Controlling quality of service of select user equipment

Abstract

A system and method are provided for controlling a quality of service provided by a telecommunications network to data communication between an application server and user equipment of the telecommunications network. The system and method may determine one or more criteria for discovering user equipment which at least temporarily exhibits one or more target characteristics, establish a monitoring of when user equipment matches the one or more criteria, when a user equipment matches the one or more criteria, obtain an identifier of the user equipment, based on the identifier of the user equipment, adjust a quality of service provided for the data communication between the application server and the user equipment to reach a target level, and when the user equipment ceases to match the one or more criteria, request the one or more further network functions to revert to a previous level of the quality of service prior to said adjustment. The system and method may thus be used to ensure that temporarily, sufficient quality of service is provided to data communication between the application server and specific user equipment of the network.

Description

[0001] CONTROLLING QUALITY OF SERVICE OF SELECT USER EQUIPMENT

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The invention relates to a system and computer-implemented method for controlling a quality of service provided by a telecommunications network to data communication between an application server and user equipment of the telecommunications network. The invention further relates to a computer-readable medium comprising data representing instructions for causing a processor system to perform the computer-implemented method.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Telecommunications networks strive to ensure that user equipment (UE), such as smartphones, connected vehicles, or Internet of Things (loT) devices, experience a satisfactory Quality of Service (QoS). Maintaining a satisfactory QoS is important when, for example, carrying out bandwidth-intensive tasks, such as data streaming. In such scenarios, it is desirable for the telecommunications network to provide a QoS level that supports a seamless, uninterrupted streaming experience. Likewise, for an loT device transmitting sensor data, or a connected vehicle exchanging vehicle-related data with another entity, satisfactory QoS is not merely beneficial may even be crucial, as disruptions or delays in data transmission for these devices may not only impact the overall functionality or user experience but, in some cases, may also compromise safety. Consequently, the QoS provided by a telecommunications network is a key determinant of the effectiveness and reliability of various services, with potential implications for user satisfaction and even safety.

[0006] In next generation telecommunications networks, several mechanisms are available to control the QoS [1]. For example, network slicing allows virtual network slices to be created on top of the physical network fabric. Such virtual network slices may then be tailorable towards requirements of specific applications and application categories, for example in terms of bandwidth, delay, jitter, etc. Another example is the use of QoS flows. Such a QoS flow may be associated with a QoS profile that may specify the performance characteristics for the QoS flow, such as priority level, packet delay budget, packet error rate, etc. Yet another example is traffic shaping, which may allow the telecommunications network to control the amount and timing of data that is transmitted over the telecommunications network to prevent network congestion. References

[0007] [1] 3GPP TS 23.501 V18.1.0 (2023-03), Technical Specification, 3rd Generation Partnership Project; System architecture for the 5G System (5GS); R. 18

[0008] SUMMARY

[0009] The inventors have recognized that there are scenarios, and that will be more scenarios in the future, in which there will be temporary data communication between an application server and specific user equipment of a telecommunications network, for example during an event, and in which there is a need to ensure that the quality of service provided to this particular data communication is sufficient.

[0010] For example, a scenario is envisioned where an autonomous or semi- autonomous vehicle has a sensor malfunction and is thus impaired in its ability to safely continue its journey. The vehicle may be connected via the telecommunications network to a control center where a human operator may standby to assist in such emergency cases. It is envisioned that the human operator may have access to an application which reconstructs one or more views of the surroundings of the broken- down vehicle based on the sensor data of the nearby vehicles. Using such an application, the human operator may then remotely steer the broken-down vehicle to a safe location. In such scenario, it is desirable to be able to ensure that the QoS which is provided for the streaming of the sensor data by the nearby vehicles to the application server meets a target level so that the human operator is provided with an uninterrupted view of the vehicle’s surroundings while remotely steering the vehicle.

[0011] Next to this scenario, various other scenarios exist where it is desirable to ensure that temporarily, sufficient QoS is provided to data communication between an application server and specific user equipment of the telecommunications network.

[0012] In a first aspect of the invention, a system is provided for controlling a quality of service provided by a telecommunications network to data communication between an application server and user equipment of the telecommunications network. The system may comprise:

[0013] - a network interface to the telecommunications network;

[0014] - a processor subsystem which may be configured to: determine one or more criteria for discovering user equipment which at least temporarily exhibits one or more target characteristics; using one or more network functions of the telecommunications network, establish a monitoring of when user equipment matches the one or more criteria; when a user equipment matches the one or more criteria, obtain an identifier of the user equipment from the one or more network functions; based on the identifier of the user equipment, request one or more further network functions of the telecommunications network to adjust a quality of service provided for the data communication between the application server and the user equipment to reach a target level; and when the user equipment ceases to match the one or more criteria, request the one or more further network functions to revert to a previous level of the quality of service prior to said adjustment.

[0015] In a further aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented method is provided of controlling a quality of service provided by a telecommunications network to data communication between an application server and user equipment of the telecommunications network. The method may comprise:

[0016] - determining one or more criteria for discovering user equipment which at least temporarily exhibits one or more target characteristics;

[0017] - using one or more network functions of the telecommunications network, establishing a monitoring of when user equipment matches the one or more criteria;

[0018] - when a user equipment matches the one or more criteria, obtaining an identifier of the user equipment from the one or more network functions;

[0019] - based on the identifier of the user equipment, requesting one or more further network functions of the telecommunications network to adjust a quality of service provided for the data communication between the application server and the user equipment to reach a target level; and

[0020] - when the user equipment ceases to match the one or more criteria, requesting the one or more further network functions to revert to a previous level of the quality of service prior to said adjustment.

[0021] The above measures may involve controlling the quality of service which is provided by a telecommunications network to certain data communication, namely to data communication which takes place, or is expected to take place, between an application server and a select group of user equipment of the telecommunications network. Such data communication may be temporary, in that it may only occur during a time-limited period, e.g., during an event or occasion, and / or in that it may only temporarily involve a particular user equipment and / or application server. An example of such data communication is in the aforementioned scenario of a broken-down vehicle being remotely steered to a safe location using sensor data of nearby vehicles. To ensure that the quality of service provided for the data communication meets a target level, the system and method may discover which user equipment may be involved or need to be involved in this data communication. For that purpose, one or more criteria may be determined for discovering user equipment which at least temporarily exhibits one or more target characteristics. In a specific example, the one or more criteria may pertain to the types of services for which user equipment may be configured. In the aforementioned example of a broken-down vehicle, this may allow the system and method to discover vehicles which are able to provide sensor data showing the surroundings of the broken-down vehicle. A monitoring may then be established for when user equipment matches the one or more criteria. The monitoring may be established using one or more network functions of the telecommunications network since the system and method may be initially unaware of which user equipment meets the criteria, for example by not having direct access to network data upon which such discovery may be based, and may therefore involve one or more network functions in the discovery which may have access to such network data. For example, one criterion may be monitored by one network function while another criterion may be monitored by another network function. In another example, one network function may monitor several or even all of the one or more criteria.

