Extensions for event monitoring publishing

Abstract

The embodiments herein relate to an extension for event monitoring publishing. In some embodiments, a method (600) is proposed, which is implemented by a first network function (101) implementing an application function. In one embodiment, the method (600) may include a step (S601) of sending a subscription message including at least one of a data network name (DNN) of a data network and a single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) to a second network function (102) implementing a network publishing function to monitor an event status for a user equipment (UE) or a group of UEs. In one embodiment, the method (600) may further include a step (S602) of receiving a notification message including information indicating the event status from the second network function (102). Embodiments herein enable an application function to subscribe to PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS events or other monitoring events (such as DOWNLINK_DATA_DELIVERY_STATUS events) for a particular data network or 5G virtual network via a Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation for a single UE, a group of UEs or any UE.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments herein generally relate to the field of mobile communications, and more particularly, embodiments herein relate to enhancements for event monitoring exposure. [Background technology]

[0002] 1 is a schematic block diagram 100 illustrating an example architecture for a 5G network architecture in a non-roaming scenario defined by 3GPP. Relevant architectural aspects for event monitoring publishing include an Application Function (AF) 101, a Network Publishing Function (NEF) 102, a Unified Data Manager (UDM) 104, and a Session Management Function (SMF) 103.

[0003] The AF 101 interacts with the 3GPP core network, in particular allowing external parties to use public application programming interfaces (APIs) provided by the network operator. The NEF 102 supports different functions, in particular supporting the public event API. The UDM 104 supports different functions, in particular supporting (group) identifier translation and the public event API. The SMF 103 supports different functions, in particular supporting the public event API.

[0004] 2 is a schematic signaling chart showing messages in a packet data network (PDN) connectivity status subscription procedure according to the prior art. As shown in FIG. 2, the following messages or steps are included: 1. The AF101 invokes the Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation (see 3GPP TS23.502, v17.1.0) by sending an HTTP POST message as specified in the MonitoringEvent API (see 3GPP TS29.122, v17.2.0) to monitor PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS events for a group of UEs (identified by an External Group Id) or for a single UE (identified by an External Id or Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network Number (MSISDN)).

[0005] 2. The NEF 102 maps the Service Capability Server (SCS) / Application Server (AS) identifier and external group Id, external Id or MSISDN to a Data Network Name (DNN) based on local policy. In particular, if the event subscription is for a single UE, the NEF 102 derives a General Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI) based on the received external Id or MSISDN.

[0006] 3. The NEF 102 queries the Network Repository Function (NRF) 105 to perform network function discovery / selection for the UDM(s) 104 that serve the particular external group Id or GPSI.

[0007] 4. The NEF 102 invokes the Nudm_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation (see 3GPP TS 23.502, v17.1.0 and 3GPP TS 29.503, v17.3.0) to subscribe to PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS events for a group of UEs (identified by an external group Id) or for a single UE (identified by a GPSI) for the specific DNN derived in step 2. The UDM 104 creates the corresponding event subscription and stores the event subscription data in the Unified Data Repository (UDR) (if the UDM 104 is a stateless UDM).

[0008] 5. During the Packet Data Unit (PDU) Session Establishment procedure, the SMF 103 registers with the UDM 104 using Nudm_UECM_Registration for a given PDU session.

[0009] 6. If the UDM 104 has an existing applicable event publishing subscription for an event discovered in the SMF 103 (possibly retrieved from the UDR) for either this UE or a group to which this UE belongs, the UDM 104 invokes the Nsmf_EventExposure_Subscribe service to create the event publishing subscription.

[0010] 7. For SMFs 103 that register with the UDM 104 in steps 5 and 6, the UDM 104 invokes the Nsmf_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation (see 3GPP TS 23.502, v17.1.0 and 3GPP TS 29.508, v17.3.0) to subscribe to PDU_SES_REL and PDU_SES_EST events for the group of UEs (identified by the External Group Id), if such event subscriptions have not been previously created on that SMF 103.

[0011] 8. The SMF 103 reports the corresponding event directly to the NEF 102 via the Nsmf_EventExposure_Notify service operation (see 3GPP TS23.502, v17.1.0 and 3GPP TS29.508, v17.3.0).

[0012] 9. The NEF 102 reports the PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS event to the AF 101 via the Nnef_EventExposure_Notify service operation (see 3GPP TS 23.502, v17.1.0) by sending an HTTP POST message as specified in the MonitoringEvent API (see 3GPP TS 29.122, v17.2.0). Summary of the Invention

[0013] Embodiments herein propose a method, a network function, a computer-readable medium and a computer program product for PDN connectivity status subscription.

[0014] Some embodiments propose a method performed by a first network function implementing an application function (e.g., an AF). In one embodiment, the method may include sending a first subscription message including at least one of a DNN of a data network and single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) to a second network function implementing a network publishing function (e.g., an NEF) to monitor an event status for a UE or a group of UEs. In one embodiment, the method may further include receiving a first notification message from the second network function including information indicating the event status.

[0015] In one embodiment, the event status may be a PDN connectivity status or a downlink data delivery status.

[0016] In one embodiment, the first subscription message may further include at least one of an external group ID indicating a group of UEs, an external UE ID indicating a specific UE, an MSISDN indicating a specific UE, a GPSI indicating a specific UE, and an indication indicating any UE.

[0017] Some embodiments propose a method performed by a second network function implementing a network publishing function (such as an NEF). In one embodiment, the method may include receiving a first subscription message including at least one of a DNN of a data network and an S-NSSAI from a first network function implementing an application function (such as an AF) to monitor an event status for a UE or a group of UEs. In one embodiment, the method may further include determining a third network function implementing a session management function (such as an SMF) or a fourth network function implementing a unified data management function (such as a UDM) for the PDN connectivity status subscription. In one embodiment, the method may further include sending a second subscription message including at least one of the DNN and the S-NSSAI to the determined network function.

[0018] In one embodiment, the event status may be a PDN connectivity status or a downlink data delivery status.

[0019] In one embodiment, the first subscription message may further include at least one of an external group ID indicating a group of UEs, an external UE ID indicating a specific UE, an MSISDN indicating a specific UE, a GPSI indicating a specific UE, and an indication indicating any UE.

[0020] In one embodiment, determining the network capability may further include querying a fifth network capability implementing a network repository function (such as an NRF) for a fourth network capability implementing unified data management (such as a UDM) based on at least one of the external group ID, the external UE ID, the MSISDN, and the GPSI.

[0021] In one embodiment, the method may further include performing authorization for at least one of the external group Id, the DNN, the external UE ID, the MSISDN, the GPSI, and the S-NSSAI based on a local policy.

[0022] In one embodiment, determining the network capabilities may further include querying a fifth network function implementing a network repository function (such as an NRF) for one or more third network functions implementing a session management function (such as an SMF) based on the DNN and the S-NSSAI.

[0023] In one embodiment, the method may further include converting an external group ID to an internal group ID based on a local policy. In another embodiment, the method may further include converting an MSISDN or an external UE ID to a GPSI based on a local policy.

[0024] In one embodiment, the method may further include querying a fifth network function implementing a network repository function (e.g., an NRF) for a fourth network function implementing unified data management (e.g., a UDM) based on the external group ID. In one embodiment, the method may further include sending a request including the external group ID to the fourth network function implementing unified data management. In one embodiment, the method may further include receiving an internal group ID from the fourth network function implementing unified data management.

[0025] In one embodiment, the method may further include receiving a second notification message from a third network function implementing session management functionality, the second notification message including information indicating the event status. In one embodiment, the method may further include sending a first notification message to the first network function, the first notification message including information indicating the event status.

[0026] In one embodiment, a first network function implementing an application function (such as an AF) is proposed. The first network function may comprise at least one processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one processor. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include instructions executable by the at least one processor, whereby the at least one processor is configured to perform the above-described method steps related to the first network function.

[0027] In one embodiment, a second network function (such as a NEF) is proposed that implements a network publishing function. The second network function may comprise at least one processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one processor. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include instructions executable by the at least one processor, whereby the at least one processor is configured to perform the above-described method steps related to the second network function.

[0028] In some embodiments, a computer readable medium is proposed comprising computer readable code that, when run on a device, causes the device to perform any of the above methods.

[0029] In some embodiments, a computer program product is proposed, comprising computer readable code that, when run on a device, causes the device to perform any of the above methods.

[0030] Embodiments herein enable the AF, when supporting multiple and flexible DNN and S-NSSAI combinations, to subscribe to PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS events or other monitoring events (such as DOWNLINK_DATA_DELIVERY_STATUS) for a specific data network or 5G virtual network via the Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation for a single UE, a group of UEs, or any UE.

