Configuration Instructions

Abstract

An apparatus is provided, comprising means for receiving a first message, the first message indicating information of at least one network slice identity in one or more wireless network areas; receiving a second message, the second message indicating configuration information of one or more network slices; and determining a configuration to be used for a given network slice based on the first and second messages.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments relate generally to indicating configurations in networks that include network slices. [Background technology]

[0002] 5G networks are designed to support highly diverse and extreme requirements in terms of latency, throughput, capacity and availability. Network slicing provides a solution to meet the requirements of all use cases on a common network infrastructure. Network slicing can be described as a network architecture that allows multiplexing of independent logical networks virtualized on the same physical network infrastructure. Each network slice can be considered as an isolated end-to-end network tailored to meet the diverse requirements demanded by a specific application. Therefore, network slicing can support different services using the same mobile network infrastructure. Network slices may differ either in service requirements, such as ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) or enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or in the tenants that provide those services.

[0003] Various network slices may benefit from using dedicated configurations. However, at the same time, the provision of the configurations should not be too transparent to avoid misconduct. For example, to access the network, a user equipment may use a Random Access (RA) procedure, which includes transmitting an RA preamble on the uplink on RA resources. Some network slices may benefit from being associated with predefined RA configurations and resources. Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to some aspects, the subject matter of the independent claims is provided. Some further aspects are defined in the dependent claims. The embodiments not included in the claims should be construed as examples useful for understanding the present disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0005] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to embodiments and the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a communication network according to one embodiment. [Figure 2A] Figure 2A shows an example of a method for identifying a network slice. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B illustrates a random access procedure according to one embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 illustrates a method according to some embodiments. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A illustrates a method according to some embodiments. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B illustrates a method according to some embodiments. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A illustrates what the first and second messages may consist of, according to some embodiments. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B illustrates what the first and second messages may consist of, according to some embodiments. [Figure 5C] FIG. 5C illustrates what the first and second messages may consist of, according to some embodiments. [Figure 6A] FIG. 6A illustrates what the first and second messages may consist of, according to some embodiments. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B illustrates what the first and second messages may consist of, according to some embodiments. [Figure 6C] FIG. 6C illustrates what the first and second messages may consist of, according to some embodiments. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a signaling flow diagram according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 illustrates an apparatus according to some embodiments. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 illustrates an apparatus according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0006] The following embodiments are illustrative. Although the specification may refer to "a", "one", or "several" embodiment(s) in several places in the text, this does not necessarily mean that each reference is to the same embodiment(s) or that a particular feature applies only to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may be combined to provide other embodiments. For purposes of this disclosure, the phrases "A or B" and "A and / or B" mean (A), (B), or (A and B). For purposes of this disclosure, the phrases "A, B, and / or C" mean (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C).

[0007] The described embodiments may be implemented in a wireless system including at least one of the following radio access technologies (RATs): Worldwide Interoperability for Micro-wave Access (WiMAX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM, 2G), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), General Packet Radio Service (GRPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System based on Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) (UMTS, 3G), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced, and Enhanced LTE (eLTE). Here, "eLTE" refers to the evolution of LTE that connects to a 5G core. LTE is also known as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA) or Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN). The term "resource" may refer to radio resources such as physical resource blocks (PRBs), radio frames, subframes, time slots, subbands, frequency domains, subcarriers, beams, etc. The terms "transmitting" and / or "receiving" may refer to wireless transmission and / or wireless reception via a wireless propagation channel over a radio resource.

[0008] However, the embodiments are not limited to the example systems / RATs, and a person skilled in the art can apply the solution to other communication systems with the required characteristics. One example of a suitable communication system is the 5G system. The 3GPP solution for 5G is called New Radio (NR). 5G is expected to use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) multi-antenna transmission technology, use more base stations or nodes than current LTE network deployments (so-called small cell concept), include macro sites working in conjunction with smaller local area access nodes, and possibly also employ different radio technologies for better coverage and enhanced data rates. 5G will likely consist of multiple radio access technologies / radio access networks (RATs / RANs), each optimized for a specific use case and spectrum. 5G mobile communications may include a wider range of use cases and related applications, such as video streaming, augmented reality, various data sharing methods, vehicle safety, various sensors, and various forms of machine type applications including real-time control. 5G is expected to feature multiple air interfaces, including sub-6 GHz, cmWave, and mmWave, and to be able to integrate with existing legacy radio access technologies such as LTE.

[0009] The current architecture of LTE networks is distributed across radios and centralized in the core network. 5G low-latency applications and services require content to be closer to the radio, which calls for local breakout and multi-access edge computing (MEC). 5G enables analytics and knowledge generation at the data source. This approach requires leveraging resources that are not always connected to the network, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and sensors. MEC provides a distributed computing environment for hosting applications and services. It also has the ability to store and process content closer to the mobile subscriber, improving response times. Edge computing covers a wide range of technologies including wireless sensor networks, mobile data acquisition, mobile signature analysis, cooperative distributed peer-to-peer ad-hoc networking and processing (also classified as local cloud / fog computing and grid / mesh computing), due computing, mobile edge computing, cloudlets, distributed data storage and recovery, autonomous self-healing networks, remote cloud services, augmented and virtual reality, data caching, Internet of Things (large connectivity and / or latency critical), and critical communications (autonomous vehicles, road safety, real-time analytics, time-critical control, healthcare applications). By utilizing network function virtualization (NVF) and software-defined networking (SDN), edge clouds can be incorporated into the RAN. Using edge clouds may mean performing the operations of an access node, at least in part, on a server, host, or node operatively coupled to a remote radio head or base station with radio components. Network slicing allows the creation of multiple virtual networks over a common shared physical infrastructure. The virtual networks are customized to the specific needs of applications, services, devices, customers, and operators.

[0010] In wireless communication, node operations may be performed, at least in part, in a central / centralized unit CU (server, host, node, etc.) operatively coupled to a distributed unit DU (radio head / node, etc.). The node operations may be distributed among multiple servers, nodes, or hosts. It should also be understood that the division of roles between core network operations and base station operations may vary depending on the implementation. Thus, the architecture of 5G networks may be based on a so-called CU-DU split. One gNB-CU controls multiple gNB-DUs. The term "gNB" may correspond in 5G to eNB in ​​LTE. The gNB(s) may communicate with one or multiple UEs. The gNB-CU (central node) may control multiple spatially separated gNB-DUs that operate at least as transmit / receive (Tx / Rx) nodes. However, in some embodiments, the gNB-DU (also referred to as DU) may include, for example, a Radio Link Control (RLC), Medium Access Control (MAC), and Physical (PHY) layer, while the gNB-CU (also referred to as CU) may include layers above the RLC layer, such as a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Radio Resource Control (RRC), and Internet Protocol (IP) layer. Other functional divisions are possible. Those skilled in the art are assumed to be familiar with the OSI model and the functions within each layer.

