Managing UE mobility information

Abstract

Disclosed is a method comprising receiving, by an access node (104), during initial context creation related to a terminal device (100), first mobility classification assistance information collected by the access node (104) or by at least one previous access node concerning the terminal device (100), the first mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or at least one of a served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device (100) used at least one cell and beam.

Description

[0001] MANAGING UE MOBILITY INFORMATION

[0002] FIELD

[0003] The following example embodiments relate to wireless communication and managing UE mobility information.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] In wireless communications, a radio access network (RAN) controls how UEs use the wireless medium. The RAN manages radio resources, allocates them, and makes sure that each UE receives a share of network capacity.

[0006] BRIEF DESCRIPTION

[0007] The scope of protection sought for various example embodiments is set out by the independent claims. The example embodiments and features, if any, described in this specification that do not fall under the scope of the independent claims are to be interpreted as examples useful for understanding various embodiments.

[0008] According to an aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, first mobility classification assistance information collected by the apparatus or by at least one previous access node concerning the terminal device, the first mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or at least one of a served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam.

[0009] According to another aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for receiving, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, first mobility classification assistance information collected by the apparatus or by at least one previous access node concerning the terminal device, the first mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or at least one of a served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam.

[0010] According to another aspect, there is provided a method comprising:

[0011] I receiving, by an access node, first mobility classification assistance information collected by the access node or by at least one previous access node concerning the terminal device, the first mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or of an at least one served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam.

[0012] According to another aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receive, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, first mobility classification assistance information collected by the apparatus or at least one previous access node concerning a terminal device, the first mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or of an at least one served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam.

[0013] According to another aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receive, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, first mobility classification assistance information collected by the apparatus or at least one previous access node concerning a terminal device, the first mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or of an at least one served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam.

[0014] According to another aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receive, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, first mobility classification assistance information collected by the apparatus or at least one previous access node concerning a terminal device, the first mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or of an at least one served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam. According to another aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: collect, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or at least one of a served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam, transmit the mobility classification assistance information to an access node.

[0015] According to another aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for collecting, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or at least one of a served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam, transmitting the mobility classification assistance information to an access node.

[0016] According to another aspect, there is provided a method comprising: collecting, in a network device, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or at least one of a served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam, transmitting the mobility classification assistance information from the network device to an access node.

[0017] LIST OF DRAWINGS

[0018] In the following, various example embodiments will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

[0019] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication network;

[0020] Figures 2 to 4 illustrate example embodiments for managing UE mobility information;

[0021] Figures 5 to 6 illustrate various embodiments of carrying out the process of Figure 2 to 4; and Figures 7 to 8 illustrate a block diagram of a structure of an apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0022] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The following embodiments are exemplifying. Although the specification may refer to “an”, “one”, or “some” embodiment(s) in several locations of the text, this does not necessarily mean that each reference is made to the same embodiment(s), or that a particular feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.

[0024] Some example embodiments described herein may be implemented in a wireless communication network comprising a radio access network based on one or more of the following radio access technologies (RATs): Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or any other second generation radio access technology, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS, 3G) based on basic wideband- code division multiple access (W-CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), 5G new radio (NR), 5G-Advanced (i.e., 3GPP NR Rel-18 and beyond), or sixth generation (6G). Some examples of radio access networks include the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) radio access network (UTRAN), the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access network (E-UTRA), or the next generation radio access network (NG-RAN). The wireless communication network may further comprise a core network, and some example embodiments may also be applied to network functions of the core network.

[0025] It should be noted that the embodiments are not restricted to the wireless communication network given as an example, but a person skilled in the art may also apply the solution to other wireless communication networks or systems provided with necessary properties. For example, some example embodiments may also be applied to a communication system based on IEEE 802.11 specifications, or a communication system based on IEEE 802.15 specifications. IEEE is an abbreviation for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

[0026] FIG. 1 depicts an example of a simplified wireless communication network showing some physical and logical entities. The connections shown in FIG. 1 may be physical connections or logical connections. It is apparent to a person skilled in the art that the wireless communication network may also comprise other physical and logical entities than those shown in FIG. 1.

[0027] The example embodiments described herein are not, however, restricted to the wireless communication network given as an example but a person skilled in the art may apply the example embodiments described herein to other wireless communication networks provided with necessary properties.

[0028] The example wireless communication network shown in FIG. 1 includes a radio access network (RAN) and a core network 110.

[0029] FIG. 1 shows user equipment (UE) 100, 102 configured to be in a wireless connection on one or more communication channels in a radio cell with an access node 104 of a radio access network.

[0030] The access node 104 may comprise a computing device configured to control the radio resources of the access node 104 and to be in a wireless connection with one or more UEs 100, 102. The access node 104 may also be referred to as a base station, a base transceiver station (BTS), an access point, a cell site, a network node, a radio access network node, or a RAN node. The access node 104 may be, for example, an evolved NodeB (abbreviated as eNB or eNodeB), or a next generation evolved NodeB (abbreviated as ng-eNB), or a next generation NodeB (abbreviated as gNB or gNodeB), providing the radio cell. The access node 104 may include or be coupled to transceivers. From the transceivers of the access node 104, a connection may be provided to an antenna unit that establishes a bi-directional radio link to one or more UEs 100, 102. The antenna unit may comprise an antenna or antenna element, or a plurality of antennas or antenna elements.

[0031] The wireless connection (e.g., radio link) from a UE 100, 102 to the access node 104 may be called uplink (UL) or reverse link, and the wireless connection (e.g., radio link) from the access node 104 to the UE 100, 102 may be called downlink (DL) or forward link. A UE 100 may also communicate directly with another UE 102, and vice versa, via a wireless connection generally referred to as a sidelink (SL). It should be appreciated that the access node 104 or its functionalities may be implemented by using any node, host, server, access point or other entity suitable for providing such functionalities. The radio access network may comprise more than one access node 104, in which case the access nodes may also be configured to communicate with one another over wired or wireless links. These links between access nodes may be used for sending and receiving control plane signaling and also for routing data from one access node to another access node.

[0032] The access node 104 may further be connected to a core network (CN) 110. The core network 110 may comprise an evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or a 5thgeneration core network (5GC). The EPC may comprise network entities, such as a serving gateway (S-GW for routing and forwarding data packets), a packet data network gateway (P-GW) for providing connectivity of UEs to external packet data networks, and / or a mobility management entity (MME). The 5GC may comprise one or more network functions, such as at least one of: an access and mobility management function (AMF) 111, a user plane function (UPF), a location management function (LMF), and / or a session management function (SMF).

