Methods and apparatuses for supporting network predictions

Abstract

A method performed by a first network node for supporting network predictions. The method comprises initiating transmission of a first message to a second network node, wherein the first message comprises a request for a network prediction. The method further comprises receiving a response to the first message from the second network node.

Description

METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR SUPPORTING NETWORK PREDICTIONSTechnical Field[0] The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for supporting network predictions, in particular methods and apparatuses for timing communications of network predictions between network nodes.BackgroundOngoing 3GPP discussion for AI / ML in RAN[1] As part of the Rel-18 Work Item for Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (AI / ML) for New Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN), the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) RAN3 working group agreed that when a first Radio Access Network (RAN) node sends a request to a second RAN node for some predicted information, the first RAN node can include in the request message, DATA COLLECTION REQUEST, an information element (IE) named Requested Prediction Time. The agreed semantics description for the above IE is the following:Requested Prediction Time: For one time reporting, it indicates the point in time, measured from reception of the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message, for which predictions are provided. For periodic reporting, it indicates the points in time, measured from the reception of the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message and shifted by each reporting period, for which predictions are provided, (unit: second)The following is how the Requested Prediction Time is expected to be specified in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.423 for Release 18 (additional information can be found in 3GPP CR R3-238071, available at https: / / www.3gpp.Org / ftp / tsg_ran / WG3_Iu / TSGR3_122 / Docs / / R3-238071.zip ):9.1.3. CC DATA COLLECTION REQUESTThis message is sent by NG-RAN nodei to NG-RAN node2 to initiate the requested information reporting according to the parameters given in the message.Direction: NG-RAN nodei -> NG-RAN node2[2] For completeness, the DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE and the DATA COLLECITON UPDATE messages are reported below, as specified in TS 38.423 version 17.6.0:9.1.3. DD DATA COLLECTION RESPONSEThis message is sent by NG-RAN node2 to NG-RAN nodei to indicate that the requested information, for all or part of the measurement objects included in the reporting, is successfully initiated.Direction:nodei9.1 3.FF DATA COLLECTION UPDATEThis message is sent by NG-RAN node2 to NG-RAN nodei to report the requested information.Direction:nodei.[3] There currently exist certain challenge(s).[4] According to the current or published technology, the paradigm according to which predictions are requested and provided is limited, for example:• According to the current definition, the requested prediction time refers to the reception of the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message, but this is not always the best choice. For example, the network node receiving the predictions (referred to herein as the first network node, the receiving node, the NG-RAN nodei, or the gNBl) may need to use such information for an action that is not correlated to the reception of the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST.• According to the current definition, the network node receiving a request for a prediction (referred to herein as the second network node, the reporting node, the NG- RAN node2, or the gNB2) should make the prediction available at a specific time determined by the Reporting Periodicity and by the Prediction Time. However, this may not be possible due to issues encountered at the reporting node, such as lack of resources or processing delays. It is currently not possible to account for such events where the requested predictions are not available at the time of reporting.• If an AI / ML model inference (and / or the network node making use of it) is capable of providing predictions only with a certain delay compared to what is expected (e.g., after a time interval lasting a few “reporting periodicity”), then the gNBl (although it may have received a positive response in terms of support for the requested data) may stop the ongoing request (e.g., under the assumption that there was actually no data to fetch), which would be a waste of signaling. Alternatively, another situation that may arise is that the gNBl initiates a new request from scratch, with no guarantee that a similar situation won’t occur again. This may even create duplication of reporting, with a first reporting deriving from the first request, affected by some delay, plus a second reporting associated to the new request.• With the current definition, the network node sending a request for a prediction does not know when it will receive the prediction, e.g., shortly after sending the request, or shortly before the requested prediction time. Thus, the network node sending the request may not be able to use the prediction for proactive network management and optimization as some of such actions take some time to implement or take effect.[5] It is an object of the present disclosure to support improved efficiency in communications of network predictions.Summary[6] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to the above or other challenges.[7] This disclosure includes techniques to address timing aspects concerning the request, and corresponding reports, of network predictions between two network nodes. The timing aspects relate to:• time-related parameters comprised in the request for predictions (such as a requested prediction time and / or a requested periodicity),• time-related aspects concerning to the ability of an AI / ML model used at (or by) the reporting network node to produce the requested predictions,• the delays occurring in the signaling between the first network node (NN) and the second NN (such as the Round Trip Time (RTT) across the interface between the two NNs).[8] The considered scenarios are the following:• A first network node requests a second network node to provide periodic predictions and indicates a requested prediction time. The time needed to generate and send a prediction is larger than the requested reporting periodicity (i.e., the reporting period for the periodic predictions).• A first network node requests a second network node to provide periodic predictions and the start and / or the stop of reporting is regulated by the triggering of an event. The time needed to generate and send a prediction is larger than the requested reporting periodicity (i.e., the reporting period for the periodic predictions).• A first network node requests a second network node to provide one-time reporting of predictions and a requested prediction time is indicated.• A first network node requests a second network node to provide one-time reporting of predictions and a requested prediction time is indicated. The predictions are to be sent for each occasion in which an event is triggered.• The network node requesting the predictions (first network node) is made aware of the time available at the reporting node (second network node) to generate and send a prediction.[9] This disclosure describes enhancements in the signaling between two network nodes (a first NN requesting the second NN to provide prediction(s), and the second NN reporting such prediction(s)), to account for the ways in which the time-related parameters comprised in therequest (such as a requested prediction time and / or a requested periodicity), time-related aspects concerning the ability of an AI / ML model used at (or by) the second NN to produce the requested predictions, and delays occurring in the signaling between the first NN and the second NN (such as the Round Trip Time, RTT, across the interface between the two NNs) interact with one another, such that a reliable exchange of predictions can be accomplished.

[0010] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s).

[0011] The proposed techniques provide a signaling efficient solution for requesting and obtaining predictions. The proposed techniques avoid unnecessary burden in terms of computational load, processing load and memory demands at the network nodes. In particular, from the perspective of the network node requesting the predictions (the first network node), an improved awareness of when (or how often) one or more predictions, supported by the reporting node (the second network node), helps in avoiding / preventing any unnecessary ongoing requests for predictions and / or the activation of multiple concurrent requests to retrieve the same set of predictions. Reducing unnecessary requests is advantageous because the reporting node does not have to produce / send more predictions than needed, which avoids extra computation load, processing load and memory demands. In addition to the above, improving the reliability / interpretability of when certain predictions will be available at a receiving node helps to better inform the actions to be performed by the receiving node.

[0012] In addition to the above, according to the proposed techniques, the network node sending a request for a prediction knows (and can influence) when, e.g., within what time period, it will receive the prediction, provided that the request was accepted. This enables the network node sending the request to ensure it will receive the prediction within a certain period, e.g., at least a certain time before the requested prediction time, so that it can (proactively) act on the prediction, even if those actions take some time to implement or take effect.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] For a better understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and to show how it may be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:Fig. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with some embodiments;Fig. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with some embodiments;Fig. 3 is a signaling diagram showing signaling between a first network node and a second network node according to some embodiments;Fig. 4 is a signaling diagram showing signaling between a first network node and a second network node according to some embodiments;Fig. 5 is a signaling diagram showing signaling between a first network node and a second network node according to some embodiments;Fig. 6 is a signaling diagram showing signaling between a first network node and a second network node according to some embodiments;Fig. 7 is a schematic illustrating a method for a first network node to become aware of the round-trip time across an open interface towards a second network node according to some embodiments;Fig. 8 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;Fig. 9 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments;Fig. 10 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments;Fig. 11 is a block diagram of a host;Fig. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized; andFig. 13 shows a communication diagram of a host communicating via a network node with a UE over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.Detailed Description

[0014] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0015] Figure 1 is a flow chart that depicts a method for supporting network predictions in accordance with particular embodiments. The method of Figure 1 may be performed by a first network node (e.g. the network node 810 or network node 1000 as described later with reference to Figures 8 and 10 respectively). The first network node may comprise a Centralized Unit (CU), e.g., a gNB-CU, or a Distributed Unit (DU), e.g., a gNB-DU.

[0016] The first network node may be referred to herein as gNBl or NG-RAN nodei. However, the skilled person will appreciate that the techniques disclosed herein relating to the firstnetwork node are applicable to any type of network node configured according to any Radio Access Technology (RAT) and are not limited to gNBs.