[0031] Embodiments herein further enable the NEF to directly subscribe to events from the SMF for monitoring of (one or more) DNN and / or S-NSSAI based events in order to reduce unnecessary signaling messages between the UDM, UDR and SMF, and thus the end-to-end latency and resource consumption / workload of the UDM and UDR may be optimized.

[0032] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to further explain the principles of the disclosure and to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the embodiments disclosed herein. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate equivalent or functionally similar elements. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0033] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example architecture for a 5G network architecture in a non-roaming scenario. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic signaling chart showing messages in a PDN connectivity status subscription procedure according to the prior art; [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic signaling chart illustrating messages in a PDN connectivity status subscription procedure, according to embodiments herein. [Figure 4] 10 is another schematic signaling chart illustrating messages in a PDN connectivity status subscription procedure according to embodiments herein. [Figure 5] 10 is yet another schematic signaling chart illustrating messages in a PDN connectivity status subscription procedure, according to embodiments herein. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic flowchart illustrating an exemplary method in a first network function, according to embodiments herein. [Figure 7] 10 is a schematic flowchart illustrating an exemplary method in a second network function, according to embodiments herein. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an exemplary first network function according to embodiments herein. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an exemplary second network function, according to embodiments herein. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer-implemented device, according to embodiments herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] Embodiments of the present specification are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the embodiments are shown. However, these embodiments of the present specification may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other.

[0035] A reference to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described with respect to that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrase "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

[0036] The term "A, B, or C" as used herein means "A" or "B" or "C", the term "A, B, and C" as used herein means "A" and "B" and "C", and the term "A, B, and / or C" as used herein means "A", "B", "C", "A and B", "A and C", "B and C" or "A, B, and C".

[0037] As described above in Figure 2, the prior art PDN connectivity status subscription procedure may enable the AF 101 to subscribe to the PDN connectivity status of a UE. However, there are deficiencies associated with the prior art subscription procedure.

[0038] Problem 1: There is no provision in the 3GPP technical specifications for how the UE identifier should be mapped to the DNN in the NEF 102. It is not flexible / realistic to generate for the NEF 102 to locally map the SCS / AS identifier (Id) and external group identifier, external identifier or MSISDN to the DNN.

[0039] The possible mapping options are: 1. SCS / AS Id vs DNN, 2. SCS / AS Id + external group Id vs. DNN, 3. SCS / AS Id + External Id (or MSISDN) vs DNN.

[0040] In option 1, new SCS / AS Ids need to be allocated for the new DNN. A new mapping between the SCS / AS Ids and the DNN needs to be handshake between the AF operator and the communication operator prior to reconfiguring or adapting the AF 101 (new mapping from new SCS / AS Ids to new DNN) and the NEF 102 (NEF 102 may use the SCS / AS Ids for authentication and authorization).

[0041] The one-to-one mapping between DNNs and SCS / AS Ids (i.e., using dedicated SCA / AS Ids for dedicated DNNs) is an extra requirement for AF101 and introduces extra implementation complexity.

[0042] There are too many combinations for the above mentioned options 2 and 3. It is difficult for both AF operators and telecom operators to manage and maintain so many combinations.

[0043] Problem 2: The prior art PDN connectivity status subscription procedure introduces unnecessary dependencies on the UDM 104 and (in the case of stateless UDMs) the UDR for event subscriptions on the SMF 103.

[0044] For each PDU session registration from the SMF 103 to the UDM 104 using Nudm_UECM_Registration, the UDM 104 needs to fetch the individual event publishing subscriptions and / or individual event publishing group subscriptions related to this UE from the UDR to determine which event subscriptions need to be created on the SMF 103. This behavior introduces many signaling interactions between the UDM 104 and the UDR to retrieve the UDM event subscription data. As a result, this behavior introduces unnecessary latency and resource consumption (e.g., CPU, memory, storage, network bandwidth) in the UDM 104 and the UDR (because in the case of a stateless UDM, the UDM 104 needs to store the subscription information in the UDR).

[0045] Furthermore, further extensions to the PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS event subscription will impact the UDM 104 (to support new extended attributes and logic) and the UDR (the event subscription data model to be updated), which makes the prior art PDN connectivity status subscription procedure difficult to extend for new public use cases.

[0046] In view of the deficiencies in the PDN connectivity status subscription procedure according to the prior art, the embodiments propose a DNN attribute and / or an S-NSSAI attribute in the data type MonitoringEventSubscription in the MonitoringEvent API to enable the AF101 to specify a DNN and / or an S-NSSAI for the PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS event subscription, which may also be applicable to other monitoring types (such as DOWNLINK_DATA_DELIVERY_STATUS).

[0047] Furthermore, upon receiving an Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation from the AF 101 for a PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS event subscription, the embodiments herein propose a new procedure in the NEF 102, whereby the NEF 102 may perform SMF discovery / selection and the NEF 102 can directly invoke an Nsmf_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation with the selected SMF(s) 103.

[0048] Furthermore, the embodiments herein also propose a new procedure in the NEF 102, which allows the NEF 102 to enforce authorization for external group Ids, DNNs and / or S-NSSAIs based on local policies.

[0049] In particular, the NEF 102 may also translate the external group Id (if received) to an internal group Id based on local policy instead of querying the UDM 104, and thus the NEF 102 may avoid or at least reduce interaction with the UDM 104. That is, the NEF 102 may derive the GPSI from the external Id or the MSISDN (if received from the AF 101) and use the GPSI directly in the Nsmf_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation to subscribe to PDU_SES_REL and PDU_SES_EST events, and thus direct interaction with the UDM 104 may be omitted or at least reduced.

[0050] In the present disclosure, an application scenario of the embodiments herein may occur in a 5G system, where network functions may be implemented as AF101, NEF102, UDM104, SMF103, etc.

[0051] It should be understood that application scenarios of the embodiments herein may also occur in other current communication systems, such as 4G systems or EPS or future communication systems, where the network functions may have the same or similar functions as the above-mentioned network functions in the 5G system. For example, the SMF 103 in the 5G system may be implemented by an MME, a Serving Gateway (SGW), and a PDN Gateway (PGW), which are responsible for session management functions, the UDM 104 may be implemented by a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), the UDR may be implemented by a Subscription Profile Repository (SPR), and the NEF 102 may be implemented by a Service Capability Publishing Function (SCEF).

[0052] For simplicity, the embodiments herein are based on the 5G architecture, and may also be applicable to the 4G (EPC) architecture.

[0053] It should also be understood that a network function may be implemented either as a network element on dedicated hardware, as a software instance running on dedicated hardware, or as a virtualized function instantiated on a suitable platform, for example, on a cloud infrastructure.

[0054] 3 is a schematic signaling chart illustrating messages in a PDN connectivity status subscription procedure according to embodiments herein. The signaling in the schematic signaling chart may be implemented in an exemplary 5G network architecture as shown in FIG. 1. Note that, for example, PDN connectivity status subscription is used here, and similar procedures may be applicable for other event monitoring, such as downlink data delivery status.

[0055] In this schematic signaling chart, the NEF 102 may bypass the UDM 104 and subscribe to the event(s) directly to the SMF(s) 103. In one embodiment, the PDN connectivity status subscription procedure may include the following messages or steps: 1. The AF 101 may invoke the Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation by sending an HTTP POST message as specified in the MonitoringEvent API to monitor PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS events for a specific DN (identified by DNN) and / or S-NSSAI (optional), for a group of UEs (identified by an external group Id), or for a single UE (identified by an external Id, MSISDN, or GPSI), or for any UE. In Figure 3, the external group Id is used here as an example in a scenario of a group of UEs.

[0056] If the event subscription is for a single UE, the NEF 102 may derive the GPSI based on the received external Id or MSISDN.

[0057] If the subscription applies to an event related to a single PDU session for the UE, the PDU session ID of that PDU session as the "pduSeId" attribute and the UE identification as the "supi" or "gpsi" attribute may be used.

[0058] If the subscription applies to an event(s) that is not related to a single PDU session, the identity of the UE(s) to which the subscription applies may be used via: a) Identification of a single UE by its SUPI as the "supi" attribute or its GPSI as the "gpsi" attribute; b) Identification of the group(s) of UEs via the "groupId" attribute; c) Identification of any UE via the "anyUeInd" attribute set to true; d) Identification of a group(s) of UEs within the DNN and / or S-NSSAI via the "groupId" attribute and either the "dnn" attribute and the "snssai" attribute; or e) Identification of any UE in the DNN and / or S-NSSAI via the "anyUeInd" attribute set to true and either the "dnn" attribute and the "snssai" attribute.

