Method and mechanism for slice-based cell reselection - Patents.com

Abstract

Methods and mechanisms for slice-based cell reselection. Systems, methods, apparatus and computer program products for cell reselection are provided. One method may include receiving over-the-air mapping information between tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to a served cell and a list of physical cell identifiers associated with each tracking area associated with a physical cell identifier corresponding to a neighboring cell of the served cell. Slice assist information may be received from a network entity associated with the apparatus that maps one or more network slices to at least one of one or more tracking area identifiers of tracking areas in a user equipment registration area or one or more tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to a user equipment registration area that supports one or more network slices. The over-the-air mapping information and the slice assist information may be used in a cell reselection process.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Some demonstrative embodiments may relate generally to mobile or wireless telecommunications systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Fifth Generation (5G) Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR) access technology, and / or other communications systems. For example, certain demonstrative embodiments may relate to systems and / or methods for cell reselection. [Background technology]

[0002] Examples of mobile or wireless communication systems include 5G RAT, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), LTE Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-A Pro, NR access technology, and / or MulteFire Alliance. 5G radio system refers to the next generation (NG) of radio systems and network architectures. 5G systems are typically built on 5G NR, but 5G (or NG) networks may also be built on E-UTRA radio. NR is expected to be able to support service categories such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-based communications (mMTC). NR is expected to provide extreme broadband, ultra-robust and low-latency connectivity, and massive networking to support the Internet of Things (IoT). Next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) refers to the RAN of 5G and can provide NR, LTE, and LTE-A radio access. It should be noted that a 5G node (e.g., similar to a UTRAN Node B or an LTE Evolved Node B (eNB)) that provides radio access functionality to user equipment may be referred to as a Next Generation Node B (gNB) if built with NR radios, and may be referred to as a Next Generation eNB (NG-eNB) if built with E-UTRA radios. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0003] For a proper understanding of the exemplary embodiments, please refer to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a format of single network slice selection support information. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example signaling diagram in accordance with certain embodiments. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method according to various embodiments. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 illustrates an example flow diagram of another method according to some embodiments. [Diagram 5] 5 shows an example of a flow diagram of another method according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating examples of various network devices according to some embodiments. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a 5G network and system architecture according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0004] It will be readily understood that the components of certain exemplary embodiments, as generally described and illustrated in the Figures herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of several exemplary embodiments of systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products for cell reselection is not intended to limit the scope of the particular embodiments, but instead is representative of selected exemplary embodiments.

[0005] A key feature of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5th Generation (5G) is the ability to support different services using the same underlying mobile network infrastructure through network slicing. Network slicing involves grouping devices with similar performance requirements such as latency, throughput, and transmission speed. In this way, the physical infrastructure of the network can be divided into logically separated virtual networks according to ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) and enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB). Each network slice can be uniquely identified by a Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI), as shown in Figure 1.

[0006] Currently, 3GPP allows a UE to connect to and be served by up to eight Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI), but a cell may support hundreds of S-NSSAIs and a Tracking Area (TA) may support up to 1024 network slices. As shown in Figure 1, each S-NSSAI may consist of a Slice Service Type (SST) and an Operator-defined Slice Differentiation Factor (SD) field (32 bits long). It may consist of only the SST field (8 bits long). The SST field may have standardized and non-standardized values ​​ranging from 0 to 127. For example, an SST value of 1 may indicate that the network slice is compatible with 5G eMBB, and an SST value of 2 may indicate that the network slice is compatible with URLLC. Although network slices offer many advantages, some enterprise / industrial scenarios may require service continuity when a UE moves to a neighboring cell where a network slice is not available. Therefore, in order to provide service continuity, it is beneficial for a UE to not have the service of an ongoing protocol data unit (PDU) session interrupted.

[0007] During idle / inactive mode, the UE may perform periodic cell reselection and camp on a cell while selecting a more suitable cell. During cell reselection, the UE may detect neighboring cells, decode the Master Information Blocks (MIBs) from the detected neighboring cells, prioritize the detected neighboring cells, and select the best cell. The UE may then decode the System Information Block (SIB1) of the selected best cell to determine whether the selected best cell is a suitable cell. If not, the UE may evaluate the second preferred cell by decoding the SIB1 of the second preferred cell until the UE finds a suitable cell.

