN from a plurality of available transport layer connections between the control plane part and the user plane part.

13. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the RAN uses a protocol including one of Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and QUIC for control plane transport layer communication.

14. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the RAN uses a protocol including User Datagram Protocol (UDP) for user plane transport layer communication.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the RAN includes a base station communicatively coupled to the core network.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the core network establishes the UE context.

17. at least one processor; at least one non-transitory storage medium that stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations, The operations are: establishing a UE context for a user equipment (UE) attempting to connect to a wireless communication system including a radio access network (RAN) communicatively coupled to a core network, the UE context being dissociated from a transport layer connection specified in the UE context; Device.

18. 20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the RAN is configured to address the UE context by any of a plurality of available transport layer connections.

19. 20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the RAN is configured to select one of the plurality of available transport layer connections to address the separated UE context.

20. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the RAN is configured to randomly select the one of the plurality of available transport layer connections.

21. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the RAN is configured to select the one of the plurality of available transport layer connections based on load balancing of the plurality of available transport layer connections.

22. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the RAN is configured to select the one of the plurality of available transport layer connections based on a predetermined selection order of the plurality of available transport layer connections.

23. 23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a failure of the transport layer connection does not release the UE context.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the re-establishment of the failed transport connection is configured to be processed independently of the UE context.

25. 25. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the RAN is configured to look up the UE context based solely on an application layer context identifier.

26. 26. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise communicating between the RAN and the core network after establishing the UE context.

27. 27. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the operations further include, after establishing the UE context, communicating between a distributed unit (DU) of the RAN and at least one of a control plane portion of a centralized unit (CU) of the RAN and a user plane portion of the CU using an available one selected by the RAN of a plurality of available transport layer connections between the DU and at least one of the control plane portion and the user plane portion.

28. 28. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the operations further include, after establishing the UE context, communicating between a control plane part of a centralized unit (CU) of the RAN and a user plane part of the CU using an available one selected by the RAN of a plurality of available transport layer connections between the control plane part and the user plane part.

29. 29. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the RAN is configured to use a protocol including one of Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and QUIC for control plane transport layer communication.

30. 30. The apparatus of any one of claims 17 to 29, wherein the RAN uses a protocol including User Datagram Protocol (UDP) for user plane transport layer communications.

31. 30. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the RAN includes a base station communicatively coupled to the core network.

32. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the core network establishes the UE context.

33. at least one non-transitory storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations; The operations are: establishing a UE context for a user equipment (UE) attempting to connect to a wireless communication system including a radio access network (RAN) communicatively coupled to a core network, the UE context being dissociated from a transport layer connection specified in the UE context; storage medium.

34. 34. The storage medium of claim 33, wherein the RAN is configured to address the UE context by any of a plurality of available transport layer connections.

35. 35. The storage medium of claim 34, wherein the RAN is configured to select one of the plurality of available transport layer connections to address the separated UE context.

36. 36. The storage medium of claim 35, wherein the RAN is configured to randomly select the one of the plurality of available transport layer connections.

37. 36. The storage medium of claim 35, wherein the RAN is configured to select the one of the plurality of available transport layer connections based on load balancing of the plurality of available transport layer connections.

38. 36. The storage medium of claim 35, wherein the RAN is configured to select the one of the plurality of available transport layer connections based on a predetermined selection order of the plurality of available transport layer connections.

39. 39. The storage medium of claim 33, wherein a failure of the transport layer connection does not release the UE context.

40. 40. The storage medium of claim 39, wherein the re-establishment of the failed transport connection is configured to be processed independently of the UE context.

41. 41. The storage medium of claim 33, wherein the RAN is configured to look up the UE context based solely on an application layer context identifier.

42. 42. The storage medium of claim 33, wherein the operations further include communicating between the RAN and the core network after establishing the UE context.

43. 43. The storage medium of claim 33, wherein the operations further include, after establishing the UE context, communicating between a distributed unit (DU) of the RAN and at least one of a control plane portion of a centralized unit (CU) of the RAN and a user plane portion of the CU using an available one selected by the RAN of a plurality of available transport layer connections between the DU and at least one of the control plane portion and the user plane portion.

44. 44. The storage medium of claim 33, wherein the operations further include, after establishing the UE context, communicating between a control plane portion of a centralized unit (CU) of the RAN and a user plane portion of the CU using an available one selected by the RAN of a plurality of available transport layer connections between the control plane portion and the user plane portion.

45. 45. The storage medium of claim 33, wherein the RAN is configured to use a protocol including one of Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and QUIC for control plane transport layer communication.

46. 46. ​​The storage medium of any one of claims 33 to 45, wherein the RAN is configured to use a protocol including User Datagram Protocol (UDP) for user plane transport layer communications.

47. 46. ​​The storage medium of any one of claims 33 to 45, wherein the RAN includes a base station communicatively coupled to the core network.

48. 48. The storage medium of claim 33, wherein the core network establishes the UE context.

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