[0011] In one embodiment, a server or CU can generate a virtual network through which the server communicates with the radio nodes. In general, a virtual network may include a process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functions into a single software-based management entity, the virtual network. Such a virtual network can flexibly distribute operations between the server and the radio heads / nodes. In practice, any digital signal processing task may be performed in either the CU or the DU, and the boundary at which responsibility is transferred between the CU and the DU may be selected depending on the implementation.

[0012] Other technological advancements that will likely be used include software-defined networking (SDN), big data, and all-IP, to name a few non-limiting examples. For example, network slicing can be a form of virtual network architecture using the same principles behind software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) in fixed networks. SDN and NFV can improve network flexibility by allowing traditional network architectures to be broken down into linkable virtual elements (through software). Network slicing allows for the creation of multiple virtual networks over a common shared physical infrastructure. The virtual networks are customized to the specific needs of an application, service, device, customer, or operator.

[0013] Multiple gNBs (Access Points / Nodes), each with a CU and one or more DUs, may be connected to each other via the Xn interface, which gNBs can negotiate. gNBs can also be connected to the 5G Core Network (5GC), which is the equivalent of the LTE Core Network, via the Next Generation (NG) interface. Such a 5G CU-DU split architecture may be implemented using cloud / servers, with the CU with the higher layers located in the cloud and the DU close to or with the actual radio and antenna units. Similar plans are underway for LTE / LTE-A / eLTE. If both eLTE and 5G use similar architectures with the same cloud hardware (HW), the next step could be to combine the software (SW) so that one common SW controls both Radio Access Networks / Technologies (RAN / RAT). This could enable new ways of controlling the radio resources of both RANs. Furthermore, it may be possible to have a configuration where the complete protocol stack is controlled by the same HW and processed by the same radio units as the CU.

[0014] It should also be understood that the division of roles between the operation of the core network and the operation of the base stations may be different from LTE or may not even exist. Other technological advances include big data and all-IP, which may change the way networks are built and managed. 5G (or new radio, NR) networks are designed to support multiple hierarchies, and MEC servers may be located between the core and the base stations or Node Bs (gNBs). It should be understood that MEC is also applicable to 4G networks.

[0015] 5G can also use satellite communications to enhance or complement the coverage of 5G services, for example by providing backhauling. Envisaged use cases include providing service continuity to machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) devices or passengers in vehicles, as well as ensuring service availability for critical communications and future rail / maritime / air communications. Satellite communications can use geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite systems, but also low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, especially megaconstellations (systems with hundreds of (nano)satellites deployed). Each satellite of a megaconstellation can cover multiple satellite-enabled network entities forming a ground cell. The ground cell is created via terrestrial relay nodes or by gNBs located on the ground or on the satellites.

[0016] The present embodiment can also be applied to narrowband (NB) Internet of Things (IoT) systems that allow a wide range of devices and services to be connected using cellular communication bands. NB-IoT is a narrowband radio technology designed for the Internet of Things (IoT) and is one of the technologies standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Other 3GPP IoT technologies suitable for implementing the present embodiment include Machine Type Communication (MTC) and eMTC (extended Machine Type Communication). NB-IoT is particularly focused on achieving low cost, long battery life, and a large number of connected devices. NB-IoT technology is deployed "in-band" in frequency bands allocated to Long Term Evolution (LTE) (using resource blocks in normal LTE carriers or unused resource blocks in the guard bands of LTE carriers) or "standalone" in dedicated frequency bands.

[0017] An embodiment may also be applicable to device-to-device (D2D), machine-to-machine, peer-to-peer (P2P) communications, and may also be applicable to vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V), or generally V2X or X2V communications.

[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a communication system in which embodiments of the present invention may be applied. The system may comprise a control node 110 serving one or more cells, such as cell 100, and a control node 112 serving one or more other cells, such as cell 102. Each cell may be, for example, a macrocell, a microcell, a femtocell, or a picocell. In other respects, a cell may define a coverage area or a service area of ​​a corresponding access node. The control nodes 110, 112 may be evolved Node Bs (eNBs) such as LTE and LTE-A, ng-eNBs such as eLTE, gNBs for 5G, or any other device capable of controlling wireless communication and managing radio resources within a cell. The control nodes 110, 112 may be referred to as base stations, network nodes, or access nodes.

[0019] The system may be a cellular communication system consisting of a radio access network of access nodes, each controlling a respective cell or cells. The access nodes 110 may provide radio access to user equipment (UE) 120 (one or more UEs) to other networks, such as the Internet. The radio access may include downlink (DL) communication from the control node to the UE 120 and uplink (UL) communication from the UE 120 to the control node.

[0020] Additionally, although not shown, one or more local area access nodes may be located such that the cells provided by the local area access nodes at least partially overlap with the cells of the access nodes 110 and / or 112. The local area access nodes may provide wireless access in sub-cells. Examples of sub-cells include microcells, picocells and / or femtocells. Typically, sub-cells provide hot spots within macrocells. The operation of the local area access nodes may be controlled by an access node under whose control region the sub-cells are provided. In general, the control nodes of small cells may also be referred to as base stations, network nodes or access nodes.

[0021] There may be multiple UEs 120, 122 in the system, each of which may be served by the same control node 110, 112 or by different control nodes 110, 112. The UEs 120, 122 may communicate with each other if a D2D communication interface is established between them.

[0022] The term "terminal" or "UE" refers to any end device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), mobile subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (loT) devices, wearables such as watches, head mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating in commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0023] If there are multiple access nodes in a communication network, the access nodes may be connected to each other via an interface. In the LTE specification, such an interface is called the X2 interface. In the case of IEEE 802.11 networks (wireless local area networks, WLANs, WiFi, etc.), a similar interface Xw may be provided between the access points. The interface between an eLTE access point and a 5G access point, or between two 5G access points, may be called Xn. Other communication schemes between the access nodes are also possible. The access nodes 110 and 112 may be further connected to a core network 116 of the cellular communication system via other interfaces. In the LTE specification, the core network is defined as an evolved packet core (EPC), and the core network may comprise a mobility management entity (MME) and a gateway node. The MME may handle the mobility of the terminal device in a tracking area encompassing multiple cells and handle the signaling connection between the terminal device and the core network. The gateway node may handle data routing within the core network and to or from the terminal device. In the 5G specifications, the core network is defined as the 5G Core (5GC), which includes, for example, the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and the User Plane Function / Gateway (UPF), just to name a few. The AMF handles the termination of Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling, NAS encryption and integrity protection, registration management, connection management, mobility management, access authentication and authorization, and security context management. The UPF node supports packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, QoS processing, etc.