[0017] The method comprises, at step 102, initiating transmission of a first message to a second network node. The first message relates to network predictions. The second network node may correspond to the network node 810 or network node 1000 as described with reference to Figures 8 and 10 respectively. The second network node may comprise a Centralized Unit (CU), e.g., a gNB-CU, or a Distributed Unit (DU), e.g., a gNB-DU. For example, in some embodiments the first network node may comprise a Centralized Unit and the second network node may comprise a Distributed Unit. Alternatively, the first network node may comprise a Distributed Unit and the second network node may comprise a Centralized Unit.

[0018] The first message may include a request for the second network node to send network predictions with a specified timing. The specified timing may include a requested prediction time for the second network node to provide a network prediction to the first network node. The first message may further indicate that the second network node is allowed to omit sending a network prediction at the requested prediction time if no network prediction or no updated network prediction is available, e.g., as described under the heading “Requested prediction time and periodic reporting of prediction(s)”.

[0019] The first message may instruct the second network node to send a single network prediction (e.g., as described under the headings “Requested prediction time and one-time reporting of prediction(s)” and “Requested prediction time and event triggered, one-time per event reporting of prediction(s)”). The first message may instruct the second network node to send network predictions at a requested periodicity.

[0020] The first message may indicate one or more event conditions that, when satisfied, cause the second network node to send a network prediction. The first message may instruct the second network node to send the network prediction the first time the one or more event conditions are satisfied. Alternatively, the first message may instruct the second network node to send the network prediction each time the one or more event conditions are satisfied.

[0021] The first message may indicate one or more event conditions that, when satisfied, cause the second network node to stop sending network predictions (e.g., as described under the heading “Requested prediction time and event-triggered / stopped periodic reporting of prediction(s)”).

[0022] The event conditions may include one or more of: one or more radio resource related metrics (e.g., number of active UEs, or ) isabove or below a threshold one or more predicted radio resource related metrics (e.g., predicted number of active UEs) is above or below a threshold one or more network slice resource related metrics (e.g., Slice Available Capacity Value Downlink / Uplink) is above or below a threshold one or more predicted network slice resource related metrics (e.g., Predicted Slice Available Capacity Value Downlink / Uplink) is above or below a threshold) is above or below a threshold one or more transport resource related metrics (e.g., DL / UL Available TNL Capacity) is above or below a threshold one or more predicted transport resource related metrics (e.g., Predicted DL / UL Available TNL Capacity) is above or below a threshold one or more hardware resource related metrics (e.g., DL Hardware Load Indicator) is above or below a threshold one or more predicted hardware related resource metrics (e.g., Predicted DL Hardware Load Indicator) is above or below a threshold; the coverage state of one or more cells and / or reference signal beams is modified; the coverage state of one or more cells and / or reference signal beams is predicted to be modified; the energy cost at the second network node becomes higher or lower than a threshold; the predicted energy cost at the second network node becomes higher or lower than a threshold; a certain UE performance metric becomes lower or higher than a threshold; an overload situation at the second network node is entered / detected / predicted; and an overload situation at the second network node is resolved.

[0023] The method may further comprise obtaining a round trip time for communications with the second network node; and storing the RTT at the first network node.

[0024] The first message may include an allowed prediction reporting delay. The method may further comprise receiving, from the second network node, a suggested update to the allowedprediction reporting delay; and updating the allowed prediction reporting delay based on the suggested update.

[0025] The first message may be a data collection request message. The data collection request message may be an Xn Application Protocol (XnAP) message or Fl Application Protocol (F1AP) message.

[0026] The method further comprises, at step 104, receiving a response to the first message from the second network node.

[0027] The response from the second network node may be a second message, a third message and / or a fourth message. The second message may be a data collection response message, and / or the third message may be a data collection update message and / or the fourth message may be a data collection update message or handover acknowledgement message.

[0028] The response from the second network node may include one or more Xn Application Protocol (XnAP) messages.

[0029] The second message and / or the third message and / or the fourth message may be Fl Application Protocol (F1AP) messages.

[0030] The method may further comprise obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.

[0031] Figure 2 is a flow chart that depicts a method for supporting network predictions in accordance with particular embodiments. The method of Figure 2 may be performed by a second network node (e.g. the network node 810 or network node 1000 as described later with reference to Figures 8 and 10 respectively). The second network node may comprise a Centralized Unit (CU), e.g., a gNB-CU, or a Distributed Unit (DU), e.g., a gNB-DU.

[0032] The second network node may be referred to herein as gNB2 or NG-RAN node2. However, the skilled person will appreciate that the techniques disclosed herein are applicable to any network node and are not limited to gNBs.

[0033] The method comprises, at step 202, receiving a first message from a first network node. The first message relates to network predictions.

[0034] The first message may include a request for the second network node to send network predictions with a specified timing.

[0035] The first message may include an allowed prediction reporting delay.

[0036] The first message may be a data collection request message. The data collection request message may be an Xn Application Protocol (XnAP) message or Fl Application Protocol (F1AP) message.

[0037] The method further comprises, at step 204, determining a response to the first message.

[0038] The response may include an indication of the ability of the second network node to provide one or more network predictions. The indication of the ability of the second network node to provide one or more network predictions may include information on the timing with which the second network node is able to provide one or more network predictions, and / or a reason why one or more network predictions are delayed.

[0039] When a network prediction requested by the first network node is not available, the response may include one or more of: an indication that no network prediction is available; a dummy network prediction; and an extrapolated network prediction.

[0040] The method further comprises, at step 206, initiating transmission of the response to the first network node.

[0041] When the first message includes a request for the second network node to send network predictions with a specified timing, the second network node may initiate transmission of one or more network predictions with the specified timing.

[0042] In response to instructions in the first message, the second network node may send a single network prediction, or the second network node may send network predictions at a requested periodicity.

[0043] In response to instructions in the first message, the second network node may send a network prediction when one or more event conditions are satisfied.

[0044] In response to instructions in the first message, the second network node may send the network prediction the first time the one or more event conditions are satisfied, or the second network node may send the network predictions each time the one or more event conditions are satisfied.

[0045] In response to instructions in the first message, the second network node may stop sending network predictions when one or more event conditions are satisfied.

[0046] The event conditions may include one or more of: one or more radio resource related metrics is above or below a threshold; one or more predicted radio resource related metrics is above or below athreshold; one or more network slice resource related metrics is above or below a threshold; one or more predicted network slice resource related metrics is above or below a threshold; one or more transport resource related metrics is above or below a threshold; one or more predicted transport resource related metrics is above or below a threshold; one or more hardware resource related metrics is above or below a threshold; one or more predicted hardware related resource metrics is above or below a threshold; the coverage state of one or more cells and / or reference signal beams is modified; the coverage state of one or more cells and / or reference signal beams is predicted to be modified; the energy cost at the second network node becomes higher or lower than a threshold; the predicted energy cost at the second network node becomes higher or lower than a threshold; a certain UE performance metric becomes lower or higher than a threshold; an overload situation at the second network node is entered / detected / predicted; and an overload situation at the second network node is resolved.

[0047] As noted above, the first message may include an allowed prediction reporting delay. The method may further comprise: evaluating the allowed prediction reporting delay; determining a change to the allowed prediction reporting delay; and initiating transmission to the first network node of a suggested update to the allowed prediction reporting delay.

[0048] The method may further comprise initiating transmission to the first network node of timing information allowing the first network node to obtain a round trip time for communications with the second network node.

[0049]

[0050] The response from the second network node may be a second message, a third message and / or a fourth message. The second message may be a data collection response message. The third message may be a data collection update message. The fourth message may be a data collection update message or handover acknowledgement message.

[0051] The response from the second network node may include one or more Xn Application Protocol messages or one or more Fl AP messages.

[0052] The method may further comprise: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.

[0053] As used herein, a “network node” may be a Radio Access Network (RAN) node, an Operations, Administration, and Management (0AM), a Core Network (CN) node, a Service Management & Orchestration (SMO), a Network Management System (NMS), a Non-Real Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Non-RT RIC), a Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (RT- RIC), a gNB, eNB, en-gNB, ng-eNB, gNB Centralized Unit (gNB-CU), gNB-CU-Control Plane (gNB-CU-CP), gNB-CU-User Plane (gNB-CU-UP), eNB-CU, eNB-CU-CP, eNB-CU- UP, Integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, lAB-donor DU, lAB-donor-CU, IAB-DU, IAB Mobile Termination (IAB-MT), Open-RAN Centralized Unit (O-CU), O-CU-CP, O-CU- UP, 0-DU, Open-RAN Radio Unit (0-RU), O-eNB.