[0022] If and when a user equipment matches the one or more criteria, the system and method may be informed thereof and may be provided with an identifier of the user equipment. Using the identifier, the system and method may request one or more further network functions of the telecommunications network to adjust a quality of service provided for the data communication between the application server and the user equipment which matches the criteria. In some examples, this may involve providing the identifier to the one or more further network functions so as to enable the network function(s) to determine for which user equipment the quality of service is to be adjusted. In particular, the request may instruct the one or more further network functions to adjust the quality of service to reach a target level. The target level may represent a desired level of quality of service. It is noted that the target level may be reached, but in some cases may not be entirely reached, e.g., when there are structural limitations to achievable quality of service. It is further noted that the quality of service may typically be increased to meet the target level, but in some cases also decreased, for example in applications where a lower level of quality of service is acceptable for data communication between an application server and user equipment.

[0023] When user equipment ceases to match the one or more criteria, the system and method may likewise be informed thereof, e.g., by the one or more network functions, and in response, may request the one or more further network functions to revert the user equipment no longer matching the criteria to a previous level of the quality of service prior to said adjustment. The adjustment of the quality of service may thus be temporarily limited to as long as the user equipment meets the defined criteria.

[0024] The above measures may enable the quality of service to be temporarily increased for data communication between a select application server and a select group of devices. This may be particularly advantageous in scenarios in which an application running on an application server seeks to communicate with user equipment but only with user equipment which matches certain target characteristics and only while the user equipment matches those target characteristics. In such cases, it may not be desirable to structurally increase the quality of service for any data communication involving user equipment, as this may unnecessarily burden the network and may unnecessarily incur costs. For example, there may be events or occurrences in which it may be desirable to temporarily ensure a sufficient quality of service, e.g., for as long as a user equipment is capable of providing a certain service, or for as long as user equipment remains in a certain geographical area, etc. User equipment may at different times meet or cease to meet these criteria. Accordingly, the above measures involve setting up a monitoring of user equipment meeting these criteria, and then selectively and temporarily adjusting the quality of service for only these user equipment, and in some examples, selectively adjusting the quality of service for only the data communication which involves or is presumed to involve the application server. User equipment which no longer meets all criteria may be reverted back to its original quality of service level, meaning the level of quality of service before the adjustment, or in some cases to yet another level of quality of service.

[0025] Accordingly, the above measures may ensure that a sufficient quality of service is provided for data communication between an application server and specific user equipment of the telecommunications network. It may therefore not be needed to structurally provide a higher level of quality of service, e.g., for any or a larger group of user equipment, which may otherwise burden the network and / or incur cost. Rather, the quality of service may be adjusted selectively, e.g., for only certain user equipment which is, or is expected to be, in data communication with a select application server.

[0026] In some examples, the monitoring of user equipment matching the criteria may not only serve to discover and thereby identify user equipment for which the quality of service is to be adjusted, but also to discover and thereby identify user equipment to be engaged by the application server. Here, the term ‘engage’ may refer to the application server interacting with or using capabilities of the user equipment to deliver its services or functionality. In other words, the application server may learn from the system or method of user equipment matching the criteria and may engage with this user equipment. In such examples, the adjusting of the quality of service and the engagement of the user equipment by the application server may occur at least in part simultaneously or successively.

[0027] The following embodiments may relate to the system but may also denote corresponding limitations, e.g., in form of steps, of the computer-implemented method.

[0028] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem may be configured to determine the one or more criteria to only discover user equipment which is configured for one or more select types of service. The application running on the application server may engage or seek to engage only with user equipment which can access or provide certain types of services. The types of services may be selected to establish criteria to discover and thereby identify the user equipment. For example, in the aforementioned scenario of a broken-down vehicle being remotely steered to a safe location, the application server may seek to engage user equipment which is configured for certain V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) services as the application server may access sensor data acquired by the user equipment through such services. By determining the criteria to discover and thereby identify only user equipment which is configured for such services, the quality of service may only be adjusted for the user equipment which is of relevance for the application server.

[0029] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem may be configured to determine the one or more criteria to only discover user equipment which is configured for a service which matches a target service identifier and / or which utilizes a network slice which matches a target service type. Both the service identifier and the service type may be well suited as criteria to only discover user equipment which is configured for a select types of service. For example, as service identifier, the VAL service ID as defined in [2] (see ‘further references at the end of this specification), which may be a unique identifier that represents the VAL service, may be used. Another example is that, as service type, an ITS-Application Identifier (ITS-AID) value or a Slice / Service Type (SST) value may be used to only discover and thereby identify user equipment which is configured for a select types of service.

[0030] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem may be configured to adjust the quality of service and / or to determine the target level for the quality of service based on a type of service for which the user equipment is configured. The type of service for which user equipment is configured may not only serve as a criteria to determine for which user equipment the quality of service is to be adjusted, but may also determine in which way the quality of service is to be adjusted. For example, the type of service may determine the target level, or in which manner the quality of service is adjusted. This may account for different service types having different quality of service requirements or being of different criticality to the application server.

[0031] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem may be configured to determine the one or more criteria to only discover user equipment which enters and / or is present in a target geographical region. The geographical location may serve as one of the criteria for determining for which user equipment the quality of service is to be adjusted. In some embodiments, the geographical location may additionally determine in which way the quality of service is to be adjusted. For example, user equipment which is nearer to a geographical location of interest may be given a higher target level than user equipment which is farer away from the geographical location of interest.

[0032] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem may be configured to:

[0033] - temporarily establish the monitoring for an event; and

[0034] - request the one or more further network functions to revert to the previous level of the quality of service when the user equipment ceases to match the one or more criteria or when the event ends.

[0035] The application server may only seek to engage user equipment during an event, for example due to being designed to be used primarily or only during such events. As such, in addition to reverting user equipment back to their original level of quality of service once they cease to match the criteria, the system and method may also revert user equipment back to their original level of quality of service once the event ends. This may avoid unnecessary burdening the network or incurring cost.

[0036] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem may be configured to establish the monitoring by:

[0037] - subscribing with the one or more network functions for updates on when user equipment matches the one or more criteria; or

[0038] - periodically requesting the one or more network functions to respond with identifiers of user equipment which matches the one or more criteria.

[0039] Both the subscription model and the push-pull model, which may involve periodically requesting, that is periodically ‘polling’ (‘pulling’) data, are well suited to establish the monitoring of user equipment which matches the one or more criteria.,

[0040] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem may be configured to request the one or more further network functions to adjust the quality of service by at least one of: request adjustment of a network slice utilized by the user equipment; - request data traffic of the user equipment to be at least in part reallocated to another network slice; and

[0041] - request adjustment of one or more quality of service flow parameters.

[0042] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem may be configured to identify the other network slice based on a list of network slices which is available in a geographical vicinity of the user equipment.

[0043] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem may be configured to establish the monitoring and / or to adjust the quality of service using application functions, for example of a service enabler architecture layer (SEAL) of the telecommunications network.

[0044] The service enabler architecture layer (SEAL), in short also referred to as SEAL layer despite the inherent redundancy in the latter term, enables entities to analyze, predict, and adjust the quality of service provided for data communication of user equipment and application servers. By using application functions defined in the SEAL layer to adjust the quality of service, it is not needed to provide separate network functions or to involve other mechanisms to adjust the quality of service. Alternatively, the application functions may be independent of a SEAL layer.

[0045] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem may be configured to:

[0046] - establish the monitoring using a location management function; and / or

[0047] - adjust the quality of service using a network slice capability enablement function and / or a network resource management function.