[0024] Network slicing in 5G aims to accommodate services with different types of requirements while improving the efficiency of the network. Some services require low latency and need to accommodate local service content, others require high mobility, and still others have no specific requirements on reliability or latency and are closer to the characteristics of current mobile broadband types. The slicing principle in 5G allows a UE to be associated with multiple slices while maintaining only a single signaling connection with the network.

[0025] The UE is provided with information about available slices when registering with the network (via NAS signaling) and one UE can access up to eight different slices simultaneously. When the PDU session is set up, the UE is informed of the Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (NSSAI). Based on this information, the network selects the appropriate slice instance (and related resources) and the AMF coordinates the 5G core side operation. There is one AMF common to all slices of one UE. This AMF obtains information about the slices allowed for a given subscription by interfacing with the Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF).

[0026] Slicing allows for customers requiring different levels of service. A network slice is uniquely identified by a slice ID called S-NSSAI (Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information). In the current 3GPP specification, a UE can be simultaneously connected and served by up to eight S-NSSAIs. Meanwhile, each cell may support tens or even hundreds of S-NSSAIs. For example, in the current specification, a tracking area can support up to 1024 network slices.

[0027] The S-NSSAI may contain both a Slice Service Type (SST) field and a Slice Differential (SD) field with a total length of 32 bits as shown in FIG. 2A, or may contain only the SST field portion if the length of the S-NSSAI is only 8 bits. The S-NSSAI identifies each slice configured for the UE. The SD portion of the SNSSAI may be defined only by the operator. The SST field has standardized and non-standardized values. Values ​​0 to 127 belong to the standardized SST range. For example, an SST value of "1" indicates that the slice is suitable for processing 5G eMBB, and an SST value of "2" indicates that the slice is suitable for processing URLLC.

[0028] One of the channels in a communication network is the so-called Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH as a physical channel, simply RACH as a transport channel). One of the procedures of the PRACH, or RA in general, is the so-called Contention-Based Random Access (CBRA) procedure. This procedure can be expressed in two or four steps, depending on the configuration of the higher layers. For the purposes of explanation, this application focuses on the four-step variant, although it is also applicable to the two-step variant involving MsgA and MsgB. In the following, random access is abbreviated as RA.

[0029] During initial access, the RA procedure is performed after a series of preliminary operations are performed by both the gNB and the UE, e.g., gNB 110 and UE 120. The series of preliminary operations includes, e.g., DL Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) beam sweeping. In this step, gNB 110 transmits a sequence of beamformed SSBs. Then, UE 120 measures the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) for all received SSB beams using a certain receive (RX) beam. Finally, UE 120 selects the index of the preferred SSB and decodes its contents, e.g., Master Information Block (MIB) and / or System Information Block 1 (SIB1).

[0030] We will briefly describe a general RA process between a UE 120 and a gNB 110, as shown in Figure 2B. Although applicable to many networks, the following example will mainly focus on 5G (NR) for simplicity.

[0031] In the CBRA process shown in Figure 2B, the UE 120 selects one available PRACH preamble out of up to 64 available preambles based on the SSB beam index selected in the beam sweeping procedure and transmits it to the gNB in ​​a message (Msg) 1 to the gNB 110 using a specific time and frequency resource known as a Random Access Opportunity (RO). The UE 120 also needs to provide an identity to the network so that the network can address it in the next step. The identity used by the UE is called RA-RNTI (Random Access Radio Network Temporary Identity).

[0032] In the next step, the gNB 110 detects the preamble, calculates both a temporary C-RNTI and a Timing Advance (TA) associated to the RO in which the preamble was received, and sends a PUSCH uplink grant to the UE. This is called a Random Access Response (RAR) and is sent as Msg2 to the UE 120 with the associated RA-RNTI. By default, Msg2 can carry the temporary C-RNTI, which is another identity given to the UE 120, a TA value that provides a means for the UE to compensate for the round trip delay caused by its distance from the gNB 110, and the UL grant resources that are assigned as initial resources to the UE so that it can use the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

[0033] Next, UE 120 transmits Msg3 to the network on the scheduled uplink resources on the PUSCH by using the uplink shared channel. This Msg3 may be referred to as an "RRC Connection Request Message." At this point, UE 110 is identified by the temporary C-RNTI.

[0034] The gNB may then send Msg4 to the UE for contention resolution. After the RRC connection request in Msg3 is processed, an RRC response is sent from the gNB 110 to the UE 120. Although not shown, in one embodiment, an RRC message (e.g., an RRC connection setup message) may be multiplexed with Msg4 (i.e., sent with the MAC contention resolution CE).

[0035] In a contention-based RA process, multiple UEs may transmit PRACH with the same signature. This may mean that the same PRACH preamble from multiple UEs arrives at the network (e.g. gNB) at the same time. Due to such overlap / collision, the RACH process may fail for one or more UEs attempting the RACH process at the same time with the same preamble. For this reason, the network may need to rely on Msg4 contention resolution. UEs that lose the contention, such as a collision due to selecting the same preamble at the same time from different UEs, may repeat the RA procedure.

[0036] There are other possibilities to avoid collisions. In one embodiment, there is a dedicated preamble that the UE uses. The network may have informed the UE which preamble signature to use. Such a RACH process is called a Contention Free Random Access (CFRA) procedure. In such a case, the UE transmits a dedicated preamble (after selecting one from a pool of dedicated preambles) and the network responds with a Random Access Response (RAR, see Msg2 above). A contention-free RA process ensures that no two UEs use the same preamble at the same time, thus avoiding collisions and resolving contention. CFRA is within the scope of this application, but the description is written in terms of CBRA.

[0037] The above RO is a resource designated in the time and frequency domain available for transmitting the RACH preamble. For example, in 3GPP New Radio (NR / 5G), the SSB index is associated with the RO by higher layer signaling. The mapping is very flexible to accommodate different network deployments and loads.