[0033] The core network 110 may also be able to communicate with one or more external networks 113, such as a public switched telephone network or the Internet, or utilize services provided by them. For example, in 5G wireless communication networks, the UPF of the core network 110 may be configured to communicate with an external data network via an N6 interface. In LTE wireless communication networks, the P-GW of the core network 110 may be configured to communicate with an external data network.

[0034] It should also be understood that the distribution of functions between core network operations and access node operations may differ in future wireless communication networks compared to that of the LTE or 5G, or even be non-existent.

[0035] The illustrated UE 100, 102 is one type of an apparatus to which resources on the air interface may be allocated and assigned. The UE 100, 102 may also be called a wireless communication device, a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a terminal device, or a user device, just to mention but a few names. The UE 100, 102 may be a computing device operating with or without a subscriber identification module (SIM), including, but not limited to, the following types of computing devices: a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handset, a computing device comprising a wireless modem (e.g., an alarm or measurement device, etc.), a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet, a game console, a notebook, a multimedia device, a reduced capability (RedCap) device, a wearable device (e.g., a watch, earphones or eyeglasses) with radio parts, a sensor comprising a wireless modem, or a computing device comprising a wireless modem integrated in a vehicle.

[0036] It should be appreciated that the UE 100, 102 may also be a nearly exclusive uplink-only device, of which an example may be a camera or video camera loading images or video clips to a network. The UE 100, 102 may also be a device having capability to operate in an Internet of Things (loT) network, which is a scenario in which objects may be provided with the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.

[0037] The wireless communication network may also be able to support the usage of cloud services. For example, at least part of core network operations may be carried out as a cloud service (this is depicted in FIG. 1 by “cloud” 114). The UE 100, 102 may also utilize the cloud 114. In some applications, the computation for a given UE may be carried out in the cloud 114 or in another UE.

[0038] The wireless communication network may also comprise a central control entity, such as a network management system (NMS), or the like. The NMS is a centralized suite of software and hardware used to monitor, control, and administer the network infrastructure. The NMS is responsible for a wide range of tasks such as fault management, configuration management, security management, performance management, and accounting management. The NMS enables network operators to efficiently manage and optimize network resources, ensuring that the network delivers high performance, reliability, and security.

[0039] 5G enables using multiple-input and multiple-output (M1M0) antennas in the access node 104 and / or the UE 100, 102, many more base stations or access nodes than an LTE network (a so-called small cell concept), including macro sites operating in co-operation with smaller stations and employing a variety of radio technologies depending on service needs, use cases and / or spectrum available. 5G wireless communication networks may support a wide range of use cases and related applications including video streaming, augmented reality, different ways of data sharing and various forms of machine-type applications, such as (massive) machine- type communications (mMTC), including vehicular safety, different sensors and realtime control.

[0040] In 5G wireless communication networks, access nodes and / or UEs may have multiple radio interfaces, such as below 6 gigahertz (GHz), centimeter wave (cmWave) and millimeter wave (mmWave), and also being integrable with legacy radio access technologies, such as LTE. Integration with LTE may be implemented, for example, as a system, where macro coverage may be provided by LTE, and 5G radio interface access may come from small cells by aggregation to LTE. In other words, a 5G wireless communication network may support both inter-RAT operability (such as interoperability between LTE and 5G) and inter-Rl operability (inter-radio interface operability, such as between below 6GHz, cmWave, and mmWave).

[0041] 5G wireless communication networks may also apply network slicing, in which multiple independent and dedicated virtual sub-networks (network instances) may be created within the same physical infrastructure to run services that have different requirements on latency, reliability, throughput and mobility.

[0042] In one embodiment, an access node 104 may comprise: a radio unit (RU) comprising a radio transceiver (TRX), i.e., a transmitter (Tx) and a receiver (Rx); one or more distributed units (DUs) 105 that may be used for the so-called Layer 1 (LI) processing and real-time Layer 2 (L2) processing; and a central unit (CU) 108 (also known as a centralized unit) that may be used for non-real-time L2 and Layer 3 (L3) processing. The CU 108 may be connected to the one or more DUs 105 for example via an Fl interface. Such an embodiment of the access node 104 may enable the centralization of CUs relative to the cell sites and DUs, whereas DUs may be more distributed and may even remain at cell sites. The CU and DU together may also be referred to as baseband or a baseband unit (BBU). The CU and DU may also be comprised in a radio access point (RAP).

[0043] The CU 108 may be a logical node hosting radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) and / or packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), of the NR protocol stack for an access node 104. The CU 108 may comprise a control plane (CU-CP), which may be a logical node hosting the RRC and the control plane part of the PDCP protocol of the NR protocol stack for the access node 104. The CU 108 may further comprise a user plane (CU-UP), which may be a logical node hosting the user plane part of the PDCP protocol and the SDAP protocol of the CU for the access node 104.

[0044] The DU 105 may be a logical node hosting radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC) and / or physical (PHY) layers of the NR protocol stack for the access node 104. The operations of the DU 105 may be at least partly controlled by the CU 108. It should also be understood that the distribution of functions between the DU 105 and the CU 108 may vary depending on the implementation.

[0045] Cloud computing systems may also be used to provide the CU 108 and / or DU 105. A CU provided by a cloud computing system may be referred to as a virtualized CU (vCU). In addition to the vCU, there may also be a virtualized DU (vDU) provided by a cloud computing system. Furthermore, there may also be a combination, where the DU may be implemented on so-called bare metal solutions, for example applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC) or customer-specific standard product (CSSP) system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0046] Edge cloud may be brought into the radio access network by utilizing network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN). Using edge cloud may mean access node operations to be carried out, at least partly, in a computing system operationally coupled to a remote radio head (RRH) or a radio unit (RU) of an access node 104. It is also possible that access node operations may be performed on a distributed computing system or a cloud computing system located at the access node 104. Application of cloud RAN architecture enables RAN real-time functions being carried out at the radio access network (e.g., in a DU 105), and non- real-time functions being carried out in a centralized manner (e.g., in a CU 108).

