Requesting desired data rate

Abstract

Disclosed is a method comprising generating an access stratum message comprising at least a request for a radio access network node to set up a desired data rate for a connection; transmitting, to the radio access network node, the access stratum message comprising at least the request for the radio access network node to set up the desired data rate for the connection; and receiving a configuration for the connection from the radio access network node based on transmitting the access stratum message.

Description

[0001] REQUESTING DESIRED DATA RATE

[0002] FIELD

[0003] The following example embodiments relate to wireless communication and to carrier aggregation.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Carrier aggregation refers to a technology that enables a user equipment to simultaneously utilize multiple frequency bands or carriers to transmit and receive data. In carrier aggregation, two or more carriers operating on different frequencies or frequency bands may be aggregated together to create a wider "virtual" channel. Other solutions for extending an operational bandwidth of the user equipment also exist, such as dual connectivity and multiple active bandwidth parts.

[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: generate an access stratum message comprising at least a request for a radio access network node to set up a desired data rate for a connection; transmit, to the radio access network node, the access stratum message comprising at least the request for the radio access network node to set up the desired data rate for the connection; and receive a configuration for the connection from the radio access network node based on transmitting the access stratum message.

[0009] According to another aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for generating an access stratum message comprising at least a request for a radio access network node to set up a desired data rate for a connection; means for transmitting, to the radio access network node, the access stratum message comprising at least the request for the radio access network node to set up the desired data rate for the connection; and means for receiving a configuration for the connection from the radio access network node based on transmitting the access stratum message.

[0010] According to another aspect, there is provided a method comprising: generating an access stratum message comprising at least a request for a radio access network node to set up a desired data rate for a connection; transmitting, to the radio access network node, the access stratum message comprising at least the request for the radio access network node to set up the desired data rate for the connection; and receiving a configuration for the connection from the radio access network node based on transmitting the access stratum message.

[0011] 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: generating an access stratum message comprising at least a request for a radio access network node to set up a desired data rate for a connection; transmitting, to the radio access network node, the access stratum message comprising at least the request for the radio access network node to set up the desired data rate for the connection; and receiving a configuration for the connection from the radio access network node based on transmitting the access stratum message.

[0012] 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: generating an access stratum message comprising at least a request for a radio access network node to set up a desired data rate for a connection; transmitting, to the radio access network node, the access stratum message comprising at least the request for the radio access network node to set up the desired data rate for the connection; and receiving a configuration for the connection from the radio access network node based on transmitting the access stratum message. 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: generating an access stratum message comprising at least a request for a radio access network node to set up a desired data rate for a connection; transmitting, to the radio access network node, the access stratum message comprising at least the request for the radio access network node to set up the desired data rate for the connection; and receiving a configuration for the connection from the radio access network node based on transmitting the access stratum message.

[0013] 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: receive, from a user equipment, an access stratum message comprising at least a request to set up a desired data rate for a connection; generate, based on the access stratum message, a configuration for the connection; and transmit the configuration for the connection to the user equipment.

[0014] According to another aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from a user equipment, an access stratum message comprising at least a request to set up a desired data rate for a connection; means for generating, based on the access stratum message, a configuration for the connection; and means for transmitting the configuration for the connection to the user equipment.

[0015] According to another aspect, there is provided a method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment, an access stratum message comprising at least a request to set up a desired data rate for a connection; generating, based on the access stratum message, a configuration for the connection; and transmitting the configuration for the connection to the user equipment.

[0016] 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: receiving, from a user equipment, an access stratum message comprising at least a request to set up a desired data rate for a connection; generating, based on the access stratum message, a configuration for the connection; and transmitting the configuration for the connection to the user equipment.

[0017] 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: receiving, from a user equipment, an access stratum message comprising at least a request to set up a desired data rate for a connection; generating, based on the access stratum message, a configuration for the connection; and transmitting the configuration for the connection to the user equipment.

[0018] 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: receiving, from a user equipment, an access stratum message comprising at least a request to set up a desired data rate for a connection; generating, based on the access stratum message, a configuration for the connection; and transmitting the configuration for the connection to the user equipment.

[0019] LIST OF DRAWINGS

[0020] In the following, various example embodiments will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

[0021] FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a wireless communication network;

[0022] FIG. IB illustrates an example of a wireless communication system;

[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates a signal flow diagram;

[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates a signal flow diagram;

[0025] FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart;

[0026] FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart;

[0027] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of an apparatus; and

[0028] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of an apparatus.

[0029] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] 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. Furthermore, the words "comprising" and "including" should be understood as not limiting the described embodiments to consist of only those features that have been mentioned, and such embodiments may also contain features that have not been specifically mentioned. Reference numbers, in the description and / or in the claims, serve to illustrate the embodiments with reference to the drawings, without limiting the embodiments to these examples only.

[0031] 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 (2G) 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] FIG. 1A depicts an example of a simplified wireless communication network showing some physical and logical entities. The connections shown in FIG. 1A 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. 1A.

[0034] 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.

[0035] The example wireless communication network shown in FIG. 1A includes a radio access network (RAN) and a core network 110.

[0036] FIG. 1A 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.

[0037] 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. In this description, the terms “access node” and “radio access network node” are used interchangeably.

[0038] 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. 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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: a user plane function (UPF), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a location management function (LMF), and / or a session management function (SMF).

[0041] 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. 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 nonexistent.

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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. 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. 1A 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.

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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 real-time control.

[0046] 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).

[0047] 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. 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).

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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.

[0050] 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 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or customer-specific standard product (CSSP) system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0051] 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).

[0052] 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] It is obvious for a person skilled in the art that the access node 104 depicted in FIG. 1A 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.

[0055] 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. 1A 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.

[0056] 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. 1A). 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.

[0057] Cellular wireless communications systems are built on top of protocols that control how the data is transmitted between UEs 100, 102 and the network (e.g., the RAN node 104). These protocols may be divided into a user plane (UP) and a control plane (CP). The user plane is dedicated to the actual task of transmitting user data between UEs and the network. The control plane is dedicated to ensuring that the user plane is operational. That is, the CP is used for establishing the UP, and it is the task of the CP to ensure that the UP is functional at all times.

[0058] A UE 100 needs at least one cell to communicate with the network, but the user data rate can be increased by configuring multiple serving cells for the UE 100, i.e., by aggregating multiple carriers, which is called carrier aggregation (CA). Herein the term “carrier” refers to a specific frequency or range of frequencies assigned for transmitting and receiving radio signals.