[0038] One of the issues identified in the 3GPP RAN Slicing study item in Release 17 is that some enterprise / industrial scenarios require access resource separation to provide guaranteed resources for pre-configured sensitive slices, such as for Random Access (RA) resources or general RO. Another issue is that UEs may not be differentiated by the network side, for example in the case of initial access. On the other hand, prioritization of some slices may be required during initial access, for example in the case of RA procedures.

[0039] Therefore, it has been proposed to classify initial access resources, e.g. RA resources in case of 5G slicing scenarios, or RA configurations in general, for different slices. However, currently, UEs supporting and requesting a particular slice are not able to distinguish between different RACH configurations for each slice, since the RA procedure and therefore the gNB configurations are slice-independent.

[0040] If the same RA resource pool is used for all UEs, a threat source cannot differentiate between users and cannot identify / track users based on their initial access resource usage, nor can it target specific slices. All a threat source can do in such a scenario is attack the entire cell, which needs to be detected quickly by OAM since the entire access to the cell is blocked. Furthermore, a threat source may not want to attack, but rather identify, locate, and track specific slice UEs. If the resource pool is the same, slice-specific UEs cannot be easily identified and tracked.

[0041] At least for Mobile Originated (MO) access, the only way to know slice-specific initial access resources (e.g., RACH resources) would be via system information. This is transparent (e.g., clear text) information and may not work for all purposes. For example, dedicated signaling may not be feasible, since resource allocations may change in different cells, considering geographic UE distribution and UE mobility. For example, system information indicating that slice “X” can / should be accessed with random access by RO “Y” may not work, since such information would fully reveal which resources are used for which slice, and an observer could easily identify and track UEs in that slice by observing the random access usage of that slice. This poses a risk for devices in mission-critical / sensitive slices, since the slice and / or devices in the slice associated with that slice could be easily identified, tracked and jammed. Also, slice-specific traffic and mobility may be monitored and analyzed by unauthorized parties (e.g., threat sources).

[0042] It is beneficial to introduce resource isolation for mission-critical slices (e.g., vertical UEs), which usually have higher latency and initial access requirements. For example, MBB slices may be available throughout the network, while mission-critical slices may not be available throughout the network. Therefore, if a cell cannot provide such a mission-critical service, it cannot be replaced by another cell, as is the case with MBB slices. However, for the purpose of resource isolation, if slice-specific RACH resources are transparent to all UEs, the system may become more vulnerable to service-specific and / or slice-specific threats.

[0043] To address this issue at least in part, solutions have been proposed that isolate slice-specific random access resources. While applicable to many networks, the following examples focus on 5G and eLTE for simplicity.

[0044] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary method. The method may be performed by a UE, such as the UE 120 of FIG. 1. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, in step 300, the UE 120 may receive a first message. The first message indicates information (also referred to herein as slice mapping information or mapping information) regarding at least one network slice identity in one or more wireless network areas. The first message may also be referred to, for example, as a first input or a first indication. The first message may be preconfigured in the UE. The first message may be received via a wireless radio interface. The first message may be received from a base station, such as the gNB 110, currently serving (assuming the UE is connected to the gNB 110). The first message may be received as a dedicated encrypted message that can only be received by the UE. Alternatively, the first message may be a multicast message that can be received by any UE in a multicast group. The multicast group may share similar parameters, for example, regarding requirements for network slices.

[0045] In step 302, the UE 120 receives a second message, where the second message indicates configuration information of one or more network slices. The second message may be received over a wireless radio interface. The second message / input / indicator may be received while the UE is in an RRC idle mode or an RRC inactive mode. The second message may be received from a base station (e.g., gNB 112) serving a cell (e.g., cell 102) on which the UE is currently camped. The second message may be received as a broadcast message receivable by any UE in cell 102.

[0046] In step 304, UE 120 determines a configuration to be used for a given network slice based on the first and second messages. That is, by combining the information provided in the messages, UE 120 may be able to derive a configuration that the UE should use when accessing, for example, network slice X in cell 102 (assuming that cell 102 supports network slice X). UE 120 can then apply the determined configuration, for example in operation (e.g., PRACH) with gNB 112.

[0047] Consider step 300 and the first message in detail.

[0048] In one embodiment, the wireless network area is or includes a tracking area (TA). In other words, the granularity or validity area of ​​the first message is the TA. As a result, the first message is given to the TA. One TA may include multiple cells / gNBs.

[0049] In other embodiments, the wireless network area is or includes at least one cell, in other words, the granularity or validity area of ​​the first message is at least one cell, such that the first message is provided to at least one cell.

[0050] In other embodiments, the wireless network area is or includes at least one beam, in other words, the granularity or effective area of ​​the first message is at least one beam, so that the first message is provided to at least one beam.

[0051] In other embodiments, the first message may indicate a mapping of multiple TAs, e.g., the serving cell's current TA and one or more neighboring TAs. If the first message is not valid for a particular TA, e.g., when the UE 120 roams to an additional TA, the UE 120 may fall back to a default / normal operation where receipt of the first message is not a prerequisite for the UE's operation.

[0052] In other embodiments, the radio network area is or includes a RAN-based notification area (RNA) or a registration area. For example, the first message includes mapping information of all TAs in the RNA or registration area. Note that, on the other hand, the TA-specific first input can provide more consistent granularity, since the RNA and registration area may be different for each UE and may require coordination.

[0053] In one embodiment, the validity area of ​​the first message is explicitly indicated by associating the first message with the TAI(s) or TAC(s). In other embodiments, the first message is assumed to be valid for the TA, RNA, or registration area in which the first message was received without any explicit indication. In other embodiments, the validity area of ​​the first message is explicitly indicated by associating the first message with the cell ID(s) and / or beam ID(s).

[0054] In one embodiment, the UE 120 receives the first input through an encrypted unicast / dedicated message. In one embodiment, the first message is an RRC message. In one embodiment, the RRC message may be an RRC release message when making a state transition to an inactive or idle state, or a paging message, to name a few non-limiting examples. In other embodiments, the first message is an NAS message. NAS signaling can be used, for example, when the Core Network (CN) provides the first message, and RRC signaling can be used when the Radio Access Network (RAN) provides the first message.

[0055] In one embodiment, if CN signaling is used to provide, for example, the first input for the registration area, the CN can inform or update the RAN (e.g., gNB 110) about the indexing to be used. In other embodiments, RAN signaling is used to provide, for example, the first input for the TA or RNA. If the RAN (e.g., gNB 110) provides the first input for the registration area, the CN may need to explicitly inform the RAN about the registration area of ​​the UE 120. This can be done, for example, via core network assistance information. In one embodiment, if there is only one TA indicated in the first message, some adjustment may be needed at the RAN level regarding the indexing used in the first input, but the message may be provided by the RAN node (e.g., gNB 110) without information from the CN. In one embodiment, the RAN may need to receive from the CN what indexing may be used or how the index mapping may be done in the TA.