[0047] 5G (or new radio, NR) wireless communication networks may support multiple hierarchies, where multi-access edge computing (MEC) servers may be placed between the core network 110 and the access node 104. It should be appreciated that MEC may be applied in LTE wireless communication networks as well.

[0048] A 5G wireless communication network (“5G network”) may also comprise a non-terrestrial communication network, such as a satellite communication network, to enhance or complement the coverage of the 5G radio access network. For example, satellite communication may support the transfer of data between the 5G radio access network and the core network 110, enabling more extensive network coverage. Possible use cases may include: providing service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (loT) devices or for passengers on board of vehicles, or ensuring service availability for critical communications, and future railway, maritime, or aeronautical communications. Satellite communication may utilize geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite systems, but also low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, in particular mega-constellations (i.e., systems in which hundreds of (nano)satellites are deployed). A given satellite 106 in the mega-constellation may cover several satellite- enabled network entities that create on-ground cells. The on-ground cells may be created through an on-ground relay access node or by an access node located on- ground or in a satellite.

[0049] It is obvious for a person skilled in the art that the access node 104 depicted in FIG. 1 is just an example of a part of a radio access network, and in practice the radio access network may comprise a plurality of access nodes 104, the UEs 100, 102 may have access to a plurality of radio cells, and the radio access network may also comprise other apparatuses, such as physical layer relay access nodes or other entities. At least one of the access nodes may be a Home eNodeB or a Home gNodeB. A Home gNodeB or a Home eNodeB is a type of access node that may be used to provide indoor coverage inside a home, office, or other indoor environment.

[0050] Additionally, in a geographical area of a radio access network, a plurality of different kinds of radio cells as well as a plurality of radio cells may be provided. Radio cells may be macro cells (or umbrella cells) which may be large cells having a diameter of up to tens of kilometers, or smaller cells such as micro-, femto- or picocells. The access node(s) 104 of FIG. 1 may provide any kind of these cells. A cellular radio network may be implemented as a multilayer access networks including several kinds of radio cells. In multilayer access networks, one access node may provide one kind of a radio cell or radio cells, and thus a plurality of access nodes may be needed to provide such a multilayer access network.

[0051] For fulfilling the need for improving performance of radio access networks, the concept of “plug-and-play” access nodes may be introduced. A radio access network, which may be able to use “plug-and-play” access nodes, may include, in addition to Home eNodeBs or Home gNodeBs, a Home Node B gateway (HNB-GW) (not shown in FIG. 1). An HNB-GW, which may be installed within an operator’s radio access network, may aggregate traffic from a large number of Home eNodeBs or Home gNodeBs back to a core network 110 of the operator.

[0052] Some example embodiments are described below using principles and terminology of 5G radio access technology without limiting the example embodiments to 5G radio access technology, however.

[0053] To manage radio resources, allocate them, and make sure that UEs, regardless of their condition and situation, receive their share of network capacity, the RAN maintains information on the UEs it is serving. This includes Radio Network Temporary Identifiers (RNTls), Radio Resource Control (RRC) contexts, etc. The RAN is connected to a 5G Core Network through a so-called NG interface, the control plane (NG-C) of which allows signaling between gNBs and an Access & Mobility Management Function (AMF). The main responsibilities of the AMF include processes such as registration management, connection management and mobility management.

[0054] Networks with a mixture of FWA and mobile UEs present an RRC optimization opportunity to the RAN. FWA UEs are stationary and do not move. Therefore, the RAN may assign long-lasting resources like beams or bandwidth parts to these UEs without a concern for handovers or changes in frequency allocation due to mobility. This ability to differentiate fixed UEs from mobile UEs enables numerous RRC slicing algorithms. However, this requires that the RAN is able to label UEs as either fixed or mobile. A method is disclosed how to effectively assist the RAN in obtaining an UE-specific mobility label. Furthermore, many mobile UEs often behave as fixed for relatively long periods (e.g. a smartphone laying static on an office table for hours), only to be moved again later. These are the so-called stationary (or nomadic) UEs. Within the mobile UEs, one may also distinguish between regular mobile (e.g. pedestrians) and high-speed UEs (e.g. phones on a car, WiFi gateways on a high-speed train, etc.).

[0055] The RAN may notice whether a UE behaves as fixed, mobile, stationary or high-speed. However, this information is lost as soon as an RRC connection is closed. Since RRC connections may be brief, the RAN needs to re-assess each UE at the start of every new RRC connection to acquire the same information again. A method and apparatus how to aggregate this information across multiple RRC connections is disclosed herein. It is also desired that relevant UE-specific RRM parameters are provided or known to the gNB at the start of new RRC connections (rather than after a slow re-assessment process).

[0056] It is desired to properly classify UEs as per their mobility, and to make this classification available to the RAN as soon as UEs become RRC-connected. Therefore, application protocol signaling, such as NGAP signaling, is proposed that allows the RAN node to collect mobility-related data that the same or different RAN node may later process to classify UEs according to their mobility behavior. lEs proposed may be exchanged at precise moments of time when an AMF UE context is released, modified, or established.

[0057] Expected UE mobility IE may be enhanced with values: fixed, high-speed and unknown. These values are an addition to the already existing stationary and mobile values. The Mobility Classification Assistance Information IE may include the following lEs: A mobility label for the applicable UE, A list of the eight most frequent cell-beam tuples used by the UE during the applicable RRC context. Such tuples may be described by following lEs: Cell ID, aka NR CGI, or its equivalent in 6G, Beam ID, the duration in seconds that the UE used the (cell, beam) tuple. The (cell ID, Beam ID) tuple may denote the cell and beam most frequently used by the UE during the RRC context lifetime. Optionally, additional radio-related information from RRC, RLC, MAC and PHY layers may be included, such as statistics of the Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) used by the UE, Transmit Power Control (TPC) commands, spectral occupation statistics, HARQ statistics, Power Headroom Reports (PHRs), number of M1M0 layers, etc.