[0059] Carrier aggregation allows the network to have more scheduling flexibility for the UE 100, as well as increases the overall bandwidth, thus increasing the maximum achievable data rate. Carrier aggregation may function on the premise that all aggregated carriers are managed by a single RAN node 104, allowing for the cells transmitted across these carriers to be received in an (almost) synchronous manner (i.e., with minimal timing discrepancy).

[0060] Both intra-site CA and inter-site CA are possible. Intra-site CA refers to the aggregation of multiple carriers within a single cell site, leveraging different frequency bands managed by the same RAN node 104. Inter-site CA, on the other hand, involves aggregating carriers from different cell sites, which may be controlled by different RAN nodes.

[0061] Moreover, another extension of CA to multiple RAN nodes is called dual connectivity (DC), wherein the UE 100 is connected to two RAN nodes, each of which handles its own set of cells (under CA). This allows more independent operation as well as improved reliability, since the failure of one RAN node does not necessarily mean failure of the entire UE connection.

[0062] FIG. IB illustrates an example of a wireless communication system, to which some example embodiments may be applied. FIG. IB may be understood to depict a part of the wireless communication network of FIG. 1A, but with greater accuracy with respect to carrier aggregation and dual connectivity.

[0063] Dual connectivity enables the UE 100 to be simultaneously connected to two cell groups: a master cell group (MCG) 120 and a secondary cell group (SCG) 130. These two cell groups 120, 130 may be associated with different RAN nodes 104, 104A. These two cell groups 120, 130 may be based on the same radio access technology. Alternatively, DC may also be used in a multi-RAT mode, in which case the two cell groups 120, 130 may be based on different radio access technologies, such as LTE and NR in the mode called E-UTRA - NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0064] The MCG 120 is a group of serving cells controlled by the master node (MN) 104. The master node 104 is a RAN node providing the control plane connection to the core network 110. The MCG 120 comprises a primary cell (PCell)

[0065] 121, i.e., the primary serving cell of the MCG 120, and optionally one or more secondary cells (SCells) 122. The PCell 121 is a cell operating on a primary frequency that may be used for initial access under the MCG 120. An SCell is a cell, operating on a secondary frequency, which may be configured once an RRC connection is established, and which may be used to provide additional radio resources.

[0066] The SCG 130 is a group of serving cells controlled by the secondary node (SN) 104A. The secondary node 104A is a RAN node providing additional resources to the UE 100. The SCG 130 comprises a primary secondary cell PSCell 131, i.e., the primary serving cell of the SCG 130, and optionally one or more SCells 132. The PSCell 131 is a cell that may be used for initial access under the SCG 130.

[0067] For example, in dual connectivity, carrier aggregation may involve aggregating (combining) the carriers ofthe PCell 121, the PSCell 131, and the SCells

[0068] 122, 132 to create a wider virtual channel. The UE 100 may treat this virtual channel as a single high-capacity connection. This allows the UE 100 to receive and transmit data across multiple frequency bands, effectively increasing the available bandwidth and data rates.

[0069] The UE 100 may indicate its capabilities for carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity to the network (e.g., to the master node 104) via UE capability signaling. The capability signaling may include the band combinations wherein the UE 100 is capable of aggregating cells, as well as other parameters such as specific physical (PHY) features, total aggregated bandwidth, M1M0 layers, etc. These UE capabilities determine the data rate that the UE 100 is able to obtain via CA and / or DC operation. The UE capabilities for CA and / or DC may vary depending on which carriers are configured due to, for example, UE radio frequency (RF) components (e.g., RF or channel filters) and baseband (BB) processing properties (e.g., how many channels the UE 100 is able to encode or decode simultaneously). The network should take the UE capabilities into account when configuring the UE 100, as otherwise the UE connection may fail completely.

[0070] When the network (e.g., an access node such as the master node 104 and / or the secondary node 104A) configures the SCell(s) 122, 132, it may do so based on the radio conditions of the UE 100 (which the network may know based on measurement reports sent by the UE 100) and its own estimation of the traffic pattern, but without any knowledge of the actual data rate needed by the UE 100. In a connected mode, the network may rely on the buffer status report (BSR) received from the UE 100, and also knowledge about the data buffer status on the network side. However, when the UE 100 (or the network) initiates the connection and is not yet in the connected mode, the visibility to the actual connection requirements may be very limited.

[0071] The buffer status report is a report transmitted by the UE 100 to the network (e.g., to the access node 104) to indicate the amount of data in the UE’s transmission buffer waiting to be sent. Once the connection is up and running, the UE 100 starts transmitting buffer status reports that enable the network (e.g., the access node 104) to know what the needed data rate is, and hence what is required from the connection for example in terms of the latency and bandwidth (BW).

[0072] The network may then decide, for example based on the measurements and the current buffer status of the UE 100, whether to assign CA for the UE 100. For example, if the buffer is stalling, it may be beneficial to increase the data rate via CA. However, this requires the network to estimate the needed traffic also from the UE side (e.g., for UL), which may not always be possible or may require some time to collect due to reporting delays (which depend on the network configuration).

[0073] Thus, the CA configuration tends to be based on semi-static network policies and radio conditions of the UE 100. For example, in good radio conditions (e.g., strong signal strength and low interference), the UE 100 may always be configured with CA, even if it does not have a large amount of data waiting to be transmitted in its buffer. This proactive configuration ensures that the UE 100 can immediately utilize the increased bandwidth and data rates provided by CA, if it accumulates a significant amount of data in its buffer that needs to be sent. However, this is not always optimal and may result in additional signaling between the UE 100 and the network, as well as between the network elements themselves (e.g., in a CU-DU split network).

[0074] Some example embodiments provide a method for the UE 100 to request a specific data rate or a specific user plane configuration from the radio access network (e.g., from the access node 104). The request may be provided before establishment of a packet data unit (PDU) session for the UE 100. This method enables the UE 100 to more rapidly indicate the data rate that the UE 100 determines to be needed (e.g., compared to BSR), and the access node 104 may proactively configure, if capable, the radio connection to provide the requested data rate. In some cases where the access node is not able to meet the data rate, the configuration to meet the data rate may be omitted.

[0075] The data rate request may optionally also include at least one of: the time frame for which the UE 100 requests this data rate, and / or at least one metric indicating an amount of resources (e.g., frequency and / or time resources) needed to meet the requested data rate. One metric can be indication of one or more candidate carriers that could potentially be utilized for CA or dual connectivity. In other words, the request may also comprise a suggestion on the used serving cell configuration for the CA or dual connectivity that the UE 100 determines could reach the desired data rate.