[0008] As mentioned above, the UE currently does not consider the network slices supported in neighboring cells during cell reselection. This causes active PDU sessions to be dropped when the UE enters connected state, resulting in loss of service continuity. Moreover, even if each cell broadcasts the network slices it supports, the UE needs to decode SIB1 for each cell, which wastes network resources and delays service continuity. Current cell reselection techniques do not consider the network slices supported in neighboring cells. Cell reselection in network slicing deployment has been considered for service continuity, such as for UEs where RRC is not active, to retain PDU sessions established in any slice. This is not supported because the UE is unaware of the slice support of neighboring cells. Therefore, after cell reselection, the UE may select a cell that does not support a network slice with a PDU session. As a result, the UE needs to connect to that cell and perform a registration area update procedure, but then the UE's PDU session may be disconnected because the network slice is not supported in that cell. This issue also applies to RRC idle UEs. That is, if the UE reselects a cell that does not have slice support for the UE's intended slice, e.g., a slice from the allowed NSSAI (or a new slice selected by the UE to connect), the unsupported network slice in the cell's TA is not included in the allowed NSSAI in the registration accept message.

[0009] Certain embodiments described herein may have various advantages and / or benefits for overcoming at least the above-mentioned shortcomings, as well as other problems that may not be described herein. For example, certain embodiments may avoid transmission of duplicate identifiers, such as group IDs. Some embodiments may also enable broadcast of size-limited information, allowing for fast cell reselection. Various exemplary embodiments may also enable PDU session continuity, allowing for service continuity through slicing that supports cell reselection. Accordingly, certain embodiments described below are directed to improvements in computer-related technology.

[0010] According to one embodiment, a fifth generation core (5GC) network is supported by a tracking area (TA) adjacent to a current registration area (RA), A list of network slices in the UE-configured NSSAI and / or UE-authorized NSSAI that are supported in the TA within the current RA may be sent to the UE, allowing the UE to select the best cell, if radio conditions permit, thereby maximizing service continuity or ability to accept the requested slice.

[0011] 2 shows an example of a signaling diagram depicting cell reselection, according to an embodiment. Note that in some embodiments, NE 240 and NE 250 may be similar to NE 610 illustrated in FIG. 6, and UE 230 may be similar to UE 620 illustrated in FIG. 6. Additionally, in some embodiments, 5GC 260 may be similar to the network illustrated in FIG. 7.

[0012] In one embodiment, at 201, the NE 250 may send NG SETUP message(s) to the 5GC 260 including information similar to that described below for the NE 240. At 203, for intra-frequency cell reselection information, the NE 240 may send to the UE 230 a list of PCIs per TAC for TACs adjacent to the current UE RA and a list of PCIs per TAC belonging to the current UE RA or the current RA. At 205, for inter-frequency cell reselection information, the NE 250 may send to the UE 230 a list of frequency bands and / or a list of PCIs per frequency band for TACs adjacent to the current RA and a list of frequency bands and / or a list of PCIs per frequency band for the current RA or a TAC belonging to the current RA. At 207, the NE 240 may send to the 5GC 260 an NG SETUP message including a list of supported TACs and neighboring TACs (such as TA1 and neighboring TA3) of the supported TACs, and a list of NSSAIs supported by the neighboring TACs.

[0013] In various exemplary embodiments, the UE 230 can determine which network slices are supported by each neighbor cell. Prioritization of candidate cells during cell reselection can also take into account information from any of the above-described exemplary embodiments. In some embodiments, the list of S-NSSAIs may be a prioritized list and / or priority information may be assigned to different lists that the UE 230 may consider during cell reselection.

[0014] Further, it should be noted that the TAC may be replaced with a CAG identifier in any of the exemplary embodiments described herein. Furthermore, the exact encoding of the information may vary according to the particular embodiment. For example, instead of sending a list of slices per TA or CAG, a list of TAs per slice in the allowed or configured NSSAI may be sent.

[0015] In a further embodiment, at 209, the UE 230 may send at least one register request to the 5GC 260. At 211, the 5GC 260 may determine that the UE registration area (RA) includes multiple TAs, such as TA1 and TA2. At 213, the 5GC 260 may send one or more register accept messages, such as a NAS register accept message, to the UE 230 during a register update procedure. In some embodiments, the register accept message may include slice assist information. In one embodiment, this slice assist information may include an indication of the UE RA, including the allowed NSSAI, TA1 and TA2 that support a list of slices, and / or a third TA (TA3) that indicates a list of slices. Alternatively, the 5GC 260 may send, for each TA (TA1, TA2, etc.), a list of supported slices for all TAs of the RA, and a list of supported slices for all TAs (TA3, etc.) adjacent to the RA.

[0016] In some further embodiments, the 5GC 260 may transmit as slice assist information those tracking area codes (TACs) and / or those network slices associated with the authorized and / or configured NSSAIs of the UE 230, or the requested NSSAIs (also for border TACs) of the UE 230. For example, if only authorized NSSAIs are of concern for service continuity, only network slices supported by tracking areas adjacent to the current RA may be transmitted.