[0058] FIG. 2 illustrates a signal flow diagram according to an example embodiment.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 2, at 201, serving (old) gNBl-CU 108 collects, in step 202, Mobility Classification Assistance Information (MCA1), as long as UE 100 stays RRC connected (cell, beam, radio parameters (MCS, etc.)). gNBl-CU 108 may retrieve, in item 201, part of the information from the gNBl-DU 105. In the RAN-side collection of mobility-related data for UE, MCA1 is collected by the gNBl-CU 108 while a UE RRC context is active. The information needed may include Beam ID, served cell NR CGI and the Time UE stayed in this cell and beam. Since the UE might change cell and beam during the lifetime of a RRC context, eight most frequent cell-beam tuples may be collected here. Other embodiments might include additional radio-related information from RRC, RLC, MAC and PHY layers, such as statistics of the Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) used by the UE, Transmit Power Control (TPC) commands, spectral occupation statistics, HARQ statistics, Power Headroom Reports (PHRs), number of M1M0 layers, etc. When the UE transfers to RRC-ldle state, the (old) gNB 108 sends, in item 203, the collected information in a Mobility Classification Assistance information container to AMF 111. The information may be sent to AMF in a NGAP UE context release complete, NGAP UE context suspend request or NGAP RAN CP relocation indication messages sent to AMF as a Mobility Classification Assistance Information (MCA1) transparent container. In step 204, the AMF may store transparently the Mobility Classification Assistance information container. In case of inter-AMF relocation, the Mobility Classification Assistance information may be transmitted to target AMF together with the UE context. At next idle-active transition 205, 206, the AMF may transmit, in item 207, the stored Mobility Classification Assistance information container to new serving gNB 108B e.g., in an NGAP Initial UE Context Setup Request message or AMF CP relocation indication messages, to be used by the new serving gNB for handling the UE in RRC connected mode. This may mean inclusion of the MCA1 and previous cell-beam tuples (in case of fixed or stationary UEs) into the message 207. Also additional mobility-related information may be included in message 207. In step 208, the new serving gNB 108B receives the Mobility Classification Assistance information 207 and uses the received Mobility Classification Assistance information to infer mobility prediction and radio parameters according to expected radio conditions. The received MCA1 may be used 208 to derive expected mobility behavior of the UE. A Mobility detection algorithm may be run in step 208 to obtain a UE mobility label. gNB2-CU 108B may provide, in item 209, part of the received assistance information to the serving gNB-DU 105B.

[0060] In idle mode transfer, to support mobility classification of a UE in RRC idle mode, gNB collects mobility-related data for each UE. This data may be collected by the gNB-CU of the gNB while a UE RRC context is active. The information includes Beam ID, served cell NR CGI and the Time UE stayed in this cell and beam. Since the UE might change cell and beam during the lifetime of a RRC context, up to eight most frequent cell-beam tuple may be collected here. The information may be collected organized per tracking area to which the cell belongs to. Additional information may be collected such as radio information e.g., the MCS used to serve the UE, CS1 reports or L3 RSRP measurements. Part of the information collected by the gNB-CU may be retrieved from the gNB-DU. The gNB CU may use a F1AP UE Context Modification Response message for the retrieving. The collected information is included into a Mobility Classification Assistance Information IE which may be sent as a transparent container e.g. in a NGAP UE context release complete, NGAP UE context suspend complete, NGAP RAN CP relocation indication message. The Mobility Classification Assistance Information container may be stored by the AMF in a UE context. In case of inter-AMF relocation, the Mobility Classification Assistance information may be transferred together with the UE context. During next idle-active transition, the AMF may send the Mobility Classification Assistance Information container transparently to the serving gNB, e.g., in a NGAP initial UE context setup request or AMF CP relocation indication messages to be used by new serving gNB for handling the UE in RRC connected mode. The new serving gNB may use the received information for handling the UE in RRC connected mode by, for example, running a Mobility classification algorithm to obtain the UE mobility label. There are several such algorithms that may be used. Especially, if the new serving gNB is the same as the last serving gNB, the gNB may infer expected location in cell, beam, and optimized radio parameters to serve the UE (e.g., MCS to be used). If the gNB is a split gNB, at least part of the information contained in the Mobility Classification Assistance Information container may be sent to the gNB-DU. The information may be sent e.g. in an F1AP UE context setup request.

[0061] FIG. 3 illustrates a signal flow diagram according to an example embodiment.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 3, in step 301 serving (old) gNBl-CU 104 collects MCA11 (Mobility Classification Assistance Information) information (cell, beam, radio parameters (MCS, etc.)), as long as UE stays RRC connected. gNBl-CU may retrieve part of the information from gNB-DU. The mobility-related data for each UE may be collected by the gNB-CU while a UE RRC context is active. The information may include Beam ID, served cell NR CGI and the Time UE stayed in this cell and beam. Since the UE might change cell and beam during the lifetime of a RRC context, up to eight most frequent cell-beam tuple shall be collected here. The information may be collected organized per tracking area to which the cell belongs to. Also additional information may be included such as radio information e.g., the MCS used to serve the UE, CS1 reports or L3 RSRP measurements. Part of the information collected by the gNB-CU may be retrieved from the gNB-DU. The gNB CU may use e.g. an F1AP UE Context Modification Response message for the retrieval. At next handover gNBl 104 transmits, in a handover request message 302 (e.g. Xn handover request), the MCA11 information to gNB2 104B. At inter-gNB mobility, the information is included into a Mobility Classification Assistance Information IE sent within an Xn Handover Request message or within the Source gNB to Target gNB Transparent container in an NG handover required / request message. In step 303, gNB2 104B stores MCA11 and collects Mobility Classification Assistance Information MCA12. If the source gNB2 already received a Mobility Classification Assistance Information IE as a target gNB of a previous handover, it may insert its own Mobility Classification Information (MCI) lEs into the Mobility Classification Information History. A chain of N Mobility Classification Assistance Information lEs may thus be transmitted during a handover. At next handover gNB2 104B transmits both MCA11 and MCA12 to gNB3 104C, in a handover request message 304 (e.g. Xn handover request). In step 305, gNB3 stores MCA11, MA12 and collects Mobility Classification Assistance Information MCA13. At next handover, gNB3 104C transmits MCA11, MCA12 and MCA13 to gNBl 104 in a handover request message 306 (e.g. Xn handover request). In step 307, gNBl receives MCA11, MCA12 and MCA13, and gNBl uses 307 the previously collected MCA11 for mobility detection algorithm or optimized radio parameters settings. In item 308, gNBl-CU may send part of the received MCA11 to the gNB-DU 105 for optimized radio parameters settings. After handover, the new serving gNB may run a Mobility classification algorithm to obtain the UE mobility label. Especially, if the new serving gNB is one of the previously visited gNBs and if it had built one of the received Mobility Classification Assistance Information lEs, it may infer expected location in cell, beam and optimized radio parameters to serve the UE (e.g., MCS to be used). If the gNB is a split gNB, at least part of the information contained in the Mobility Classification Assistance Information container may be sent to the gNB-DU e.g. in an F1AP UE context setup request.