[0076] Since the UE 100 is aware of its radio conditions, as well as its application behavior and data rate needs, the UE 100 can synthesize the configuration and / or data rate of the radio connection that the UE 100 determines it would require. Based on the requested data rate and / or other assistance information, the network may then decide whether or how to accommodate the request. The request may be based on a configuration received from the network (e.g., via common or dedicated signalling). For example, the network (e.g., the access node 104) may configure whether the UE 100 only indicates the data rate request or assistance information for the radio connection, or whether the time frame and / or carrier information can be included together with the data rate request. The configuration received from the network may additionally indicate some limitation to parameters the UE 100 can propose in the request, for example which specific carrier(s) are allowed to be included in the request. Other parameters, such as a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold to be used when determining whether the cells or carriers are suitable for CA purposes, may be included in the configuration by the network.

[0077] The UE 100 may then transmit the data rate request and / or the other assistance information to the network (e.g., to the access node 104) according to the configuration. Optionally, the UE 100 may also transmit or indicate the necessary UE capabilities and / or the suggested serving cell configuration to use. The network in this context may mean a network node of a radio access network such as the access node 104. The network makes the final decision on whether or how to configure the radio connection for the UE 100 possibly based on the UE assistance information and request.

[0078] In addition to carrier aggregation, or as an alternative to the CA, some example embodiments may be used for other types of bandwidth extension, such as dual connectivity or selection of a bandwidth part (BWP) or multiple active BWPs (a BWP combination). A BWP is a subset of the total bandwidth available to a cell.

[0079] The access node 104 may consider, for example, the available bandwidth parts, the capabilities of the UE 100, and service requirements, such as the desired data rate and / or the assistance information, to determine a suitable bandwidth part combination for initial assignment of the radio connection. Once the initial BWP combination is selected, the access node 104 may signal this information to the UE 100. This signaling may include details about the BWP configuration, such as bandwidth size, frequency range(s), and / or any additional parameters required for the UE 100 to configure its radio interface accordingly. The access node 104 may adapt the BWP configuration based on changing network conditions, UE mobility, or evolving service requirements. This adaptation may involve the selection of different BWPs or modification of the existing BWP parameters.

[0080] 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.

[0081] FIG. 2 illustrates a signal flow diagram according to an example embodiment. The procedure illustrated in FIG. 2 may be applied, for example, when the first data burst arrives at the buffer of the UE 100 or upon receiving from a higher layer a request for setting up a radio connection. In this case, the CA configuration and activation may take place at the same time.

[0082] Referring to FIG. 2, at 201, the access node 104 may transmit, to the UE 100, a configuration indicating at least that the UE 100 is allowed to request a desired data rate for setting up a radio connection or a carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration from the radio access network. The UE 100 receives the configuration. The access node 104 comprises a RAN node that controls at least one serving cell 121 of the UE 100. In case of dual connectivity, the access node 104 may be referred to as a master node. 201 may be carried out before the first data burst arrives at the buffer of the UE 100 or before receiving from the higher layer the request for setting up the radio connection.

[0083] The configuration may further indicate a set of carriers that should be or are allowed to be measured for the purpose of probing the possibility for the carrier aggregation or dual connectivity.

[0084] The configuration may further indicate one or more threshold values for determining whether the set of carriers are suitable for carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity. For example, the one or more threshold values may comprise a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold value. Alternatively, or additionally, the one or more threshold values may comprise a threshold value for any other signal strength or quality metric, such as reference signal received quality (RSRQ) or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

[0085] At 202, the UE 100 obtains a set of radio measurement results by measuring candidate carriers from the set of carriers indicated by the access node 104. For example, the UE 100 may measure RSRP from the candidate carriers. Alternatively, or additionally, the UE 100 may measure any other signal strength or quality metric, such as RSRQ or SNR.

[0086] At 203, the UE 100 determines the desired data rate for one or more applications based on at least one of: internal application layer information of the UE 100, or application layer information received from one or more connected devices, such as but not limited to an extended reality (XR) headset.

[0087] Different applications have varying data rate needs. For instance, a video streaming application may require a higher data rate compared to a text messaging application. Applications may specify their quality of service (QoS) requirements, which may include parameters such as data rate, latency, jitter, and reliability. The UE 100 may interpret these QoS requirements and map them to a corresponding data rate that can fulfill these needs. Alternatively, or additionally, the UE 100 may monitor and analyze the traffic pattern of the application, such as the volume of data transferred by the application over time, peak data transfer periods, and the regularity of data requests. This analysis helps in predicting the required data rate for optimal application performance.

[0088] The UE 100 may also consider the current network conditions (if available), like signal strength, network congestion, and available bandwidth, to adjust the desired data rate for the application layer. This ensures that the data rate is not only based on application needs, but also on what the network can realistically provide.

[0089] For example, the UE 100 may use one or more internal algorithms or one or more artificial intelligence or machine learning algorithms for determining the desired data rate based on historical data and usage patterns of similar applications. The actual estimation of the required data rate is not within the scope of the present disclosure, and any state-of-the-art solution may be utilized. Some principles for the estimation and selecting the appropriate state-of-the-art solution is provided above.

[0090] The desired data rate determined by the UE 100 may be different from BSR because the UE 100 does not necessarily yet have any data in a data buffer used for the BSR. For example, the UE 100 may know that a specific application may request a data rate higher than the initial burst. This may occur with applications or protocols such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), where the initial data packets “probe” the connection quality to find the maximum achievable data rate.

[0091] At 204, the UE 100 determines, based on the set of radio measurement results, the assistance information for setting up the radio connection, such as whether the candidate carriers are suitable for carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity. In other words, the UE 100 may determine whether carrier aggregation would improve or meet its data rate.

[0092] For example, the UE 100 may determine that the candidate carriers are suitable for carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity, if for example the RSRP value measured from the candidate carriers is above or equal to the RSRP threshold value that may be indicated in the configuration at 201. The UE 100 may select one or more candidate carriers on the basis of the determination and indicate the one or more candidate carriers in the assistance information. In other words, the UE 100 may select some or all of the candidate carrier(s) that were determined to be suitable for carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity.

[0093] At 205, based on the selection (i.e., if one or more suitable candidate carriers were found), the UE 100 generates an access stratum message comprising at least a request for the access node 104 to set up the desired data rate for the connection, and / or comprising the assistance information for setting up the radio connection such as the proposed carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. The access stratum message may be generated based on the configuration received at 201, which may indicate what kind of information should be included in the access stratum message.