[0056] In one embodiment, the first message has a predefined validity period. That is, the indicated first input is only valid for a certain period (e.g., the existing T320 timer or other timer). In one embodiment, a new timer can be defined to store the first input. In other embodiments, event-based trigger storage may additionally or alternatively cause the UE 120 to store the contents of the first message in memory until the next configuration is received, or until the UE 120 is detached from the network, or until subscription data is changed.

[0057] If a timer is used, if the timer expires before receiving a new first input, the UE 120 may fall back to a default / normal operation not associated with the use of a first message. In one embodiment, if the first input needs to be updated, the UE 120 is notified / paged by the network as it may need to return to a connected mode in order to receive the first input.

[0058] Let us now take a closer look at examples of the contents of the first message with respect to Figures 5A to 5C. As shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the mapping information indicates, for each of one or more wireless network regions, how a given network slice is indexed in the second message of the given wireless network region. The mapping may, for example, be pre-configured in each wireless network region (e.g., TA), or the CN may define the mapping.

[0059] In some embodiments, the first input indicates how the SST (slice / service type) and SD (slice differentiator) values ​​may be indexed by the system information in the TA, RNA, or registration domain. The indexing may be done such that the SST / SD values ​​(of the S-NSSAI) are scrambled and anonymized within each domain. In one embodiment, the different network slices are identified in the system information by a slice identity. The slice identity (ID) includes at least one of the slice / service type (SST) and the slice differentiator (SD).

[0060] FIG. 5A shows two columns. The left column shows slice IDs, which in FIG. 5 consist of the SSTs of the S-NSSAI. It is assumed that slices can be identified by their SSTs alone. The right column shows how each of the slice IDs can be mapped to a specific slice index in one or more TAs. For example, reading from the table in FIG. 5A, slice ID 2 corresponds to slice index 1 in TA0, slice index 3 in TA1, and slice index 2 in TA2.

[0061] Figure 5B differs from Figure 5A in that the slice ID is identified by both SST and SD. For example, a slice ID of SST=1 and SD=0 (= third row of Table 5B) is mapped to slice index 2 of TA0, slice index 1 of TA1, and slice index 0 of TA2.

[0062] 5C illustrates an embodiment in which the mapping information indicates, for each of one or more wireless network regions, how a given network slice is indexed in the second message in the given wireless network region and which configuration is associated with which network slice, where the table includes a third column indicating a configuration index in each TA for a given slice ID. For example, looking at the second column of the table, slice ID 0 corresponds / maps to slice index 0 and configuration index 1 in TA0, slice index 2 and configuration index 0 in TA1, and slice index 3 and configuration index 4 in TA2.

[0063] In addition to the slice identifier (ID), an identifier can be given to the slice group, and a mapping can indicate how the slice group maps to a slice index and possibly a configuration index (TA for simplicity in Tables 5A-5C) in each wireless network region. A slice group may be identified by just the SST as in Figures 5A and 5C, while a single slice may be identified by the SST+SD as in Figure 5B.

[0064] In one embodiment, a list / table of all slices available in the relevant TA and their mapping to indices is signaled to the UE 120 in a first message. A drawback of this embodiment is that it can be information-heavy, but this can be acceptable since it is given in a dedicated message.

[0065] In a further embodiment, the mapping information provided to the UE 120 is limited to a subset of all network slices available in the TA(s). For example, the subset may include only the slices required by that UE 120. This may be desirable from an operator's perspective, as some operators may not want to disclose the entire list of slices.

[0066] In one embodiment, the network provides the index only for the authorized NSSAI of the particular UE 120. If the UE has a subscription to a slice that is not currently in the authorized NSSAI and therefore the UE is not provided with an index in the first message that maps to the slice, the UE may fall back to default / normal behavior. This may occur, for example, if the UE did not include a slice ID during registration or if the network rejected the slice ID during registration. The default / legacy behavior does not include using slice-specific configurations in the first and second messages. Instead, the legacy behavior includes using a common resource pool like all other legacy UEs.

[0067] Turning now to step 302, in one embodiment, the UE 120 receives a second input through an unencrypted broadcast message in step 302, where the broadcast message may be a System Information Block (SIB) message, for example SIB1.

[0068] In one embodiment, the second message is slice-specific, while in other embodiments, the second message can be used for multiple slices, in which case the same second message may be broadcast to slices with similar slice characteristics, such as slice priority.

[0069] In one embodiment, the second input is valid for a cell or gNB. This is beneficial because each cell can support a different slice set. In one embodiment, the second input is simply assumed to be valid for the cell or gNB where it is received. In other embodiments, the second input may be valid for multiple cells or multiple gNBs, which may be explicitly indicated, for example, by including a physical cell ID (PCI) or similar ID information with the second input. If the content of the second message is valid for multiple cells / nodes, inter-gNB coordination (between cells / nodes) regarding the broadcasted second message may be required between the involved gNBs.

[0070] In one embodiment, like the content of the first message, the content of the second message may have a validity period, i.e., the content may be considered valid only for a certain period (e.g., while a timer is running). In one embodiment, a new timer may be defined to store the second input. In other embodiments, event-based triggered storage may be possible in addition or alternatively, as with the first message. In one embodiment, the validity period may have a certain periodicity. For example, the configuration may be valid for a certain time interval. In one embodiment, the second input is valid while the first input is valid. If a timer is used, the UE 120 may fall back to default / legacy behavior if the timer expires before receiving a new second input.

[0071] An example of the content of the second message will be looked at in more detail with respect to Figures 6A-6C. As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the configuration information of the second message indicates a mapping between different configurations and different network slices, with each network slice being identified in the second message by an index that is unique to the wireless network region in which the second message is received. The association of indexes with slice IDs is obtained from the first message, e.g., as described above with reference to Figures 5A-5C.

[0072] In the context of Figures 6A-6C, it is assumed that the configuration index refers to the PRACH configuration. In other words, the second message may indicate the PRACH resource configuration (e.g., resource allocation and format) mapped to an index value (or one or more index values) representing, for example, SST and / or SD, i.e., a given network slice. In one embodiment, the random access configuration includes random access resources dedicated to the given network slice. This may ensure that a UE attempting to access a cell on a particular slice has a higher chance of accessing the cell than if the UE were forced to use common or contention-based resources.