[0063] In connected mode transfer, to support mobility classification of a UE in RRC connected mode, gNB collects mobility-related data for each UE. This information may be collected by the gNB-CU while a UE RRC context is active. The information may include Beam ID, served cell NR CGI and the Time UE stayed in this cell and beam. Since the UE might change cell and beam during the lifetime of a RRC context, up to eight most frequent cell-beam tuple may be collected here. The information may be collected organized per tracking area to which the cell belongs to. Also additional information such as radio information e.g., the MCS used to serve the UE, CS1 reports or L3 RSRP measurements may be collected by gNB-CU. Part of the information collected by the gNB-CU may be retrieved from the gNB-DU. The gNB-CU may use a F1AP UE Context Modification Response message for the retrieving. At inter-gNB mobility, the collected information is included into a new Mobility Classification Assistance Information IE and sent within an Xn Handover Request message or within a Source gNB to Target gNB Transparent container in an NG handover required / request message. If the source gNB already received a Mobility Classification Assistance Information IE as target gNB of a previous handover, it may insert its own Mobility Classification Information (MCI) lEs into Mobility Classification Information History. A chain of N Mobility Classification Assistance Information lEs may thus be transferred during a handover. After handover, the new serving gNB may run a Mobility classification algorithm to obtain the UE mobility label. There are several such algorithms that may be used. Especially, if the new serving gNB is one of the previously visited gNBs and if it had built one of the received Mobility Classification Assistance Information lEs, it may infer expected location in cell, beam and optimized radio parameters to serve the UE (e.g., MCS to be used).

[0064] FIG. 4 illustrates a signal flow diagram according to an example embodiment.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 4, at 401, gNB-CU 108 may collect mobility classification assistance information related to a terminal device, including at least one of a served beam identification, or at least one of a served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam. gNB-CU may also receive mobility classification assistance information collected by at least one previous access node. At 402, gNB-CU may transmits to a source AMF 111, during initial context creation related to the terminal device, the mobility classification assistance information collected by the gNB-CU and / or by the at least one previous access node. At 403, the source AMF receives from the gNB-CU, during the initial context creation related to the terminal device, the mobility classification assistance information collected by the gNB-CU and / or by the at least one previous access node. At 404, the source AMF transmits the received mobility classification assistance information (or at least a part of it) to a target AMF 111B. At 405, the target AMF receives the mobility classification assistance information (or at least a part of it) from the source AMF. Thus to prevent that MCA1 information accumulated by the source AMF is lost during an AMF change, a summary of such information may be included an inter-AMF context transfer message 404. FIG. 4 illustrates communication of information between AMFs to support UE mobility classification during handovers with AMF change. At 403, the source AMF may collect, during the initial context creation related to the terminal device, mobility classification assistance information. At 404, the source AMF may transmit the mobility classification assistance information (or at least a part of it) collected by the source AMF to a target AMF 111B or to a further access node. At 405, the target AMF receives the mobility classification assistance information (or at least a part of it) from the source AMF.

[0066] FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart according to an example embodiment of a method performed by an apparatus 9800 depicted in FIG. 7. For example, the apparatus 9800 may be, or comprise, or be comprised in, a radio access network node 104, 104B, 104C or a distributed unit 105, 105B or a central unit 108, 108B.

[0067] Referring to FIG. 5, in block 501, the method comprises receiving, by an apparatus such as an access node, first mobility classification assistance information collected by the access node or by at least one previous access node concerning the terminal device, the first mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or of an at least one served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam. The first mobility classification assistance information may be received, by the access node from a core network, in an initial context setup request message or handover-related message, or is received by the access node in a handover-related message from a previous RAN node. The first mobility classification assistance information may be received from the core network in a NG application protocol message, or is received in a handover-related message from a previous RAN node in an Xn application protocol message. In block 502, the access node uses the first mobility classification assistance information for at least one of running a mobility detection algorithm for the terminal device, and determining optimized radio network parameter settings for the terminal device. At block 503, the method may comprise collecting, by the access node, second mobility classification assistance information concerning the terminal device, wherein the second mobility classification assistance information includes at least one of a current beam identification, or of an at least one current cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one current cell and beam. At block 504, the first and / or second mobility classification assistance information is transmitted from the access node to a further access node via a core network in a UE context release related message, UE context suspend request message, or handover-related message, or transmitting the first and / or second mobility classification assistance information from the access node to the further access node in a handover-related message. The first mobility classification assistance information may be received, at 501, by the access node from the previous access node from an AMF, in an NG application protocol message, or from the previous access node in a direct access network entity to access network entity message. The NG application protocol message may be at least one of an initial context setup request message, a handover request message, or an UE information transfer message. The direct access network entity to access network entity message may be at least one of an Xn handover request message or a source to target transparent container. If the access node is a split access node, at least part of the mobility classification assistance information may be transmitted, from an access node centralized unit to an access node distributed unit. The mobility classification assistance information may be transmitted in an F1AP UE context setup request message or an Fl UE context modification request. The mobility classification assistance information may include expected mobility information on the terminal device. The expected mobility information may indicate classification of the terminal device in terms of its mobility behaviour as an enumeration field containing at least one of the following: a fixed, stationary, mobile, high-speed, or unknown status terminal device. The mobility classification assistance information may further include additional radio information selected from one or more of statistics of modulation and coding scheme used by the terminal device, transmit power control commands, spectral occupation statistics, HARQ statistics, power headroom reports, number of MIMO layers, CS1 reports, L3 measurements, channel coherence time, doppler spread, or other radio-related information element(s).

[0068] In one embodiment the apparatus 9800 is, comprises, or is comprised in an access node, and is configured to or comprises means for performing the method.