[0048] In an embodiment, the processor subsystem may be configured to:

[0049] - monitor a current level of quality of service provided to the data communication between the application server and the user equipment; and

[0050] - request the one or more further network functions to adjust the quality of service only if the current level is below the target level.

[0051] It may not be needed to adjust the quality of service provided for data communication between the application server and a select user equipment if the quality of service already meets a desired standard, e.g., the target level. By monitoring the current level of quality of service, it may be avoided that the quality of service is unnecessarily adjusted or that requests to that effect are unnecessarily made.

[0052] In an embodiment, the system may be or may be part of the application server. The system may thus be part of the application server. The application server may for example be a vertical application layer (VAL) server. In an embodiment, the application server may be configured to stream data to and / or from the user equipment for which the quality of service is adjusted, for example in real-time or near real-time.

[0053] In an embodiment, the application server may be configured to consume sensor data acquired by the user equipment. In other words, the application server may stream sensor data acquired by the user equipment from the user equipment.

[0054] In a further aspect of the invention, a telecommunications network is provided comprising the system as described above and elsewhere in this specification. The telecommunications network may be a mobile network.

[0055] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that two or more of the above-mentioned embodiments, implementations, and / or aspects of the invention may be combined in any way deemed useful.

[0056] Modifications and variations of any one of the systems or devices (e.g., servers, network functions, user equipment, etc.), computer-implemented methods, and / or computer programs, which correspond to the described modifications and variations of another one of these systems or devices, computer-implemented methods, and / or computer programs, or vice versa, may be carried out by a person skilled in the art on the basis of the present description.

[0057] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] These and other aspects of the invention are apparent from and will be elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. In the drawings,

[0059] Fig. 1 shows a semi-autonomous vehicle, which represents user equipment of telecommunications network and which has a sensor malfunction, being guided by a vehicle control center to a safe location based on sensor data of nearby vehicles;

[0060] Fig. 2 shows a message exchange for the Fig. 1 example by which a quality of service (QoS) requirement for the transfer of sensor data of vehicles is met;

[0061] Fig. 3 shows a message exchange in which an application server strives to ensure that the QoS provided to the data communication of UE which match one or more criteria meets one or more QoS requirements;

[0062] Fig. 4 shows a more detailed example of the message exchange of Fig. 3;

[0063] Fig. 5 shows a message exchange in which the application server subscribes to receive up-to-date QoS updates for each UE and requests the network slice for a UE to be adapted if the QoS provided to the data communication deteriorates; Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. 5 but shows the application server making additional use of predictive QoS to predict when the QoS provided to the data communication deteriorates;

[0064] Fig. 7 shows the application server additionally adjusting QoS flow settings for each network slice to ensure QoS requirements are met within each network slice;

[0065] Fig. 8 shows the application server adjusting the QoS flow settings of PDU sessions without network slice adaptation;

[0066] Fig. 9 shows a processor system which may be exemplary for a system, such as an application server, as described in this specification;

[0067] Fig. 10 shows a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising data; Fig. 11 shows an exemplary data processing system.

[0068] It should be noted that items which have the same reference numbers in different figures, have the same structural features and the same functions, or are the same signals. Where the function and / or structure of such an item has been explained, there is no necessity for repeated explanation thereof in the detailed description.

[0069] Reference signs list

[0070] The following list of references and abbreviations is provided for facilitating the interpretation of the drawings and shall not be construed as limiting the claims.

[0071] 5GC 5G core

[0072] ADAE application data analytics enablement

[0073] AF application function

[0074] APP SVR application server

[0075] DTS digital twin service

[0076] LM location management

[0077] NRM network resource model

[0078] NSCE network slice capability enhancement

[0079] QOS quality of service

[0080] SEAL service enabler architecture layer

[0081] UE user equipment

[0082] UE-T target user equipment

[0083] LIRSP user equipment route selection policy

[0084] VAL vertical application layer

[0085] VAL UE vertical application layer user equipment VAL SVR vertical application layer server

[0086] 1-75 messages / steps

[0087] 100 telecommunications network

[0088] 120 internet

[0089] 140 vehicle control center

[0090] 200 system

[0091] 210 network interface

[0092] 220 processor subsystem

[0093] 230 data storage

[0094] 300 non-transitory computer-readable medium

[0095] 310 stored data

[0096] 1000 exemplary data processing system

[0097] 1002 processor

[0098] 1004 memory element

[0099] 1006 system bus

[0100] 1008 local memory

[0101] 1010 bulk storage device

[0102] 1012 input device

[0103] 1014 output device

[0104] 1016 network adapter

[0105] 1018 application

[0106] DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0107] The following embodiments are described in the context of a 5G telecommunications network adhering to one or more ETSI NFV and related standards. The following also specifically refers to mechanisms to adjust a quality of service (QoS) provided by a 5G telecommunications network to data communication between an application server and user equipment of such a 5G telecommunications network. However, the concepts described in the following embodiments may equally apply, mutatis mutandis, to any other type of telecommunications network, for example one which adheres to another standard, such as a 6G or later generation standard, which provides for the ability to adjust the QoS provided to data communication of a UE.

[0108] The following embodiments may concern a system and method for controlling a quality of service which is provided by a telecommunications network to data communication between an application server and user equipment of the telecommunications network. For that purpose, the system and method may determine one or more criteria for discovering and thereby identifying user equipment which at least temporarily exhibits one or more target characteristics, and, using one or more network functions of the telecommunications network, establish a monitoring of when user equipment matches the one or more criteria. The system and method may further, when a user equipment matches the one or more criteria, obtain an identifier of the user equipment from the one or more network functions, based on the identifier of the user equipment, request one or more further network functions of the telecommunications network to adjust a quality of service provided for the data communication between the application server and the user equipment to reach a target level, and when the user equipment ceases to match the one or more criteria, request the one or more further network functions to revert to a previous level of the quality of service prior to said adjustment. These and other aspects of the operation of the system and the steps of the method may be further elucidated with reference to the figures.

[0109] Fig. 1 illustrates one of the many scenarios in which embodiments of the system and method may be employed. In this scenario, a telecommunications network 100, which by way of example is a 5G network which comprises a network core 5GC, is shown to provide connectivity to a number of autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles which represent user equipment UE of the telecommunications network 100. In the following, references to the UE and to a device or vehicle representing the UE may be used interchangeably, unless otherwise indicated. The vehicles may comprise sensors, for example to enable self-driving functionality. However, one of the vehicles UE1 may have a sensor malfunction, which may impair its self-driving functionality.

[0110] The vehicle UE1 may report its sensor malfunction via the telecommunications network 100 to a vehicle control center 140, which may be connected to the telecommunications network 100 via the Internet 120. At the vehicle control center 140, a human operator may standby to provide assistance if a vehicle experiences a malfunction. In response to the vehicle UE1 reporting its sensor malfunction, the human operator may try to assume control of the vehicle UE1 and navigate the vehicle UE1 to a safe spot at which the vehicle UE1 may remain until assistance arrives to repair the malfunctioning sensor. To be able to safely remote control and navigate the vehicle UE1 , telemetric data in form of sensor data may be obtained from the vehicle UE1 itself, e.g., from its remaining functional sensors, but also from nearby vehicles UE2, UE3. The telemetric data may be provided to a digital twin service (DTS) which may be operated on a server SVR, which server is in this example is a vertical application layer (VAL) server as explained elsewhere in this specification. The application server running the digital twin service may represent an embodiment of the system for controlling the QoS of a select group of UE as described elsewhere in this specification. The digital twin service DTS may establish a digital twin of the vehicle UE1 on the basis of the available telemetric data, e.g., from vehicle UE1 and nearby vehicles UE2, UE3, through which the vehicle UE1 may be controlled.