[0073] However, it should be noted that an embodiment is applicable to indicate other configurations as well as or in addition to the PRACH configuration. For example, the second input may be slice-specific radio resource configurations other than the PRACH resources, such as a Medium Access Control (MAC) configuration (e.g., configured parameters for power control) and / or a Physical Layer (PHY) configuration (e.g., configured parameters for physical layer numerology) and / or a Radio Resource Management (RRM) related configuration in general (e.g., configured parameters for radio resource allocation for data transmission). In case of indicating multiple configurations for a slice, the first message of FIG. 5C or the second message of FIG. 6A-6B may be extended with an additional column that maps the slice index to the additional configurations. Alternatively, one configuration index may correspond to a combination of configurations, in which case no additional columns are required in the table.

[0074] In one embodiment, the configuration (e.g., PRACH configuration) is identified by an index. The UE may know what the configuration index of this cell refers to. For example, a particular configuration index may refer to a configuration for which a particular time / frequency resource is available. As a non-limiting example, a particular PRACH configuration index indicated in the second message may define that the UE should transmit a PRACH preamble on a particular time and / or frequency resource, or use a particular preamble signature for the preamble. Such mapping information between the configuration index and the radio resource may be predefined in the UE, pre-signaled to the UE, or received in the system information, etc. Alternatively, although not shown in Figures 6A-6C, the configuration mapping information of the second message may include, for example, configuration information of the system frame, subframe, and preamble format for each PRACH configuration index. Each cell may have its own configuration available for a particular slice, which may be determined by the cell's control node (e.g., gNB 112).

[0075] FIG. 6A shows an example of the second input on how the PRACH resource index is mapped to the slice index received in the first message. Based on this configuration mapping information in the second message, a UE 120 located in TA1 and wanting to access, for example, slice ID 0 (which corresponds to slice index 2 in TA1 based on the content of the first message with reference to FIG. 5A) determines that the UE 120 may use configuration index 0, 1, 2, or 3 based on the row corresponding to slice index 2. That is, in this cell, there are four different configurations available for slice ID 0. Each configuration index may be mapped to a specific time / frequency resource, for example, for the transmission of the PRACH preamble. The number of configurations available for each slice index / slice ID is configurable by the network, and the configurations shown in FIGS. 6A-6B are non-limiting examples.

[0076] The row in Figure 6A with slice index [0,2] indicates that PRACH configuration 3 is available for both slice indexes 0 and 2, which corresponds to slice IDs 2 and 3 of TA1 based on the information in the first message.

[0077] Figure 6B shows the same content as the table in Figure 6A in a summarized form. For example, the third line of Figure 6B with slice index "1" means that slice index "1" is associated with or mapped to at least PRACH configuration 4, and possibly others ([...]), as shown in line 6 (and line 7 [...]) of Figure 6A.

[0078] FIG. 6C shows yet another embodiment that can be combined with the embodiment of FIG. 5C. In this FIG. 6C embodiment, the second input may include one or more index values ​​(corresponding to a particular slice ID or slice IDs as given in the first message). The broadcasted index of the second message may include only slice indices supported in the cell in which the UE is currently located. In this FIG. 6C example, the gNB (e.g., gNB 112) that transmits the second message only supports slice indices 0 and 3. Assuming that cell 102 is in TA2, these slice indices correspond to slice IDs 1 and 0, respectively.

[0079] As shown in relation to Figure 5C, the slice index is also linked (in the first message) to the configuration index, so that a given slice index in the second message also corresponds to one or more configurations.

[0080] Note that within a TA, each cell may support a different set of slices. For example, in TA0, cell 1 may support slice 2 with PRACH resources from 0 to 5, and in the same TA0, cell 2 may support slice 2 with PRACH resources from 3 to 8. That is, even though cell 1 and cell 2 support slice 2, they need to broadcast different index values. This is because the allocation of random access resources may be different for each cell. In other embodiments, within a TA, each cell may support a different combination of resources.

[0081] In one embodiment, the first message can be modified so that the coverage area is a cell instead of a TA. This can allow the UE to determine which configuration to use if the UE knows which cell it will receive the second message on. However, in one embodiment, all cells in the TA (or within the coverage area used) have the same PRACH configuration for a slice. In such a case, the inputs in Figures 5C and 6C are sufficient for the UE 120.

[0082] As described, in step 304, the first input and the second input are used by UE 120 as a basis for UE 120 to obtain an appropriate configuration for the requested slice, e.g., as a basis for determining a correct PRACH resource allocation dedicated to the requested network slice.

[0083] In one embodiment, the UE 120 determines which of the one or more wireless network areas of the first message the UE is currently located in. The determination of the configuration in step 304 may be further based on the determined wireless network area in which the UE 120 is currently located.

[0084] 7 is a signaling flow diagram according to one embodiment. In step 700, assume that UE 120 is connected to gNB 110 serving cell 100. In step 704, gNB 110 transmits a first message, possibly in an RRC release message, to UE 120. In this example embodiment, the first message indicates at least that slice ID X corresponds to slice index Y of TA Z.

[0085] In step 706, the UE transitions to an RRC idle mode or an RRC inactive mode. Also, in step 706, it is assumed that the UE moves into the coverage area of ​​a cell 102 provided by a gNB 112, as shown in Figure 1. It is assumed that the cell 102 belongs to a TA Z.

[0086] In step 708, the gNB 112 broadcasts a second message, which is detectable and receivable by the UE 120. The second message indicates that at least slice index Y corresponds to PRACH configuration A for this cell 102. This message is receivable by other UEs in the cell, but the UEs that acknowledged receiving the first message are unable to understand the mapping between slice index and slice ID.

[0087] In step 710, the UE decides to move to an RRC connected state for slice ID X (= slice index Y). Thus, in step 712, the UE 120 decides to use PRACH configuration A as indicated in the second message. In step 714, the UE transmits a PRACH preamble on resources based on the determined PRACH configuration A. The receiving gNB 112 can detect that the UE wants to connect on slice ID X. However, other UEs or tracking entities do not know the slice ID that the UE 120 is currently using, since they did not receive the first message. In step 716, the UE 120 is in a connected mode on slice ID X with the gNB 112.