[0017] In various further exemplary embodiments, the 5GC 260 may transmit in the slice assist information TAC border information of only those network slices that are not part of the allowed NSSAI (i.e., delta). As an example, the information may include delta encoding instead of the allowed NSSAI. For example, an empty list of network slices provided for a border TAC or a TAC in an RA means that the same network slices as the allowed NSSAI are supported in the border TA or a TA in the current RA. In some embodiments, negative deltas may also be used in the slice assist information, e.g., an S-NSSAI SST=15 delta indicates that the S-NSSAI is an allowed NSSAI for a TAC that supports all slices in the allowed NSSAI except for the S-NSSAI SST=15. Similar considerations apply to the configured NSSAI delta, and only negative deltas may be applied to the configured NSSAI since there is no need to signal additional slices that are not in the configured NSSAI.

[0018] In some embodiments, the 5GC 260 may transmit instructions for the trajectory of the UE 230 based, for example, on artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) of a portion of the TAC boundary information. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the TAC may be replaced with a Closed Access Group (CAG) identifier.

[0019] In a further embodiment, at 215, the 5GC 260 may send an NG context setup message, such as a Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) Initial Context Setup Request or an NGAP Handover Request, to the NE 240. In various exemplary embodiments, the NG context setup message may include slice assist information. In some embodiments, this slice assist information may include a UE RA with a list of S-NSSAI(s), or a list of S-NSSAI(s) per TA of the RA and TA3 associated with the list of S-NSSAI(s). At 217, the NE 240 may store the information received at 215. At 219, the NE 240 may send a handover (HO) request to the NE 250, which may include a UE RA that includes a list of S-NSSAIs, or a list of S-NSSAIs per TA of the RA, and an indication of TA3 (TA adjacent to the RA) that includes the list of S-NSSAIs. At 221, the NE 250 may transmit a radio resource control (RRC) release message to the UE 230 that may include slice assist information. In some embodiments, this may include an indication of the UE RA that includes a list of S-NSSAI(s), or a list of S-NSSAI(s) per TA of the RA, and TA3 (a TA adjacent to the RA) that includes a list of S-NSSAI(s). In some embodiments, the NE 250 may transmit the information to the UE 230 during PDU session establishment / modification of the network slice associated with the PDU session.

[0020] In some further embodiments, The 5GC 260 may transmit at 215 only the authorized NSSAI and / or configured NSSAI of the UE 230, or those TACs and / or those network slices associated with the requested NSSAI (also for border TACs) of the UE 230. For example, if only authorized NSSAIs are concerned for service continuity, only network slices supported by tracking areas adjacent to the current RA may be transmitted.

[0021] In various further exemplary embodiments, the 5GC 260 may transmit information of only those network slices that are not part of the allowed NSSAI (i.e., delta) in the slice assist information at the TAC border. As an example, the information may include a delta that encodes an empty list of network slices provided for the border TAC or a TAC within the RA instead of the allowed NSSAI. This means that the same network slices as are in the allowed NSSAI are supported in the TACs within the border TA and RA. For example, an S-NSSAI SST=15 delta indicates that the S-NSSAI SST=15 is an allowed NSSAI for a TAC that supports all slices in the allowed NSSAI except for the S-NSSAI SST=15. Similar considerations apply to the configured NSSAI delta, and only negative deltas may be applied to the configured NSSAI, since there is no need to signal additional slices that are not in the configured NSSAI.

[0022] In some further exemplary embodiments, 5GC260 may transmit trajectory instructions for UE230 based on, for example, the AI / ML of only a portion of the TAC boundary information. Additionally or alternatively, slice assist information border TA may be transmitted to UE230 with an indication that all border TAs support the allowed NSSAI slices. Similarly, an indication may be transmitted in slice assist information indicating that all network slices within the configured NSSAI are supported in the TA of the RA and / or the border TA. UE230 may receive slice support for border TAs around the RA, or slice support for TAs within the RA of UE230 may also be provided.

[0023]

[0023] Figure 3 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of a method that may be performed by a UE, such as the UE 620 illustrated in Figure 6, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. As shown in the example of Figure 3, at 301, the UE may receive over-the-air mapping information between TA identifiers of TAs neighboring a served cell and a list of physical cell identifiers associated with each TA associated with physical cell identifiers corresponding to neighboring cells of the served cell.

[0024] At 303, the UE may receive over-the-air mapping information including a mapping between TA identifiers of TAs neighboring the served cell and a list of physical cell identifiers associated with each of the tracking areas having physical cell identifiers corresponding to at least one of the neighboring cells of the served cell configured to be used by at least one frequency band neighboring the served cell.