[0059] In one embodiment, an example of a MonitoringEvent API is shown in Table 1 below. TIFF0007746540000001.tif255164TIFF0007746540000002.tif6170

[0060] As can be seen from Table 1, in one embodiment, a data type "Dnn" may be added to the MonitoringEvent API to identify a DNN.

[0061] In one embodiment, another example of the MonitoringEvent API is shown in Table 2 below. TIFF0007746540000003.tif255165TIFF0007746540000004.tif42170

[0062] As can be seen from Table 2, in one embodiment, the phrase "msisdn(s) is equivalent to gpsi(s)" may be added to the reuse API applicable to both EPS and 5GS to emphasize that MSISDN(s) is equivalent to GPSI(s) in identifying UE(s).

[0063] In one embodiment, an example of the data type MonitoringEventSubscription in the MonitoringEvent API is shown in Table 3 below. TIFF0007746540000005.tif255165TIFF0007746540000006.tif127170NOTE 1: One of the properties 'externalId', 'msisdn', 'ipv4Addr', 'ipv6Addr' or 'externalGroupId' shall be included for the features 'Location_notification' and 'Communication_failure_notification'. One of the properties 'externalId', 'msisdn' or 'externalGroupId' shall be included for the feature 'eLCS'. 'ipv4Addr' or 'ipv6Addr' are required for monitoring via the PCRF for individual UEs. One of the properties "externalId", "msisdn" or "externalGroupId" shall be included for the features "Pdn_connectivity_status", "Loss_of_connectivity_notification", "Ue-reachability_notification", "Change_of_IMSI_IMEI_association_notification", "Roaming_status_notification", "Availability_after_DDN_failure_notification" and "Availability_after_DDN_failure_notification_enhancement". One of the properties "externalId", "msisdn", "externalGroupId" and / or "dnn" and "snssai" shall be included for the feature "Session_Management_Enhancement". If only one of "dnn" and "snssai" is included, then any UE in DNN and / or S-NSSAI is applicable.

[0064] As can be seen from Table 3, in one embodiment, an attribute "dnn" with a data type "Dnn", which may be applicable to a new feature, such as the Session_Management_Enhancement feature, may be added to the definition of type MonitoringEventSubscription to identify the DNN. In one embodiment, the identified DNN may be a complete DNN with both a network identifier and an operator identifier, or a DNN with only a network identifier.

[0065] Additionally, as can be seen from Table 3, in one embodiment, the attribute "snssai" with data type "Snssai" in the definition of type MonitoringEventSubscription, which may be used to indicate the S-NSSAI that an event monitoring subscription is targeting, may now also be applicable to the Session_Management_Enhancement feature.

[0066] In one embodiment, an example of the data type PdnConnectionInformation in the MonitoringEvent API is shown in Table 4 below. TIFF0007746540000007.tif93170

[0067] As can be seen from Table 4, in one embodiment, an attribute "snssai" with a data type "Snssai" may be added to the definition of type PdnConnectionInformation to identify S-NSSAI.

[0068] In one embodiment, an example of the features used by the MonitoringEvent API is shown in Table 5 below. TIFF0007746540000008.tif255164TIFF0007746540000009.tif194170

[0069] As can be seen from Table 5, in one embodiment, the feature "Session_Management_Enhancement" may be added to the features used by the MonitoringEvent API for session management enhancements with the requested DNN and / or S-NSSAI. This feature "Session_Management_Enhancement" requires that the Pdn_connectivity_status feature and / or Downlink_data_delivery_status_5G are also supported.

[0070] In one embodiment, in particular, "dnn:$ref:'TS29571_CommonData.yaml# / components / schemas / Dnn'" and "snssai:$ref:'TS29571_CommonData.yaml# / components / schemas / Snssai'" may be added to the MonitoringEvent API.

[0071] In one embodiment, an example of NsmfEventExposure is shown in Table 6 below. TIFF0007746540000010.tif255164TIFF0007746540000011.tif255165TIFF0007746540000012.tif67170

[0072] 2. The NEF 102 may enforce authorization for external group Id, DNN and / or S-NSSAI based on local policy. If a single UE is monitored, the NEF 102 may enforce authorization for external UE ID, MSISDN, GPSI, DNN and / or S-NSSAI based on local policy.

[0073] 3. The NEF 102 may map external group Ids to internal group Ids based on local policy.

[0074] 4. The NEF 102 may query the NRF 105 to discover / select the SMF 103(s) of interest that may serve a particular DNN and / or S-NSSAI.

[0075] 5. For each selected SMF 103, the NEF 102 may invoke the Nsmf_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation to subscribe to PDU_SES_REL and PDU_SES_EST events for a specific DN and S-NSSAI (identified by the DNN), for a group of UEs (identified by the internal group Id derived in step 2), or for a single UE (identified by the GPSI derived in step 1), or for any UE.

[0076] 6. The SMF 103 may report the corresponding event directly to the NEF 102 via the Nsmf_EventExposure_Notify service operation.

[0077] 7. The NEF 102 may report the PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS event to the AF 101 via the Nnef_EventExposure_Notify service operation by sending an HTTP POST message as specified in the MonitoringEvent API.

[0078] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, since “DNN” and / or “S-NSSAI” are provided in the MonitoringEventSubscription data type, or the requested external group Id is converted as an internal group Id by the NEF local configuration, the NEF 102 can directly invoke the Nsmf_EventExposure service to the serving SMF(s) discovered by the NF discovery procedure or local configuration in the NEF 102 without interacting with the UDM 104.

[0079] 4 is another schematic signaling chart illustrating messages in a PDN connectivity status subscription procedure according to embodiments herein. The signaling in the schematic signaling chart may be implemented in an exemplary 5G network architecture as shown in FIG. 1. Note that, for example, PDN connectivity status subscription is used here, and similar procedures may be applicable for other event monitoring, such as downlink data delivery status.

[0080] In this schematic signaling chart, the NEF 102 may interact with the UDM 104 to subscribe to event(s) directly to the SMF(s) 103. In one embodiment, the PDN connectivity status subscription procedure may include the following messages or steps: 1. The AF 101 may invoke the Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation by sending an HTTP POST message as specified in the MonitoringEvent API to monitor PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS events for a specific DN (identified by DNN) and / or S-NSSAI (optional), for a group of UEs (identified by an external group Id), or for a single UE (identified by an external Id, MSISDN, or GPSI), or for any UE. In Figure 4, the external group Id is used here as an example in a scenario of a group of UEs.

[0081] The above examples in Tables 1-6 may also be applicable to the MonitoringEvent API of FIG.

[0082] 2. The NEF 102 may enforce authorization for external group Id, DNN and / or S-NSSAI based on local policy. If a single UE is monitored, the NEF 102 may enforce authorization for external UE ID, MSISDN, GPSI, DNN and / or S-NSSAI based on local policy.

[0083] 3. The NEF 102 may query the NRF 102 to perform network function (NF) discovery for the UDM 104(s) that may serve the particular external group Id.

[0084] 4. The NEF 102 may call Nudm_SDM_Get to convert the external group Id to an internal group Id. Nudm_SDM_Get is further specified in 3GPP TS29.503, v17.3.0 as Nudm_SubscriberDataManagement_Get.

[0085] 5. The NEF 102 may query the NRF 105 to discover / select the SMF 103(s) of interest that may serve a particular DNN and / or S-NSSAI.

[0086] 6. For each of the selected SMFs 103(s), the NEF 102 may invoke the Nsmf_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation to subscribe to PDU_SES_REL and PDU_SES_EST events for a specific DN and S-NSSAI (identified by the DNN), for a group of UEs (identified by the internal group Id derived in step 2), or for a single UE (identified by the GPSI derived in step 2), or for any UE.

[0087] 7. The SMF 103 may report the corresponding event directly to the NEF 102 via the Nsmf_EventExposure_Notify service operation.

[0088] 8. The NEF 102 may report the PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS event to the AF 101 via the Nnef_EventExposure_Notify service operation by sending an HTTP POST message as specified in the MonitoringEvent API.

[0089] 5 is yet another schematic signaling chart illustrating messages in a PDN connectivity status subscription procedure according to embodiments herein. The signaling in the schematic signaling chart may be implemented in an exemplary 5G network architecture as shown in FIG. 1. Note that, for example, PDN connectivity status subscription is used here, and similar procedures may be applicable for other event monitoring, such as downlink data delivery status.