[0094] At 206, the UE 100 transmits, to the access node 104, the access stratum message comprising at least the request for the access node 104 to set up the desired data rate for the connection or the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration.

[0095] The access stratum message may be transmitted while the UE 100 is in a non-connected mode, during establishment of a radio connection between the UE 100 and the access node 104, or upon initiating a connection between the UE 100 and the access node 104. Alternatively, the access stratum message may be transmitted while the UE 100 is in a connected mode. The non-connected mode refers to a state where the UE 100 is not actively connected to the access node 104 for data communication, but is still capable of monitoring signals transmitted from the access node 104. The connection may refer to a radio resource control (RRC) connection specified in the 3GPP specifications.

[0096] The access stratum message may further comprise at least one of the following in the assistance information: the desired data rate, information indicating a time frame for which the desired data rate is requested, information indicating the one or more candidate carriers for the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration, or the set of radio measurement results of the one or more candidate carriers.

[0097] At 207, the access node 104 evaluates the desired data rate. Based on the evaluation of the desired data rate (and possibly the assistance information that may be included in the access stratum message), the access node 104 determines how to configure the radio connection in order to reach the requested data rate. The access node may, for example, determine whether the data rate can be reached by using a single carrier or whether carrier aggregation is needed, and, if needed, whether carrier aggregation can be configured for the UE 100. The access node may further determine the BWP(s) initially configured for the radio connection.

[0098] At 208, based on determining that carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity is needed and can be configured for the UE 100, the access node 104 may choose to utilize a secondary node 104A and transmit, to the secondary node 104A, a request for a carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. In other words, the access node 104 may request aggregating one or more additional carriers provided by the secondary node 104A, in order to increase the data rate available to the UE 100. The one or more additional carriers may comprise, for example, the one or more candidate carriers that may be indicated by the UE 100 in the access stratum message.

[0099] In other words, the access node 104 may request the secondary node 104A to allocate resources for one or more specific protocol data unit (PDU) sessions or QoS flows, indicating QoS flow characteristics (e.g., QoS flow level QoS parameters, PDU session level transport network layer address information, and PDU session level network slice information). In dual connectivity, for bearers requiring radio resources of the SCG 130, the access node 104 operating as the master access node may indicate the requested SCG configuration information, including the UE capabilities and the UE capability coordination result. In this case, the access node 104 may also provide the latest measurement results for the secondary node 104A to choose and configure the SCG cell(s) 131, 132. The access node 104 may request the secondary node 104A to allocate radio resources for split signaling radio bearer (SRB) operation. The access node 104 may provide the needed security information to the secondary node 104A (even if no SN terminated bearers are setup) to enable SRB3 to be setup based on the decision of the secondary node 104A. The access node 104 may request the SCG 130 to be activated.

[0100] At 209, the secondary node 104A transmits, to the access node 104, a response message indicating an acceptance of the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. In other words, in the response message, the secondary node 104A may indicate that the access node 104 is allowed to use the one or more additional carriers provided by the secondary node 104A for the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity.

[0101] If the radio resource management (RRM) entity in the secondary node 104A is able to admit the resource request, it allocates respective radio resources and, dependent on the bearer type options, respective transport network resources. For bearers requiring SCG radio resources, the secondary node 104A may trigger UE random access, so that synchronization of the SN radio resource configuration can be performed. The secondary node 104A may decide the PSCell 131 and other SCG SCell(s) 132 and provide the new SCG radio resource configuration to the access node 104 within, for example, an SN RRC configuration message comprised in an SN Addition Request Acknowledge message. If the access node 104 requests the SCG 130 to be activated, the secondary node 104A may keep the SCG 130 activated.

[0102] It should be noted that, in the case of carrier aggregation without dual connectivity, there may be no secondary node 104A involved, and thus steps 208 and 209 may not be needed or they may be performed within the access node 104.

[0103] At 210, based on receiving the acceptance from the secondary node 104A, the access node 104 generates the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration for the UE 100. For example, the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration may comprise information about the primary cell 121, the primary secondary cell 131, and the secondary cells 122, 132. For each of these cells, the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration may specify the carrier(s) that are being aggregated.

[0104] At 211, the access node 104 transmits, to the UE 100, the configuration for the connection, optionally comprising the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. For example, the configuration for the connection may be transmitted in an RRC reconfiguration message. The UE 100 receives the configuration for the connection (based on or in response to transmitting the access stratum message at 206).

[0105] The access node 104 may also transmit, to the UE 100, an indication indicating an expected data rate associated with the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. The expected data rate refers to the data rate that the access node 104 aims to achieve with this carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. This allows the UE 100 to evaluate whether to request a higher data rate later on. The expected data rate may be the same as or different from the desired data rate indicated by the UE 100.

[0106] At 212, the UE 100 may activate the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration upon receiving the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. The activation means that the UE 100 is enabling and utilizing the additional bandwidth and network resources provided by aggregating multiple carriers (in CA) and / or connecting to more than one cell simultaneously (in DC).

[0107] The radio connection may be established to meet the data rate requested by the UE 100 while the PDU session is established or even before the PDU session establishment has started. The resulting advantage is that the procedure for setting up the radio connection with the correct configuration for the data rate can be expedited, thus improving the performance in terms of transferred data rate.

[0108] At 213, the UE 100 may determine, based on the expected data rate indicated by the access node 104, whether the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration fulfils a set of application layer requirements of the UE 100. For example, the set of application layer requirements may comprise at least a data rate requirement of the one or more applications of the UE 100.

[0109] At 214, based on determining that the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration does not fulfil the set of application layer requirements, the UE 100 may transmit, to the access node 104, another access stratum message comprising a request for a higher data rate than the expected data rate indicated by the access node 104 at 211.

[0110] At 215, based on the request for the higher data rate, the access node 104 may transmit, to the UE 100, a new carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration that provides the higher data rate after potential negotiation with the SN(s) 104A. The UE 100 may activate the new carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration upon receiving it.

[0111] In an alternative embodiment, the access node 104 may determine that it is not capable of meeting the requested data rate. In such a case, at least step 211 and subsequent steps may be omitted.

