Modified protocol description for handling transport protocols

Abstract

A network node can receive a payload associated with a transport protocol. The network node can further determine a protocol description that includes information associated with the transport protocol and information associated with a payload format of the payload. The network node can further determine protocol data unit ("PDU") set information from the payload based on the protocol description.

Description

MODIFIED PROTOCOL DESCRIPTION FOR HANDLING TRANSPORT PROTOCOLSTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure is related to wireless communication systems and more particularly to a modified protocol description for handling transport protocols.BACKGROUND

[0002] 5G is a next generation of mobile networks developed by a standards developing organization called the 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (“3 GPP”). The earlier generations of mobile networks were called 4thGeneration (“4G”) / Long Term Evolution (“LTE”), Third Generation (“3G”) / Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (“UMTS”), and 2ndGeneration (“2G”) / Global System for Mobile Communications (“GSM”).

[0003] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a new radio (“NR”) network (e.g., a 5th Generation (“5G”) network) including a 5G core (“5GC”) network 130, network nodes 120a-b (e.g., 5G base station (“gNB”)), multiple communication devices 110 (also referred to as user equipment (“UE”)).

[0004] 5G can be access agnostic meaning that the access network (“AN”) can use 3GPP base stations (part of Radio Access Network (“RAN”)) or non-3GPP access points of wireless local area network (“LAN”). FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a 5G system architecture. In this example, the 5G network includes a network slice selection function (“NSSF”) 202, a network exposure function (“NEF”) 210, a network repository function (“NRF”) 204, a policy charging function (“PCF”) 230, a unified data management (“UDM”) 206, application function (“AF”) 220, an authentication server function (“AUSF”) 208, an access and mobility management function (“AMF”) 240, and a session management function (“SMF”) 250, which are all communicatively coupled to each other. The 5G network can further include a radio access network (“RAN”) 120 and a user equipment (“UE”) 110 that are communicatively coupled to each other as well as AMF 240. The 5G network can further include a user plane function (“UPF”) 260 communicatively coupled to the RAN 120 and the SMF 250. The 5G network can further include a definition network (“DN”) 216 communicatively coupled to the UPF 260.SUMMARY

[0005] According to some embodiments, a method of operating a network node is provided. The method includes receiving a payload associated with a transport protocol. The method further includes determining a protocol description that includes information associated with the transport protocol and information associated with a payload format of the payload. The methodfurther includes determining protocol data unit, PDU, set information from the payload based on the protocol description.

[0006] Certain aspects of these embodiments may provide technical advantages. In some embodiments, the behaviour of a UPF when handling any transport protocol data stream is defined. In some examples, this can allow vendors to select a non-RTP data stream to be used.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of inventive concepts. In the drawings:

[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a 5thgeneration (“5G”) network;

[0009] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a 5G network;

[0010] FIGS. 3-4 are tables illustrating examples of a Protocol Description in accordance with some embodiments;

[0011] FIG. 5 is a table illustrating an example of a vndlnfo data type used in a protocol description in accordance with some embodiments;

[0012] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example of operations performed by a network node in accordance with some embodiments;

[0013] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0014] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a user equipment in accordance with some embodiments;

[0015] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a network node in accordance with some embodiments;

[0016] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a host, which may be an embodiment of the host ofFIG. 7, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0017] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a virtualization environment in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0018] FIG. 12 shows a communication diagram of a host communicating via a network node with a user equipment over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example toconvey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art, in which examples of embodiments of inventive concepts are shown. Inventive concepts may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of present inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present / used in another embodiment.

[0020] A protocol data unit (“PDU”) Set can include one or more PDUs carrying an application layer payload (e.g., a video frame or video slice). The PDU Set based quality of service (“QoS”) handling by a network (e.g., a next generation radio access network (“NG- RAN”)) is determined by PDU Set QoS parameters and PDU Set information provided by the PDU Session Anchor (“PSA”) UPF.

[0021] The AF can provide the PDU Set related assistance information for dynamic policy and charging control (“PCC”) control. PDU Set related assistance information may be provided to the network exposure function (“NEF”) / policy control function (“PCF”) using an application function (“AF”) session with required QoS procedures. The PDU Set related assistance information can include PDU Set QoS parameters and / or a protocol description. The protocol description can indicate the transport protocol used by the service data flow (e.g., real-time transport protocol (“RTP”) or secure RTP (“SRTP”) and how to derive PDU Set Information from the packet payloads.