[0054] The techniques proposed herein may comprise one or more of the following:• a FIRST MES SAGE, sent by a first network node to request a prediction from a second network node.The FIRST MESSAGE may be a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST XnAP message (the initiating message of the Data Collection Reporting Initiation XnAP procedure).• a SECOND MESSAGE, sent by a second network node to a first network node in response to the FIRST MESSAGE. The SECOND MESSAGE may be a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE XnAP message or a DATA COLLECTION FAILURE XnAP message (respectively the successful or the unsuccessful terminating message of the Data Collection Reporting Initiation XnAP procedure).• a THIRD MESSAGE, sent by a second network node to a first network node to provide predictions and additional pieces of information associated with the predictions according to the request comprised in the FIRST MESSAGE. The THIRD MESSAGEmay be a DATA COLLECTION UPDATE XnAP message (as defined for the Data Collection Reporting XnAP procedure).• a FOURTH MESSAGE, sent by a second network node to a first network node to indicate that a certain event is fulfilled, wherein the time at which the event is fulfilled may be used as reference with respect to which predictions are requested by the first network node and / or are expected to be provided by the second network node. The FOURTH MESSAGE may be a DATA COLLECTION UPDATE XnAP message (as defined for the Data Collection Reporting procedure).

[0055] In the description below, the FIRST MESSAGE, SECOND MESSAGE and the THIRD MESSAGE may be used interchangeably with the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message, the DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message, and the DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message respectively. The FOURTH MESSAGE may be used interchangeably with the DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message. Similarly, the first network node and the second network node may be referred to as “first RAN node” or “gNBl”, and “second RAN node” or “gNB2” respectively. The above should not be regarded as limiting in terms of applicability of the methods.

[0056] For instance, the techniques described herein may apply:• between RAN nodes;• between a gNB-DU and a gNB-CU;• between a gNB-CU-CP and a gNB-CU-UP;• between a RAN node and a CN node;• between a RAN node and an OAM node;• between a gNB-DU, or a gNB-CU-CP, or a gNB-CU-UP and an OAM node;• between an O-CU and an 0-DU;• between an 0-DU and a 0-RU; and / or• between a Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (RT-RIC) and an O-CU.Requested prediction time and periodic reporting of prediction(s)

[0057] A first scenario of the solution according to some embodiments is exemplified in Figure 3. Figure 3 is a signaling diagram showing signaling between a first network node (gNBl) and a second network node (gNB2) according to some embodiments. According to the scenario shown in Figure 3, a first RAN node (gNBl) sends a request to a second RANnode (gNB2) to request periodic reporting of prediction(s). The request comprises a requested periodicity (value T) and a requested prediction time (value tp). In the example, the first prediction(s) become available after a time tpai> T and it is tpai< tp. In one case this can be due to the fact that the time needed by the AIML model at gNB2 (or an AIML model used by the gNB2) to produce the prediction(s) related to a time in the future tpis a time tpa that is larger than T (or a multiple of T). Or, it can be so that the predict on(s) can be produced within a time period shorter than T, but gNB2 cannot sent it(them) before T (or a multiple of T). Or, it can be so that both the time needed to produce the prediction and the delay at gNB2 for sending the prediction(s) is larger than T (or a multiple of T). Or, it can be that the sum of the time needed to produce the prediction and the delay at gNB2 for sending the prediction is larger than T (or a multiple of T). Reasons that can lead to this can be various, such as capability of the AIML model, a need to retrain the AIML model, an overload at gNB2 (e.g., due to excessive computation load), etc.

[0058] Figure 3 illustrates periodic reporting of prediction(s) with a request comprising a Requested Prediction Time (tp), when the time interval until the predictions are available (tpa) is larger than the Requested Periodicity.

[0059] According to this first scenario, the gNB2 is expected to send a DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message after a time interval T from the reception of the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message. Apart from the round-trip delay between gNBl and gNB2 (discussed in more detail below under the heading “Node awareness of the RTT across open interface”), and assuming that the gNB2 has sent a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE to the gNBl indicating a positive answer in terms of its ability to provide the requested data, the gNBl expects to receive the first DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message at a time t=T after the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST has been sent (i.e. the gNBl expects that gNB2 will send the first DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message at time t=tui).

[0060] As noted above, the requested predictions could not be available before a time tpa> T, meaning that the gNB2 needs to wait before sending a DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message containing useful data, or it needs to send one (or more) DATA COLLECTION UPDATE messages with no useful data in it. Although the gNBl received a positive response in terms of support for the requested data (as indicated by the reception of a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message where no information is comprised indicating afailure associated to the request), if gNBl receives no useful data for some time (e.g., for a time interval lasting N*T, with N=l, 2, or more), it may stop the ongoing request (e.g., under the assumption that there was actually no data to be received), which would be a waste of signaling. Another possible action the gNBl could take is to initiate a completely new request, with a different Requested Prediction Time value, with or without stopping the ongoing request), with no guarantee that the same type of situation can occur again. This may even create multiple parallel reportings, for instance a first reporting deriving from the first request, and affected by some delay, and a second reporting associated to the new request. To avoid the situations just described, the gNB2 sends one of a SECOND MESSAGE, or a THIRD MESSAGE, or a FOURTH MESSAGE (e g., a DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message and / or a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message) comprising indications related to the ability to produce or deliver predictions.

[0061] One example of indications related to the ability to produce or deliver predictions can be a flag or a cause value to signal that predictions are being calculated (e.g., “inference ongoing”, or “predictions temporarily not available”, or “retraining”), or that delivery of prediction is delayed. In a possible variant, as a form of indications related to the ability to produce or deliver predictions, the gNB2 indicates in the DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE how often the gNB2 can provide new predictions in DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message(s). The DATA COLLECTION UPDATE may also include an indication of the fact that one or more prediction(s) was(were) not produced at the expiration of requested periodicity T, where such indication may include the reasons due to which the prediction(s) is(are) missing. For example, gNB2 could indicate to the requesting gNBl that “new predict! on(s) is(are) available every second update”, or “new prediction(s) is(are) one every Nth updates”, or “new prediction(s) is(are) available in within X seconds”.

[0062] In the proposed example, the DATA COLLECTION UPDATE messages at times t = tuiand t = tU2 comprise such indications related to the ability to produce or deliver predictions, while the DATA COLLECTION UPDATE at time t = tU3 contains the predictions.

[0063] In one case, the gNB2 (or in more general term the AIML model inference the gNB2 makes use of) is capable to obtain subsequent predictions (i.e., predictions after the first ones) at the same periodicity as the “requested periodicity” T, so that after the first prediction(s) is(are) produced, subsequent prediction(s) (second, third, ... Nth) will become available at times tpai+ m*T (m=l, 2, ... N-l). This is the case shown in Figure 1, where“second predictions” become available at time tpa2 = (tpai+ T). In another case, the AIML model inference is capable to produce subsequent predictions at a time that is different compared to the requested periodicity T. A particular scenario is that the time to obtain any (or all) prediction(s) is the same, and equal to tpa. In this scenario, one of the following may happen: a) the gNB2 refrains from sending one or more (up to M= tpa / T) DATA COLLECTION UPDATE messages (i.e., the gNB2 skips sending messages that would not contain updated information), b) the gNB2 sends a number of M=tpa / T “dummy” DATA COLLECTION UPDATE messages (i.e. messages not comprising any predictions (or at least not comprising any new / updated predictions)), wherein the “dummy” messages optionally comprise the flag(s) and / or cause values indicated above, c) the gNB2 sends DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message(s) comprising not- up-to-date predictions (or outdated predictions, or best-estimates available), as a form of “keep-alive” signaling, and includes in such a message a flag (or equivalent) to mark the provided data to let the receiver gNbl understand that the provided data is not up-to date, or is outdated, or that “updates are being produced”, or that “updates are being delayed”

[0064] Namely, the gNB2 may not provide any prediction(s) when the prediction(s) due at expiration of reporting time T is(are) not available, and instead the gNB2 may provide dummy prediction value(s), or no prediction value(s) at all, and / or an indication of the reason why the prediction(s) was(were) not available.