[0090] In this schematic signaling chart, the NEF 102 may interact with the UDM 104 for event subscription to the SMF(s) 103. In one embodiment, the PDN connectivity status subscription procedure may include the following messages or steps: 1. The AF 101 may invoke the Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation by sending an HTTP POST message as specified in the MonitoringEvent API to monitor PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS events for a specific DN (identified by a DNN), for a group of UEs (identified by an external group Id), for a single UE (identified by an external Id, MSISDN, or GPSI), or for any UE. In Figure 5, the external group Id is used here as an example in a scenario of a group of UEs.

[0091] If the event subscription is for a single UE, the NEF 102 may derive the GPSI based on the received external Id or MSISDN.

[0092] The above examples in Tables 1-6 may also be applicable to the MonitoringEvent API of FIG.

[0093] 2. The NEF 102 may query the NRF 105 to perform NF discovery / selection for the UDM(s) serving a particular external group Id or GPSI.

[0094] 3. The NEF 102 may call Nudm_EventExposure_Subscribe to subscribe to PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS events for a specific DN (identified by DNN), for a group of UEs (identified by ExternalGroupId), for a single UE (identified by GPSI), or for any UE. The UDM 104 may create the corresponding event subscription and store the event subscription data in the UDR (if the UDM 104 is a stateless UDM).

[0095] 4. During the PDU session establishment procedure, the SMF 103 may register with the UDM 104 using Nudm_UECM_Registration for a given PDU session.

[0096] 5. If the UDM 104 has an existing applicable event publishing subscription for an event discovered in the SMF 103 (possibly retrieved from the UDR) for either this UE or a group to which this UE belongs, the UDM 104 may call the Nsmf_EventExposure_Subscribe service to create the event publishing subscription.

[0097] 6. For an SMF 103 that registers with a UDM 104 in steps 4 and 5, the UDM 104 may invoke the Nsmf_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation to subscribe to PDU_SES_REL and PDU_SES_EST events for a group of UEs (identified by the External Group Id), if such event subscriptions have not been previously created on that SMF 103.

[0098] 7. The SMF 103 may report the corresponding event directly to the NEF 102 via the Nsmf_EventExposure_Notify service operation.

[0099] 8. The NEF 102 may report the PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS event to the AF 101 via the Nnef_EventExposure_Notify service operation by sending an HTTP POST message as specified in the MonitoringEvent API.

[0100] The embodiments shown in Figures 3-5 may enable AF101 to subscribe to PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS events related to a data network or a 5G virtual network for a group of UEs, a single UE, or any UE via the NEF Event Publishing API.

[0101] The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 may, in particular, provide a way to remove UDM 104 and (in the case of a stateless UDM) UDR from the traffic path of PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS event publication, thus reducing the event subscription end-to-end latency and resource consumption / workload of UDM 104 and UDR.

[0102] By introducing "DNN" and / or "S-NSSAI" in the MonitoringEventSubscription data type for the AF, embodiments may correctly and dynamically provide DNN and / or S-NSSAI subscription requests.

[0103] If the "Session_Management_Enhancement" feature is supported, when "DNN" and / or "S-NSSAI" are provided in the MonitoringEventSubscription data type for the requested external group Id or any UE, the NEF 102 may, based on local policy, directly invoke the Nsmf_EventExposure service to the serving SMF 103(s) discovered by the NRF network capability discovery procedure or local configuration in the NEF 102.

[0104] 6 is a schematic flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 600 in a first network function according to an embodiment of the present specification. In one embodiment, the flowchart 600 in FIG. 6 may be implemented in the first network function (such as the AF 101) in FIGS. 3 to 5. It should be noted that, for example, PDN connectivity status subscription is used here, and similar procedures may be applicable for other event monitoring, such as downlink data delivery status.

[0105] The method 600 may begin in step S601, where a first network function may send a first subscription message including at least one of a DNN of a data network and an S-NSSAI to a second network function implementing a network publishing function (such as the NEF 102) to monitor a PDN connectivity status for a UE or a group of UEs, where the UE may be a specific UE or any UE.

[0106] In one embodiment, the first subscription message may further include an external group ID indicating a group of UEs. In another embodiment, the first subscription message may further include an external UE ID, MSISDN, or GPSI indicating a specific UE. In yet another embodiment, the first subscription message may further include an indication indicating any UE.

[0107] The method 600 may then proceed to step S602, where the first network function may receive a first notification message from the second network function, the first notification message including information indicating the PDN connectivity status.

[0108] The above steps are only examples, and the first network function may perform any of the actions described with respect to Figures 3 to 5 to monitor the PDN connectivity status of the UE via the PDN connectivity status subscription procedure.

[0109] 7 is a schematic flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 700 in a second network function according to an embodiment herein. In one embodiment, the flowchart 700 in FIG. 7 may be implemented in the second network function (such as the NEF 102) in FIGS. 3-5. Note that, for example, PDN connectivity status subscription is used here, and similar procedures may be applicable for other event monitoring, such as downlink data delivery status.

[0110] The method 700 may begin in step S701, where a second network function may receive a first subscription message including at least one of a DNN of a data network and an S-NSSAI from a first network function implementing an application function (such as the AF 101) to monitor a PDN connectivity status of a UE or a group of UEs, where the UE may be a specific UE or any UE.

[0111] In one embodiment, the first subscription message may further include an external group ID indicating a group of UEs. In another embodiment, the first subscription message may further include an external UE ID, MSISDN, or GPSI indicating a specific UE. In yet another embodiment, the first subscription message may further include an indication indicating any UE.

[0112] Method 700 may then proceed to step S702, where the second network function may determine a third network function implementing a session management function (such as SMF103) or a fourth network function implementing an integrated data management function (such as UDM104) for the PDN connectivity status subscription.

[0113] In one embodiment, determining the network functionality in step S702 may further include, based on the DNN and the S-NSSAI, querying a fifth network functionality implementing a network repository functionality (such as NRF 105) for one or more third network functions implementing a session management functionality (such as SMF 103), as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

[0114] In one embodiment, determining the network capability in step S702 may further include querying a fifth network capability implementing a network repository function (such as NRF 105) for a fourth network capability implementing unified data management (such as UDM 104) based on one of the external group ID, the external UE ID, the MSISDN, or the GPSI, as shown in FIG. 5 .

[0115] Method 700 may then proceed to step S703, where the second network function may send a second subscription message to the determined network function (one or more SMFs 103 or UDMs 104) including at least one of the DNN and the S-NSSAI.

[0116] The method 700 may then proceed to step S704, where the second network function may receive a second notification message from a third network function implementing a session management function, the second notification message including information indicating the PDN connectivity status.

[0117] The method 700 may then proceed to step S705, where the second network function may send a first notification message to the first network function, the first notification message including information indicating the PDN connectivity status.

[0118] In addition to the above steps, in one embodiment, the method may further include converting an external group ID to an internal group ID based on a local policy, as shown in Figure 3. In another embodiment, the method may further include converting an MSISDN or an external UE ID to a GPSI based on a local policy.

[0119] 4, the method may further include querying a fifth network function implementing a network repository function for a fourth network function implementing integrated data management based on the external group ID. In one embodiment, the method may further include sending a request including the external group ID to the fourth network function implementing integrated data management. In one embodiment, the method may further include receiving an internal group ID from the fourth network function implementing integrated data management.

[0120] In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the method may further include enforcing authorization for at least one of the external group Id, the DNN, the external UE ID, the MSISDN, the GPSI, or the S-NSSAI based on a local policy.

[0121] The above steps are only examples, and the second network function may perform any of the actions described with respect to Figures 3 to 5 to monitor the PDN connectivity status of the UE via the PDN connectivity status subscription procedure.

[0122] FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an exemplary first network function (such as AF 101) according to embodiments herein.

[0123] In one embodiment, the first network function 800 may include at least one processor 801 and a non-transitory computer-readable medium 802 coupled to the at least one processor 801. The non-transitory computer-readable medium 802 includes instructions executable by the at least one processor 801, thereby configuring the at least one processor 801 to perform steps in an exemplary method 600 illustrated in the schematic flowchart of Figure 6, the details of which will be omitted herein.

[0124] It should be noted that the first network function 800 may be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, and any combination thereof. For example, the first network function 800 may include multiple units, circuits, modules, etc., each of which may be used to perform one or more steps of the example method 600 or one or more steps illustrated in Figures 3-5 related to the first network function (e.g., AF 101).

[0125] It will be appreciated that the first network function may be implemented either as a network element on dedicated hardware, as a software instance running on dedicated hardware, or as a virtualized function instantiated on a suitable platform, for example, on a cloud infrastructure.

[0126] FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an exemplary second network function (such as NEF 102) according to embodiments herein.