[0022] In some examples, when RTP and RTP Header Extensions are used for PDU Set Marking, the Protocol Description can include the RTP Header Extension identifier (“ID”) and optionally one or more Payload Type (“PT”) values.

[0023] In additional or alternative examples, when RTP is used without any RTP Header Extension, the Protocol Description includes information about the RTP Payload Format (e.g., for H.264 or H.265) and optionally one or more Payload Type (“PT”) values.

[0024] Currently it is unclear what the protocol description should include when neither RTP or any RTP Header extension is used (e.g., when a transport protocol other than RTP, SRTP, or another RTP payload format is used).

[0025] There currently exist certain challenges. Currently, the definition of a protocol description can be unclear. When a RTP header extension is present with an extended reality (“XR”) service data flow, a user plane function (“UPF”) may filter information for finding a data stream (e.g., the RTP Header Extension identifier (“ID”)), but does not need any codec specific information. However, the behaviour of the UPF is unclear for determining protocoldata unit (“PDU”) set related information when a transport protocol other than RTP is used, when a RTP header extension is not present, or when a header extension ID is not present.

[0026] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. Various embodiments herein provide a procedure for providing a user plane function (“UPF”) with a description of a any specific protocol (e.g., a vendor specific protocol including a protocol specific to an application service provider, a network operator, or a network node manufacturer).

[0027] In some embodiments, when another transport protocol (other than RTP or SRTP or other RTP payload formats) is used, the protocol description indicates the absence of RTP header extensions and provides additional information. In some examples, the format of the Protocol Description can depend on vendor implementation.

[0028] In additional or alternative embodiments, the AF provided PDU Set QoS Parameters and Protocol Description may be used in determining PCC Rules by the PCF and the Protocol Description may be used for identifying the PDU Set information by the PSA UPF.

[0029] In additional or alternative embodiments, when the PCF determines that PDU Set based QoS Handling is to be performed for an application service flow, the PCF generates a PCC rule including the PDU Set QoS parameters (PDU set error rate (“PSER”), PDU set delay budget (“PSDB”), and PDU set integrated handling information (“PSIHI”)) and the SMF determines a QoS Profile for the QoS Flow. In additional or alternative embodiments, the SMF may be configured to support PDU Set QoS without receiving PCC rules from a PCF.

[0030] In additional or alternative embodiments, PSA UPF identifies PDUs that belong to PDU Sets. If the UPF receives a PDU that does not belong to a PDU Set based on Protocol Description for PDU Set identification, then the UPF can still map it to a PDU Set and determine the PDU Set Information.

[0031] In some examples, if the PSA UPF receives a PDU that does not belong to a PDU Set, then it can assume that the UPF determines the PDU Set Importance value based on preconfiguration.

[0032] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a Protocol Description data type (ProtoDesc). In some examples, this data type is defined to represent media protocol description of the service data flow. In some examples, the protocol includes:RTP HE = 1 -> One byte RTP HE;RTP HE ID = X ( 8 bit ) -> value of the RTP Optional string; or One string (e.g., 3GPP: <he type><he value>.

[0033] FIG. 4 illustrates another example of a Protocol Description data type (ProtoDesc). In some examples, the RTP Sender is inserting a RTP header extension, containing PDU Setinformation. The UPF needs to looks for an RTP Header Extension with Id 0x03 (e.g., { “rtpHeld”: 3 }).

[0034] In additional or alternative examples, the RTP Sender is not inserting any RTP header extension, but the UPF should parse the RTP Payload according to TS 26.522, Annex A.2.3 (RTP with HEVC payload format) (e.g., { “rtpHeld”: -1, " rtpPyldType” : 2 }).

[0035] In additional or alternative examples, the RTP Sender is not inserting any RTP header extension, but the UPF may parse the packet Payload according to vendor specific formats (e.g., formats used by an application service provider such as a video streaming provider). Here, it hints for RTP with MPEG2-TS, according to RFC2250 (e.g., { “rtpHeld”: -1, "vndlnfo” : “vnd:<vendor>:rtp-ts-h265” }).