[0111] In this scenario, it would be highly desirable that the telemetric data streamed by vehicle UE1 and the nearby vehicles UE2, UE3 is received without interruptions and with low latency. Namely, interruptions and / or high latency in the streaming of the telemetric data may impair remote control of the vehicle UE1, which in turn may jeopardize the safety of the vehicle’s passengers and / or other road users. In other words, during an event such as the aforementioned sensor malfunction of the vehicle UE1 , it would be desirable to be able to control the quality of service (QoS) which is provided by the telecommunications network to the data communication between an application server and select user equipment of the telecommunications network, for example for user equipment which can provide relevant sensor data of to the application server, for example by being located within a certain geographical area.

[0112] Fig. 2 shows a message exchange for the Fig. 1 example. In this example and following examples, the QoS of one or more UEs may be adjusted using one or more network functions in form of Application Functions (AFs) which are part of a SEAL (Service Enabler Architecture Layer) layer [2], However, this is merely exemplary, in that the one or more network functions for adjusting the QoS may also be AFs which are independent from such a SEAL layer or even other types of network functions. Thus, the network functions utilized by the application server may, but do not need to be, application functions, which may, but do not need to be, part of a SEAL layer.

[0113] With continued reference to Fig. 2, the SEAL layer, which was previously also shown in Fig. 1 , may allow entities outside of the core of the telecommunications network, such as applications running on application servers, to adjust the QoS which is provided to data communication of such UEs. In particular, the QoS provided to data communication between a UE and an application server may be adjusted. For that purpose, the SEAL layer may provide one or more APIs to allow entities to modify the QoS flow of a certain PDU session via a Network Resource Management (NRM) component or to influence the network slice used by a UE via a Network Slice Capability Enablement (NSCE) component. Accordingly, in the Fig. 1 example, the digital twin service DTS running on the application server may adjust the QoS which is provided to the data communication between the vehicles UE1-UE3 and the digital twin service through one or more components in the aforementioned SEAL layer. It is noted that the components may represent network functions which provide certain network services, and that the terms ‘component’ and ‘network function’ may in the following also be used interchangeably. With continued reference to the SEAL layer, the SEAL layer may also provide one or more APIs for analytics and prediction of QoS. These APIs may be made available by an application data analytics enablement (ADAE) [3] component and may be used by entities to analyze and / or predict the QoS. Fig. 6 refers to the ADEA. Alternatively, an application function, or other network function, independent from the SEAL layer may be used to analyze and / or predict the QoS.

[0114] In Fig. 2 and the following figures, messages and events in the figure may be numbered, with the same numbering being used in the accompanying description of the message exchange. The messages exchange in Fig. 2 may comprise the following steps. Here, a short description of the message or event is given within quotes.

[0115] 0. “Vehicle stops, sends warning message that it has a malfunctioning sensor and sends its location". One or more sensors, such as a camera, of the vehicle UE1 may malfunction, which may trigger a safety brake of the vehicle UE1 on the roadside and cause the vehicle UE1 to send a warning message to the digital twin service DTS.

[0116] 1. “Subscribe to location of vehicles nearby that can provide sensor data to enrich digital twin map and enable tele-operated driving". The digital twin service DTS may subscribe to the location of nearby vehicles that can provide sensor data to enrich a road map used by the digital twin service and to enable teleoperated driving. The subscription may trigger nearby vehicles being checked for target characteristics, such as their location, available service type (e.g., type of sensor data available), direction, speed, etc.

[0117] The following steps may be repeat for every UE in the vicinity of the vehicle UE1, which in the example of Figs. 1 and 2 are vehicles UE2 and UE3:

[0118] 2. “Ensure QoS requirement for data flow of sensor data from selected vehicles is guaranteed while these vehicles are driving nearby”. To ensure, or to at least strive to ensure that the QoS requirements for the sensor data traffic from the selected vehicles are guaranteed while these vehicles are driving nearby, an update of the QoS parameters for these UEs may be requested via the SEAL layer. In response, one or more network functions in the network core 5GC may send QoS updates to the respective UEs, which in this example are the vehicles UE2, UE3.

[0119] 3. “Disable extra QoS services for selected vehicles that had their data flows adjusted when they leave the area of interest’. After vehicles no longer exhibit one or more target characteristics and thus no longer match all of the criteria (e.g., they left the area of interest, or moved to a different direction), the QoS settings of the vehicles may be returned to their original values, e.g., to avoid the digital twin service provider having to unnecessarily pay to the network operator for the increased QoS. This may involve, by the application server APP SRV, sending a request to the network core 5GC, which in turn may send QoS updates to the respective UEs UE2, UE3.

[0120] 4. “Stop service after the vehicle with malfunctioning sensor is remotely driven to a safe location". The digital twin service may be stopped for the vehicle UE1 after the vehicle UE1 has been remotely driven to a safe location.

[0121] The desire to, under certain conditions, control the QoS provided by a telecommunications network to data communication between an application server and user equipment not only exists in the above scenario but also in similar scenarios, for example when the vehicle UE1 directly accesses the sensor data of nearby vehicles UE2, UE3 as a substitute for the sensor data of its malfunctioning sensor, or when a fire department wishes to reliably stream sensor data of drones to monitor a fire. As also explained elsewhere, the conditions under which the QoS is controlled may include geographical vicinity but may additionally or alternatively also include other criteria, such as UE being configured for a certain service type or service ID.

[0122] Another exemplary scenario may be a traffic monitoring application which may wish to receive location updates from all vehicles matching criteria relating to service ID or service type and which may wish to adjust the QoS of the vehicles accordingly. This may allow the traffic monitoring application to monitor traffic jams and build a view of the overall road density. In such a scenario, the QoS may be adjusted for all vehicles which match the criteria without specific geographical limitations. In other words, the location of a vehicle may not necessarily be one of the criteria.

[0123] With continued reference to the criterion ‘service ID’, such service IDs may for example be the VAL service ID as defined in [2] which may be a unique identifier that represents the VAL service which may be used to uniquely discover and thereby identify the application within the UE for a given operating system. With continued reference to the criterion ‘service type’, such service types may for example be Slice / Service Type (SST) values as specified in [1], Another example of a service type are the ITS-Application Identifier (ITS-AID) values as specified in [5], In for example the automotive domain, examples of V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) service types are: ‘CA - Cooperative Awareness’, ‘VRU - Vulnerable Road Users’, and ‘CP - Cooperative Perception’ among others.

[0124] Fig. 3 shows a more general example of a message exchange in which an application server subscribes for UEs matching certain criteria and in which the application server strives to ensure that the QoS provided to the data communication of matching UEs to and / or from the application server meets one or more QoS requirements. In this example and elsewhere, select steps may be performed by an application running on the application server, by which the steps are inherently also performed by the application server. Accordingly, in the following, references to the application server and the application may be used interchangeably.

[0125] The messages and events in Fig. 3 may comprise the following. Here, a short description of the message or event is given within quotes.