[0025] At 305, the UE may receive slice assist information from a network entity, the slice assist information being associated with a device that maps one or more network slices to at least one of one or more TA identifiers of tracking areas within the UE RA or one or more TA identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to the UE RA that support the one or more network slices.

[0026] At 307, the UE may use the radio mapping information and slice assist information in the cell reselection process. In some embodiments, the radio mapping information and slice assist information may be used in the cell reselection process only if multiple neighboring cells are deemed suitable. Furthermore, the radio mapping information may be received via a SIB by the served cell. Furthermore, the slice assist information may be reverse coded as a mapping between a list of tracking area identifiers and at least one network slice supported in each of the corresponding TAs, where the TAs may be at least one of the tracking area of ​​the UE RA or a tracking area adjacent to the TA of the UE RA.

[0027] In various embodiments, the slice assist information may indicate a network slice corresponding to at least one of a list of slices requested by the UE during a registration update procedure, a list of requested slices allowed by the network during a registration update procedure, or a list of configured network slices configured by the network for the user equipment. Furthermore, the slice assist information may consist of only network slices that do not belong to the set of network slices reported as allowed by the network in the registration update procedure. In another embodiment, the tracking area identifier may consist of a closed access group identifier.

[0028] 4 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of a method that may be performed by a 5GC, such as the network illustrated in FIG. 7, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. As illustrated in the example of FIG. 4, at 401, the 5GC may determine at least one tracking area in a UE RA. At 403, the 5GC may transmit slice assist information including a slice (of an authorized NSSAI or a configured NSSAI) associated with the UE, indicating a mapping between one or more network slices and at least one of one or more TA identifiers of a tracking area in the UE RA or one or more TA identifiers of a tracking area adjacent to the UE RA that supports one or more network slices.

[0029] In certain embodiments, each network slice included in the slice assist information may indicate at least one of an SST and an SD for each of one or more network slices. Additionally or alternatively, the slice assist information may be transmitted to at least one user equipment. Additionally, the slice assist information may be transmitted during a registration update procedure.

[0030] In some embodiments, the slice assist information may consist of at least one of a list of network slices requested by the user equipment during a registration update procedure, a list of requested network slices allowed by the network during a registration update procedure, and / or a list of network slices configured in the user equipment by the network. Further, in embodiments, the one or more tracking area identifiers of the slice assist information may consist only of tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to the user equipment registration area. The list of network slices in the slice assist information may consist of multiple network slices allowed by the network during a registration update procedure.

[0031] In various exemplary embodiments, the slice assist information may be reverse coded as a mapping between a list of tracking area identifiers and the network slices supported in each of the corresponding tracking areas. The tracking areas may consist of one or more tracking areas of the user equipment registration area and / or one or more tracking areas adjacent to the tracking areas of the user equipment registration area. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, the slice assist information may consist of only network slices that do not belong to the set of network slices reported as allowed by the network in the registration update procedure. In some embodiments, the slice assist information may be associated with the trajectory of the user equipment. In some embodiments, the mapping information (both the radio mapping and the slice assist information) may include at least one closed access group identifier instead of a tracking area identifier.

[0032] Figure 5 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of a method that may be performed by a network entity, such as the NE 610 illustrated in Figure 6, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. As illustrated in the example of Figure 5, at 501, the NE may receive slice assist information associated with a user equipment, indicating a mapping between one or more network slices and one or more TA identifiers of TAs in a UE RA and / or one or more tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to the UE RA that support the one or more network slices.

[0033] At 503, the NE may store the slice assist information. At 505, the NE may transmit a radio resource control release message including the slice assist information to the UE. At 507, the NE may forward the stored slice assistance information to a network entity in response to at least one handover procedure.

[0034] In some embodiments, the method may further include forwarding the stored slice assist information to a network entity in response to at least one handover procedure. Additionally, the radio resource control deactivation message may be configured to place the user equipment in a radio resource control inactive state. Additionally or alternatively, each network slice included in the slice assist information may indicate at least one of an SST and an SD.

[0035] In certain embodiments, the slice assist information may be received from a core network. Further, in some embodiments, the slice assist information may be received in an NGAP initial context setup request message or an NGAP handover request message.

[0036] In various exemplary embodiments, the method further includes transmitting to the user equipment radio mapping information including mapping information between tracking area identifiers of tracking areas neighboring the served cell and a list of physical cell identifiers associated with each tracking area associated with physical cell identifiers corresponding to neighboring cells of the served cell, and / or radio mapping information of mapping between tracking area identifiers of tracking areas neighboring the served cell and a list of physical cell identifiers associated with each tracking area having a physical cell identifier corresponding to at least one of the neighboring cells of the served cell configured to be used by at least one frequency band neighboring the served cell. Further, in some embodiments, the radio mapping information can be transmitted via system information broadcasted by the served cell.