[0036] FIG. 5 is a table illustrating examples of simple data types including Vndlnfo of FIG. 4. Vndlnfo can indicate vendor specific protocol descriptions, for example for the case when no RTP Header Extension containing PDU Set information is present.

[0037] Operations of the network node 900 (implemented using the structure of FIG. 9) will now be discussed with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 6 according to some embodiments of inventive concepts. For example, modules may be stored in memory 906 of FIG. 9, and these modules may provide instructions so that when the instructions of a module are executed by respective network node processing circuitry 902, network node 900 performs respective operations of the flow chart.

[0038] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of operations performed by a network node to handle a modified protocol description. In some embodiments, the network node is a core network (“CN”) node configured to provide a user plane function (“UPF”). In additional or alternative embodiments, the CN node includes a plurality of CN nodes in a CN that is configured to provide a session management function (“SMF”) and a policy control function (“PCF”).

[0039] At block 610, processing circuitry 902 receives, via communication interface 906, a payload associated with a transport protocol. In some examples, the transport protocol is a RTP. In additional or alternative examples, the transport protocol is a quick UDP internet connections (“QUIC”) protocol. In additional or alternative examples, the transport protocol is not a RTP. In some embodiments, the transport protocol includes a vendor specific protocol (e.g., a protocol associated with an application service provider). In additional or alternative embodiments, the payload includes a portion of a non-RTP data stream (e.g., an extended reality, XR, video stream).

[0040] At block 620, processing circuitry 902 determines a protocol description that includes information associated with the transport protocol. In some embodiments, the protocol description includes an indication of information associated with the transport protocol. Inadditional or alternative embodiments, the protocol description includes an indication of an absence of a RTP header extension.

[0041] At block 630, processing circuitry 902 determines PDU set information from the payload based on the protocol description. In some embodiments, determining the protocol description includes receiving the protocol description from an application function, AF. In some examples, receiving the protocol description from the AF includes: receiving, by a PCF, the protocol description from the AF; determining policy charging and control (“PCC”) rules, by the PCF, based on the protocol description; transmitting, by the PCF, the PCC rules and protocol description to a SMF; and transmitting, by the SMF, the protocol description to the UPF.

[0042] At block 640, processing circuitry 902 transmits, via communication interface 906, information based on the PDU set information to a communication device.

[0043] Various operations from the flow chart of FIG. 6 may be optional with respect to some embodiments of network nodes and related methods.

[0044] FIG. 7 shows an example of a communication system 700 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0045] In the example, the communication system 700 includes a telecommunication network 702 that includes an access network 704, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 706, which includes one or more core network nodes 708. The access network 704 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 710a and 710b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 710), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the network nodes 710 are not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that the network nodes 710 may include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 702 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 702 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 702, including one or more network nodes 710 and / or core network nodes 708.

[0046] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU- CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time RAN control application(e.g., xApp) or a non-real time RAN automation application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Intents and content-aware notifications described herein may be communicated from a 3 GPP network node or an ORAN network node over 3GPP-defined interfaces (e.g., N2, N3) and / or ORAN Alliance-defined interfaces (e.g., Al, 01). Moreover, an ORAN network node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the 0-RAN Alliance. The network nodes 710 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting wireless devices 712a, 712b, 712c, and 712d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 712) to the core network 706 over one or more wireless connections. The network nodes 710 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 712a, 712b, 712c, and 712d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 712) to the core network 706 over one or more wireless connections.

[0047] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 700 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 700 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0048] The UEs 712 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 710 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 710 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 712 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 702 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 702.