[0126] 11. “Subscribe to location of all UEs matching a given list of criteria (e.g., service ID(s), location area, service type, etc.)". An application residing server-side (e.g., running on a Vertical Application Layer (VAL) server) may subscribe with one or more network functions in the SEAL layer to receive updates on UEs that match one or more criteria such as geographical area, speed, direction, service type, etc. In this example, the subscription request may specify a geographical area as one of the criteria but may also additionally request the UEs which meet the criteria not only to be identified, but also to receive location updates of these UEs. This may enable the application server to take the location into account when adjusting the QoS, for example by making the adjustment dependent on where within the geographical area the UE is located. In other examples, only a coarse geographical area is provided to the network function(s) in the SEAL layer as an initial criterion while the application server uses the reported location as a definite criterion. In yet another example, the geographical area is not provided to the network function(s) but rather used as an internal criterion by the application server which is applied to the reported location.

[0127] The following steps may be repeated for every UE which is identified by subscription updates as a UE matching the defined criteria. An exemplary UE meeting those criteria is in this example identified as a target UE, in short UE-T. The target UE in this example also represents a client of the VAL application server and may thus be a VAL UE. However, this is not a limitation, in that the UE of which the QoS is adjusted may, but does not need to, have a client-server relation with the application server. 12. “Ensure QoS requirements of application server (e.g., VAL server) are met for data traffic coming from the selected UE via QoS adaptation". The application may have specific QoS requirements when consuming data received from the target UE. These QoS requirements may be met by, for example, relocating the data traffic of the target UE to one or more network slices defined by the application and / or by managing (e.g., modifying) QoS flow parameters of its existing data session, e.g., PDU session. If this is the case, the application may, as in the example of Fig. 1, request the QoS parameters of the target UE to be updated. In response, one or more network functions in the network core 5GC may send QoS updates to the target UE.

[0128] 13. “If applicable, disable QoS adaption for selected UE when subscribed criteria can no longer be matched’. Once a UE no longer matches the criteria defined by the application, its QoS settings may be returned to their original values, e.g., to the values prior to the adjustment of the QoS, for example, to avoid the application provider having to unnecessarily pay to the network operator for the increased QoS.

[0129] Figs. 4-8 show various embodiments which, amongst others, employ different mechanisms which are available in 5G telecommunications networks to adjust the QoS provided by the network to the data communication between an application server and one or more UE which meet select criteria. In such 5G telecommunications networks, one option to adjust the QoS is based on QoS flows [1], while another option is through network slicing as network slices may be configured to provide a certain level of QoS to UEs. The concepts and components related to the adjustment of QoS in a 5G telecommunications network, including the SEAL layer, are further elaborated below. It is noted that such concepts and components are merely exemplary and that the QoS of UE may also be adjusted using different concepts and components.

[0130] The QoS of UE may be adjusted through QoS Flows [1], Some QoS Flows may require or desire a guaranteed flow bit rate (GBR QoS Flows) while other QoS Flows may not require a guaranteed flow bit rate (Non-GBR QoS Flows). A 5G telecommunications network may also support so-called Reflective QoS.

[0131] A QoS Flow may be a finest granularity of QoS differentiation in a protocol data unit (PDU) Session. A QoS Flow ID (QFI) may be used to identify a QoS Flow. User plane (UP) traffic with a same QFI within a PDU Session may receive the same traffic forwarding treatment (e.g., scheduling, admission threshold). The QFI may be carried in an encapsulation header on N3 and N9, e.g., without changes to the e2e packet header. QFI may be used for all PDU Session Types. The QFI may be unique within a PDU Session and may be dynamically assigned or may be equal to the 5QI. The QoS attributes used to specify traffic in a particular QoS flow may comprise a set of QoS characteristics, which may be referenced by a 5QI value, and QoS parameters. A set of standardized 5QI values may be defined for the services that are most commonly used in a given mobile network. The QoS characteristics which may be defined by 5QI profiles include resource type, default priority level, packet delay budget, packet error rate, default maximum data burst volume, and default averaging window. This set may be extended by assigning nonstandard 5QI values, which allows service providers apply alternative value sets to QoS characteristics.

[0132] The 5G architecture may enable multiplexing of independent virtualized logical networks which are referred to as “network slices” on the same physical infrastructure. Each network slice may be an isolated end-to-end network tailored to meet the requirements of a particular application. A service provider may make slices available for use by different enterprises or different entities of the same enterprise. By default, a 5G network may comprise a single network slice that is equipped with all 5G system functions and defined QoS characteristics. For example, one network slice may be tailored to provide services requested by smartphones while another network slice may be deployed for V2X services that support URLLC features.

[0133] A UE may concurrently access two or more network slices, for example one for a data network that supports best-effort Internet services (slice #1) and the other for a network for providing V2X services (slice #2). The usage of multiple slices by the UE may be appropriate, for example, if the 5Qls requested by certain QoS flows may only be provided by network slice #1, while only network slice #2 supports V2X service requirements, depending on the service level specifications (SLS). Reasons for selecting one network slice over the other are not limited to QoS management considerations; they may also include geographical factors: for example, whether or not both network slices are available in the same area, whether traffic should be segregated in order to divide the traffic between different network instances, whether there is a wish to facilitate lifecycle management for each network slice, whether a network needs to operate on its own or together with one or more others, etc.

[0134] Network resource management (NRM) is a SEAL (Service Enabler Architecture Layer) [2] component and service that offers network resource management (e.g., unicast and multicast network resources) and monitoring of related capabilities to one or more vertical applications. The network resource management server may communicate with the policy control function (PCF) via a N5 reference point to control the unicast resources from the underlying 3GPP network system. The network resource management server may communicate with the network exposure function (NEF) via a N33 reference point to perform event monitoring procedures from the underlying 3GPP network system. The network resource management server may interact with NEF via N33 to obtain QoS monitoring information from the 5GS.

[0135] Network slice capability enablement (NSCE) is a SEAL [2][4] component and service that offers network slice capability enablement capabilities, such as support for vertical application to slice re-mapping (e.g., a mapping of the UEs running a vertical application to a different network slice). In particular, NCSE may use a network-based mechanism to apply the network slice re-mapping based on the network slice capability enablement server configuration, where the network slice capability enablement server acting as application function (AF) may influence the UE route selection policy (LIRSP) rules for the application traffic per UE by providing a guidance on the route selection parameters (including S-NSSAI and DNN mapping).

[0136] Application data analytics enablement (ADAE) [3] is a SEAL component and service that offers value-add application data analytics capabilities which cover stats / predictions for the end-to-end application service. Example of service functions which may be supported by the ADEA component / service include but are not limited to:

[0137] - Exposure of application layer analytics to provide insight on the operation and performance of an application (e.g., VAL server or Edge Application Server (EAS), application session), and including statistics or prediction on parameters related to, e.g., VAL server number of connections for a given time and area, VAL server rate of connection requests, connection probability failure rates, RTT and deviations for a VAL server or VAL UE session, packet loss rates etc.

[0138] - Application layer analytics to provide insights on the performance of the VAL applications when using a given network slice (e.g., from a list of subscribed slices for the VAL customer).

[0139] Fig. 4 shows a more detailed example of a message exchange in which an application server subscribes for UEs matching certain criteria and in which the application server strives to ensure that the QoS provided to the data communication of matching UEs meets one or more QoS requirements. The message exchange may comprise steps 21-27 as shown in Fig. 4 and described below. Here as well as in the description of Figs. 5-8, a short description of the corresponding step is given within quotes.