[0127] In one embodiment, the second network function 900 may include at least one processor 901 and a non-transitory computer-readable medium 902 coupled to the at least one processor 901. The non-transitory computer-readable medium 902 includes instructions executable by the at least one processor 901, thereby configuring the at least one processor 901 to perform steps in the exemplary method 700 shown in the schematic flowchart of Figure 7, details of which will be omitted herein.

[0128] It should be noted that the second network function 900 may be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, and any combination thereof. For example, the second network function 900 may include multiple units, circuits, modules, etc., each of which may be used to perform one or more steps of the example method 700 or one or more steps illustrated in Figures 3-5 related to the second network function (e.g., the NEF 102).

[0129] It will be appreciated that the second network function may be implemented either as a network element on dedicated hardware, as a software instance running on dedicated hardware, or as a virtualized function instantiated on a suitable platform, for example, on a cloud infrastructure.

[0130] 10 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer-implemented device 1000 according to embodiments herein. In one embodiment, the device 1000 may be configured as a device as described above, such as a first network function (e.g., AF 101) or a second network function (e.g., NEF 102).

[0131] In one embodiment, apparatus 1000 may include at least one processor, such as, but not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU) 1001, a computer-readable medium 1002, and a memory 1003. Memory 1003 may comprise volatile memory (e.g., random access memory, RAM) and / or non-volatile memory (e.g., a hard disk or flash memory). In one embodiment, computer-readable medium 1002 may be configured to store computer programs and / or instructions that, when executed by processor 1001, cause processor 1001 to perform any of the methods described above.

[0132] In one embodiment, computer-readable medium 1002 (such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium) may be stored in memory 1003. In another embodiment, the computer program may be stored at a remote location, e.g., in computer program product 1004 (which may also be embodied as a computer-readable medium), and accessible by processor 1001, e.g., via carrier 1005.

[0133] The computer readable medium 1002 and / or the computer program product 1004 may be distributed and / or stored on a removable computer readable medium, such as a diskette, a CD (compact disc), a DVD (digital video disc), flash or similar removable memory medium (e.g., Compact Flash, SD (secure digital), memory stick, mini SD card, MMC multimedia card, smart media), HD-DVD (high definition DVD) or Blu-ray DVD, USB (universal serial bus) based removable memory medium, magnetic tape medium, optical storage medium, magneto-optical medium, bubble memory, or may be distributed as a propagated signal over a network (e.g., Ethernet, ATM, ISDN, PSTN, X.25, Internet, local area network (LAN), or similar network capable of transporting data packets to infrastructure nodes).

[0134] Furthermore, the following amendments are proposed to amend the current 3GPP technical specifications:

[0135] Part I: Proposed amendments for 3GPP TS29.122 V17.2.0 Title: DNN and S-NSSAI updates in MonitoringEvent API Reason for change: TS23.502 subclause 4.15.3.2.3 step 2 describes that "The NEF maps the AF identifier to a DNN and S-NSSAI combination based on local configuration," but this is not clear and in many cases not feasible for one AF identifier mapping to multiple and flexible DNN and S-NSSAI combinations.

[0136] For monitoring type PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS mapping to SmfEvent PDU_SES_REL and PDU_SES_EST, DNN, S-NSSAI and any UE is already included in TS29.508.

[0137] Summary of changes: To support Session_Management_Enhancement monitoring maps to SMF event publishing, introduce "dnn" and / or "snssai" in the MonitoringEventSubscription data type for AFs to directly provide dnn and / or snssai subscription requests.

[0138] Consequences of non-approval: DNN and / or S-NSSAI are incorrectly mapped in the NEF when the AF supports multiple and flexible DNN and S-NSSAI combinations. Do not map SMF event publications for PDN connectivity status monitoring.

[0139] Proposed changes ***First Change*** (Underline indicates content to be added to the 3GPP Technical Specification) 5.3.2.1.1 Introduction This section specifies the data structures to be used in representing resources, including subscription resources.

[0140] Table 5.3.2.1.1-1 specifies data types reused by the MonitoringEvent API from other specifications, including a reference to their respective specifications and, when necessary, a short description of their use within the MonitoringEvent API. TIFF0007746540000013.tif255164TIFF0007746540000014.tif6170

[0141] ***Second Change*** (Underlines indicate content to be added to the 3GPP Technical Specification, deletion lines indicate content to be deleted from the 3GPP Technical Specification) 5.3.2.1.2 Type: MonitoringEventSubscription This type represents a subscription to monitoring an event. The same structure is used in subscription requests and subscription responses. TIFF0007746540000015.tif255165TIFF0007746540000016.tif255165TIFF0007746540000017.tif255165TIFF0007746540000018.tif255165TIFF0007746540000019.tif255165TIFF0007746540000020.tif255165TIFF0007746540000021.tif255165TIFF0007746540000022.tif248170Editor's Note: It is up to the AF whether it can request to subscribe to be notified of both the current number of registered UEs and the current number of PDU sessions established for the network slice during subscription to the network slice information report. Editor's note: It is up to FFS whether the report type (i.e., periodic or threshold-based) attribute is required during subscription to network slice information reporting.

[0142] ***Third Change*** (Underline indicates content to be added to the 3GPP Technical Specification) 5.3.2.3.7 Type:PdnConnectionInformation This data type represents the PDN connection information of the UE. TIFF0007746540000023.tif123170

[0143] ***Fourth Change*** (Underlined text indicates content to be added to the 3GPP Technical Specification) 5.3.4 Features Used The table below specifies the features applicable to the MonitoringEvent API, which are negotiated as described in subclause 5.2.7. TIFF0007746540000024.tif255164TIFF0007746540000025.tif154170

[0144] ***Change No. 5*** (Underlined text indicates content to be added to the 3GPP Technical Specification) A.3 MonitoringEvent API TIFF0007746540000026.tif201170TIFF0007746540000027.tif245170TIFF0007746540000028.tif245170TIFF0007746540000029.tif244170TI FF0007746540000030.tif244170TIFF0007746540000031.tif245170TIFF0007746540000032.tif245170TIFF0007746540000033.tif246170TIFF0 007746540000034.tif245170TIFF0007746540000035.tif245170TIFF0007746540000036.tif245170TIFF0007746540000037.tif245170TIFF0007746540000038.tif245170TIFF0007746540000039.tif245170TIFF0007746540000040.tif245170TIFF0007746540000041.tif164170***END OF CHANGE***

[0145] Part II: Proposed amendments for 3GPP TS29.522 V17.2.0 Title: DNN and S-NSSAI updates in MonitoringEvent API Reason for change: TS23.502 subclause 4.15.3.2.3 step 2 describes that "The NEF maps the AF identifier to a DNN and S-NSSAI combination based on local configuration," but this is not clear and in many cases not feasible for one AF identifier mapping to multiple and flexible DNN and S-NSSAI combinations.

[0146] For monitoring type PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS mapping to SmfEvent PDU_SES_REL and PDU_SES_EST, DNN, S-NSSAI and any UE is already included in TS29.508.

[0147] Summary of changes: Introducing "dnn" and / or "snssai" in the MonitoringEventSubscription data type to allow the AF to correctly and dynamically provide dnn and / or snssai subscription requests, with an optional procedure extension whereby the NEF may directly invoke the Nsmf_EventExposure service for the requested DNN and / or S-NSSAI involving a group of UEs or any UE.

[0148] Consequences of non-approval: DNN and S-NSSAI are incorrectly mapped in NEF when AF supports multiple and flexible DNN and S-NSSAI combinations. Do not map SMF event publication for PDN connectivity status monitoring.

[0149] Event monitoring procedures for a group of UEs or for any one UE involve a large number of UDM interactions and are ineffective.