[0069] FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart according to an example embodiment of a method performed by an apparatus 9900 depicted in FIG. 8, or an access and mobility management function 111 of a core network 110.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 6, in block 601, the apparatus or network device 9900 such as an AMF receives, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or at least one of a served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam. In block 602, the apparatus 9900 may store the mobility classification assistance information. In block 603, the apparatus 9900 may optionally collect its own mobility classification assistance information regarding the terminal device. In block 604, the apparatus 9900 may transmit the received and / or collected mobility classification assistance information to an access node. Alternatively / in addition in block 604, the apparatus 9900 may optionally transmit the received and / or collected mobility classification assistance information to a target AMF in case of inter-AMF context transfer.

[0071] In one example embodiment the apparatus 9900 is configured to or comprises means for performing the method.

[0072] The blocks, related functions, and information exchanges (messages) described above by means of FIGS. 2-6 are in no absolute chronological order, and some of them may be performed simultaneously or in an order differing from the described one. Other functions can also be executed between them or within them, and other information may be sent, and / or other rules applied. Some of the blocks or part of the blocks or one or more pieces of information can also be left out or replaced by a corresponding block or part of the block or one or more pieces of information.

[0073] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[0074] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of an apparatus 9800 comprising means for performing one or more of the example embodiments described above. For example, the apparatus 9800 may be, or comprise, or be comprised in, a radio access network node 104, 104B, 104C or a distributed unit 105, 105B or a central unit 108, 108B.

[0075] The apparatus 9800 may comprise, for example, a circuitry or a chipset applicable for realizing one or more of the example embodiments described above. The apparatus 9800 may be an electronic device comprising one or more electronic circuitries. The apparatus 9800 may comprise a communication control circuitry 9810 such as at least one processor, and at least one memory 9820 storing instructions 9822 which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus 9800 to carry out one or more of the example embodiments described above. Such instructions 9822 may, for example, include computer program code (software). The at least one processor and the at least one memory storing the instructions may provide the means for providing or causing the performance of any of the methods and / or blocks described above.

[0076] The processor is coupled to the memory 9820. The processor is configured to read and write data to and from the memory 9820. The memory 9820 may comprise one or more memory units. The memory units may be volatile or non-volatile. It is to be noted that there may be one or more units of non-volatile memory and one or more units of volatile memory or, alternatively, one or more units of non-volatile memory, or, alternatively, one or more units of volatile memory. Volatile memory may be for example random-access memory (RAM), dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) or synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM). Non-volatile memory may be for example read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, optical storage or magnetic storage. In general, memories may be referred to as non- transitory computer readable media. The term “non-transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM). The memory 9820 stores computer readable instructions that are executed by the processor. For example, non-volatile memory stores the computer readable instructions, and the processor executes the instructions using volatile memory for temporary storage of data and / or instructions.

[0077] The computer readable instructions may have been pre-stored to the memory 9820 or, alternatively or additionally, they may be received, by the apparatus, via an electromagnetic carrier signal and / or may be copied from a physical entity such as a computer program product. Execution of the computer readable instructions causes the apparatus 9800 to perform one or more of the functionalities described above.

[0078] The memory 9820 may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and / or removable memory. The memory may comprise a configuration database for storing configuration data, such as a current neighbour cell list, and, in some example embodiments, structures of frames used in the detected neighbour cells.

[0079] The apparatus 9800 may further comprise or be connected to a communication interface 9830, such as a radio unit, comprising hardware and / or software for realizing communication connectivity with one or more wireless communication devices according to one or more communication protocols. The communication interface 9830 comprises at least one transmitter (Tx) and at least one receiver (Rx) that may be integrated to the apparatus 9800 or that the apparatus 9800 may be connected to. The communication interface 9830 may provide means for performing some of the blocks for one or more example embodiments described above. The communication interface 9830 may comprise one or more components, such as: power amplifier, digital front end (DFE), analog-to-digital converter (ADC), digital-to- analog converter (DAC), frequency converter, (de) modulator, and / or encoder / decoder circuitries, controlled by the corresponding controlling units.

[0080] The communication interface 9830 provides the apparatus with radio communication capabilities to communicate in the wireless communication network. The communication interface may, for example, provide a radio interface to one or more UEs 100, 102. The apparatus 9800 may further comprise or be connected to another interface towards a core network 110, such as the network coordinator apparatus or AMF 111, and / or to the access nodes 104 of the wireless communication network.

[0081] The apparatus 9800 may further comprise a scheduler 9840 that is configured to allocate radio resources. The scheduler 9840 may be configured along with the communication control circuitry 9810 or it may be separately configured.

[0082] It is to be noted that the apparatus 9800 may further comprise various components not illustrated in FIG. 7. The various components may be hardware components and / or software components.

[0083] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of an apparatus 9900 of a core network 110, the apparatus 9900 comprising means for performing one or more of the example embodiments described above. For example, the means may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) of the core network 110 or the means may be network function virtualization infrastructure.

[0084] The apparatus 9900 may comprise, for example, a circuitry or a chipset applicable for realizing one or more of the example embodiments described above. The apparatus 9900 may be an electronic device or computing system comprising one or more electronic circuitries. The apparatus 9900 may comprise a control circuitry 9910 such as at least one processor, and at least one memory 9920 storing instructions 9922 which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus 9900 to carry out one or more of the example embodiments described above. Such instructions 9922 may, for example, include computer program code (software). The at least one processor and the at least one memory storing the instructions may provide the means for providing or causing the performance of any of the methods and / or blocks described above.

[0085] The processor is coupled to the memory 9920. The processor is configured to read and write data to and from the memory 9920. The memory 9920 may comprise one or more memory units. The memory units may be volatile or non-volatile. It is to be noted that there may be one or more units of non-volatile memory and one or more units of volatile memory or, alternatively, one or more units of non-volatile memory, or, alternatively, one or more units of volatile memory. Volatile memory may be for example random-access memory (RAM), dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) or synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM). Non-volatile memory may be for example read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, optical storage or magnetic storage. In general, memories may be referred to as non- transitory computer readable media. The term “non-transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM). The memory 9920 stores computer readable instructions that are executed by the processor. For example, non-volatile memory stores the computer readable instructions, and the processor executes the instructions using volatile memory for temporary storage of data and / or instructions.

[0086] The computer readable instructions may have been pre-stored to the memory 9920 or, alternatively or additionally, they may be received, by the apparatus, via an electromagnetic carrier signal and / or may be copied from a physical entity such as a computer program product. Execution of the computer readable instructions causes the apparatus 9900 to perform one or more of the functionalities described above.

[0087] The memory 9920 may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and / or removable memory.