[0112] FIG. 3 illustrates a signal flow diagram according to an example embodiment. The procedure illustrated in FIG. 3 may be applied, for example, before any data is generated from the application(s) of the UE 100. In this case, the radio connection configuration may not be activated immediately, and a separate activation step may be performed once the UE 100 indicates that it has the required data. For example, the UE 100 may indicate that it estimates a need for the radio connection after a period of time. The network may then configure the radio connection for UE 100, but in an inactive or dormant state (e.g., to save UE power). RRC inactive state of the 3GPP specifications is an embodiment of such a state. Once the UE has the required data, the UE 100 may indicate to the network that it is time to activate the radio connection, and the network may then activate the radio connection for the UE 100 by shifting the UE to an active state (e.g., RRC connected state).

[0113] Referring to FIG. 3, at 301, the access node 104 may transmit, to the UE 100, a configuration indicating at least that the UE 100 is allowed to request a desired data rate for setting up a connection or a carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration from the radio access network. The UE 100 receives the configuration. The access node 104 comprises a RAN node that controls at least one serving cell 121 of the UE 100. In case of dual connectivity, the access node 104 may be referred to as a master node.

[0114] The configuration may further indicate a set of carriers that should be or are allowed to be measured for the purpose of probing the possibility for the carrier aggregation or dual connectivity.

[0115] The configuration may further indicate one or more threshold values for determining whether the set of carriers are suitable for carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity. For example, the one or more threshold values may comprise a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold value. Alternatively, or additionally, the one or more threshold values may comprise a threshold value for any other signal strength or quality metric, such as reference signal received quality (RSRQ) or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

[0116] At 302, the UE 100 obtains a set of radio measurement results by measuring one or more candidate carriers from the set of carriers indicated by the access node 104. For example, the UE 100 may measure RSRP from the candidate carriers. Alternatively, or additionally, the UE 100 may measure any other signal strength or quality metric, such as RSRQ or SNR.

[0117] At 303, the UE 100 determines the desired data rate for one or more applications based on at least one of: internal application layer information of the UE 100, or application layer information received from one or more connected devices, such as but not limited to an extended reality (XR) headset.

[0118] Different applications have varying data rate needs. For instance, a video streaming application may require a higher data rate compared to a text messaging application. Applications may specify their quality of service (QoS) requirements, which may include parameters such as data rate, latency, jitter, and reliability. The UE 100 may interpret these QoS requirements and map them to a corresponding data rate that can fulfill these needs. Alternatively, or additionally, the UE 100 may monitor and analyze the traffic pattern of the application, such as the volume of data transferred by the application over time, peak data transfer periods, and the regularity of data requests. This analysis helps in predicting the required data rate for optimal application performance.

[0119] The UE 100 may also consider the current network conditions (if available), like signal strength, network congestion, and available bandwidth, to adjust the desired data rate for the application layer. This ensures that the data rate is not only based on application needs, but also on what the network can realistically provide.

[0120] For example, the UE 100 may use one or more internal algorithms or one or more artificial intelligence or machine learning algorithms for determining the desired data rate based on historical data and usage patterns of similar applications. The actual estimation of the required data rate is not within the scope of the present disclosure, and any state-of-the-art solution may be utilized. Some principles for the estimation and selecting the appropriate state-of-the-art solution is provided above.

[0121] The desired data rate determined by the UE 100 may be different from BSR because the UE 100 does not necessarily yet have any data in a data buffer used for the BSR. For example, the UE 100 may know that a specific application may request a data rate higher than the initial burst. This may occur with applications or protocols such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), where the initial data packets “probe” the connection quality to find the maximum achievable data rate.

[0122] At 304, the UE 100 determines, based on the set of radio measurement results, the assistance information for setting up the radio connection, such as whether the one or more candidate carriers are suitable for carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity. In other words, the UE 100 may determine whether carrier aggregation would improve or meet its data rate.

[0123] For example, the UE 100 may determine that the candidate carriers are suitable for carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity, if for example the RSRP value measured from the candidate carriers is above or equal to the RSRP threshold value that may be indicated in the configuration at 301. The UE 100 may select one or more candidate carriers on the basis of the determination and indicate the one or more candidate carriers in the assistance information. In other words, the UE 100 may select some or all of the candidate carrier(s) that were determined to be suitable for carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity.

[0124] At 305, based on the selection (i.e., if one or more suitable candidate carriers were found), the UE 100 generates an access stratum message comprising at least a request for the access node 104 to set up the desired data rate for the radio connection, and / or comprising the assistance information for setting up the radio connection such as the proposed carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. The access stratum message may be generated based on the configuration received at 301, which may indicate what kind of information should be included in the access stratum message.

[0125] At 306, the UE 100 transmits, to the access node 104, the access stratum message comprising at least the request for the access node 104 to set up the desired data rate for the connection or the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration.

[0126] The access stratum message may be transmitted while the UE 100 is in a non-connected mode, during establishment of a radio connection between the UE 100 and the access node 104, or upon initiating a connection between the UE 100 and the access node 104. Alternatively, the access stratum message may be transmitted while the UE 100 is in a connected mode. The non-connected mode refers to a state where the UE 100 is not actively connected to the access node 104 for data communication, but is still capable of monitoring signals transmitted from the access node 104. The connection may refer to a radio resource control (RRC) connection specified in the 3GPP specifications.

[0127] In an embodiment, the UE 100 only requests for the radio connection with the specified data rate from the access node 104 in the access stratum message. It is then the choice of the access node 104 to determine whether to configure a single-carrier connection or to use the carrier aggregation or dual connectivity.

[0128] In an embodiment, the requested data rate is quantized to a set of data rate ranges. The number of different data rates possible for the UE 100 to request may depend on the design, e.g. the number of bits available for this information and what data rate ranges shall be mapped to each bit value.

[0129] The access stratum message may further comprise at least one of the following in the assistance information: the desired data rate, information indicating a time frame for which the desired data rate is requested, information indicating the one or more candidate carriers for the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration, or the set of radio measurement results of the one or more candidate carriers.

[0130] At 307, the access node 104 evaluates the desired data rate. Based on the evaluation (and possibly the assistance information that may be included in the access stratum message), the access node 104 determines how to configure the radio connection in order to reach the requested data rate. The access node may, for example, determine whether the data rate can be reached by using a single carrier or whether carrier aggregation is needed, and, if needed, whether carrier aggregation can be configured for the UE 100. The access node may further determine the BWP(s) initially configured for the radio connection.

[0131] At 308, based on determining that carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity is needed and can be configured for the UE 100, the access node 104 may choose to utilize a secondary node 104A and transmit, to the secondary node 104A, a request for a carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. In other words, the access node 104 may request aggregating one or more additional carriers provided by the secondary node 104A, in order to increase the data rate available to the UE 100. The one or more additional carriers may comprise, for example, the one or more candidate carriers that may be indicated by the UE 100 in the access stratum message.