[0065] In another case, the AIML model inference is not capable of producing specific predictions for the exact time instants specified by the requested periodicity, due to the AIML model being trained (or retrained) to generate output with a different periodicity, or lack of corresponding input data, etc. However, if the AIML model can still predict the requested quantity over a different time period, then an extrapolated value that corresponds to the requested time instant / periodicity may be generated and signaled, in addition to an indication that this value is an extrapolated value. Optionally, an indication of the time period to which the extrapolated value refers to can also be signaled. Such indications may also be part of the indication related to the ability to produce and deliver predictions from gNB2 to gNBl. As an extension to the above, when there is a partial overlap between therequested reporting periodicity and the AIML model’s ability to generate predictions for those corresponding reporting periodicities, an indication may be carried in each DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message if the value contained in the message is a prediction or if it has been generated by extrapolating predictions.

[0066] In another alternative of the cases described above, both gNBl and gNB2 may take a flexible approach to exchanging predictions, to handle situations where a prediction may not be available for the requested time, and / or a prediction may not be available that corresponds to all instances of a periodic reporting procedure whose periodicity is defined by the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST and the requested periodicity. A solution that avoids indicating to the receiving node one or more empty (or “dummy”) message or an error message at every such occasion is to agree on a flexible arrangement between the nodes, that will be negotiated during the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST / RESPONSE messages or in messages sent after the FIRST MESSAGE is sent, or after the SECOND MESSAGE is sent. Such flexible arrangement sets an expected (or an acceptable) reporting behavior. In a possible flexible arrangement, the reporting node (gNB2) may specify that during instances where there are no predictions (or no updated predictions) that are available for a corresponding DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message, the node will not send any messages to the requesting node. In another possible flexible arrangement the requesting node (gNBl) indicates to the reporting node (gNB2) that in case no predictions are available (or no updated predictions are available), the reporting node is allowed to not send (or should not send) a corresponding DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message.

[0067] Tolerances in terms of a difference between the requested prediction time and the actual prediction time may be exchanged so that if a prediction is within a certain specified tolerance range (in relation to a predicted time), the reporting node may not need to generate an exact prediction matching the requested time, or extrapolate the prediction to the requested prediction time.Requested prediction time and event-triggered I stopped periodic reporting of prediction(s)

[0068] In another embodiment, the first network node may include in the request message the description of an event the fulfillment of which the second network node is requested to monitor. When the event occurs at the second network node, the second network node maystart reporting predictions to the first network node, e.g., according to the periodicity and the requested prediction time specified in the request message.

[0069] The requested prediction time is measured from the moment in time when the DATA COLLECTION UPDATE containing the requested prediction is sent.

[0070] In another embodiment, the first network node may also include in the request message the description of an event upon which fulfillment at the second network node, the second network node shall stop the periodic reporting of the predictions to the first network node.

[0071] The events that trigger, respectively the start and the stop of the periodic reporting of predictions may be sent by the requesting node within the same request message or independently, i.e. only one of the two events is included by the requesting node in the request message.

[0072] The first RAN node may include in the request to the second RAN node a list of pair of events with the corresponding predictions to be reported for each pair of events. When the fulfillment of a certain event occurs at the second network node, the second network node may start (or stop) reporting the predictions.

[0073] Figure 4 is a signaling diagram showing signaling between a first network node (gNBl) and a second network node (gNB2) according to some embodiments Figure 4 illustrates periodic reporting of prediction(s) with a request comprising a Requested Prediction Time (tp), when the time interval until the predictions are available (tpa) is larger than the Requested Periodicity and the predictions are calculated starting from the occurrence of an event that does not coincide with the reception of the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message (FIRST MESSAGE)Requested prediction time and one-time reporting of prediction(s)

[0074] A further scenario according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated in Figure 5. Figure 5 is a signaling diagram showing signaling between a first network node (depicted in Figure 5 as gNBl) and a second network node (depicted in Figure 5 as gNB2). As shown in Figure 5, the first RAN node (gNBl) requests the second RAN node (gNB2) to provide one-time reporting of prediction(s). The request may comprise a requested prediction time (value tp). In one variant, the one-time reporting is implicitly indicated by the absence of the Requested Periodicity (T) in the request message; in anothervariant, the one-time reporting is explicit indicated by a special value of the Requested Periodicity (e.g., T=0) in the request message.

[0075] Figure 5 illustrates one-time reporting of prediction(s) with a request comprising a Requested Prediction Time (tp), where the time to wait before predictions become available is considered for sending dummy updates.

[0076] According to this scenario depicted in Figure 5, the gNB2 is expected to send a DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message within a time interval that is strictly lower than the Request Prediction Time comprised in the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message. Apart from the round-trip delay between gNBl and gNB2 (discussed in more detail below under the heading “Node awareness of the RTT across open interface”), and assuming that the gNB2 has sent a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE to the gNBl indicating a positive answer in terms of its ability to provide the requested data, the gNBl expects to receive one DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message comprising the requested prediction(s) before the time tpindicated in the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST.

[0077] However, the gNB2 may not be able to provide the requested predictions before a time interval tpa(strictly lower than tp) and a mechanism is used to prevent the gNBl to initiate anew DATA COLLECTION REQUEST (or to avoid that the gNBl considers the previous request as failed). In one variant, the gNB2 sends “dummy” DATA COLLECTION UPDATE messages, optionally containing indications related to the ability to produce or deliver predictions. This information can be the same or similar to the one described in the first scenario of the solution. In another variant, which can be combined with the previous variant, the DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE is also extended with indications related to the ability to produce or deliver predictions. More than one “dummy” DATA COLLECTION UPDATE can be sent, and the gNB2 can do so according to a time T’ that can be hardcoded or specified in standard (e.g., T’=l second). The actual prediction(s) will be sent at a time the corresponds to the instant tpaiwhen the predictions are available (or after tpai, but not later than tp), in the figure shown as T’ + T”.

[0078] The proposed variants can be used for example in the following circumstances:• if the value of the time interval tpais larger than a threshold value• if the value of the time interval tpais larger than a certain percentage of the Requested Prediction Time tp. For instance, the length of the time interval tpais higher than, orhigher than or equal to a certain percentage of tp(for example the value of tpais 90% of tP)• if the value of the time interval tpais unknown or there is a lack of an estimated time duration for tpa

[0079] In addition to the above, flexible reporting (e.g., as described above) may also be used, whereby the need to signal the absence of a prediction may be avoided.

[0080] Figure 6 is a signaling diagram showing signaling between a first network node (gNBl) and a second network node (gNB2) according to some embodiments. Figure 6 illustrates one-time reporting of prediction(s) with a request comprising a Requested Prediction Time (tp), where the time to wait before for predictions become available is considered for sending dummy updates and an event fulfillment is considered. Figure 6 shows a generalization of the scenario represented in Figure 5, wherein the requested prediction is associated to a specific event and to its fulfilment. In this case the time of event fulfillment teoccurs after the reception of the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message. In a particular case, this can coincide with the sending of DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message. The gNB2 optionally sends a FOURTH MESSAGE, which can be a dummy DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message or a different message. The FOURTH MESSAGE is used to convey an indication (implicitly or explicitly) to indicate to gNBl that the event for which reporting of prediction(s) was requested in the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message is fulfilled. In a possible example of implementation, the event is a mobility event, and the FOURTH MESSAGE is an HANDOVER ACKNOWLEDGE XnAP message, wherein the sending of the FOURTH MESSAGE constitutes an implicit indication of the fulfillment of the event.

[0081] The gNB2 may not be able to provide the requested predictions before a time tpa> T from the fulfilment of the event, and the same methods described in the second scenario exemplified in Error! Reference source not found, can be used. In this case T would represent a time interval configured at gNB2, which gNB2 uses to determine whether to send notifications of predictions unavailability to gNBl. Namely, if the requested predictions are not available after the event is fulfilled and before T expires, gNB2 sends a notification to gNBl.Requested prediction time and event triggered, one-time per event reporting of prediction(s)

[0082] In another scenario, the first RAN node requests the second RAN node to report predictions each time an event occurs in the second RAN node. Predictions are to be reported once after each occurrence of the event.

[0083] The detailed description of the event is sent by the first RAN node to the second RAN node in the request message together with the requested predictions and the requested predictions time.