[0088] FIG. 4A illustrates the proposal from the perspective of a network node such as gNB 110. In step 400, gNB 110 provides a first message to a user equipment (e.g., UE 120), where the first message indicates information of at least one network slice in one or more wireless network areas. As previously described, the first message may be an encrypted dedicated message. More specifically, the first message may indicate, at least, for each of one or more wireless network areas (also referred to as coverage areas), how a given network slice is indexed in the second message in the given wireless network area. FIG. 4B illustrates the proposal from the perspective of a network node such as gNB 112. In step 402, gNB 112 provides a second message to a user equipment (e.g., UE 120), where the second message indicates configuration mapping information of one or more network slices. As previously described, the second message may be an unencrypted broadcast message. The second message may, for example, indicate a mapping between different configurations and different network slices, each network slice being identified in the second message by an index specific to the radio network region in which the second message is received. In step 404, the gNB 112 detects a random access preamble from the user equipment for a random access configuration, the configuration being determinable by the UE based at least in part on the second message. The determination of the configuration by the UE 120 may be further based on the first message, which may be received from this gNB or from another gNB. In step 406, the gNB 112 determines the network slice required by the user equipment based on the random access configuration.

[0089] In one embodiment, the operations performed in Figures 4A and 4B are performed by the same network node, which may be the case when UE 120 camps on or returns to the same cell.

[0090] Although described in the context of network slices, the embodiments are applicable for use in UE-specific resource allocation in a broader context. For example, the embodiments are applicable to access category (AC) based resource allocation. In such a case, an access category ID or a set of category IDs takes the place of a slice ID, a first message maps the AC ID to an AC index, and a second message maps the AC index to a configuration index of different coverage areas (= radio network areas / geographical areas). When utilizing access categories, operator-defined access categories can also be used. In such a case, the access category can be mapped to a slice, e.g., an access category number can be mapped to a slice ID, and such mapping can be utilized by various embodiments presented herein.

[0091] Some advantages of an embodiment may include, for example, that initial access resources for random access may be allocated in a manner that is not easily used by a third party to track, identify, and attack a mission-critical UE. Thus, the embodiment may improve the fault tolerance of a (mission-critical) network that deploys mission-critical slices.

[0092] Conventionally, a cell may broadcast the slice IDs (e.g., SST, SD) that it supports, but that is not linked to the slice-specific configuration as provided in the first and second messages. With this solution, slice-specific configurations are associated with slice indices, regardless of the broadcast of supported slices. However, it is beneficial for the UE to receive a first message with each slice ID (SST, SD) mapped to a slice index, and then a second message, to be able to understand which slice index it corresponds to in terms of SST and SD. In other words, without the first message, the second message is useless, since it simply does not indicate which slice ID the slice index maps to by itself.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 8, an embodiment provides an apparatus 10 comprising a control circuit (CTRL) 12, such as at least one processor, and at least one memory 14 containing computer program code (software), which, together with the at least one processor, is configured to cause the apparatus to perform any one of the processes described above. The memory may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The memory may comprise a database for storing data. The database of the memory is used, for example, to store information to be transmitted in the first and second messages.

[0094] In one embodiment, the device 10 may comprise a terminal device of a communication system, such as a user terminal (UT), computer (PC), laptop, tabloid computer, cellular telephone, mobile phone, communicator, smartphone, palm computer, mobile transport device (such as an automobile), household appliance, or other communication device, generally referred to herein as UE. Alternatively, the device is included in such a terminal device. Furthermore, the device may be or include a module (attached to the UE) that provides connectivity, such as a plug-in unit, a "USB dongle," or any other type of unit. The unit may be mounted inside the UE, attached to the UE with a connector, or attached wirelessly.

[0095] In one embodiment, the device 10 is a UE 120 or is configured in a UE 120. This device is capable of performing some of the functions of the processes described above, such as the steps of FIG.

[0096] The device may further comprise a radio interface (TRX) 16 comprising hardware and / or software for realising a communication connection according to one or more communication protocols. The TRX may be used, for example, for receiving the first and second messages. The TRX may provide the device with communication capabilities, for example, for accessing a radio access network.

[0097] The device may also include a user interface 18, for example including at least one keypad, microphone, touch display, display, speaker, etc. The user interface may be used to allow a user to control the device.

[0098] The control circuit 12 may include a slice determination circuit 20 for determining which slices the device supports or requires, according to any of the embodiments. Each slice ID may be defined by an SST or by an SST+SD. The control circuit 12 may further include a configuration determination circuit 22 for determining a configuration for a given index based on the first and second messages, according to any of the embodiments. The control circuit 12 may further include a random access circuit 24 for performing random access to a particular slice based on the determined configuration, according to any of the embodiments.

[0099] As shown in FIG. 9, an embodiment provides an apparatus 50 comprising a control circuit (CTRL) 52, such as at least one processor, and at least one memory 54 containing computer program code (software), which, together with the at least one processor, is configured to cause the apparatus to perform any one of the processes described above. The memory may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The memory may comprise a database for storing data. The stored data may include, for example, slice mapping information and / or configuration mapping information.

[0100] In one embodiment, the apparatus 50 may be or be included in a network node such as a 5G gNB / gNB-CU / gNB-DU. In one embodiment, the apparatus resides or is included in the network node 110 or the network node 112. The apparatus may perform some of the functions of the processes described above, such as the steps of Figures 4A and / or 4B.

[0101] In one embodiment, a CU-DU (Central Unit-Distributed Unit) architecture is implemented. In such a case, the device 50 may be included in a central unit (e.g., control unit, edge cloud server, server) operatively coupled (e.g., via wireless or wired network) to a distributed unit (e.g., remote radio head / node). That is, the central unit (e.g., edge cloud server) and the wireless node may be standalone devices communicating with each other via wireless paths or via wired connection. Alternatively, they may be in the same entity communicating via wired connection, etc. An edge cloud or edge cloud server may provide services to multiple wireless nodes or wireless access networks. In one embodiment, at least a part of the described processing may be performed by a central device. In other embodiments, the device may instead be included in a distributed unit and at least a part of the described processing may be performed by the distributed unit. In one embodiment, the execution of at least a part of the functions of the device 50 may be shared between two physically separate devices (DU and CU) forming one operating entity. Thus, the device may be considered to be indicative of an operating entity comprising one or more physically separate devices for performing at least a part of the described process. In one embodiment, a device controls the execution of a process regardless of the location of the device and regardless of where the process / function is performed.

[0102] The device may further comprise a communications interface (TRX) 56 comprising hardware and / or software for implementing a communications connection according to one or more communications protocols. The TRX may provide the device with communications capabilities for accessing, for example, a radio access network. The TRX may be used, for example, for transmitting the first and / or second messages.

[0103] The device may also include a user interface 58, including, for example, at least one keypad, microphone, touch display, display, speaker, etc. The user interface may be used for control of the device by a user.