[0132] At 309, the secondary node 104A transmits, to the access node 104, a response message indicating an acceptance of the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. In other words, in the response message, the secondary node 104A may indicate that the access node 104 is allowed to use the one or more additional carriers provided by the secondary node 104A for the carrier aggregation.

[0133] It should be noted that, in the case of carrier aggregation without dual connectivity, there may be no secondary node 104A involved, and thus steps 308 and 309 may not be needed or they may be performed within the access node 104.

[0134] At 310, based on receiving the acceptance from the secondary node 104A, the access node 104 generates the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration for the UE 100. For example, the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration may comprise information about the primary cell 121, the primary secondary cell 131, and the secondary cells 122, 132. For each of these cells, the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration may specify the carrier(s) that are being aggregated.

[0135] At 311, the access node 104 transmits, to the UE 100, the configuration for the connection, optionally comprising the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. For example, the configuration for the connection may be transmitted in an RRC reconfiguration message. The UE 100 receives the configuration for the connection (based on or in response to transmitting the access stratum message at 306). In this case, the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration may be in an inactive or dormant state, such that it is not activated immediately upon configuration. In other words, the radio connection with the appropriate configuration may be set up but not activated before the PDU session establishment has been completed. The resulting advantage is that the radio connection has been configured in an expedited manner, but it does not consume radio resources from other UEs before the PDU session is ready to transfer the data.

[0136] The access node 104 may also transmit, to the UE 100, an indication indicating an expected data rate associated with the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. The expected data rate refers to the data rate that the access node 104 aims to achieve with this carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. This allows the UE 100 to evaluate whether to request a higher data rate later on. The expected data rate may be the same as or different from the desired data rate indicated by the UE 100.

[0137] At 312, once the UE 100 actually needs the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity (i.e., has the data that needs to be transmitted according to the desired data rate), the UE 100 may transmit, to the access node 104, an access stratum request for activating the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. The access node 104 receives the access stratum request.

[0138] At 313, based on receiving the access stratum request from the UE 100, the access node 104 transmits, to the secondary node 104A, a request for activating the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. The secondary node 104A receives the request.

[0139] At 314, the secondary node 104A transmits, to the access node 104, a response message indicating an acceptance of the request for activating the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration.

[0140] It should be noted that, in the case of carrier aggregation without dual connectivity, there may be no secondary node 104A involved, and thus steps 313 and 314 may not be needed or they may be performed within the access node 104.

[0141] At 315, based on receiving the acceptance from the secondary node 104A, the access node 104 transmits, to the UE 100, an access stratum indication indicating the activation of the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration. The UE 100 receives the access stratum indication. In other words, the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity operation is activated, and he UE 100 may utilize the carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity configuration.

[0142] FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart according to an example embodiment of a method performed by an apparatus 600 depicted in FIG. 6. For example, the apparatus 600 may be, or comprise, or be comprised in, a user equipment (UE) 100, 102.

[0143] Referring to FIG. 4, in block 401, the apparatus 600 generates an access stratum message comprising at least a request for a radio access network node (access node) 104 to set up a desired data rate for a connection (e.g., between the apparatus 600 and the radio access network node 104). The apparatus 600 may be configured for single connectivity with or without carrier aggregation, or dual connectivity. In case of dual connectivity, the radio access network node 104 may be referred to as a master node.

[0144] In block 402, the apparatus 600 transmits, to the radio access network node 104, the access stratum message comprising at least the request for the radio access network node 104 to set up the desired data rate for the connection.

[0145] The access stratum message may be transmitted in a non-connected mode or during establishment of a radio connection to the radio access network node 104. Alternatively, the access stratum message may be transmitted in a connected mode (e.g., as an update to an earlier transmitted access stratum message including an initial data rate request).

[0146] The access stratum message may further comprise at least one of: information indicating a time frame for which the desired data rate is requested, information indicating one or more candidate carriers for a carrier aggregation configuration, or a set of radio measurement results of the one or more candidate carriers.

[0147] The apparatus 600 may obtain a set of radio measurement results by measuring candidate carriers; determine, based on the set of radio measurement results, whether the candidate carriers are suitable for carrier aggregation; and select the one or more candidate carriers on the basis of the determination. The access stratum message may be generated based on the selection. The apparatus 600 may receive, from the radio access network node 104, one or more threshold values, such as a reference signal received power threshold value, for determining whether the candidate carriers are suitable for carrier aggregation.

[0148] In block 403, the apparatus 600 receives a configuration for the connection from the radio access network node 104 based on or in response to transmitting the access stratum message.

[0149] The configuration for the connection may comprise the carrier aggregation configuration and define the indicated one or more candidate carriers for the connection.

[0150] Alternatively, or additionally, the configuration for the connection may comprise a dual connectivity configuration.

[0151] Alternatively, or additionally, the configuration for the connection may comprise a configuration for an initial bandwidth part combination. The radio access network node 104 may consider, for example, the available bandwidth parts, the capabilities of the apparatus 600, and service requirements, such as the desired data rate, to determine a suitable bandwidth part combination for initial assignment. The configuration for the initial bandwidth part combination may indicate, for example, bandwidth size, frequency range, and any additional parameters required for the apparatus 600 to configure its radio interface accordingly.

[0152] Prior to generating the access stratum message, the apparatus 600 may receive, from the radio access network node 104, a configuration for generating the access stratum message. The configuration for generating the access stratum message may indicate at least that requesting the desired data rate is allowed. The access stratum message may be generated based on the configuration for generating the access stratum message.

[0153] The configuration for generating the access stratum message may further indicate a set of carriers, such as the one or more candidate carriers, that are to be measured.

[0154] The configuration for generating the access stratum message may further indicate the reference signal received power threshold value for determining whether the candidate carriers are suitable for carrier aggregation.

[0155] The apparatus 600 may determine the desired data rate based on at least one of: internal application layer information of the apparatus 600, or application layer information received from one or more connected devices.

[0156] The apparatus 600 may receive, from the radio access network node 104, an indication indicating an expected data rate associated with the configuration for the connection. The apparatus 600 may determine, based on the expected data rate, whether the configuration for the connection fulfils a set of application layer requirements.

[0157] The apparatus 600 may transmit, to the radio access network node 104, another access stratum message comprising a request for a higher data rate than the expected data rate, based on determining that the configuration for the connection does not fulfil the set of application layer requirements.