[0037] 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system according to an exemplary embodiment. In an exemplary embodiment, the system may include one or more devices, such as, for example, a NE 610 and / or a UE 620.

[0038] The NE610 may be one or more of a base station such as an eNB or gNB, a serving gateway, a server, an access point, a transmission / reception point (TRP), a Citizen Broadband Wireless Service Device (CBSD), and / or any other access or wireless node, or a combination thereof.

[0039] In embodiments in which the NE610 may be a gNB, the NE610 may further include at least one gNB-CU that may be associated with at least one gNB-DU. The at least one gNB-CU and the at least one gNB-DU may communicate over at least one F1 interface, at least one Xn-C interface, and / or at least one NG interface over 5GC.

[0040] The UE 620 may include one or more of a mobile device such as a mobile phone, smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet, or portable media player, a digital camera, pocket camcorder, video game console, a navigation unit such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, a desktop or laptop computer, an IoT device, a single location device such as a sensor or smart meter, or any combination thereof.

[0041] The NE 610 and / or the UE 620 may include at least one processor, respectively shown as 611 and 621. The processors 611 and 621 may be embodied by any computing or data processing device, such as a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or equivalent device. The processor may be implemented as a single controller or multiple controllers or processors.

[0042] At least one memory may be provided in one or more devices, as shown at 612 and 622. The memory may be fixed or removable. The memory may include computer program instructions or computer code contained therein. The memory 612 and 622, independently, may be any suitable storage device, such as a non-transitory computer readable medium. A hard disk drive (HDD), a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, or other suitable memory may be used. The memory may be combined on a single integrated circuit as the processor or may be separate from the one or more processors. Furthermore, the computer program instructions that may be stored in the memory and processed by the processor may be any suitable form of computer program code, such as, for example, a compiled or interpreted computer program written in any suitable programming language.

[0043] The processors 611 and 621, memories 612 and 622, and any subset thereof, may be configured to provide means corresponding to the various blocks of FIGS. 2-5. Although not shown, the device may also include positioning hardware, such as GPS or micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) hardware. Other sensors are permitted and can be configured to determine position, altitude, speed, heading, etc., such as a barometer, compass, etc.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 6, transceivers 613 and 623 may be provided and one or more devices may also include at least one antenna, illustrated as 614 and 624, respectively. The devices may include multiple antennas, such as an array of antennas configured for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or multiple antennas for multiple RATs. For example, other configurations of these devices may be provided. The transceivers 613 and 623 may be units or apparatus that may be configured to be transmitters, receivers, both transmitters and receivers, or both transmit and receive.

[0045] The memory and computer program instructions, together with a processor for a particular device, may be configured to cause a hardware apparatus, such as a UE or NE, to perform any of the processes described above (i.e., FIGS. 2-5). Thus, in certain embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may be encoded with computer instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform a process, such as one of the processes described herein. Alternatively, certain embodiments may be performed entirely in hardware.

[0046] In certain embodiments, a device may include circuitry configured to perform any of the processes or functions illustrated in Figures 2-5. For example, the circuitry may be a hardware-only circuit implementation, such as analog and / or digital circuitry. In another example, the circuitry may be a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software or firmware, and / or a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as any portion of a hardware processor and software (including a digital signal processor), software, and at least one memory that cooperate to cause the device to perform various processes or functions. In yet another example, the circuitry may be a hardware circuitry and / or processor, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor that includes software, such as firmware, for operation. Software in the circuitry may not be present if it is not necessary for the operation of the hardware.

[0047] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a 5G network and system architecture according to certain embodiments. Several network functions are shown that may be implemented as software running as part of a network device or dedicated hardware, as the network device itself or dedicated hardware, or as virtual functions running as a network device or dedicated hardware. The NE and UE illustrated in FIG. 7 may be similar to NE 610 and UE 620, respectively. The User Plane Function (UPF) is responsible for intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, routing and forwarding of data packets, packet inspection, It may provide services such as user plane Quality of Service (QoS) processing, buffering of downlink packets, and / or triggering of downlink data notifications. Application Functions (AFs) may interface with the core network primarily to facilitate application usage of traffic routing and interact with the policy framework.

[0048] The features, structures, or characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more exemplary embodiments. For example, the use of "various embodiments," "particular embodiments," "some embodiments," or other similar language throughout this specification refers to the fact that particular features, structures, or characteristics described in connection with the exemplary embodiments may be included in at least one exemplary embodiment. Thus, the appearances of "various embodiments," "particular embodiments," "some embodiments," or other similar language throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same exemplary embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more exemplary embodiments.