[0150] Proposed changes: ***First Change*** (Underline indicates content to be added to the 3GPP Technical Specification) 4.4.2 Monitoring Procedures The procedures for monitoring as described in subclause 4.4.2 of 3GPP TS 29.122 [4] shall be applicable in 5GS with the following differences: - The SCS / AS description applies to AF, - The SCEF description applies to the NEF, - The HSS description applies to the UDM and the NEF shall interact with the UDM by using the Nudm_EventExposure service specified in 3GPP TS 29.503

[17] ; - The MME / SGSN description applies to the AMF, and the NEF shall interact with the AMF by using the Namf_EventExposure service specified in 3GPP TS29.518

[18] ; - The PCRF description is not applicable, - The description of the IMSI-IMEI (SV) association monitoring event change applies to the SUPI-PEI association monitoring event change, - When 'monitoringType' is set to 'LOCATION_REPORTING' in the MonitoringEventSubscription data type specified in subclause 5.3.2.1.2 of 3GPP TS29.122[4] during monitoring event subscription, only 'CGI_ECGI', 'TA_RA' and 'GEO_AREA' in the Accuracy data type specified in subclause 5.3.2.4.7 of 3GPP TS29.122[4] are applicable for the 5G MonitoringEvent API. After validating the AF request, the NEF may determine the monitoring expiry time based on operator policy and take into account the monitoring expiry time if included in the request, and the NEF may provide the expiry time (determined by the NEF, UDM or AMF) to the AF, if not provided before even by the AF. - If "Loss_of_connectivity_notification" as specified in subclause 5.3.4 of 3GPP TS29.122[4] is supported, the values ​​0 to 5 are not applicable for the lossOfConnectReason attribute in the MonitoringEventReport data type, and the lossOfConnectReason attribute shall be set to 6 if the UE is deregistered, to 7 if the maximum detection timer expires, or to 8 if the UE is purged. - The AF may include the periodic reporting time indicated by the "repPeriod" attribute in the MonitoringEventSubscription data type, which is only applicable for the Location_notification and Number_of_UEs_in_an_area_notification_5G features in the NEF. -- If the "locationType" attribute is set to "LAST_KNOWN_LOCATION", the "maximumNumberOfReports" attribute shall be set to 1 as a one-time monitoring request. The descriptions for PDN connectivity status events apply to PDU session status events, and the descriptions for MME / SGSN apply to the SMF during reporting of monitoring events procedures; the NEF receives event notifications via the Nsmf_EventExposure service as specified in 3GPP TS29.508

[26] . - If the "Session_Management_Enhancement" feature specified in subclause 5.3.4 of 3GPP TS29.122 [4] is supported, when "dnn" and / or "snssai" are provided in the MonitoringEventSubscription data type for the requested external group Id or any UE, the NEF may, based on local policy, directly invoke the Nsmf_EventExposure service to the serving SMF(s) discovered by the NRF NF discovery procedure or by local configuration in the NEF. When sending a UDM / AMF / SMF event report to the AF, the NEF may store the event data being reported in the UDR as part of the data for publication, as specified in 3GPP TS 29.519

[23] , by using the Nudr_DataRepository service as specified in 3GPP TS 29.504

[20] . - to support downlink data delivery status notification if "Downlink_data_delivery_status_5G" as specified in subclause 5.3.4 of 3GPP TS29.122[4] is supported, - The AF shall send an HTTP POST message to the NEF for the resource "Monitoring Event Subscription" as specified in subclause 5.3.3.2 of 3GPP TS 29.122 [4] to create a subscription, or an HTTP PUT message to the NEF for the resource "Individual Monitoring Event Subscription" as specified in subclause 5.3.3.3 of 3GPP TS 29.122 [4] to update a subscription, with the following differences: In the MonitoringEventSubscription data structure, the AF may further include packet filter descriptor(s) in the "dddTraDescriptors" attribute and a list of monitoring downlink data delivery status event(s) in the "dddStati" attribute; - The NEF shall subscribe to the event to the appropriate UDM(s) in the network by invoking the Nudm_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation as specified in subclause 5.5.2.2 of 3GPP TS 29.503

[17] . - When the NEF receives an event notification as specified in subclause 4.4.2 of 3GPP TS 29.508

[26] , the NEF shall send an HTTP POST message to the AF as specified in subclause 4.4.2.3 of 3GPP TS 29.122 [4], with the following difference: in each MonitoringEventReport data structure the NEF shall include: - the downlink data delivery status in the "dddStatus" attribute, - the downlink data descriptors affected by the downlink data delivery status change in the 'dddTraDescriptor' attribute, - if the downlink data delivery status is set to "BUFFERED", the estimated buffering time in the "maxWaitTime" attribute, - If the "Availability_after_DDN_failure_notification_enhancement" feature specified in subclause 5.3.4 of 3GPP TS29.122[4] is supported, the AF shall send an HTTP POST message to the NEF for the resource "Monitoring Event Subscription" as specified in subclause 5.3.3.2 of 3GPP TS29.122[4] to create a subscription, or an HTTP PUT message to the NEF for the resource "Individual Monitoring Event Subscription" as specified in subclause 5.3.3.3 of 3GPP TS29.122[4] to update a subscription, with the difference that in the MonitoringEventSubscription data structure the AF shall include a packet filter description in the "dddTraDescriptors" attribute. - If the "eLCS" feature specified in subclause 5.3.4 of 3GPP TS 29.122 [4] is supported, the AF may send an HTTP POST message to the NEF for the resource "Monitoring Event Subscription" as specified in subclause 5.3.3.2 of 3GPP TS 29.122 [4] to create a subscription, or an HTTP PUT message to the NEF for the resource "Individual Monitoring Event Subscription" as specified in subclause 5.3.3.3 of 3GPP TS 29.122 [4] to update a subscription, with the following differences: - In the MonitoringEventSubscription data structure, the AF shall specify the location QoS requirements in the "locQoS" attribute, the service identifier with the "svcId" attribute, the location pending requested event type in the "ldrType" attribute, the validity start time and validity end time in the "locTimeWindow" attribute, the maximum age of the location estimate in the "maxAgeOfLocEst" attribute, the requested target UE velocity in the "velocityRequested" attribute, the linear distance in the "linearDistance" attribute, the reporting target UE location estimate indication in the "reportingLocEstInd" attribute, the sampling interval in the "samplingInterval" attribute, the maximum reporting expiration interval in the "maxRptExpireIntvl" attribute, the supported GAD shapes in the "supportedGADShapes" attribute, and the codeword in the "codeword" attribute, and the 3GPP and other attributes specified in subclause 5.3.2.3.2 of TS 29.122 [4], and the MonitoringEventSubscription data structure may also include a "locationArea5G" attribute set to the value "GEO_AREA" and containing only the "geographicAreas" and "accuracy" attributes. - If the NEF identifies, based on the received "locQos" attribute, that a location request accuracy higher than the cell level location accuracy is required, the NEF shall interact with the appropriate GMLC in the network by invoking the Ngmlc_Location_ProvideLocation service operation as specified in subclause 6.1 of 3GPP TS 29.515

[35] ; - If the location request accuracy is lower than or equal to cell level, based on the implementation, the NEF may either interact with the GMLC by invoking the Ngmlc_Location_ProvideLocation service operation as specified in subclause 6.1 of 3GPP TS 29.515

[35] , or retrieve the UE location privacy information from the UDM by using the Nudm_SDM service as described in subclause 5.2 of 3GPP TS 29.503

[17] , and if the privacy setting is verified, the NEF shall interact with the UDM for the serving AMF address by invoking the Nudm_UECM service as described in subclause 5.3 of 3GPP TS 29.503

[17] . After receiving the serving AMF address from the UDM, the NEF shall interact with the AMF by invoking the Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe service operation as specified in subclause 5.3 of 3GPP TS 29.518

[18] , or may interact with the UDM by using the Nudm_EventExposure service as specified in subclause 5.5 of 3GPP TS 29.503

[17] , and the NEF receives location event notifications from the AMF via the Namf_EventExposure service as specified in subclause 5.5 of 3GPP TS 29.518

[18] .

[0151] Upon receiving a successful location response from the GMLC or AMF, the NEF shall create or update the resource and then send an HTTP POST or PUT response to the AF as specified in subclause 4.4.2.3 of 3GPP TS 29.122 [4]. Upon receiving a location report from the GMLC or AMF, the NEF shall determine the monitoring event subscriptions associated with the corresponding monitoring event report as specified in subclause 4.4.2.3 of 3GPP TS 29.122 [4].