[0088] The apparatus 9900 may further comprise or be connected to a communication interface 9930 comprising hardware and / or software for realizing communication connectivity according to one or more communication protocols. The communication interface 9930 may comprise at least one transmitter (Tx) and at least one receiver (Rx) that may be integrated to the apparatus 9900 or that the apparatus 9900 may be connected to. The communication interface 9930 may provide means for performing some of the blocks for one or more example embodiments described above. The communication interface 9930 may comprise one or more components, such as: power amplifier, digital front end (DFE), analog-to-digital converter (ADC), digital-to- analog converter (DAC), frequency converter, (de) modulator, and / or encoder / decoder circuitries, controlled by the corresponding controlling units.

[0089] The communication interface 9930 provides the apparatus with communication capabilities to communicate in the wireless communication network. The communication interface 9930 may, for example, provide a radio, cable or fiber interface to one or more network nodes 104 of a radio access network.

[0090] It is to be noted that the apparatus 9900 may further comprise various components not illustrated in FIG. 8. The various components may be hardware components and / or software components.

[0091] In one example embodiment, the apparatus 9800 comprises at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, first mobility classification assistance information collected by the apparatus or by at least one previous access node concerning the terminal device, the first mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or at least one of a served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam.

[0092] In one example embodiment, the first mobility classification assistance information is received from a core network in an initial context setup request message or handover-related message, or is received in a handover-related message from a previous RAN node.

[0093] In one example embodiment, the first mobility classification assistance information is received from a core network in a NG application protocol message, or is received in a handover-related message from a previous RAN node in an Xn application protocol message.

[0094] In one example embodiment, the apparatus is caused to use the first mobility classification assistance information for at least one of running a mobility detection algorithm for the terminal device, and determining optimized radio network parameter settings for the terminal device.

[0095] In one example embodiment, the apparatus is further being caused to: collect second mobility classification assistance information concerning the terminal device, wherein the second mobility classification assistance information includes at least one of a current beam identification, or of an at least one current cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one current cell and beam.

[0096] In one example embodiment, the apparatus is further being caused to: transmit the first and / or second mobility classification assistance information to a further access node via a core network in a UE context release related message, a UE context suspend request message, or a handover-related message, or transmit the first and / or second mobility classification assistance information to the further access node in a handover-related message.

[0097] In one example embodiment, the first and / or second mobility classification assistance information is received from the previous access node from an AMF, in an NG application protocol message, or from the previous access node in a direct access network entity to access network entity message.

[0098] In one example embodiment, the NG application protocol message is at least one of an initial context setup request message, a handover request message, or an UE information transfer message.

[0099] In one example embodiment, the direct access network entity to access network entity message is at least one of an Xn handover request message or a source to target transparent container.

[0100] In one example embodiment, the apparatus is, comprises, or is comprised in an access node.

[0101] In one example embodiment, if the apparatus is a split access node, at least part of the mobility classification assistance information is transmitted, from a centralized unit to a distributed unit.

[0102] In one example embodiment, the mobility classification assistance information is transmitted in an F1AP UE context setup request message or an Fl UE context modification message.

[0103] In one example embodiment, the mobility classification assistance information includes expected mobility information on the terminal device.

[0104] In one example embodiment, the expected mobility information indicates classification of the terminal device in terms of its mobility behaviour as an enumeration field containing at least one of the following: a fixed, stationary, mobile, high-speed, or unknown status terminal device.

[0105] In one example embodiment, the mobility classification assistance information further includes additional radio information selected from one or more of statistics of modulation and coding scheme used by the terminal device, transmit power control commands, spectral occupation statistics, HARQ statistics, power headroom reports, number of MIMO layers, CSI reports, L3 measurements, channel coherence time, doppler spread, or other radio-related information element(s).

[0106] In one example embodiment, the method comprises receiving, by an access node, first mobility classification assistance information collected by the access node or by at least one previous access node concerning the terminal device, the first mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or of an at least one served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam.

[0107] In one example embodiment, the method comprises using, by the access node, the first mobility classification assistance information for at least one of running a mobility detection algorithm for the terminal device, and determining optimized radio network parameter settings for the terminal device.

[0108] In one example embodiment, the method comprises collecting, by the access node, second mobility classification assistance information concerning the terminal device, wherein the second mobility classification assistance information includes at least one of a current beam identification, or of an at least one current cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one current cell and beam.

[0109] In one example embodiment, the method comprises transmitting the first and / or second mobility classification assistance information from the access node to a further access node via a core network in a UE context release related message, UE context suspend request message, or handover-related message, or transmitting the first and / or second mobility classification assistance information from the access node to the further access node in a handover-related message.

[0110] In one example embodiment, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receive, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, first mobility classification assistance information collected by the apparatus or at least one previous access node concerning a terminal device, the first mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or of an at least one served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam. In one example embodiment, the network device 9900 comprises at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device at least to: collect, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or at least one of a served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam, and transmit the mobility classification assistance information to an access node.

[0111] In one example embodiment, the method comprises collecting, in a network device, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or at least one of a served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam, and transmitting the mobility classification assistance information from the network device to an access node.

[0112] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following: a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry); and b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable): i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone, to perform various functions); and c) hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (for example firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

[0113] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device. The techniques and methods described herein may be implemented by various means. For example, these techniques may be implemented in hardware (one or more devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or combinations thereof. For a hardware implementation, the apparatus(es) of example embodiments may be implemented within one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof. For firmware or software, the implementation can be carried out through modules of at least one chipset (for example procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. The software codes may be stored in a memory unit and executed by processors. The memory unit may be implemented within the processor or externally to the processor. In the latter case, it can be communicatively coupled to the processor via various means, as is known in the art. Additionally, the components of the systems described herein may be rearranged and / or complemented by additional components in order to facilitate the achievements of the various aspects, etc., described with regard thereto, and they are not limited to the precise configurations set forth in the given figures, as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art.

[0114] It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the inventive concept may be implemented in various ways within the scope of the claims. The embodiments are not limited to the example embodiments described above, but may vary within the scope of the claims. Therefore, all words and expressions should be interpreted broadly, and they are intended to illustrate, not to restrict, the embodiments.