[0049] Moreover, if desired, different functions or procedures described above can be performed in different orders and / or concurrently with one another. Moreover, if desired, one or more of the described functions or procedures can be optional and combined. As such, the foregoing description should be considered as illustrative of the principles and teachings of particular exemplary embodiments, and not in limitation thereof.

[0050] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the exemplary embodiments described above may be implemented using steps in a different order and / or with hardware elements in different configurations than those disclosed. Thus, while certain embodiments have been described based on these exemplary embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions will be apparent while remaining within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments.

[0051] According to a first embodiment, the method may include receiving over-the-air mapping information between tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to the served cell and a list of physical cell identifiers associated with each tracking area associated with physical cell identifiers corresponding to neighboring cells of the served cell. The method may further include receiving over-the-air mapping information including a mapping between tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to the served cell and a list of physical cell identifiers associated with each tracking area of ​​physical cell identifiers corresponding to at least one of the neighboring cells of the served cell configured to be used by at least one frequency band adjacent to the served cell. The method includes ... from a network entity one or more network slices and The method may further include receiving slice assist information associated with the device mapping at least one of one or more tracking area identifiers of a tracking area within the user equipment registration area or one or more tracking area identifiers of a tracking area adjacent to the user equipment registration area supporting one or more network slices. The method may further include using the radio mapping information and the slice assist information in a cell reselection process.

[0052] In a variant, the radio mapping information and slice assist information may be used in the cell reselection process only if multiple neighboring cells are considered suitable.

[0053] In a variant, the radio mapping information can be received via system information broadcast by the served cell.

[0054] In a variant, the slice assist information may be reverse coded as a mapping between a list of tracking area identifiers and at least one network slice(s) supported in each corresponding tracking area, where the tracking area is at least one of a tracking area of ​​the user equipment registration area or a tracking area adjacent to the tracking area of ​​the user equipment registration area.

[0055] In a variant, the slice assist information may indicate a network slice corresponding to at least one of a list of slices requested by the user equipment during the registration update procedure, a list of requested slices allowed by the network during the registration update procedure, and a list of configured network slices configured in the user equipment by the network.

[0056] In a variant, the slice assist information may include only network slices that do not belong to the set of network slices reported as allowed by the network in the registration update procedure.

[0057] In a variant, the tracking area identifier may consist of a closed access group identifier.

[0058] According to a second embodiment, the method may include determining at least one tracking area in a user equipment registration area. The method may further include transmitting slice assist information associated with the user equipment indicating a mapping between one or more network slices and at least one of one or more tracking area identifiers of tracking areas in the user equipment registration area or one or more tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to the user equipment registration area supporting the one or more network slices.

[0059] In a variant, each network slice may be included in slice assist information indicating at least one of a slice service type and a slice differentiator for each of one or more network slices.

[0060] In a variant, the slice assist information may be transmitted to at least one user equipment.

[0061] In a variant, the slice assist information may be transmitted during a registration update procedure.

[0062] In a variant, the slice assist information may include at least one of a list of network slices requested by the user equipment during the registration update procedure, a list of requested network slices allowed by the network during the registration update procedure, and a list of network slices configured in the user equipment by the network.

[0063] In a variant, the one or more tracking area identifiers of the slice assist information may consist only of tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to the user equipment registration area, and the list of network slices consists of a number of network slices that are allowed by the network during the registration update procedure.

[0064] In a variant, the slice assist information may be reverse coded as a mapping between a list of tracking area identifiers and network slices supported in each corresponding tracking area, the tracking areas consisting of at least one of one or more tracking areas of the user equipment registration area or one or more tracking areas adjacent to the tracking areas of the user equipment registration area.

[0065] In a variant, the slice assist information may include only network slices that do not belong to the set of network slices reported as allowed by the network in the registration update procedure.

[0066] In a variant, the slice assist information may be associated with the trajectory of the user equipment.

[0067] In a variant, the mapping information may include at least one closed access group identifier instead of a tracking area identifier.

[0068] According to a third embodiment, the method may comprise the step of transmitting at least one of the radio mapping information to a user equipment comprising mapping information between tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to a served cell and a list of physical cell identifiers associated with each tracking area associated with physical cell identifiers corresponding to neighboring cells of the served cell, and radio mapping information between tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to the served cell and a list of physical cell identifiers associated with each of the tracking areas having physical cell identifiers corresponding to at least one of neighboring cells of the served cell configured for use in at least one frequency band adjacent to the served cell.