[0140] 21. “Subscribe to location of all UEs matching a given list of criteria (e.g., service ID(s), geographical area, service type, etc.)". The application residing in the Vertical Application Layer (VAL) server may subscribe with the location management component LM in the SEAL layer to the location of all UEs that match a given list of criteria such as geographical proximity, speed, direction, service type, etc.

[0141] The following steps may be taken for each new UE meeting the criteria:

[0142] 22. “Notify application when a new UE matches the subscribed criteria". The location management component LM in the SEAL layer may notify the application server (e.g., the VAL server) when a new UE matches the subscribed criteria.

[0143] 23. “Get list of available slices in that area for selected UE (supported by RAN, core, UE’s subscription)". The application server (e.g., the VAL server) may retrieve a list of network slices available in the vicinity of the selected UE from the network slice capability enablement component NSCE in the SEAL layer. For a network slice to be available for a particular UE, the network slice ID (e.g., S-NSSAI) may have to be supported by the RAN (e.g., base station at the location), by the network core 5GC, and by the UE’s subscription.

[0144] 24. “Select available slice(s) based on QoS flow requirements defined by application". The application server (e.g., the VAL server) may select one or more available network slice(s) based on QoS flow requirements defined by application for the different service data types that the application wishes to consume from the UE: a. The slice selection may be based on QoS profiles (e.g., 5Qls) defined for each service type available at the UE for consumption. A mapping of available slice IDs (e.g., S-NSSAI) and service types may be created for the selected UE. b. If there are no network slice(s) available that meet all requirements defined in the QoS profiles, the application server may select the network slice(s) that closest matches the requirements for each service type, for example, by comparing QoS requirements and actual QoS characteristics such as: resource type, default priority level, packet delay budget, packet error rate, default maximum data burst volume, default averaging window. The comparison may include determining an overall match between the individual QoS requirements and the actual QoS characteristics, e.g., by summing or averaging the individual matches or by using a weighted average with a highest weight given to the most important QoS characteristics, etc.

[0145] 25. “Request network slice adaptation for selected UE to use selected network slice". The application server may request the network slice capability enablement component NSCE to perform a network slice adaptation for the selected UE. Accordingly, the data traffic coming from this UE, e.g., in form of PDU session traffic, may be sent via the new network slice(s) defined by the application server (e.g., the VAL server). A UE Route Selection Policy (URSP) update may be sent to the UE to indicate the new network slice(s) to be used for each service data type. 26. “Notify application when subscribed criteria can no longer be matched by selected UE. When the UE no longer matches the subscribed criteria, the location management component LM may notify the application server (e.g., the VAL server) that the selected UE no longer matches the subscribed criteria.

[0146] 27. “Request network slice adaptation for selected UE to return to its original default slice, if applicable” . The application server (e.g., the VAL server) may request the network slice capability enablement component NSCE to perform network slice adaptation to revert the UE to the original network slice, e.g., as used by the UE before entering the region of interest. A UE Route Selection Policy (URSP) update defining the network slice to be used by the UE may be sent to the UE.

[0147] An example of a message exchange in which a new network slice is provisioned for data traffic of matching UEs may be the following. Here, a new network slice may be provisioned to ensure that the QoS provided to the data communication of matching UEs meets one or more QoS requirements. The message exchange may comprise steps 31-37 as described below. In this message exchange, steps 31-33 may correspond to steps 21-23 of the aforementioned Fig. 4 embodiment.

[0148] 34. The application server (e.g., the VAL server) may select one or more available network slices based on QoS flow requirements defined by application for the different service data types that the application wishes to consume from the selected UE: a. The network slice selection may be based on QoS profiles (e.g., 5Qls) defined for each service type available at the UE for consumption. A mapping of available network slice IDs (e.g., S-NSSAI) and service types may be created for the selected UE. b. If there are no network slice(s) available that meet all requirements defined in the QoS profiles, the application server may request the telecommunications network to provision new network slice(s), e.g., with new S-NSSAIs) to be supported by RAN (e.g., nearby base stations), by the network core 5GC, and by the UE’s subscription. The application server may select the network slice(s) which was created.

[0149] Steps 35-36 may correspond to steps 25-26 of the Fig. 4 embodiment.

[0150] 37. The application server (e.g., the VAL server) may request the network slice capability enablement component NSCE to perform network slice adaptation to revert the UE to the original network slice, e.g., as used by the UE before entering the region of interest. A UE Route Selection Policy (URSP) update defining the network slice to be used by the UE may be sent to the UE. Optionally, in case one or more new slices were provisioned in step 34b, these network slices may be terminated if they are not otherwise used by (an)other UE.

[0151] It is noted that while the above and following may refer to ‘network slice adaptation’ as an example of a mechanism for adjusting a quality of service provided for the data communication between the application server and the user equipment to reach a target level, such network adaptation may include either or both reconfiguring one or more existing network slices and instantiating one or more new slices for the data communication between the application server and the user equipment.

[0152] Fig. 5 shows a message exchange in which the application server may subscribe to receive up-to-date QoS updates for each UE and in which the application server may request the network slice for a UE to be adapted if the QoS for the data communication between the application server and the UE deteriorates. The message exchange may comprise steps 41-49 as shown in Fig. 5. In this message exchange, steps 41 and 42 may correspond to steps 21 and 22 of the Fig. 4 embodiment.

[0153] 43. “Subscribe to QoS updates info for selected UE”. The application server may subscribe with the network slice capability enablement component NSCE in the SEAL layer for QoS updates for the selected UE.

[0154] 44. “Notify application upon new QoS update for selected UE’. The network slice capability enablement component NSCE may notify the application server of a new QoS update for the selected UE.

[0155] 45. “If latest QoS data indicates flow requirements defined by the application server cannot be met, get list of available slices in that area for selected UE (supported by RAN, core, UE’s subscription)". If the latest QoS update data indicates that the QoS flow requirements defined by the application server cannot be met, the application server (e.g., the VAL server) may retrieve a list of network slices available in the vicinity for the selected UE from the network slice capability enablement component NSCE. For a network slice to be available for a particular UE, the network slice ID (e.g., S-NSSAI) may have to be supported by the RAN (e.g., base station at the location), by the network core 5GC, and by the UE’s subscription.

[0156] Steps 46-49 may correspond to steps 24-27 of the Fig. 4 embodiment.

[0157] Fig. 6 is similar to the Fig. 5 embodiment but shows the application server making additional use of predictive QoS to predict when the QoS provided to the data communication between the application server and the UE deteriorates. The message exchange may comprise steps 51-59” as shown in Fig. 6 and described below. In this message exchange, steps 51-54 may correspond to steps 41-44 of the Fig. 5 embodiment. 55. “Subscribe to predictive QoS updates for selected UE. The application server may subscribe with the application data analytics enablement component ADAE in the SEAL layer for predictive QoS updates for the selected UE.

[0158] 56. “Notify application upon new predictive QoS update for selected UE. The application data analytics enablement component ADAE may notify the application server of a new predictive QoS update for the selected UE.