[0049] In the depicted example, the core network 706 connects the network nodes 710 to one or more hosts, such as host 716. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 706 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 708) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 708. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0050] The host 716 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 704 and / or the telecommunication network 702, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 716 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0051] As a whole, the communication system 700 of FIG. 7 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0052] In some examples, the telecommunication network 702 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 702 maysupport network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 702. For example, the telecommunications network 702 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0053] In some examples, the UEs 712 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 704 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 704. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved- UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0054] In the example, the hub 714 communicates with the access network 704 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 712c and / or 712d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 710b). In some examples, the hub 714 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 714 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 706 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 714 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 710, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 714. As another example, the hub 714 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 714 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 714 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 714 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 714 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular in if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0055] The hub 714 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 710b. The hub 714 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 714 and UEs (e.g., UE 712c and / or 712d), and between the hub 714 and the core network 706. In other examples, the hub 714 is connected to the core network 706 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 714 may be configured toconnect to an M2M service provider over the access network 704 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 710 while still connected via the hub 714 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 714 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 710b. In other embodiments, the hub 714 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 710b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0056] FIG. 8 shows a UE 800 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0057] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle- to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0058] The UE 800 includes processing circuitry 802 that is operatively coupled via a bus 804 to an input / output interface 806, a power source 808, a memory 810, a communication interface 812, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in FIG. 8. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multipleinstances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0059] The processing circuitry 802 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 810. The processing circuitry 802 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 802 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0060] In the example, the input / output interface 806 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 800. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0061] In some embodiments, the power source 808 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 808 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 808 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 800 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 808. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 808 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 800 to which power is supplied.

[0062] The memory 810 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable readonly memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 810 includes one or more application programs 814, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 816. The memory 810 may store, for use by the UE 800, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0063] The memory 810 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘ SIM card.’ The memory 810 may allow the UE 800 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 810, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0064] The processing circuitry 802 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 812. The communication interface 812 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 822. The communication interface 812 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 818 and / or a receiver 820 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 818 and receiver 820 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 822) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0065] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 812 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short- range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / intemet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0066] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 812, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0067] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0068] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for AugmentedReality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 800 shown in FIG. 8.

[0069] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3 GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0070] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0071] FIG. 9 shows a network node 900 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), NR NodeBs (gNBs)), 0-RAN nodes, or components of an 0-RAN node (e.g., intelligent controller, 0-RU, 0-DU, O-CU).

[0072] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio basestation such as centralized digital units and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0073] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0074] The network node 900 includes a processing circuitry 902, a memory 904, a communication interface 906, and a power source 908. The network node 900 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 900 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 900 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 904 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 910 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 900 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 900, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 900.

[0075] The processing circuitry 902 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 900 components, such as the memory 904, to provide network node 900 functionality.

[0076] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 912 and the baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0077] The memory 904 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 902. The memory 904 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 902 and utilized by the network node 900. The memory 904 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 902 and / or any data received via the communication interface 906. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 and memory 904 is integrated.

[0078] The communication interface 906 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 906 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 916 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 906 also includes radio front-end circuitry 918 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 910. Radio front-end circuitry 918 comprises filters 920 and amplifiers 922. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may be connected to an antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 920 and / or amplifiers 922. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 910. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 910 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 918. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 902. In otherembodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0079] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 900 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 918, instead, the processing circuitry 902 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 910. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 912 is part of the communication interface 906. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 906 includes one or more ports or terminals 916, the radio front-end circuitry 918, and the RF transceiver circuitry 912, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 906 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 914, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0080] The antenna 910 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 910 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 918 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 910 is separate from the network node 900 and connectable to the network node 900 through an interface or port.

[0081] The antenna 910, communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 910, the communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0082] The power source 908 provides power to the various components of network node 900 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 908 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 900 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 900 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 908. As a further example, the power source 908 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0083] Embodiments of the network node 900 may include additional components beyond those shown in FIG. 9 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 900 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 900 and to allow output of information from the network node 900. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 900.

[0084] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a host 1000, which may be an embodiment of the host 716 of FIG. 7, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1000 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 1000 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0085] The host 1000 includes processing circuitry 1002 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1004 to an input / output interface 1006, a network interface 1008, a power source 1010, and a memory 1012. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as FIGS. 8 and 9, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1000.

[0086] The memory 1012 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1014 and data 1016, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 1000 or data generated by the host 1000 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1000 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1014 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application programs 1014 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 1000 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 1014 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0087] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1100 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1100 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1100 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0088] Applications 1102 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0089] Hardware 1104 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1106 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1108a and 1108b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1108), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1106 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1108.

[0090] The VMs 1108 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1106. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1102 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1108, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volumeserver hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0091] In the context of NFV, a VM 1108 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1108, and that part of hardware 1104 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1108 on top of the hardware 1104 and corresponds to the application 1102.