[0069] In a variant, the method may further include a step of forwarding the stored slice assist information to a network entity in response to at least one handover procedure.

[0070] In a variant, the radio resource control deactivation message may be configured to place the user equipment in a radio resource control inactive state.

[0071] In a variant, each network slice may be included in slice assist information including at least one of a slice service type and a slice differentiation element.

[0072] In a variant, the slice assist information may be received from the core network.

[0073] In a variant, the slice assist information may be received in an advanced application protocol initial context setup request message or an advanced application protocol handover request message.

[0074] In a variant, the method may further include receiving slice assist information associated with the user equipment indicating a mapping between one or more network slices and at least one of one or more tracking area identifiers of tracking areas in a user equipment registration area supporting the one or more network slices or one or more tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to the user equipment registration area. The method may further include storing the slice assist information. The method may further include transmitting a radio resource control release message including the slice assist information to the user equipment.

[0075] In a variant, the radio mapping information can be transmitted via system information broadcast by the served cell.

[0076] According to the fourth, fifth and sixth embodiments, an apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured by the at least one processor to cause at least the apparatus to execute the method according to the first embodiment and any of its variants.

[0077] According to a third embodiment, an apparatus may include means for carrying out the method according to the first embodiment and any of its variants.

[0078] According to the seventh, eighth and ninth embodiments, a computer program product may be encoded with instructions for carrying out a process including the method according to the first embodiment and any of its variants.

[0079] According to the tenth, eleventh and twelfth embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may have instructions stored thereon that, when executed in hardware, perform a process including a method according to the first embodiment and any of its variations.

[0080] According to the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth embodiments, a computer program code may include instructions for carrying out the method according to the first embodiment and any of its variants.

[0081] According to the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth embodiments, an apparatus may include a circuit configured to perform a process including the method according to the first embodiment and any of its variations.

[0082] Partial Glossary 3GPP: Third Generation Partnership Project 5G: Fifth Generation 5GC: 5th generation core 5GS: 5th generation system 5QI: 5th Generation Quality Indicator Service AI: Artificial intelligence AMF: Access and Mobility Management Function ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit BS: Base station CAG: Closed Access Group CBSD: Citizens Broadband Wireless Service Device CN: Core Network CPU: Central Processing Unit DL: Downlink DMRS: Demodulation Reference Signal DRB: Data Radio Bearer eMBB: Enhanced Mobile Broadband eMTC: Enhanced Machine Type Communication eNB: evolved node B eOLLA: Enhanced outer loop link adaptation EPS: Evolved Packet System gNB: Next Generation Node B GPS: Global Positioning System HDD: Hard Disk Drive HO: Handover LTE: Long term evolution LTE-A: Advanced long-term evolution MAC: Media Access Control MBS: Multicast and Broadcast System MCS: Modulation and Coding Scheme MEMS: Microelectromechanical Systems MIB: Master Information Block MIMO: Multiple input multiple output ML: Machine Learning MME: Mobility Management Entity mMTC: Large-scale equipment type communication NAS:Non-Access Stratum NB-IoT: Narrowband Internet of Things NE: Network Entity NG: Next generation NGAP: Next Generation Application Protocol NG-eNB: Next generation evolution base station NG-RAN: Next Generation Radio Access Network NR:New Radio NR-U: Unauthorized use of new wireless communications OFDM: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing OLLA: External Loop Link Adaptation PBR: Preferred Bitrate PCI: Physical Cell Identifier PDA: Personal Digital Assistant PDU: Protocol Data Unit PRACH: Physical Random Access RA:Registration Area RACH: Random Access Channel RAM: Random Access Memory RAN: Radio Access Network RAT: Radio Access Technology RRC: Radio Resource Control SD: slice classifier SIB: System Information Block S-NSSAI: Single Network Slice Assisted Information SST: Slice service type TAC: Tracking Area Code TR: Technical Report TS: Technical specifications UE: User Equipment UL: Uplink UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System URLLC: Ultra-reliable and low-latency communications UTRAN: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network WLAN: Wireless Local Area Network