[0104] The control circuitry 52 may comprise a slice mapping circuitry 60 for determining / obtaining a mapping between slice IDs and slice indexes, possibly in different TAs, according to any of the embodiments. The control circuitry 52 may comprise a configuration determination circuitry 62 for determining, for example, a configuration of a cell provided by the device. For example, the gNB 112 (as the device 50) may define that slice ID X can use configurations A and B in the cell 102. The circuitry 64 may be configured to determine the slice ID that the UE is requesting based on the RACH configuration used by the UE, according to any of the embodiments.

[0105] In one embodiment, an apparatus for implementing at least some of the described embodiments comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured together with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to implement functions according to any one of the described embodiments. According to one aspect, when the at least one processor executes the computer program code, the computer program code causes the apparatus to perform functions according to any one of the described embodiments. According to another embodiment, an apparatus for implementing at least some of the embodiments comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one processor and the computer program code performing at least some of the functions according to any one of the described embodiments. Thus, the at least one processor, the memory, and the computer program code form a processing means for performing at least some of the described embodiments. According to yet another embodiment, an apparatus for implementing at least some of the embodiments comprises a circuit including at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. When activated, the circuit causes the apparatus to perform at least some of the functions according to any one of the described embodiments.

[0106] As used in this application, the term "circuit" refers to all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations, such as implementations of only analog and / or digital circuits, and (b) combinations of circuits and software (and / or firmware), as applicable, (i) combinations of processors, or (ii) combinations of processors / software portions, including digital signal processors, software, and memory(s), which cooperate to cause the device to perform various functions, and (c) circuits, such as microprocessors or portions of microprocessors, that require software or firmware for operation, even if the software or firmware is not physically present. This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" also covers implementations of simply a processor (or processors) or portions of a processor and its (or their) associated software and / or firmware. The term "circuit" also includes, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or an application processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone, or similar integrated circuits in a server, cellular network device, or other network device, if applicable to the particular element.

[0107] In an embodiment, at least some of the described processes may be performed by an apparatus comprising corresponding means for performing at least some of the described processes. Some exemplary means for performing a process may include at least one of a detector, a processor (including dual-core and multi-core processors), a digital signal processor, a controller, a receiver, a transmitter, an encoder, a decoder, a memory, a RAM, a ROM, software, firmware, a display, a user interface, a display circuit, a user interface circuit, a user interface software, a display software, a circuit, an antenna, an antenna circuit, and a circuit.

[0108] The techniques and methods described herein can be implemented in various ways. For example, these techniques can be implemented in hardware (one or more devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or a combination thereof. In the case of hardware implementation, the apparatus of the embodiments can be implemented in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof. In the case of firmware or software, the implementation can be implemented through modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) of at least one chipset that performs the functions described herein. The software code can be stored in a memory unit and executed by the processor. The memory unit can be implemented within the processor or external to the processor. In the latter case, it can be communicatively coupled to the processor through various means as known in the art. Additionally, the components of the systems described herein may be rearranged and / or supplemented with additional components to facilitate accomplishment of the various aspects described therein, and are not limited to the precise configurations shown in the given figures, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0109] The embodiments as described may also be implemented in the form of a computer process defined by a computer program or a portion thereof. The described method embodiments may be implemented by executing at least a portion of a computer program including corresponding instructions. The computer program may be in source code form, object code form, or any intermediate form and may be stored on any carrier, which may be any entity or device capable of carrying a program. For example, the computer program may be stored on a computer program distribution medium readable by a computer or processor. The computer program medium may be, for example, but not limited to, a recording medium, a computer memory, a read-only memory, an electrical carrier signal, an electrical communication signal, a software distribution package, and the like. The computer program medium may be a non-transitory medium. Coding software to implement the embodiments as shown and described is within the scope of a person skilled in the art.

[0110] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments according to the accompanying drawings, it is clear that the present invention is not limited thereto, and that some modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, all words and expressions should be interpreted broadly, and they are intended to describe, not limit, the embodiments. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the concept of the present invention can be implemented in various ways with the advancement of technology. Moreover, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the described embodiments are not necessary, but can be combined with other embodiments in various ways.

Claims

1. A user device having at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being transmitted by the at least one processor to the user device, receiving a first message from a first network node as an encrypted dedicated message of the user equipment, the first message indicating information about at least one network slice in one or more wireless network areas, the information in the first message indicating, for each of one or more wireless network areas, how a given network slice is indexed in a second message for a given wireless network area; receiving a second message from a second network node as a broadcast message, the second message indicating configuration information of one or more network slices, the configuration information of the second message indicating a mapping between different configurations and different network slices, each network slice being identified in the second message by an index unique to the wireless network region in which the second message is received, the configuration information of the second message indicating a random access configuration for a given network slice in the wireless network region in which the second message is received; determining a configuration to be used for a given network slice based on the first and second messages; A user equipment configured to execute the above steps.

2. The user equipment further comprises:

2. The user equipment of claim 1, configured to cause the user equipment to perform the steps of: determining which of the one or more wireless network regions is currently located in, the determination of the configuration being further based on the determined wireless network region.

3. The user equipment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wireless network region is a tracking region.

4. The user equipment of claim 1 , wherein the wireless network area is one of a RAN-based notification area, a registration area, a cell, and a beam.

5. 5. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the information in the first message indicates, for each of the one or more wireless network areas, how a given network slice is indexed in the second message in a given wireless network area and which configurations are associated with which network slices.

6. 6. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the information in the first message includes only a subset of all network slices available in the one or more wireless network areas.

7. The user equipment of claim 6 , wherein the subset of network slices includes only network slices that the user equipment is authorized to use.

8. A user equipment as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least one of the first message or the second message has a predetermined validity period.

9. A user equipment as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first network node is a core network node, the first message is received as a non-access stratum message, and the second network node is a radio access network node.

10. A user equipment comprising: receiving a first message from a first network node as an encrypted dedicated message of the user equipment, the first message indicating information about at least one network slice in one or more wireless network areas, the information in the first message indicating, for each of one or more wireless network areas, how a given network slice is indexed in a second message for a given wireless network area; receiving a second message from a second network node as a broadcast message, the second message indicating configuration information of one or more network slices, the configuration information of the second message indicating a mapping between different configurations and different network slices, each network slice being identified in the second message by an index unique to the wireless network region in which the second message is received, the configuration information of the second message indicating a random access configuration for a given network slice in the wireless network region in which the second message is received; determining a configuration to be used for a given network slice based on the first and second messages; A method for performing.

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