[0158] The apparatus 600 may transmit, to the radio access network node 104, an access stratum request for activating the configuration for the connection; and receive, from the radio access network node 104, an access stratum indication indicating the activation of the configuration for the connection.

[0159] Alternatively, the apparatus 600 may activate the configuration for the connection upon receiving the configuration for the connection.

[0160] FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart according to an example embodiment of a method performed by an apparatus 700 depicted in FIG. 7. For example, the apparatus 700 may be, or comprise, or be comprised in, a radio access network node (access node) 104. In case of dual connectivity, the radio access network node 104 may be referred to as a master node.

[0161] Referring to FIG. 5, in block 501, the apparatus 700 receives, from a user equipment 100, an access stratum message comprising at least a request to set up a desired data rate for a connection (e.g., between the user equipment 100 and the apparatus 700).

[0162] The access stratum message may further comprise at least one of: information indicating a time frame for which the desired data rate is requested, information indicating one or more candidate carriers for a carrier aggregation configuration, or a set of radio measurement results of the one or more candidate carriers.

[0163] In block 502, the apparatus 700 generates, based on the access stratum message, a configuration for the connection.

[0164] The configuration for the connection may comprise the carrier aggregation configuration and define the indicated one or more candidate carriers for the connection.

[0165] Alternatively, or additionally, the configuration for the connection may comprise a dual connectivity configuration.

[0166] Alternatively, or additionally, the configuration for the connection may comprise a configuration for an initial bandwidth part combination. The apparatus 700 may consider, for example, the available bandwidth parts, the capabilities of the user equipment 100, and service requirements, such as the desired data rate, to determine a suitable bandwidth part combination for initial assignment.

[0167] In block 503, the apparatus 700 transmits the configuration for the connection to the user equipment 100.

[0168] Prior to receiving the access stratum message, the apparatus 700 may generate and transmit, to the user equipment 100, a configuration for generating the access stratum message, the configuration indicating at least that requesting the desired data rate is allowed.

[0169] The configuration for generating the access stratum message may further indicate a set of carriers that are to be measured.

[0170] The configuration for generating the access stratum message may further indicate a reference signal received power threshold value for determining whether the set of carriers are suitable for carrier aggregation.

[0171] The apparatus 700 may transmit, to the user equipment 100, an indication indicating an expected data rate associated with the configuration for the connection.

[0172] The apparatus 700 may receive, from the user equipment 100, another access stratus message comprising a request for a higher data rate than the expected data rate, based on which the apparatus 700 may generate and transmit, to the user equipment 100, a new configuration for providing the higher data rate.

[0173] The apparatus 700 may receive, from the user equipment 100, an access stratum request for activating the configuration for the connection, based on which the apparatus 700 may transmit, to the user equipment 100, an access stratum indication indicating the activation of the configuration for the connection.

[0174] The blocks, related functions, and information exchanges (messages) described above by means of FIG. 2 to FIG. 5 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.

[0175] 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.

[0176] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of an apparatus 600 comprising means for performing one or more of the example embodiments described above. For example, the apparatus 600 may be an apparatus such as, or comprising, or comprised in, a user equipment (UE) 100, 102. The user equipment 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.

[0177] The apparatus 600 may comprise a circuitry or a chipset applicable for realizing one or more of the example embodiments described above. For example, the apparatus 600 may comprise at least one processor 610. The at least one processor 610 interprets instructions (e.g., computer program instructions) and processes data. The at least one processor 610 may comprise one or more programmable processors. The at least one processor 610 may comprise programmable hardware with embedded firmware and may, alternatively or additionally, comprise one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0178] The at least one processor 610 is coupled to at least one memory 620. The at least one processor is configured to read and write data to and from the at least one memory 620. The at least one memory 620 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 at least one memory 620 stores computer readable instructions that are executed by the at least one processor 610 to perform one or more of the example embodiments described above. For example, non-volatile memory stores the computer readable instructions, and the at least one processor 610 executes the instructions using volatile memory for temporary storage of data and / or instructions. The computer readable instructions may refer to computer program code.

[0179] The computer readable instructions may have been pre-stored to the at least one memory 620 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 by the at least one processor 610 causes the apparatus 600 to perform one or more of the example embodiments described above. That is, 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.

[0180] In the context of this document, a “memory” or “computer-readable media” or “computer-readable medium” may be any non-transitory media or medium or means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer. 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).

[0181] The apparatus 600 may further comprise, or be connected to, an input unit 630. The input unit 630 may comprise one or more interfaces for receiving input. The one or more interfaces may comprise for example one or more temperature, motion and / or orientation sensors, one or more cameras, one or more accelerometers, one or more microphones, one or more buttons and / or one or more touch detection units. Further, the input unit 630 may comprise an interface to which external devices may connect to.

[0182] The apparatus 600 may also comprise an output unit 640. The output unit may comprise or be connected to one or more displays capable of rendering visual content, such as a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD) and / or a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display. The output unit 640 may further comprise one or more audio outputs. The one or more audio outputs may be for example loudspeakers.

[0183] The apparatus 600 further comprises a connectivity unit 650. The connectivity unit 650 enables wireless connectivity to one or more external devices. The connectivity unit 650 comprises at least one transmitter and at least one receiver that may be integrated to the apparatus 600 or that the apparatus 600 may be connected to. The at least one transmitter comprises at least one transmission antenna, and the at least one receiver comprises at least one receiving antenna. The connectivity unit 650 may comprise an integrated circuit or a set of integrated circuits that provide the wireless communication capability for the apparatus 600. Alternatively, the wireless connectivity may be a hardwired application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The connectivity unit 650 may also provide means for performing at least some of the blocks or functions of one or more example embodiments described above. The connectivity unit 650 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.

[0184] It is to be noted that the apparatus 600 may further comprise various components not illustrated in FIG. 6. The various components may be hardware components and / or software components.

[0185] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of an apparatus 700 comprising means for performing one or more of the example embodiments described above. For example, the apparatus 700 may be an apparatus such as, or comprising, or comprised in, a radio access network node 104. In case of dual connectivity, the radio access network node 104 may be referred to as a master node.

[0186] The apparatus 700 may comprise, for example, a circuitry or a chipset applicable for realizing one or more of the example embodiments described above. The apparatus 700 may be an electronic device comprising one or more electronic circuitries. The apparatus 700 may comprise a communication control circuitry 710 such as at least one processor, and at least one memory 720 storing instructions 722 which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus 700 to carry out one or more of the example embodiments described above. Such instructions 722 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.