[0159] 57. “If latest QoS data indicates flow requirements defined by the application cannot be met, get list of available slices in that area for selected UE (supported by RAN, core, UE’s subscription)". If the latest QoS data (e.g., the predictive QoS data or the actual, non-predicted QoS data) indicates that the QoS flow requirements defined by the application server cannot be met, the application server (e.g., the VAL server) may retrieve a list of network slices available in the vicinity for the selected UE from the network slice capability enablement component NSCE. For a network slice to be available for a particular UE, the network slice ID (e.g., S-NSSAI) may have to be supported by the RAN (e.g., base station at the location), by the network core 5GC, and by the UE’s subscription.

[0160] Steps 58-59” may correspond to steps 46-49 of the Fig. 5 embodiment.

[0161] Fig. 7 shows the application server additionally adjusting QoS flow settings for each network slice to ensure QoS requirements are met within each network slice. The message exchange may comprise steps 61-69 as shown in Fig. 7 and described below. In this message exchange, steps 61-65 may correspond to steps 21-25 of the Fig. 4 embodiment.

[0162] 66. “Request end-to-end QoS management for selected UE. The application server (VAL server) may request the network resource management component NRM in the SEAL layer to perform end-to-end QoS management for the selected UE, and specifically for the PDU session used by the UE in the newly selected network slice.

[0163] Steps 67-68 may correspond to steps 26-27 of the Fig. 4 embodiment.

[0164] 69. “Request end-to-end QoS management for selected UE to return to its original settings, if applicable” . The application server (VAL server) may request the network resource management component NRM in the SEAL layer to reset the QoS flow settings of the PDU session used by the UE to its original configuration.

[0165] In some examples, the one or more criteria may be defined by the system and method to only discover user equipment which is configured for running one or more specific applications. For example, as criterion, the OSAppId as defined in [6] may be used as this may allow uniquely identifying the application within the UE for a given operating system.

[0166] Fig. 8 shows the application server adjusting the QoS flow settings of PDU sessions without network slice adaptation. The message exchange may comprise steps 71-75 as shown in Fig. 8, in which steps 71-75 may correspond to steps 61 ,62, 66, 67, and 69, respectively, of the Fig. 7 embodiment.

[0167] In general, the functionality described in this specification may represent functionality of one or more network functions which are implemented in the respective mobile network, e.g., by a network node or a system of network nodes. The network function(s) may be made available within the respective mobile network so as to establish the respective functionality in the respective mobile network.

[0168] Fig. 9 shows a system 200 which may represent a system configured for controlling a quality of service provided by a telecommunications network to data communication between an application server and user equipment of the telecommunications network, as also described elsewhere in this specification. The system 200 may comprise a network interface 210 for network data communication. The network interface 210 may for example be a wired communication interface, such as an Ethernet or fiber-optic based interface, to a fixed (e.g., non-mobile) part of a mobile telecommunications network. Alternatively, the network interface 210 may be a wireless communication interface. In yet other examples, the system 200 may be a subsystem of a larger system, e.g., a supra-system implementing several network functions. In such cases, the network interface 210 may be an internal interface of the supra-system, for example a virtual, software-based network interface. The system 200 may further comprise a processor subsystem 220 which may be configured, e.g., by hardware design or software, to perform the operations described in this specification in as far as pertaining to the entity that the processor system is embodying, e.g., the aforementioned system configured for controlling a quality of service provided to data communication between an application server and a select group of user equipment of the telecommunications network. In particular, the processor subsystem 220 may be configured to perform the actions attributed to the application server and VAL server as described with reference to Figs. 1-8 and elsewhere.

[0169] In general, the processor subsystem 220 may be embodied by a single Central Processing Unit (CPU), such as a x86 or ARM-based CPU, but also by a combination or system of such CPUs and / or other types of processing units. In embodiments where the system 200 is distributed over different entities, e.g., over different servers, the processor subsystem 220 may also be distributed, e.g., over the CPUs of such different servers. As also shown in Fig. 9, the system 200 may comprise a data storage 230, such as a hard drive, a solid-state drive, or an array of such hard and / or solid-state drives, etc., which may be used to store data. In some examples, the system 200 may be implemented by a network node, or by a system of network nodes.

[0170] In an alternative embodiment of the system 200 of Fig. 9, the system 200 may represent user equipment, or a device representing user equipment, as described in this specification. An example of such a device includes, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet device, a computer, a pair of smart glasses, or an loT device such as a robot, a connectivity enabled vehicle, etc. In such cases, the network interface 210 may represent a radio access network interface to a mobile network, and the processor subsystem 220 may be configured, e.g., by hardware design or software, to perform the operations described in this specification in as far as pertaining to the entity that the processor system is embodying, e.g., the user equipment or the device.

[0171] In general, each entity described in this specification may be embodied as, or in, a device or apparatus. The device or apparatus may comprise one or more (micro) processors which execute appropriate software. The processor(s) of a respective entity may be embodied by one or more of these (micro)processors. Software implementing the functionality of a respective entity may have been downloaded and / or stored in a corresponding memory or memories, e.g., in volatile memory such as RAM or in non-volatile memory such as Flash. Alternatively, the processor(s) of a respective entity may be implemented in the device or apparatus in the form of programmable logic, e.g., as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). Any input and / or output interfaces may be implemented by respective interfaces of the device or apparatus. In general, each functional unit of a respective entity may be implemented in the form of a circuit or circuitry. A respective entity may also be implemented in a distributed manner, e.g., involving different devices or apparatus.

[0172] It is noted that any of the methods described in this specification, for example in any of the claims, may be implemented on a computer as a computer implemented method, as dedicated hardware, or as a combination of both. Instructions for the computer, e.g., executable code, may be stored on a computer-readable medium 300 as for example shown in Fig. 10, e.g., in the form of a series 310 of machine-readable physical marks and / or as a series of elements having different electrical, e.g., magnetic, or optical properties or values. The executable code may be stored in a transitory or non-transitory manner. Examples of computer-readable mediums include memory devices, optical storage devices, integrated circuits, servers, online software, etc. Fig. 10 shows by way of example a memory card 300. Fig. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary data processing system 1000 that may be used in the embodiments described in this specification. Such data processing systems include data processing entities described in this specification, including but not limited to a system configured for controlling a quality of service provided by a telecommunications network to data communication between an application server and user equipment of the telecommunications network. The data processing system 1000 may include at least one processor 1002 coupled to memory elements 1004 through a system bus 1006. As such, the data processing system may store program code within memory elements 1004. Furthermore, processor 1002 may execute the program code accessed from memory elements 1004 via system bus 1006. In one aspect, data processing system may be implemented as a computer that is suitable for storing and / or executing program code. It should be appreciated, however, that data processing system 1000 may be implemented in the form of any system including a processor and memory that is capable of performing the functions described within this specification. The memory elements 1004 may include one or more physical memory devices such as, for example, local memory 1008 and one or more bulk storage devices 1010. Local memory may refer to random access memory or other non-persistent memory device(s) generally used during actual execution of the program code. A bulk storage device may be implemented as a hard drive, solid state disk or other persistent data storage device. The data processing system 1000 may also include one or more cache memories (not shown) that provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times program code is otherwise retrieved from bulk storage device 1010 during execution.