[0084] The starting point for measuring the prediction time is the moment when the second RAN node sends the report message, i.e., DATA COLLECTION UPDATE message, containing the requested predictions to the first RAN node.

[0085] In a sub variant of the current scenario the first RAN node may include multiple events in the request message that is sent to the second RAN node. For each event the first RAN node may provide a list of predictions (and an associated requested prediction time), that the second RAN node is requested to provide for each occasion in which an event occurs.Node awareness of the RTT across open interface

[0086] In the embodiments above it has been described how gNB2 may not be able to provide the requested predictions according to the requested timing for the reporting. In order to make the requesting node, gNBl, better aware of the time available at the reporting node to generate a prediction, a method is described according to which the requesting node is able to determine the round trip time of the Data Collection Request / Response messages. This allows gNBl to better calculate, e.g. the requested prediction time, because gNBl is aware of the time lost in message propagation between gNBl and gNB2. For this purpose, the Data Collection Request Reporting Initiation procedure is extended so that gNBl becomes aware of the Round-Trip Time (RTT) when communicating with gNB2 over the open interface.

[0087] Figure 7 is a schematic illustrating a method for gNBl to become aware of the RTT across open interface towards gNB2 according to some embodiments.

[0088] Figure 7 illustrates how, by adding timestamps in the Data Collection Request / Response it is possible to determine the total RTT for the Data Collection Reporting Initiation procedure.

[0089] The technique comprises the gNB 1 storing the time, calculated according to gNB 1 clock, of the egress of the Msgl, i.e., the Data collection Request message. This is called in the figure ”T1 gNBl”. At reception of the Data Collection Request, gNB2 timestamps the arrival of the message with a timer according to gNB2's clock, such timestamp is called “T2 gNB2”. gNB2 timestamps, according to gNB2's clock, the time at which the Data Collection Response message is signalled to gNBl, namely “T3 gNB2” in the figure above. gNB2 includes in the Msg2, i.e., the Data Collection Response message the difference between “T3 gNB2” and “T2 gNB2” and signals it to gNBl. gNBl timestamps the arrival of the Data Collection Response message with the time shown in the figure as “T4 gNBl”. gNBl is therefore able to calculate the Round Trip Time, RTT, for the data collection reporting initiation procedure as (“T4 gNBl” - “T1 gNBl”) - (“T3 gNB2” - “T2 gNB2”) or, in a more compact notation, (T4-T1) -(T3-T2).

[0090] The gNB2 may also include in Data Collection Response message an inference generation delay, i.e., an amount of time needed at gNB2 to produce or obtain the inference. For instance, this could be an average amount of time, or a minimum amount of time, or a maximum of time, or the last amount of time needed for producing or obtaining the inference.

[0091] With this information gNBl is able to, for example, derive an estimation of the one way delay, namely [(T4-T1) -(T3-T2)] / 2. This enables gNBl to understand how much time is lost in propagation delay and therefore how much time gNB2 has to derive the requested predictions. If, for example, this time is very low, gNBl may use this information to request predictions for a prediction time further into the future, so to allow for sufficient computation time at gNB2.Timing information at reporting node for producing or delivering predictions

[0092] In some embodiments, the gNBl includes in the request for predict! on(s) sent in a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST an “allowed prediction reporting delay” parameter indicating a time by which, the gNB2 shall (e.g., is requested to) produce / deliver the requested prediction(s), e.g., a maximum permittable delay for producing / delivering the requested prediction(s).

[0093] In some embodiments, the gNBl includes in the request for prediction(s) sent in a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST an “allowed prediction reporting delay” parameter indicating a time within which, the gNB2 shall (e.g., is requested to) produce / deliver therequested prediction(s), e.g., a maximum permittable delay for producing / delivering the requested prediction(s).

[0094] In some embodiments, the allowed prediction reporting delay parameter is expressed as an absolute time (e.g. in seconds or milliseconds), i.e. in the same unit (or a comparable unit) as the requested prediction time, and the time indicated by the allowed prediction reporting delay parameter is counted from when the requested prediction time starts. For instance, the “requested prediction time” is “tp” seconds in the future compared to time tO. In this case the value of the allowed prediction reporting delay parameter indicates a time tO+allowed prediction reporting delay seconds.

[0095] In some embodiments, the allowed prediction reporting delay parameter is expressed as an absolute time (e.g. in seconds or milliseconds), i.e. in the same unit (or a comparable unit) as the requested prediction time, and the allowed prediction reporting delay is counted from when the requested prediction time is reached. For instance, the “requested prediction time” is “tp” seconds in the future compared to time tO. In this case the value of the allowed prediction reporting delay parameter indicates a time tO+tp-allowed prediction reporting delay seconds.

[0096] In some embodiments, the allowed prediction reporting delay parameter is expressed as a percentage of the requested prediction time (e.g., 80% of the value of the requested prediction time. In a related embodiment, the allowed prediction reporting delay parameter, herein denoted t , included in the request relates to the requested prediction time, e.g., it indicates a minimum time before the time in the future represented by the requested prediction time by which the prediction shall be (e.g., is requested to be) produced / delivered. For periodic reporting, the allowed prediction reporting delay parameter, t , relates to the requested prediction time for the corresponding prediction, here denoted as tpN(shifted by each reporting period). Note that tpN= t + (N-1)*T + tp, where t is the time of receiving the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message at gNB2 and tpis the requested prediction time as it is included in the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message.

[0097] To explain this in detail, the following example is considered: for the Nth prediction, the timing parameter, t , may relate to the corresponding requested prediction time tpNsuch that the Nth prediction shall be produced / delivered before (i.e., no later than) tpN- t = t + (N-1)*T + tp- t . For one-time reporting, N=l.

[0098] In one alternative, the allowed prediction reporting delay parameter, t , included in the request relates to the time of sending / receiving the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message, e.g., it indicates a maximum time after sending / receiving the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message by which the prediction shall be (e.g., is requested to be) produced / delivered. Note that there may be a delay between transmission of a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message at gNBl and reception of the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message at gNB2, as discussed under the heading “Node awareness of the RTT across open interface”. However, for the sake of simplicity, this is neglected, as the oneway interface delay between gNBl and gNB2 is typically orders of magnitude smaller than the requested prediction time or that timing parameter. In addition, for periodic reporting, the allowed prediction reporting delay parameter, t , relates to the time of sending / receiving the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message plus a multiple of the indicated reporting periodicity T (shifted by each reporting period as discussed before).

[0099] To explain this in detail, the following example is considered: For the Nth prediction, the timing parameter, t , may relate to the time of receiving the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message at gNB2, t1;plus N-l times the indicated reporting periodicity T. This means that the Nth prediction shall be produced / delivered with t after U + (N-1)*T, or in other words, before t + (N-1)*T + t . For one-time reporting, N=l.As variants of the embodiments above, the “time by which” the gNB2 is due to produce / deliver the requested prediction(s), or the “time within which”, the gNB is due to produce / deliver the requested predict! on(s) can consider the Round Trip Time (or the one-way delay) discussed in Error! Reference source not found..

[0100] The allowed prediction reporting delay parameter can be used also in the scenarios described in Error! Reference source not found., Error! Reference source not found, and Error! Reference source not found.. In particular, the gNBl requests to the gNB2 that predictions produced / delivered by the gNB2 in relation to an event fulfilled at gNB2 shall be sent within a time that results by taking into account the allowed prediction reporting delay (or by the time indicated by the time that results by taking into account the allowed prediction reporting delay).

[0101] In one embodiment, following a request received in a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST, to provide predictions according to a given requested prediction time tpand a given reporting periodicity T, the gNB2 (for instance in a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSEmessage), indicates to the gNBl that predictions can be produced and / or delivered according to the requested prediction time and with a periodicity T*, different from T.

[0102] In one embodiment, following a request received in a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST, to provide predictions according to a given requested prediction time tpand a given reporting periodicity T, the gNB2 (for instance in a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message), indicates to the gNBl that predictions can be produced and / or delivered according to a requested prediction time tp*, different from tp, and with the requested periodicity T.

[0103] In one embodiment, following a request received in a DATA COLLECTION REQUEST, to provide predictions according to a given requested prediction time tpand a given reporting periodicity T, the gNB2 (for instance in a DATA COLLECTION RESPONSE message), indicates to the gNBl that predictions can be produced and / or delivered according to a requested prediction time tp*, different from tp, and with a periodicity T*, different from T.