[0092] Hardware 1104 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1104 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1104 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1110, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1102. In some embodiments, hardware 1104 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1112 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0093] FIG. 12 shows a communication diagram of a host 1202 communicating via a network node 1204 with a UE 1206 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 712a of FIG. 7 and / or UE 800 of FIG. 8), network node (such as network node 710a of FIG. 7 and / or network node 900 of FIG. 9), and host (such as host 716 of FIG. 7 and / or host 1000 of FIG. 10) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to FIG. 12.

[0094] Like host 1000, embodiments of host 1202 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1202 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 1202 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 1206 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1250 extending between the UE 1206 and host 1202. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1250.

[0095] The network node 1204 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1202 and UE 1206. The connection 1260 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 706 of FIG. 7) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0096] The UE 1206 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1206 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1206 with the support of the host 1202. In the host 1202, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1250 terminating at the UE 1206 and host 1202. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1250 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1250.

[0097] The OTT connection 1250 may extend via a connection 1260 between the host 1202 and the network node 1204 and via a wireless connection 1270 between the network node 1204 and the UE 1206 to provide the connection between the host 1202 and the UE 1206. The connection 1260 and wireless connection 1270, over which the OTT connection 1250 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1202 and the UE 1206 via the network node 1204, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0098] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1250, in step 1208, the host 1202 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1206. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1206 that shares data with the host 1202 without explicit human interaction. In step 1210, the host 1202 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1206. The host 1202 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1206. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1206 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1206. The transmission may pass via the network node 1204, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1212, the network node 1204 transmits to the UE 1206 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1202 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1214, the UE 1206 receives the user data carried in the transmission, whichmay be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1206 associated with the host application executed by the host 1202.

[0099] In some examples, the UE 1206 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1202. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1202. Accordingly, in step 1216, the UE 1206 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of the UE 1206. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1206 initiates, in step 1218, transmission of the user data towards the host 1202 via the network node 1204. In step 1220, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1204 receives user data from the UE 1206 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1202. In step 1222, the host 1202 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1206.

[0100] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1206 using the OTT connection 1250, in which the wireless connection 1270 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may enable the behaviour of a UPF when handling any transport protocol (RTP or non-RTP) to be defined. In some examples, this can allow vendors to select a non-RTP to be used.

[0101] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1202. As another example, the host 1202 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1202 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1202 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1202 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 1202 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and / or transmitting data.

[0102] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1250 between the host 1202 and UE 1206, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1202 and / or UE 1206. Insome embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1250 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1250 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1204. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host 1202. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1250 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0103] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0104] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may beprovided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0105] Example Embodiments are described below.

[0106] Embodiment 1. A method of operating a network node (900), the method comprising: receiving (610) a payload associated with a transport protocol that is not a real-time transport protocol, RTP; determining (620) a protocol description that includes information associated with the transport protocol; and determining (630) protocol data unit, PDU, set information from the payload based on the protocol description.

[0107] Embodiment 2. The method of Embodiments 1, wherein the protocol description includes an indication of information associated with the transport protocol.

[0108] Embodiment 3. The method of any of Embodiments 1-2, wherein the transport protocol comprises a vendor specific protocol.

[0109] Embodiment 4. The method of any of Embodiments 1-3, wherein the protocol descriptions comprises an indication of an absence of a RTP header extension.

[0110] Embodiment 5. The method of any of Embodiments 1-4, wherein the network node is a core network, CN, node configured to provide a user plane function, UPF, and wherein determining the protocol description comprises receiving the protocol description from an application function, AF.

[0111] Embodiment 6. The method of Embodiment 5, wherein the CN node comprises a plurality of CN nodes in a CN that is configured to provide a session management function, SMF, and a policy control function, PCF, wherein receiving the protocol description from the AF comprises: receiving, by the PCF, the protocol description from the AF; determining policy charging and control, PCC, rules, by the PCF, based on the protocol description; transmitting, by the PCF, the PCC rules and protocol description to the SMF; and transmitting, by the SMF, the protocol description to the UPF.

[0112] Embodiment 7. The method of any of Embodiments 1-6, wherein the payload comprises a portion of an extended reality, XR, video stream.

[0113] Embodiment 8. The method of any of Embodiments 1-7, further comprising: transmitting (640) information based on the PDU set information to a communication device.