[0187] The processor is coupled to the memory 720. The processor is configured to read and write data to and from the memory 720. The memory 720 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 720 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.

[0188] The computer readable instructions may have been pre-stored to the memory 720 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 700 to perform one or more of the functionalities described above.

[0189] The memory 720 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.

[0190] The apparatus 700 may further comprise or be connected to a communication interface 730, 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 730 comprises at least one transmitter (Tx) and at least one receiver (Rx) that may be integrated to the apparatus 700 or that the apparatus 700 may be connected to. The communication interface 730 may provide means for performing some of the blocks and / or functions (e.g., transmitting and receiving) for one or more example embodiments described above. The communication interface 730 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.

[0191] The communication interface 730 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 700 may further comprise or be connected to another interface towards a core network 110, such as the network coordinator apparatus or AMF, and / or to the access nodes 104 of the wireless communication network.

[0192] The apparatus 700 may further comprise a scheduler 740 that is configured to allocate radio resources. The scheduler 740 maybe configured along with the communication control circuitry 710 or it may be separately configured.

[0193] It is to be noted that the apparatus 700 may further comprise various components not illustrated in FIG. 7. The various components may be hardware components and / or software components.

[0194] 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.

[0195] 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.

[0196] 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 maybe 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.

[0197] 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.

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: generate an access stratum message comprising at least a request for a radio access network node to set up a desired data rate for a connection; transmit, to the radio access network node, the access stratum message comprising at least the request for the radio access network node to set up the desired data rate for the connection; and receive a configuration for the connection from the radio access network node based on transmitting the access stratum message.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the access stratum message further comprises information indicating a time frame for which the desired data rate is requested.

3. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the access stratum message further comprises information indicating one or more candidate carriers for a carrier aggregation configuration, wherein the configuration for the connection comprises the carrier aggregation configuration and defines the indicated one or more candidate carriers for the connection.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further being caused to: obtain a set of radio measurement results by measuring candidate carriers; determine, based on the set of radio measurement results, whether the candidate carriers are suitable for carrier aggregation; and select the one or more candidate carriers on the basis of the determination,wherein the access stratum message is generated based on the selection.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further being caused to: receive, from the radio access network node, a reference signal received power threshold value for determining whether the candidate carriers are suitable for carrier aggregation.

6. The apparatus according to any of claims 4 to 5, wherein the access stratum message further comprises the set of radio measurement results of the one or more candidate carriers.

7. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, configured to transmit the access stratum message in a non-connected mode or during establishment of a radio connection to the radio access network node.

8. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, further being caused to: receive, from the radio access network node, a configuration for generating the access stratum message, the configuration indicating at least that requesting the desired data rate is allowed, wherein the access stratum message is generated based on the configuration.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the configuration for generating the access stratum message further indicates a set of carriers that are to be measured.

10. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, further being caused to:determine the desired data rate based on at least one of: internal application layer information of the apparatus, or application layer information received from one or more connected devices.

11. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, further being caused to: receive, from the radio access network node, an indication indicating an expected data rate associated with the configuration for the connection; and determine, based on the expected data rate, whether the configuration for the connection fulfils a set of application layer requirements.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, further being caused to: transmit, to the radio access network node, another access stratum message comprising a request for a higher data rate than the expected data rate, based on determining that the configuration for the connection does not fulfil the set of application layer requirements.

13. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, further being caused to: transmit, to the radio access network node, an access stratum request for activating the configuration for the connection; and receive, from the radio access network node, an access stratum indication indicating the activation of the configuration for the connection.

14. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus comprises, or is comprised in, a user equipment.

15. 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, from a user equipment, an access stratum message comprising at least a request to set up a desired data rate for a connection; generate, based on the access stratum message, a configuration for the connection; and transmit the configuration for the connection to the user equipment.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the apparatus comprises, or is comprised in, a radio access network node.

17. A method comprising: generating an access stratum message comprising at least a request for a radio access network node to set up a desired data rate for a connection; transmitting, to the radio access network node, the access stratum message comprising at least the request for the radio access network node to set up the desired data rate for the connection; and receiving a configuration for the connection from the radio access network node based on transmitting the access stratum message.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: obtaining a set of radio measurement results by measuring candidate carriers; determining, based on the set of radio measurement results, whether the candidate carriers are suitable for carrier aggregation; and selecting the one or more candidate carriers on the basis of the determination, wherein the access stratum message is generated based on the selection.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:receiving, from the radio access network node, a reference signal received power threshold value for determining whether the candidate carriers are suitable for carrier aggregation.

20. The method according to any of claims 18 to 19, further comprising transmitting the access stratum message in a non-connected mode or during establishment of a radio connection to the radio access network node.

21. The method according to any preceding claim 18 to 20, further comprising: receiving, from the radio access network node, a configuration for generating the access stratum message, the configuration indicating at least that requesting the desired data rate is allowed, wherein the access stratum message is generated based on the configuration.

22. The method according to any preceding claim 18 to 21, further comprising: determining the desired data rate based on at least one of: internal application layer information of the apparatus, or application layer information received from one or more connected devices.

23. The method according to any preceding claim 18 to 22, further comprising: receiving, from the radio access network node, an indication indicating an expected data rate associated with the configuration for the connection; and determining, based on the expected data rate, whether the configuration for the connection fulfils a set of application layer requirements.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising:transmitting, to the radio access network node, another access stratum message comprising a request for a higher data rate than the expected data rate, based on determining that the configuration for the connection does not fulfil the set of application layer requirements.

25. The method according to any preceding claim 18 to 24, further comprising: transmitting, to the radio access network node, an access stratum request for activating the configuration for the connection; and receiving, from the radio access network node, an access stratum indication indicating the activation of the configuration for the connection.

26. A method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment, an access stratum message comprising at least a request to set up a desired data rate for a connection; generating, based on the access stratum message, a configuration for the connection; and transmitting the configuration for the connection to the user equipment.

27. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: generating an access stratum message comprising at least a request for a radio access network node to set up a desired data rate for a connection; transmitting, to the radio access network node, the access stratum message comprising at least the request for the radio access network node to set up the desired data rate for the connection; and receiving a configuration for the connection from the radio access network node based on transmitting the access stratum message.

28. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving, from a user equipment, an access stratum message comprising at least a request to set up a desired data rate for a connection; generating, based on the access stratum message, a configuration for the connection; and transmitting the configuration for the connection to the user equipment.

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