[0173] Input / output (I / O) devices depicted as input device 1012 and output device 1014 optionally can be coupled to the data processing system. Examples of input devices may include, but are not limited to, for example, a microphone, a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, a game controller, a Bluetooth controller, a VR controller, and a gesture-based input device, or the like. Examples of output devices may include, but are not limited to, for example, a monitor or display, speakers, or the like. Input device and / or output device may be coupled to data processing system either directly or through intervening I / O controllers. A network adapter 1016 may also be coupled to data processing system to enable it to become coupled to other systems, computer systems, remote network devices, and / or remote storage devices through intervening non-public or public networks. The network adapter may comprise a data receiver for receiving data that is transmitted by said systems, devices and / or networks to said data and a data transmitter for transmitting data to said systems, devices and / or networks. Radios, modems, cable modems, and ethernet cards are examples of different types of network adapter that may be used with data processing system 1000.

[0174] As shown in Fig. 11 , memory elements 1004 may store an application 1018. It should be appreciated that data processing system 1000 may further execute an operating system (not shown) that can facilitate execution of the application. The application, being implemented in the form of executable program code, can be executed by data processing system 1000, e.g., by processor 1002. Responsive to executing the application, the data processing system may be configured to perform one or more operations to be described herein in further detail.

[0175] For example, data processing system 1000 may represent a system as described in this specification for controlling a quality of service provided by a telecommunications network to data communication between an application server and user equipment of the telecommunications network. In that case, application 1018 may represent an application that, when executed, configures data processing system 1000 to perform the functions described with reference to the system. In another example, data processing system 1000 may represent an embodiment of user equipment or a device representing user equipment as described in this specification. In that case, application 1018 may represent an application that, when executed, configures data processing system 1000 to perform the functions described with reference to the user equipment and / or device.

[0176] An abstract for the present specification may read as follows: A system and method are provided for controlling a quality of service provided by a telecommunications network to data communication between an application server and user equipment of the telecommunications network. The system and method may determine one or more criteria for discovering user equipment which at least temporarily exhibits one or more target characteristics, establish a monitoring of when user equipment matches the one or more criteria, when a user equipment matches the one or more criteria, obtain an identifier of the user equipment, based on the identifier of the user equipment, adjust a quality of service provided for the data communication between the application server and the user equipment to reach a target level, and when the user equipment ceases to match the one or more criteria, request the one or more further network functions to revert to a previous level of the quality of service prior to said adjustment. The system and method may thus be used to ensure that temporarily, sufficient quality of service is provided to data communication between the application server and specific user equipment of the telecommunications network. It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

[0177] In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. Use of the verb "comprise" and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or stages other than those stated in a claim. The article "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. Expressions such as “at least one of” when preceding a list or group of elements represent a selection of all or of any subset of elements from the list or group. For example, the expression, “at least one of A, B, and C” should be understood as including only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, or all of A, B, and C. The invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements, and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In the device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0178] Further references

[0179] [2] 3GPP TS 23.434 V18.4.1 (2023-03), Technical Specification, 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Service Enabler Architecture Layer for Verticals - Functional Architecture and Information Flows; Release 18

[0180] [3] 3GPP TS 23.436 V1.1.0 (2023-04), Technical Specification, 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Functional architecture and information flows for Application Data Analytics Enablement Service; Release 18

[0181] [4] 3GPP TS 23.435 V18.0.0 (2023-06), Technical Specification, 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Procedures for Network Slice Capability Exposure for Application Layer Enablement Service; Release 18

[0182] [5] ETSI TS 102 965 V2.1.1 (2021-11), Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS); Application Object Identifier (ITS-AID); Registration; Release 2

[0183] [6] 3GPP TS 23.503 V18.2.0 (2023-06), Technical Specification, 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Policy and charging control framework for the 5G System (5GS); Release 18

Claims

CLAIMSClaim 1. A system for controlling a quality of service provided by a telecommunications network to data communication between an application server and user equipment of the telecommunications network, comprising: a network interface to the telecommunications network; a processor subsystem configured to: determine one or more criteria for discovering user equipment which at least temporarily exhibits one or more target characteristics; using one or more network functions of the telecommunications network, establish a monitoring of when user equipment matches the one or more criteria; when a user equipment matches the one or more criteria, obtain an identifier of the user equipment from the one or more network functions; based on the identifier of the user equipment, request one or more further network functions of the telecommunications network to adjust a quality of service provided for the data communication between the application server and the user equipment to reach a target level; and when the user equipment ceases to match the one or more criteria, request the one or more further network functions to revert to a previous level of the quality of service prior to said adjustment.Claim 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor subsystem is configured to determine the one or more criteria to only discover user equipment which is configured for one or more select types of service.Claim 3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor subsystem is configured to determine the one or more criteria to only discover user equipment which is configured for a service which matches a target service identifier and / or which utilizes a network slice which matches a target service type.Claim 4. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processor subsystem is configured to adjust the quality of service and / or to determine the targetlevel for the quality of service based on a type of service for which the user equipment is configured.Claim 5. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the processor subsystem is configured to determine the one or more criteria to only discover user equipment which enters and / or is present in a target geographical region.Claim 6. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the processor subsystem is configured to: temporarily establish the monitoring for an event; and request the one or more further network functions to revert to the previous level of the quality of service when the user equipment ceases to match the one or more criteria or when the event ends.Claim 7. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the processor subsystem is configured to establish the monitoring by: subscribing with the one or more network functions for updates on when user equipment matches the one or more criteria; or periodically requesting the one or more network functions to respond with identifiers of user equipment which matches the one or more criteria.Claim 8. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the processor subsystem is configured to request the one or more further network functions to adjust the quality of service by at least one of: request adjustment of a network slice utilized by the user equipment; request data traffic of the user equipment to be at least in part reallocated to another network slice; and request adjustment of one or more quality of service flow parameters.Claim 9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the processor subsystem is configured to identify the other network slice based on a list of network slices which is available in a geographical vicinity of the user equipment.Claim 10. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the processor subsystem is configured to establish the monitoring and / or to adjust the quality ofservice using application functions, for example of a service enabler architecture layer (SEAL) of the telecommunications network.Claim 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the processor subsystem is configured to: establish the monitoring using a location management function; and / or adjust the quality of service using a network slice capability enablement function and / or a network resource management function.Claim 12. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the processor subsystem is configured to: monitor a current level of quality of service provided to the data communication between the application server and the user equipment; and request the one or more further network functions to adjust the quality of service only if the current level is below the target level.Claim 13. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the system is or is part of the application server, wherein the application server is for example a vertical application layer (VAL) server.Claim 14. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the application server is configured to stream data to and / or from the user equipment for which the quality of service is adjusted, for example in real-time or near real-time.Claim 15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the application server is configured to consume sensor data acquired by the user equipment.Claim 16. A computer-implemented method of controlling a quality of service provided by a telecommunications network to data communication between an application server and user equipment of the telecommunications network, comprising: determining one or more criteria for discovering user equipment which at least temporarily exhibits one or more target characteristics; using one or more network functions of the telecommunications network, establishing a monitoring of when user equipment matches the one or more criteria; when a user equipment matches the one or more criteria, obtaining an identifier of the user equipment from the one or more network functions;based on the identifier of the user equipment, requesting one or more further network functions of the telecommunications network to adjust a quality of service provided for the data communication between the application server and the user equipment to reach a target level; and - when the user equipment ceases to match the one or more criteria, requesting the one or more further network functions to revert to a previous level of the quality of service prior to said adjustment.Claim 17. A transitory or non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising data representing a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions for causing a processor system to perform the method according to claim 16.

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