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, The at least one memory and the computer program code are used by at least one processor to cause the apparatus to: receiving over-the-air mapping information between at least a tracking area identifier of a tracking area adjacent to a served cell and a list of physical cell identifiers associated with each tracking area associated with physical cell identifiers corresponding to neighboring cells of the served cell; receiving over-the-air mapping information comprising a mapping between a list of physical cell identifiers associated with each of the tracking areas using tracking area identifiers of tracking areas neighboring a served cell and physical cell identifiers corresponding to at least one of the neighboring cells of the served cell configured for use by at least one frequency band neighboring the served cell; receiving, from a network entity, slice assistance information associated with the device that maps one or more network slices to at least one of one or more tracking area identifiers of tracking areas within a user equipment registration area or one or more tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to a user equipment registration area that supports one or more network slices; using the radio mapping information and the slice assistance information in a cell reselection process; configured to cause Device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the radio mapping information and the slice assistance information are used in the cell reselection process when multiple neighboring cells are deemed suitable.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the radio mapping information is received via system information broadcast by the served cell.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the slice assistance information indicates a network slice corresponding to at least one of the list of slices requested by a user equipment during a registration update procedure, the list of requested slices allowed by a network during a registration update procedure, or a list of network slices configured in the user equipment by the network.

5. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, The at least one memory and the computer program code, using at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least determine at least one tracking area within a user equipment registration area; transmitting slice assistance information associated with the user equipment indicating a mapping between one or more network slices and at least one of one or more tracking area identifiers of tracking areas within the user equipment registration area or one or more tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to the user equipment registration area supporting the one or more network slices; An apparatus configured to cause the

6. Each network slice included in the slice assistance information includes: The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising: for each of the one or more network slices, indicating at least one of a slice service type or a slice differentiator.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the slice assistance information is transmitted to at least one user equipment.

8. The device of claim 5 , wherein the slice assistance information is transmitted during a registration update procedure.

9. The slice assistance information comprises: a list of network slices requested by the user equipment during a registration update procedure; and A list of requested network slices that were granted by the network during the registration update procedure; or a list of network slices configured by the network in a user equipment; At least one of:

9. Apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8.

10. The one or more tracking area identifiers of the slice assistance information include tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to the user equipment registration area; The list of network slices includes a number of network slices authorized by the network in a registration update procedure.

10. The apparatus of claim 9.

11. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, The at least one memory and the computer program code, using at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: over-the-air mapping information to the user equipment, the mapping information including a tracking area identifier of a tracking area neighboring a served cell, and a list of physical cell identifiers associated with each tracking area associated with physical cell identifiers corresponding to neighboring cells of the served cell; over-the-air mapping information of a mapping between tracking area identifiers of tracking areas neighboring a served cell and the list of physical cell identifiers associated with each of the tracking areas having physical cell identifiers corresponding to at least one of the neighboring cells of the served cell configured to be used by at least one frequency band neighboring the served cell; and configured to cause the device to perform a step of transmitting at least one of Device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the radio mapping information is transmitted via system information broadcast by the served cell.

13. The apparatus further comprises: receiving slice assistance information associated with a user equipment; indicating a mapping between one or more network slices and at least one of: one or more tracking area identifiers of tracking areas in a user equipment registration area, and one or more tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to the user equipment registration area supporting the one or more network slices; storing the slice assistance information; sending, to a user equipment, a radio resource control release message including the slice assistance information; Let it run, 13. Apparatus according to claim 11 or 12.

14. receiving over-the-air mapping information between a list of tracking area identifiers of tracking areas neighboring a served cell and physical cell identifiers associated with each tracking area associated with physical cell identifiers corresponding to neighboring cells of the served cell; receiving over-the-air mapping information including a mapping between tracking area identifiers of tracking areas neighboring a served cell and the list of physical cell identifiers associated with each of the tracking areas having physical cell identifiers corresponding to at least one of the neighboring cells of the served cell configured for use by at least one frequency band neighboring the served cell; receiving, from a network entity, slice assistance information associated with the device mapping one or more network slices and at least one of one or more tracking area identifiers of a tracking area within a user equipment registration area or one or more tracking area identifiers of a tracking area adjacent to the user equipment registration area supporting one or more network slices; using the radio mapping information and the slice assistance information in a cell reselection process; A method comprising:

15. determining at least one tracking area within a user equipment registration area; transmitting slice assistance information associated with the user equipment indicating a mapping between at least one of one or more network slices and one or more tracking area identifiers of tracking areas in a user equipment registration area or one or more tracking area identifiers of tracking areas adjacent to the user equipment registration area supporting the one or more network slices; A method comprising:

16. wireless mapping information including mapping information between a tracking area identifier of a tracking area adjacent to a served cell and a list of physical cell identifiers associated with each tracking area associated with physical cell identifiers corresponding to adjacent cells of the served cell; or a tracking area identifier of a tracking area adjacent to a served cell, and over-the-air mapping information of a mapping between physical cell identifiers corresponding to at least one of the neighboring cells of the served cell configured to be used by at least one frequency band adjacent to the served cell and the list of physical cell identifiers associated with each of the tracking areas; The method includes transmitting at least one of:

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