[0104] In some embodiments, the point in time from the reception of the request for predictions by which the requested predictions shall be signaled by gNB2 is signaled from gNBl to gNB2 in the DATA COLLECTION REQUEST message, as shown below (new parts in bold, italic and underlined):9.1.3.CC DATA COLLECTION REQUESTThis message is sent by NG-RAN nodei to NG-RAN node2 to initiate the requested information reporting according to the parameters given in the message.Direction: NG-RAN nodei

[0105] Figure 8 shows an example of a communication system 800 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0106] In the example, the communication system 800 includes a telecommunication network 802 that includes an access network 804, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 806, which includes one or more core network nodes 808. The access network 804 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 810a and 810b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 810), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 802 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 802 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 802, including one or more network nodes 810 and / or core network nodes 808.

[0107] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O- CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 810 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such asby connecting UEs 812a, 812b, 812c, and 812d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 812) to the core network 806 over one or more wireless connections.

[0108] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 800 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 800 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0109] The UEs 812 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 810 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 810 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 812 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 802 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 802.[HO] In the depicted example, the core network 806 connects the network nodes 810 to one or more hosts, such as host 816. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 806 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 808) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 808. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).[Hl] The host 816 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 804 and / or the telecommunication network 802, andmay be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 816 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include the provision of live and / or pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services, for example, retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0112] As a whole, the communication system 800 of Figure 8 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0113] In some examples, the telecommunication network 802 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 802 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 802. For example, the telecommunications network 802 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0114] In some examples, the UEs 812 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 804 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 804. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi -standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0115] In the example illustrated in Figure 8, the hub 814 communicates with the access network 804 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 812c and / or 812d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 810b). In some examples, the hub 814 may be a controller, router, a content source and analytics node, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 814 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 806 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 814 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 810, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 814. As another example, the hub 814 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 814 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 814 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 814 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 814 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0116] The hub 814 may have a constant / persi stent or intermittent connection to the network node 810b. The hub 814 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 814 and UEs (e.g., UE 812c and / or 812d), and between the hub 814 and the core network 806. In other examples, the hub 814 is connected to the core network 806 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 814 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 804 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 810 while still connected via the hub 814 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 814 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 810b. In other embodiments, the hub 814 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 810b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0117] Figure 9 shows a UE 900 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelesslywith network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless camera, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0118] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle- to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0119] The UE 900 includes processing circuitry 902 that is operatively coupled via a bus 904 to an input / output interface 906, a power source 908, a memory 910, a communication interface 912, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 9. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0120] The processing circuitry 902 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 910. The processing circuitry 902 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor(DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 902 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). The processing circuitry 902 may be operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other UE 900 components, such as the memory 910, UE 900 functionality. =

[0121] In the example, the input / output interface 906 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 900. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0122] In some embodiments, the power source 908 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 908 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 908 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 900 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 908. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 908 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 900 to which power is supplied.

[0123] The memory 910 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 910 includes one or more applicationprograms 914, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 916. The memory 910 may store, for use by the UE 900, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0124] The memory 910 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card. ’ The memory 910 may allow the UE 900 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 910, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0125] The processing circuitry 902 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 912. The communication interface 912 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 922. The communication interface 912 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 918 and / or a receiver 920 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 918 and receiver 920 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 922) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0126] In some embodiments, communication functions of the communication interface 912 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communicationsuch as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / intemet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0127] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 912, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0128] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or controls a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0129] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are devices which are or which are embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring aplant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence on the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 900 shown in Figure 9.

[0130] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0131] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0132] Figure 10 shows a network node 1000 in accordance with some embodiments. The network node 1000 may correspond to the first network described herein (e.g., gNBl) and / or the second network node described herein (e.g., gNB2). As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O- RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0133] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, ormacro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0134] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0135] The network node 1000 includes processing circuitry 1002, a memory 1004, a communication interface 1006, and a power source 1008, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. The network node 1000 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., aNodeB component and a RNC component, or aBTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 1000 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 1000 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1004 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1010 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1000 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1000, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z- wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 1000.

[0136] The processing circuitry 1002 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 1000 components, such as the memory 1004, network node 1000 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to cause the network node to perform the methods as described with reference to Figure 1 and / or Figure 2.

[0137] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1012 and baseband processing circuitry 1014. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1012 and the baseband processing circuitry 1014 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1012 and baseband processing circuitry 1014 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0138] The memory 1004 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 1002. The memory 1004 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 1002 and utilized by the network node 1000. The memory 1004 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1002 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1006. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 and memory 1004 is integrated.

[0139] The communication interface 1006 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 1006 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1016 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 1006also includes radio front-end circuitry 1018 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1010. Radio front-end circuitry 1018 comprises filters 1020 and amplifiers 1022. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 may be connected to an antenna 1010 and processing circuitry 1002. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1010 and processing circuitry 1002. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1020 and / or amplifiers 1022. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1010. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1010 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1018. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1002. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0140] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1000 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1018, instead, the processing circuitry 1002 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1010. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1012 is part of the communication interface 1006. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1006 includes one or more ports or terminals 1016, the radio front-end circuitry 1018, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1012, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1006 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1014, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0141] The antenna 1010 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1010 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1018 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1010 is separate from the network node 1000 and connectable to the network node 1000 through an interface or port.

[0142] The antenna 1010, communication interface 1006, and / or the processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1010, the communication interface 1006, and / or the processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as beingperformed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0143] The power source 1008 provides power to the various components of network node 1000 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1008 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1000 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1000 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 1008. As a further example, the power source 1008 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0144] Embodiments of the network node 1000 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 10 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 1000 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1000 and to allow output of information from the network node 1000. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1000.

[0145] Figure 11 is a block diagram of a host 1100, which may be an embodiment of the host 816 of Figure 8, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1100 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 1100 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0146] The host 1100 includes processing circuitry 1102 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1104 to an input / output interface 1106, a network interface 1108, a power source 1110, and a memory 1112. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures 9 and 10, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1100.

[0147] The memory 1112 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1114 and data 1116, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 1100 or data generated by the host 1100 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1100 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1114 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FL AC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application programs 1114 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 1100 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 1114 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0148] Figure 12 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1200 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1200 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1200 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0149] Applications 1202 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in thevirtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0150] Hardware 1204 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1206 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1208a and 1208b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1208), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1206 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1208.

[0151] The VMs 1208 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1206. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1202 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1208, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0152] In the context of NFV, a VM 1208 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1208, and that part of hardware 1204 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1208 on top of the hardware 1204 and corresponds to the application 1202.

[0153] Hardware 1204 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1204 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1204 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1210, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1202. In some embodiments, hardware 1204 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or moreantennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1212 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0154] Figure 13 shows a communication diagram of a host 1302 communicating via a network node 1304 with a UE 1306 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 812a of Figure 8 and / or UE 900 of Figure 9), network node (such as network node 810a of Figure 8 and / or network node 1000 of Figure 10), and host (such as host 816 of Figure 8 and / or host 1100 of Figure 11) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 13.

[0155] Like host 1100, embodiments of host 1302 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1302 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 1302 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 1306 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1350 extending between the UE 1306 and host 1302. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1350.

[0156] The network node 1304 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1302 and UE 1306. The connection 1360 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 806 of Figure 8) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0157] The UE 1306 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1306 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1306 with the support of the host 1302. In the host 1302, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1350 terminating at the UE 1306 and host 1302. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1350 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's clientapplication may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1350.

[0158] The OTT connection 1350 may extend via a connection 1360 between the host 1302 and the network node 1304 and via a wireless connection 1370 between the network node 1304 and the UE 1306 to provide the connection between the host 1302 and the UE 1306. The connection 1360 and wireless connection 1370, over which the OTT connection 1350 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1302 and the UE 1306 via the network node 1304, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0159] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1350, in step 1308, the host 1302 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1306. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1306 that shares data with the host 1302 without explicit human interaction. In step 1310, the host 1302 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1306. The host 1302 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1306. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1306 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1306. The transmission may pass via the network node 1304, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1312, the network node 1304 transmits to the UE 1306 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1302 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1314, the UE 1306 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1306 associated with the host application executed by the host 1302.