[0114] Embodiment 9. A network node (900), the network node comprising: processing circuitry (902); and memory (906) coupled to the processing circuitry and having instructions stored therein that are executable by the processing circuitry to cause the network node to perform operations comprising any of the operations of Embodiments 1-8.

[0115] Embodiment 10. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a network node (900), whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations comprising any operations of Embodiments 1-8.

[0116] Embodiment 11. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium (906) including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a network node (900), whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations comprising any operations of Embodiments 1-8.

[0117] Embodiment 12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored therein that are executable by processing circuitry (902) of a network node (900) to cause the network node to perform operations comprising any of the operations of Embodiments 1-8.

[0118] Embodiment 13. A network node for protecting a network form a malicious UE, the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the operations of Embodiments 1-8; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0119] Embodiment 14. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of Embodiments 1-8 to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0120] Embodiment 15. The host of the previous embodiment, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; andthe UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.

[0121] Embodiment 16. A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of the operations of Embodiments 1-8 to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0122] Embodiment 17. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.

[0123] Embodiment 18. The method of any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0124] Embodiment 19. A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the communication system comprising: a host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the-top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of Embodiments 1-8 to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0125] Embodiment 20. The communication system of the previous embodiment, further comprising: the network node; and / or the UE.

[0126] Embodiment 21. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of Embodiments 1-10 to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host.

[0127] Embodiment 22. The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that receives the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0128] Embodiment 23. The host of the any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.

[0129] Embodiment 24. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of Embodiments 1-8 to receive the user data from the UE for the host.

[0130] Embodiment 25. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a network node (900), the method comprising: receiving (610) a payload associated with a transport protocol; determining (620) a protocol description that includes information associated with the transport protocol and information about a payload format of the payload; and determining (630) protocol data unit, PDU, set information from the payload based on the protocol description.

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein the information about the payload format of the payload comprises information about a payload type.

3. The method of any of Claims 1-2, wherein the protocol description includes an indication of the information associated with the transport protocol.

4. The method of any of Claims 1-3, wherein the transport protocol comprises a vendor specific protocol.

5. The method of any of Claims 1-4, wherein the transport protocol comprises a non-real- time protocol, RTP.

6. The method of any of Claims 1-5, wherein the protocol descriptions comprises an indication of an absence of a RTP header extension.

7. The method of any of Claims 1-6, wherein the transport protocol comprises a quick user datagram protocol internet connections, QUIC, transport protocol.

8. The method of any of Claims 1-4, wherein the transport protocol comprises a real-time protocol, RTP.

9. The method of any of Claims 1-8, wherein the network node is a core network, CN, node configured to provide a user plane function, UPF, and wherein determining the protocol description comprises receiving the protocol descriptionfrom an application function, AF.

10. The method of Claim 9, wherein the CN node comprises a plurality of CN nodes in a CN that is configured to provide a session management function, SMF, and a policy control function, PCF, wherein receiving the protocol description from the AF comprises: receiving, by the PCF, the protocol description from the AF; determining policy charging and control, PCC, rules, by the PCF, based on the protocol description; transmitting, by the PCF, the PCC rules and protocol description to the SMF; and transmitting, by the SMF, the protocol description to the UPF.

11. The method of any of Claims 1-10, wherein the payload comprises a portion of an extended reality, XR, video stream.

12. The method of any of Claims 1-11, further comprising: transmitting (640) information based on the PDU set information to a communication device.

13. A network node (900) adapted to perform operations comprising: receiving (610) a payload associated with a transport protocol; determining (620) a protocol description that includes information associated with the transport protocol and information about a payload format of the payload; and determining (630) protocol data unit, PDU, set information from the payload based on the protocol description.

14. The network node of Claim 13, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2-12.

15. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a network node (900), whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations comprising: receiving (610) a payload associated with a transport protocol; determining (620) a protocol description that includes information associated with the transport protocol and information about a payload format of the payload; anddetermining (630) protocol data unit, PDU, set information from the payload based on the protocol description.

16. The computer program of Claim 15, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2-12.

17. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium (906) including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a network node (900), whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations comprising: receiving (610) a payload associated with a transport protocol; determining (620) a protocol description that includes information associated with the transport protocol and information about a payload format of the payload; and determining (630) protocol data unit, PDU, set information from the payload based on the protocol description.

18. The computer program product of Claim 17, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2-12.

Images