[0115] List of abbreviations

[0116] NR CGI new radio cell global identity

[0117] AMF access & mobility management function

[0118] CP control plane

[0119] 5GC 5G core network CPE customer premises equipment

[0120] CU centralized unit

[0121] DU distributed unit

[0122] FWA fixed wireless access gNB-CU gNB centralized unit

[0123] HST high speed train

[0124] IE information element

[0125] MCI mobility classification information

[0126] MCA1 mobility classification assistance information

[0127] MCS modulation and coding scheme

[0128] NG next generation

[0129] NGAP NG application protocol

[0130] PHR power headroom report

[0131] RAN radio access network

[0132] RNT1 radio network temporary identifier

[0133] RRC radio resource control

[0134] TPC transmit power control

[0135] UE user equipment

[0136] Tx transmitter

[0137] Rx receiver

[0138] RRM radio resource management

[0139] HARQ hybrid automatic receipt request

[0140] L3 layer 3

[0141] RSRP reference signal received power

[0142] CS1 channel state information

Claims

Claims1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, first mobility classification assistance information collected by the apparatus or by at least one previous access node concerning the terminal device, the first mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or at least one of a served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first mobility classification assistance information is received from a core network in an initial context setup request message or handover-related message, or is received in a handover-related message from a previous RAN node.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first mobility classification assistance information is received from a core network in a NG application protocol message, or is received in a handover-related message from a previous RAN node in an Xn application protocol message.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, further being caused to: use the first mobility classification assistance information for at least one of running a mobility detection algorithm for the terminal device, and determining optimized radio network parameter settings for the terminal device.

5. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, further being caused to: collect second mobility classification assistance information concerning the terminal device, wherein the second mobility classification assistance information includes at least one of a current beam identification, or of an at least one current cellidentification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one current cell and beam.

6. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, further being caused to: transmit the first and / or second mobility classification assistance information to a further access node via a core network in a UE context release related message, a UE context suspend request message, or a handover-related message, or transmit the first and / or second mobility classification assistance information to the further access node in a handover-related message.

7. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the first and / or second mobility classification assistance information is received from the previous access node from an AMF, in an NG application protocol message, or from the previous access node in a direct access network entity to access network entity message.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the NG application protocol message is at least one of an initial context setup request message, a handover request message, or an UE information transfer message.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the direct access network entity to access network entity message is at least one of an Xn handover request message or a source to target transparent container.

10. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus is, comprises, or is comprised in an access node.

11. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein if the apparatus is a split access node, at least part of the mobility classification assistance information is transmitted, from a centralized unit to a distributed unit.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the mobility classification assistance information is transmitted in an F1AP UE context setup request message or an Fl UE context modification message.

13. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the mobility classification assistance information includes expected mobility information on the terminal device.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the expected mobility information indicates classification of the terminal device in terms of its mobility behaviour as an enumeration field containing at least one of the following: a fixed, stationary, mobile, high-speed, or unknown status terminal device.

15. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the mobility classification assistance information further includes additional radio information selected from one or more of statistics of modulation and coding scheme used by the terminal device, transmit power control commands, spectral occupation statistics, HARQ statistics, power headroom reports, number of M1M0 layers, CS1 reports, L3 measurements, channel coherence time, doppler spread, or other radio-related information element(s).

16. A method comprising: receiving, by an access node, first mobility classification assistance information collected by the access node or by at least one previous access node concerning the terminal device, the first mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or of an at least one served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the first mobility classification assistance information is received, by the access node from a core network, in an initial context setup request message or handover-related message, or is received by the access node in a handover-related message from a previous RAN node.

18. A method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the first mobility classification assistance information is received from a core network in a NG application protocol message, or is received in a handover-related message from a previous RAN node in an Xn application protocol message.

19. A method according to claim 16, 17 or 18, wherein the method comprises using, by the access node, the first mobility classification assistance information for at least one of running a mobility detection algorithm for the terminal device, and determining optimized radio network parameter settings for the terminal device.

20. A method according to any preceding claim 16 to 19, wherein the method comprises collecting, by the access node, second mobility classification assistance information concerning the terminal device, wherein the second mobility classification assistance information includes at least one of a current beam identification, or of an at least one current cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one current cell and beam.

21. A method according to any preceding claim 16 to 20, wherein the method comprises transmitting the first and / or second mobility classification assistance information from the access node to a further access node via a core network in a UE context release related message, UE context suspend request message, or handover- related message, or transmitting the first and / or second mobility classification assistance information from the access node to the further access node in a handover-related message.

22. A method according to any preceding claim 16 to 21, wherein the first mobility classification assistance information is received, by the access node from the previous access node from an AMF, in an NG application protocol message, or from the previous access node in a direct access network entity to access network entity message.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the NG application protocol message is at least one of an initial context setup request message, a handover request message, or an UE information transfer message.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the direct access network entity to access network entity message is at least one of an Xn handover request message or a source to target transparent container.

25. A method according to any of the preceding claims 16 to 24, wherein if the access node is a split access node, at least part of the mobility classification assistance information is transmitted, from an access node centralized unit to an access node distributed unit.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the mobility classification assistance information is transmitted in an F1AP UE context setup request message or an Fl UE context modification request.

27. A method according to any of the preceding claims 16 to 26, wherein the mobility classification assistance information includes expected mobility information on the terminal device.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein the expected mobility information indicates classification of the terminal device in terms of its mobility behaviour as an enumeration field containing at least one of the following: a fixed, stationary, mobile, high-speed, or unknown status terminal device.

29. A method according to any of the preceding claims 16 to 28, wherein the mobility classification assistance information further includes additional radio information selected from one or more of statistics of modulation and coding scheme used by the terminal device, transmit power control commands, spectral occupation statistics, HARQ statistics, power headroom reports, number of M1M0 layers, CS1 reports, L3 measurements, channel coherence time, doppler spread, or other radio-related information element(s).

30. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receive, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, first mobility classification assistance information collected by the apparatus or at least one previous access node concerning a terminal device, the first mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or of an at least one served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam.

31. A network device comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device at least to: collect, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, mobility classification assistance information including at least one of a served beam identification, or at least one of a served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam, transmit the mobility classification assistance information to an access node.

32. A method comprising: collecting, in a network device, during initial context creation related to a terminal device, mobility classification assistance information including at least one ofa served beam identification, or at least one of a served cell identification, and a time duration the terminal device used at least one cell and beam, transmitting the mobility classification assistance information from the network device to an access node.

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