[0160] In some examples, the UE 1306 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1302. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1302. Accordingly, in step 1316, the UE 1306 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of the UE 1306. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1306 initiates, in step 1318, transmission of the user data towards the host 1302 via the network node 1304. In step 1320, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1304 receives user data from the UE 1306 and initiatestransmission of the received user data towards the host 1302. In step 1322, the host 1302 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1306.

[0161] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1306 using the OTT connection 1350, in which the wireless connection 1370 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve the efficient handling of network predictions and thereby provide benefits such as reduced processing resources and / or signalling resources, and or improved predictions.

[0162] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1302. As another example, the host 1302 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1302 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1302 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1302 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 1302 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and / or transmitting data.

[0163] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1350 between the host 1302 and UE 1306, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1302 and / or UE 1306. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1350 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1350 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1304. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like,by the host 1302. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1350 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0164] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0165] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.The following numbered statements provide additional information on the disclosure:1. A method performed by a first network node for supporting network predictions, the method comprising: initiating transmission of a first message to a second network node, wherein the first message relates to network predictions; and receiving a response to the first message from the second network node.2. The method of statement 1, wherein the first message includes a request for the second network node to send network predictions with a specified timing.3. The method of statement 2, wherein the specified timing includes a requested prediction time for the second network node to provide a network prediction to the first network node.4. The method of statement 3, wherein the first message further indicates that the second network node is allowed to omit sending a network prediction at the requested prediction time if no network prediction or no updated network prediction is available, optionally wherein the method further comprises receiving from the second network node an indication that no network prediction or updated network prediction is available.5. The method of any preceding statement, wherein the first message instructs the second network node to send a single network prediction.6. The method of any of statement 1 to 4, wherein the first message instructs the second network node to send network predictions at a requested periodicity.7. The method of any preceding statement, wherein the first message indicates one or more event conditions that, when satisfied, cause the second network node to send a network prediction.8. The method of statement 7, wherein the first message instructs the second network node to send the network prediction the first time the one or more event conditions are satisfied, or wherein the first message instructs the second network node to send the network prediction each time the one or more event conditions are satisfied.9. The method of any preceding statement, wherein the first message indicates one or more event conditions that, when satisfied, cause the second network node to stop sending network predictions10. The method of any of statements 7 to 9, wherein the event conditions include one ormore of:- one or more radio resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted radio resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more network slice resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted network slice resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more transport resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted transport resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more hardware resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted hardware related resource metrics is above or below a threshold;- the coverage state of one or more cells and / or reference signal beams is modified;- the coverage state of one or more cells and / or reference signal beams is predicted to be modified;- the energy cost at the second network node becomes higher or lower than a threshold;- the predicted energy cost at the second network node becomes higher or lower than a threshold;- a certain UE performance metric becomes lower or higher than a threshold;- an overload situation at the second network node is entered / detected / predicted; and- an overload situation at the second network node is resolved. The method of any preceding statement further comprising, by the first network node: obtaining a round trip time, RTT, for communications with the second network node; and storing the RTT at the first network node. The method of any preceding statement, wherein the first message includes an allowed prediction reporting delay. The method of statement 12, further comprising: receiving, from the second network node, a suggested update to the allowed prediction reporting delay; andupdating the allowed prediction reporting delay based on the suggested update. The method of any preceding statement, wherein the first message is a data collection request message. The method of statement 14, wherein the data collection request message is an Xn Application Protocol, XnAP, message or Fl Application Protocol, Fl AP, message. The method of any preceding statement, wherein the response from the second network node is a second message, a third message and / or a fourth message. The method of embodiment 16, wherein the second message is a data collection response message, and / or wherein the third message is a data collection update message and / or wherein the fourth message is a data collection update message or handover acknowledgement message. The method of any of statements 16 and 17, wherein the response from the second network node includes one or more Xn Application Protocol, XnAP, messages. The method of any of statements 16 and 17, wherein the second message and / or the third message and / or the fourth message are Fl Application Protocol, F1AP, messages. The method of any of statements 1 to 19, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node. A method performed by a second network node for supporting network predictions, the method comprising: receiving a first message from a first network node, wherein the first message relates to network predictions; determining a response to the first message; and initiating transmission of the response to the first network node. The method of statement 21, wherein the response includes an indication of the ability of the second network node to provide one or more network predictions. The method of statement 22, wherein the indication of the ability of the second network node to provide one or more network predictions includes information on the timing with which the second network node is able to provide one or more network predictions, and / or a reason why one or more network predictions aredelayed. The method of any of statements 21 to 23 wherein, when a network prediction requested by the first network node is not available, the response includes one or more of: an indication that no network prediction is available; a dummy network prediction; and an extrapolated network prediction. The method of any of statements 21 to 24 wherein the first message includes a request for the second network node to send network predictions with a specified timing, and wherein the second network node initiates transmission of one or more network predictions with the specified timing. The method of any of statements 21 to 25 wherein, in response to instructions in the first message, the second network node sends a single network prediction, or the second network node sends network predictions at a requested periodicity. The method of any of statements 21 to 26 wherein, in response to instructions in the first message, the second network node sends a network prediction when one or more event conditions are satisfied. The method of statement 27 wherein, in response to instructions in the first message, the second network node sends the network prediction the first time the one or more event conditions are satisfied, or the second network node sends the network predictions each time the one or more event conditions are satisfied. The method of any of statements 21 to 28 wherein, in response to instructions in the first message, the second network node stops sending network predictions when one or more event conditions are satisfied. The method of any of statements 27 to 29, wherein the event conditions include one or more of:- one or more radio resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted radio resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more network slice resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted network slice resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more transport resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted transport resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more hardware resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted hardware related resource metrics is above or below a threshold;- the coverage state of one or more cells and / or reference signal beams is modified;- the coverage state of one or more cells and / or reference signal beams is predicted to be modified;- the energy cost at the second network node becomes higher or lower than a threshold;- the predicted energy cost at the second network node becomes higher or lower than a threshold;- a certain UE performance metric becomes lower or higher than a threshold;- an overload situation at the second network node is entered / detected / predicted; and- an overload situation at the second network node is resolved. The method of any of statements 21 to 30, wherein the first message includes an allowed prediction reporting delay. The method of statement 31 further comprising, by the second network node: evaluating the allowed prediction reporting delay; determining a change to the allowed prediction reporting delay; and initiating transmission to the first network node of a suggested update to the allowed prediction reporting delay. The method of any of statements 21 to 32, further comprising initiating transmission to the first network node of timing information allowing the first network node to obtain a round trip time, RTT, for communications with the second network node. The method of any of statements 21 to 33, wherein the first message is a data collection request message. The method of statement 34, wherein the data collection request message is an Xn Application Protocol, XnAP, message or Fl Application Protocol, Fl AP, message. The method of any of statements 21 to 35, wherein the response from the second network node is a second message, a third message and / or a fourth message. The method of statement 36, wherein the second message is a data collection response message, wherein the third message is a data collection update message and / or wherein the fourth message is a data collection update message or handoveracknowledgement message.38. The method of any of statements 36 and 37, wherein the response from the second network node includes one or more Xn Application Protocol, XnAP, messages or one or more Fl Application Protocol, F1AP, messages.39. The method of any of statements 21 to 39, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.40. A first network node for supporting network predictions, comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the first network node to perform any of the steps of any of statements 1 to 20; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.41. A second network node for supporting network predictions, the second network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the second network node to perform any of the steps of any of statements 21 to 39; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.42. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of statements 1 to 20 or statements 21 to 39 to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.43. The host of statement 42, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application thatprovides the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.44. A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of statements 1 to 20 or statements 21 to 39 to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.45. The method of statement 44, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.46. The method of any of statements 44 or 45, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.47. A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the communication system comprising: a host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the-top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of statements 1 to 20 or statements 21 to 39 to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.48. The communication system of statement 47, further comprising:the network node; and / or the UE.49. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of statements 1 to 20 or statements 21 to 39 to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host.50. The host of statements 48 to 49, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that receives the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.51. The host of the any of statements 49 to 50, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.52. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of statements 1 to 20 or statements 21 to 39 to receive the user data from the UE for the host.53. The method of statement 52, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.54. The host of statement 53, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data to the UE from the host.55. The host of statements 53 to 54, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.56. The method of statement 55, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the host application.57. The method of statement 56, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.58. The host of statement 57, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host.59. The host of statements 57 to 58, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, therebyproviding the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.60. The method of statement 59, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.61. The method of statements 59 to 60, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

Claims

Claims1. A method performed by a first network node (810, 1000) for supporting network predictions, the method comprising: initiating (102) transmission of a first message to a second network node (810, 1000), wherein the first message relates to network predictions; and receiving (104) a response to the first message from the second network node (810, 1000).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message includes a request for the second network node (810, 1000) to send network predictions with a specified timing.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the specified timing includes a requested prediction time for the second network node (810, 1000) to provide a network prediction to the first network node (810, 1000).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first message further indicates that the second network node (810, 1000) is allowed to omit sending a network prediction at the requested prediction time if no network prediction or no updated network prediction is available, optionally wherein the method further comprises receiving from the second network node (810, 1000) an indication that no network prediction or updated network prediction is available.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first message instructs the second network node (810, 1000) to send a single network prediction.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first message instructs the second network node (810, 1000) to send network predictions at a requested periodicity.

7. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first message indicates one or more event conditions that, when satisfied, cause the second network node (810, 1000) to send a network prediction.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first message instructs the second network node (810, 1000) to send the network prediction the first time the one or more event conditions are satisfied, or wherein the first message instructs the second network node (810, 1000) to sendthe network prediction each time the one or more event conditions are satisfied.

9. The method of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first message indicates one or more event conditions that, when satisfied, cause the second network node (810, 1000) to stop sending network predictions10. The method of any of claims 7 to 9, wherein the event conditions include one or more of: one or more radio resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted radio resource related metrics is above or below a threshold; one or more network slice resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted network slice resource related metrics is above or below a threshold; one or more transport resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted transport resource related metrics is above or below a threshold; one or more hardware resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted hardware related resource metrics is above or below a threshold;- the coverage state of one or more cells and / or reference signal beams is modified;- the coverage state of one or more cells and / or reference signal beams is predicted to be modified;- the energy cost at the second network node (810, 1000) becomes higher or lower than a threshold;- the predicted energy cost at the second network node (810, 1000) becomes higher or lower than a threshold;- a certain UE performance metric becomes lower or higher than a threshold;- an overload situation at the second network node (810, 1000) is entered / detected / predicted; and- an overload situation at the second network node (810, 1000) is resolved.

11. The method of any of claims 1 to 10 further comprising, by the first network node (810, 1000): obtaining a round trip time, RTT, for communications with the second network node (810, 1000); and storing the RTT at the first network node (810, 1000).

12. The method of any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first message includes an allowed prediction reporting delay.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: receiving, from the second network node (810, 1000), a suggested update to the allowed prediction reporting delay; and updating the allowed prediction reporting delay based on the suggested update.

14. The method of any of claim 1 to 13, wherein the first message is a data collection request message.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data collection request message is an Xn Application Protocol, XnAP, message or Fl Application Protocol, F1AP, message.

16. The method of any of claim 1 to 15, wherein the response from the second network node (810, 1000) is a second message, a third message and / or a fourth message.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second message is a data collection response message, and / or wherein the third message is a data collection update message and / or wherein the fourth message is a data collection update message or handover acknowledgement message.

18. The method of any of claims 16 and 17, wherein the response from the second network node (810, 1000) includes one or more Xn Application Protocol, XnAP, messages.

19. The method of any of claims 16 and 17, wherein the second message and / or the third message and / or the fourth message are Fl Application Protocol, Fl AP, messages.

20. A method performed by a second network node (810, 1000) for supporting network predictions, the method comprising: receiving (202) a first message from a first network node (810, 1000), wherein the first message relates to network predictions; determining (204) a response to the first message; and initiating (206) transmission of the response to the first network node (810, 1000).

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the response includes an indication of the ability of the second network node (810, 1000) to provide one or more network predictions.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the indication of the ability of the second network node (810, 1000) to provide one or more network predictions includes information on the timing with which the second network node (810, 1000) is able to provide one or more network predictions, and / or a reason why one or more network predictions are delayed.

23. The method of any of claims 20 to 22 wherein, when a network prediction requested by the first network node (810, 1000) is not available, the response includes one or more of: an indication that no network prediction is available; a dummy network prediction; and an extrapolated network prediction.

24. The method of any of claims 20 to 23 wherein the first message includes a request for the second network node (810, 1000) to send network predictions with a specified timing, and wherein the second network node (810, 1000) initiates transmission of one or more network predictions with the specified timing.

25. The method of any of claims 20 to 24 wherein, in response to instructions in the first message, the second network node (810, 1000) sends a single network prediction, or the second network node (810, 1000) sends network predictions at a requested periodicity.

26. The method of any of claims 20 to 25 wherein, in response to instructions in the first message, the second network node (810, 1000) sends a network prediction when one or more event conditions are satisfied.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein, in response to instructions in the first message, the second network node (810, 1000) sends the network prediction the first time the one or more event conditions are satisfied, or the second network node (810, 1000) sends the network predictions each time the one or more event conditions are satisfied.

28. The method of any of claims 20 to 27 wherein, in response to instructions in the first message, the second network node (810, 1000) stops sending network predictions when one ormore event conditions are satisfied.

29. The method of any of claims 26 to 28, wherein the event conditions include one or more of: one or more radio resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted radio resource related metrics is above or below a threshold; one or more network slice resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted network slice resource related metrics is above or below a threshold; one or more transport resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted transport resource related metrics is above or below a threshold; one or more hardware resource related metrics is above or below a threshold;- one or more predicted hardware related resource metrics is above or below a threshold;- the coverage state of one or more cells and / or reference signal beams is modified;- the coverage state of one or more cells and / or reference signal beams is predicted to be modified;- the energy cost at the second network node (810, 1000) becomes higher or lower than a threshold;- the predicted energy cost at the second network node (810, 1000) becomes higher or lower than a threshold;- a certain UE performance metric becomes lower or higher than a threshold;- an overload situation at the second network node (810, 1000) is entered / detected / predicted; and- an overload situation at the second network node (810, 1000) is resolved.

30. The method of any of claims 20 to 29, wherein the first message includes an allowed prediction reporting delay.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising, by the second network node (810, 1000): evaluating the allowed prediction reporting delay; determining a change to the allowed prediction reporting delay; and initiating transmission to the first network node (810, 1000) of a suggested update to the allowed prediction reporting delay.

32. The method of any of claims 20 to 31, further comprising initiating transmission to the first network node (810, 1000) of timing information allowing the first network node (810, 1000) to obtain a round trip time, RTT, for communications with the second network node (810, 1000).

33. The method of any of claims 20 to 32, wherein the first message is a data collection request message.

34. The method of claims 33, wherein the data collection request message is an Xn Application Protocol, XnAP, message or Fl Application Protocol, F1AP, message.

35. The method of any of claims 20 to 34, wherein the response from the second network node (810, 1000) is a second message, a third message and / or a fourth message.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the second message is a data collection response message, wherein the third message is a data collection update message and / or wherein the fourth message is a data collection update message or handover acknowledgement message.

37. The method of any of claims 35 and 36, wherein the response from the second network node (810, 1000) includes one or more Xn Application Protocol, XnAP, messages or one or more Fl Application Protocol, F1AP, messages.

38. A first network node (810, 1000) for supporting network predictions, comprising: processing circuitry (902) configured to cause the first network node (810, 1000) to: initiate (102) transmission of a first message to a second network node (810, 1000), wherein the first message relates to network predictions; and receive (104) a response to the first message from the second network node (810, 1000); and power supply circuitry (908) configured to supply power to the processing circuitry (902).

39. A second network node (810, 1000) for supporting network predictions, the second network node (810, 1000) comprising: processing circuitry (902) configured to cause the second network node (810, 1000) to receive (202) a first message from a first network node (810, 1000), wherein the first message relatesto network predictions, determine (204) a response to the first message, and initiate (706) transmission of the response to the first network node(810, 1000); and power supply circuitry (908) configured to supply power to the processing circuitry (902).

40. A communication system (800) comprising at least one of: the first network node (810, 1000) and second network node (810, 1000) of claims 38 to 39.

41. The communication system (800) of claim 40, further comprising at least one User Equipment, UE (812).

42. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out a method according to any of claims 1 to 37.

43. A computer program product comprising non-transitory computer readable media having stored thereon a computer program according to claim 42.

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