[0152] To delete a previously active monitoring event subscription in the NEF, the AF shall send an HTTP DELETE message to the NEF for the resource "individual monitoring event subscription" received in the response to the request that created the monitoring event subscription resource. Upon receipt of a successful response from the GMLC or AMF or UDM, the NEF shall interact with the GMLC or AMF or UDM to remove the request, and the NEF shall delete the active resource "individual monitoring event subscription" addressed by the URI and send an HTTP response to the AF with a "204 No Content" status code or a "200 OK" status code containing the monitoring event report if received. - to support network slice status reporting if the "NSAC" feature specified in subclause 5.3.4 of 3GPP TS 29.122 [4] is supported, - The AF shall send to the NEF an HTTP POST message to the "Monitoring Event Subscription" resource as specified in subclause 5.3.3.2.3.4 of 3GPP TS 29.122 [4] to create a subscription, or an HTTP PUT message to the NEF to the "Individual Monitoring Event Subscription" resource as specified in subclause 5.3.3.3.3.2 of 3GPP TS 29.122 [4] to update an existing subscription, with the following differences: - In the MonitoringEventSubscription data structure, a) The network slice in question, identified by the "snssai" attribute, shall be provided; b) The value of the 'monitoringType' attribute shall be set to 'NUM_OF_REGD_UES' to indicate that the AF requests to be informed of the current number of registered UEs for the network slice, or set to 'NUM_OF_ESTD_PDU_SESSIONS' to indicate that the AF requests to be informed of the current number of established PDU sessions for the network slice; c) A target reporting threshold in the "tgtNsThreshold" attribute or a reporting periodicity in the "repPeriod" attribute may be provided, the "tgtNsThreshold" attribute and the "repPeriod" attribute being mutually exclusive; - The NEF shall then further interact with the NSACF to create or update the associated subscription to the notification by invoking the Nnsacf_SliceEventExposure_Subscribe service operation as specified in 3GPP TS 29.536

[47] ; - when the NEF receives an event report from the NSACF as specified in 3GPP TS 29.536

[47] , the NEF shall send an HTTP POST message to the AF as specified in subclause 5.3.3a.2.3 of 3GPP TS 29.122 [4], containing, in the MonitoringEventReport data type of the MonitoringNotification data type: - the value of the 'monitoringType' attribute shall be set to the same value as 'NUM_OF_REGD_UES' or 'NUM_OF_ESTD_PDU_SESSIONS' during the HTTP POST or PUT request that created or modified the subscription, - The current network slice status information as an 'nSStatusInfo' attribute shall be provided, With the difference that, - if the event reporting is threshold-based (i.e., 'tgtNsThreshold' is provided in the MonitoringEventSubscription data type), the 'nSStatusInfo' attribute shall contain a confirmation of reaching the target threshold, i.e., by retransmitting the subscribed threshold, for the network slice identified by the 'snssai' attribute provided during subscription creation; - If the event reporting is periodic (i.e., 'repPeriod' is provided in the MonitoringEventSubscription data type), the 'nSStatusInfo' attribute shall provide the current network slice status information, i.e., the current number of registered UEs or the current number of established PDU sessions for the network slice identified by the 'snssai' attribute provided during subscription creation. - The AF shall send an HTTP DELETE message to the NEF for the resource "Individual Monitoring Event Subscription" as specified in subclause 5.3.3.3.3.5 of 3GPP TS 29.122 [4] to delete an existing network slice reporting subscription. The NEF shall then interact with the NSACF to remove the associated subscription to the notification by invoking the Nnsacf_SliceEventExposure_UnSubscribe service operation as specified in 3GPP TS 29.536

[47] . Editor's note: It is up to the AF whether it can request to subscribe to be informed of both the current number of registered UEs and the current number of PDU sessions established for the network slice during its subscription to the network slice information report. Editor's note: Whether the report type (periodic or threshold-based) attribute is required during a subscription to a network slice information report is FFS. ***END OF CHANGE***

[0153] Part III: Proposed amendments for 3GPP TS29.508 V17.3.0 Title: Updates on DNN and S-NSSAI Reason for change: TS23.502 subclause 4.15.3.2.3 step 2 describes that "The NEF maps the AF identifier to a DNN and S-NSSAI combination based on local configuration," but this is not clear and in many cases not feasible for one AF identifier mapping to multiple and flexible DNN and S-NSSAI combinations.

[0154] For monitoring type PDN_CONNECTIVITY_STATUS mapping to SmfEvent PDU_SES_REL and PDU_SES_EST, DNN, S-NSSAI and any UE is already included in TS29.508.

[0155] Summary of changes: Introducing "dnn" and / or "snssai" in the MonitoringEventSubscription data type to allow the AF to correctly and dynamically provide dnn and / or snssai subscription requests, with an optional procedure extension whereby the NEF may directly invoke the Nsmf_EventExposure service for the requested DNN and / or S-NSSAI involving a group of UEs or any UE.

[0156] Consequences of non-approval: An unclear description of a group of UEs or any one UE within the DNN and / or S-NSSAI in the NsmfEventExposure type for a subscription request, especially with the risk of large-scale event exposure signaling impact for any one UE.

[0157] Proposed changes: ***First Change*** (Underlines indicate content to be added to the 3GPP Technical Specification, and deletion lines indicate content to be deleted from the 3GPP Technical Specification) 4.2.3.2 Creating a New Subscription To subscribe to event notifications, the NF service consumer shall send an HTTP POST request with "{apiRoot} / nsmf-event-exposure / v1 / subscriptions / " as the resource URI and an NsmfEventExposure data structure as the request body, which shall contain the following: - if the subscription applies to events related to a single PDU session for a UE, the PDU session ID of that PDU session as the "pduSeId" attribute and the UE identification as the "supi" or "gpsi" attribute; - If the subscription applies to events not related to a single PDU session, identification of the UE to which the subscription applies via: a) Identification of a single UE by its SUPI as the "supi" attribute or its GPSI as the "gpsi" attribute; b) Identification of a group(s) of UEs via the "groupId" attribute, or c) Identification of any UE via the "anyUeInd" attribute set to true; m1) Identification of a group(s) of UEs within a DNN and / or S-NSSAI via the "groupId" attribute and either the "dnn" attribute and the "snssai" attribute; or m2) Identification of any UE in the DNN and / or S-NSSAI via the "anyUeInd" attribute set to true and either the "dnn" attribute and the "snssai" attribute; NOTE 1: - Identification of any UE does not apply for local breakout roaming scenarios where the SMF is in a VPLMN and the NF service consumer is in a HPLMN. - the URI at which the requested notification should be received as the "notifUri" attribute, - a notification correlation identifier provided by the NF service consumer for the requested notification as the 'notifId' attribute, and - GUAMI encoded as the "guami" attribute if the NF service consumer is an AMF. - a description of the subscribed events as an "eventSubs" attribute, which shall contain for each event: a) the event identifier as an "event" attribute, and b) For the event UP route change, whether the subscription is for early notification, late notification, or early and late notification of UP reroute in the "dnaiChgType" attribute; c) for the event "Downlink Data Delivery Status", the traffic descriptor(s) of the downlink data source in the "dddTraDescriptors" attribute; and may include the following: a) for the event "Downlink Data Delivery Status", the subscribed delivery status in the "dddStati" attribute, and b) For the event "QFI Allocation", the application identifiers in the "appIds" attribute.

[0158] The NsmfEventExposure data structure as the request body may also include the following: - If the NF service consumer is an AMF, a) the name of the AMF-produced service that expects to receive notifications about the subscribed event, encoded as a "serviceName" attribute; b) the alternate or backup IPv4 address(es) to which notifications should be sent, encoded as an "altNotifIpv4Addrs" attribute; c) the alternate or backup IPv6 address(es) to which notifications should be sent, encoded as an "altNotifIpv6Addrs" attribute; d) the alternate or backup FQDN(s) to which notifications should be sent, encoded as an "altNotifFqdns" attribute; - the data network name as the 'dnn' attribute, - Single network slice selection assistance information as an 'snssai' attribute, - the immediate report flag as the "ImmeRep" attribute, - the event notification method (periodic, one-time, when an event is detected) as the "notifMethod" attribute, - the maximum number of reports as the "maxReportNbr" attribute, - the monitoring duration as an "expiry" attribute, - the recurrence period for periodic reporting, as the 'repPeriod' attribute, - the sampling ratio as a "sampRatio" attribute, - the partitioning criteria for partitioning UEs before performing sampling as the "partitionCriteria" attribute, if the EneNA feature is supported; and / or - the group report guard time as the 'grpRepTime' attribute, and / or - Notification flag as "notifFlag" attribute if the EneNA feature is supported.

[0159] Upon receiving an HTTP POST request with "{apiRoot} / nsmf-event-exposure / v1 / subscriptions / " as the resource URI and the NsmfEventExposure data structure as the request body, SMF shall: - Create a new subscription, - Allocate a subscription correlation ID, - selecting an expiration time that is equal to or less than the expiration time potentially received in the request, - Remember your subscriptions, - send an HTTP "201 Created" response with the NsmfEventExposure data structure as the response body and a Location header field containing the URI of the individual subscription resource that was created, i.e. "{apiRoot} / nsmf-event-exposure / v1 / subscriptions / {subId}", - if the 'ImmeRep' attribute is included in the request and set to true, the SMF shall report the currently available value(s) for the subscribed event(s) as specified in subclause 4.2.3.1; - if the sampling ratio attribute as 'sampRatio' is included in the subscription without the 'partitionCriteria' attribute, the SMF shall select a random subset of UEs among the target UEs according to the sampling ratio and shall report only the event(s) that concern the selected subset of UEs; - if the 'partitionCriteria' attribute is additionally included, the SMF shall first partition the UEs according to the value of the 'partitionCriteria' attribute, then select a random subset of UEs from each partition according to the sampling ratio and shall report only the event(s) that concern the selected subset of UEs; - when the group reporting guard time attribute as 'grpRepTime' is included in the subscription, the SMF shall accumulate all event reports for the target UE until the group reporting guard time expires. The SMF shall then notify the NF service consumer using the Nsmf_EventExposure_Notify service operation as described in subclause 4.2.2.2. - If the 'notifFlag' attribute is included in the request and set to 'DEACTIVATE', the SMF shall mute event notifications and remember the available events.

[0160] When the SMF receives the GUAMI, the SMF may subscribe to the GUAMI changes using the AMFStatusChange service operation of the Namf_Communication service specified in 3GPP TS29.518

[13] , and the SMF may use the Nnrf_NFDiscovery service specified in 3GPP TS29.510

[12] (using the obtained GUAMI and possibly a service name) to query other AMFs in the AMF set.

[0161] ***Second Change*** (Underline indicates content to be added to the 3GPP Technical Specification) 5.6.2.2 Type NsmfEventExposure TIFF0007746540000042.tif255164TIFF0007746540000043.tif255165TIFF0007746540000044.tif123170***END OF CHANGES***

[0162] Exemplary embodiments have been described herein with reference to block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations of computer-implemented methods, apparatus (systems and / or devices), and / or non-transitory computer program products. It should be understood that blocks of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, may be implemented by computer program instructions performed by one or more computer circuits. These computer program instructions may be provided to processor circuits of general-purpose computer circuits, special-purpose computer circuits, and / or other programmable data processing circuits to create machines, such that the instructions executing via the processor of the computer and / or other programmable data processing apparatus transform and control transistors, values ​​stored in memory locations, and other hardware components within such circuits to implement the functions / acts specified in one or more blocks of the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and thereby create means (functions) and / or structures for implementing the function / acts specified in the block diagram and / or flowchart block(s).

[0163] These computer program instructions may also be stored on a tangible computer-readable medium that may direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored on the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture containing instructions that implement the functions / acts specified in one or more blocks of the block diagrams and / or flowcharts. Thus, embodiments of the inventive concepts may be embodied in hardware and / or in software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.) running on a processor, such as a digital signal processor, which may be collectively referred to as a "circuit," "module," or variations thereof.

[0164] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions / acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the flowcharts. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functions / acts involved. Moreover, the functionality of a given block of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams may be separated into multiple blocks, and / or the functionality of two or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams may be at least partially integrated. Finally, other blocks may be added / inserted between the shown blocks, and / or blocks / acts may be omitted without departing from the scope of the inventive concept. Moreover, while some of the figures include arrows on communication paths to indicate a primary direction of communication, it should be understood that communication may occur in the opposite direction to the illustrated arrows.

[0165] Numerous variations and modifications may be made to the embodiments without substantially departing from the principles of the inventive concept. All such variations and modifications are intended to be included herein within the scope of the inventive concept. Accordingly, the subject matter disclosed above should be considered illustrative and not limiting, and the accompanying examples of embodiments are intended to cover all such modifications, extensions, and other embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of the inventive concept. Therefore, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the scope of the inventive concept should be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of this disclosure, including subsequent examples of embodiments and their equivalents, and should not be limited or constrained by the above detailed description.

[0166] Abbreviation 3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project 4G Fourth Generation Mobile Communication Technology 5G (fifth generation mobile communication technology) AF Application Features API Application Programming Interface AS Application Server DNN Data Network Name EPC Evolved Packet Core EPS Evolved Packet System GPSI Public Subscription Identifier MSISDN Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network Number NEF network publishing function NF Network Function NRF Network Repository Function PDN Packet Data Network PDU Packet Data Unit SCS Service Capabilities Server SMF Session Management Facility S-NSSAI Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information SUPI Subscription Persistent Identifier UDM Unified Data Management UDR Unified Data Repository UE User Equipment.

Claims

1. A method (600) performed by a first network function (101) implementing an application function, comprising: sending (S601) to a second network function (102) implementing a network publication function a first subscription message including at least one of a Data Network Name (DNN) of a data network for monitoring an event status for a user equipment (UE) or a group of UEs and Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI); receiving (S602) from said second network function (102) a first notification message including information indicating said event status; The method (600).

2. 10. The method (600) of claim 1, wherein the first subscription message further includes at least one of an external group ID indicating the group of UEs, an external UE ID indicating a particular UE, a Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network Number (MSISDN) indicating a particular UE, a General Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI) indicating a particular UE, and an indication of any UE.

3. 6. The method (600) of claim 1, wherein the event status is a packet data network (PDN) connectivity status or a downlink data delivery status.

4. A method (700) performed by a second network function (102) implementing a network publishing function, comprising: receiving a first subscription message (S701) from a first network function (101) implementing an application function, the first subscription message including at least one of a Data Network Name (DNN) of a data network for monitoring an event status for a user equipment (UE) or a group of UEs, and Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI); determining (S702) a third network function (103) implementing a session management function or a fourth network function (104) implementing an integrated data management function; sending (S703) a second subscription message to the determined network function (103, 104) comprising at least one of the DNN and the S-NSSAI; A method (700) comprising:

5. 5. The method (700) of claim 4, wherein the first subscription message further includes at least one of an external group ID indicating the group of UEs, an external UE ID indicating a particular UE, a Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network Number (MSISDN) indicating a particular UE, a General Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI) indicating a particular UE, and an indication of any UE.

6. determining the network capabilities (S702), - querying a fifth network function (105) implementing a network repository function for a fourth network function (104) implementing integrated data management based on at least one of said external group ID, said external UE ID, said MSISDN and said GPSI; The method (700) of claim 5, further comprising:

7. performing authorization for at least one of the external group Id, the DNN, the external UE ID, the MSISDN, the GPSI, and the S-NSSAI based on a local policy; The method (700) of claim 5, further comprising:

8. determining the network capabilities (S702), - querying a fifth network function (105) implementing a network repository function for one or more third network functions (103) implementing a session management function based on said DNN and said S-NSSAI; The method (700) of claim 5, further comprising:

9. - converting said external group ID to an internal group ID based on local policy, or - Converting the MSISDN or the external UE ID to GPSI based on local policy 9. The method (700) of claim 8, further comprising one of:

10. - querying said fifth network function (105) implementing a network repository function for a fourth network function (104) implementing integrated data management based on said external group ID; sending a request including an external group ID to said fourth network function (104) implementing integrated data management; receiving said internal group ID from said fourth network function (104) implementing integrated data management; 10. The method (700) of claim 9, further comprising:

11. receiving (S704) a second notification message from said third network function (103) implementing a session management function, said second notification message including information indicating said event status; sending (S704) to said first network function (101) a first notification message including information indicating said event status; The method (700) of claim 4, further comprising:

12. 5. The method (700) of claim 4, wherein the event status is a packet data network (PDN) connectivity status or a downlink data delivery status.

13. A first network function (101, 800) implementing an application function, At least one processor (801); a non-transitory computer-readable medium (802) coupled to the at least one processor (801); the non-transitory computer-readable medium (802) containing instructions executable by the at least one processor (801), whereby the at least one processor (801) sending a first subscription message to a second network function (102) implementing a network publication function, the first subscription message including at least one of a Data Network Name (DNN) of a data network for monitoring an event status for a user equipment (UE) or a group of UEs, and Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI); receiving a first notification message from said second network function (102) including information indicating said event status; A first network function (101, 800) configured to perform the following:

14. a second network function (102, 900) implementing a network publishing function, At least one processor (901); a non-transitory computer-readable medium (902) coupled to the at least one processor (901); the non-transitory computer-readable medium (902) containing instructions executable by the at least one processor (901), whereby the at least one processor (902) receiving a first subscription message from a first network function (101) implementing an application function, the first subscription message including at least one of a Data Network Name (DNN) of a data network for monitoring an event status for a user equipment (UE) or a group of UEs, and Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI); determining a third network function (103) implementing a session management function or a fourth network function (104) implementing an integrated data management function; sending a second subscription message to said determined network function (103, 104) comprising at least one of said DNN and said S-NSSAI; a second network function (102, 900) configured to perform the following:

15. A computer program comprising computer readable code which, when run on a device, causes said device to carry out the method of any one of claims 1 to 3.

16. A computer program comprising computer readable code which, when run on a device, causes said device to carry out the method of any one of claims 4 to 12.

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