Transfer of service provided by a provider from a source consumer to a target consumer based on a synchronization status

Abstract

It is herein disclosed a method performed by a target consumer network node (130) for handling a network service in a communication network. The target consumer network node (130) receives an indication from a source consumer network node (110), wherein the indication indicates a synchronization status of a network service consumed by the source consumer network node (110). The target consumer network node (130) initiates a check of the indicated synchronization status with a current synchronization status. By moving the responsibility to the target consumer network node (130) or function, to check the synchronization with a provider network node (120), the target consumer network node (130) does not have to rely anymore on the behavior of the source consumer network node (110) to make sure that the service is synchronized.

Description

[0001] TRANSFER OF SERVICE PROVIDED BY A PROVIDER FROM A SOURCE CONSUMER TO A TARGET CONSUMER BASED ON A SYNCHRONIZATION STATUS

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Embodiments herein relate to a target consumer network node, a source consumer network node, a provider network node and methods performed therein regarding communication. Furthermore, a computer program product and a computer readable storage medium are also provided herein. In particular, embodiments herein relate to handling network services in a communication network.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] In a typical communication network, user equipments (UE), also known as wireless communication devices, mobile stations, stations (STA) and / or wireless devices, communicate via a Radio Access Network (RAN) with one or more core networks (CN). The RAN covers a geographical area which is divided into service areas or cells, with each service area or cell being served by a radio network node such as an access node, e.g., a Wi-Fi access point or a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may also be called, for example, a NodeB, a gNodeB, or an eNodeB. The service area or cell is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio network node. The radio network node operates on radio frequencies to communicate over an air interface with the UEs within range of the radio network node. The radio network node communicates over a downlink (DL) to the UE and the UE communicates over an uplink (UL) to the radio network node.

[0006] A Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation (3G) telecommunication network, which evolved from the second generation (2G) Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). The UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) is a RAN using wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) and / or High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) for communication with user equipment. In a forum known as the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), telecommunications suppliers propose and agree upon standards for present and future generation networks and investigate e.g. enhanced data rate and radio capacity. In some RANs, e.g. as in UMTS, several radio network nodes may be connected, e.g., by landlines or microwave, to a controller node, such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC), which supervises and coordinates various activities of the plural radio network nodes connected thereto. The RNCs are typically connected to one or more core networks.

[0007] Specifications for the Evolved Packet System (EPS) have been completed within the 3GPP and coming 3GPP releases, such as New Radio (NR), are worked on. The EPS comprises the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), also known as the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio access network, and the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), also known as System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core network. E-UTRAN / LTE is a 3GPP radio access technology wherein the radio network nodes are directly connected to the EPC core network. As such, the Radio Access Network (RAN) of an EPS has a “flat” architecture comprising radio network nodes connected directly to one or more core networks.

[0008] With the emerging 5G technologies such as NR, the use of very many transmit- and receive-antenna elements may be of great interest as it makes it possible to utilize beamforming, such as transmit-side and receive-side beamforming. Transmit-side beamforming means that the transmitter can amplify the transmitted signals in a selected direction or directions, while suppressing the transmitted signals in other directions. Similarly, on the receive-side, a receiver can amplify signals from a selected direction or directions, while suppressing unwanted signals from other directions. NR is connected to the 5G Core Network (5GC) which comprises a number of Network Functions (NF) such as Session Management Function (SMF), User Plane Function (UPF), Access Management Function (AMF), Authentication Service Function (AUSF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Unified Data Manager (UDM), Network Repository Function (NRF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), just to mention some. In the 5GC, NFs can discover other NFs by using a discovery service provided by the Network Repository Function (NRF).

[0009] The topic of this disclosure is about updating the relations between RAN nodes or functions and CN functions when there is a change of RAN node or function, e.g., at handover. Below it is described how relations between RAN and CN are updated at mobility in 5G systems, and on how relations between CN functions are updated when there is a change of CN function.

[0010] Handling RAN-CN relations at inter-gNB mobility in 5G.

[0011] The information that a UE has changed gNB, e.g., in case of handover, needs to be propagated to the network functions (NFs) of the core network to maintain control plane reachability for the UE for the services associated to the UE and to update the services associated to the UE after the change of gNB.

[0012] In the 5G system, CN interacts with RAN through the AMF, so for control plane signaling it is enough that the AMF keeps track of where the UE is in the RAN since all signaling between RAN and other CN functions goes via AMF. Considering Xn handover and conditional handover as examples, the source gNB provides the target gNB with UE Context Information which includes information on the AMF in charge of the UE, so that the target gNB can know to which AMF to send the Path Switch Request message (from 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.423, AMF information is in the form of AMF UE NGAP ID and AMF’s IP address / port of the SCTP association). Once the AMF has received the Path Switch Request it knows the UE has moved to a new gNB. The AMF will also pass on transport layer address(es) of the gNB to the UPF (via SMF) to update the user plane tunnels between the UPF and RAN. The knowledge that the UE has moved to a different gNB can also trigger updates to services associated to the UE, such as updates of policies, etc. The information about the AMF associated to a UE is included in the UE Context that the source gNB sends to the target gNB in the Handover request message. The path switch procedure during handover is illustrated in Fig. 1 from 3GPP 23.502.

[0013] Similarly, to handover, when a UE performs resume or re-establishment towards a new gNB, the new gNB retrieves the UE Context from the last serving gNB, with the UE Context including information about the AMF associated to the UE that the new gNB should contact for the Path Switch Request.

[0014] Handling of relation updates for subscriptions between NFs in the 5G CN.

[0015] The 5G system considers cases when there is a change of relation for a certain subscription.

[0016] Considering the case of change of a NF which involves changes of both consumer and provider for active subscriptions, one approach used in 3GPP is to include the information about active subscriptions in the Context which is retrieved by the new NF. One example is at registration, Fig. 2 shows steps 1-7 of this procedure, where if RAN cannot determine the (old) AMF of a UE, RAN forwards the Registration Request to a new AMF which has been configured in RAN. The new AMF will determine the old AMF and will use the Namf_Communication_UEContextTransfer operation to retrieve the context of the UE in order to continue with the registration. If the old AMF was providing I consuming subscriptions associated to the UE, the new AMF needs to take over these subscriptions. To this aim, the following information related to active subscriptions are included in the UE Context transferred from the old AMF:

[0017] • Events Subscription, if old AMF was a provider of UE-related Event Exposure services: List of the event subscriptions by other CP NFs. Indicating the events being subscribed to as well as any information on how to send the corresponding notifications.

[0018] • For the UE NWDAF association, if old AMF was a consumer of UE-related Analytics Subscription services provided by NWDAF: o NWDAF ID(s): Indicating the NWDAF I D(s), instance ID(s) or Set I D(s), used for the UE specific Analytics. o Subscription Correlation ID(s): Active UE-related analytics subscription(s) for each given NWDAF ID. o Analytics ID(s): Analytics ID(s) per NWDAF ID. o Analytics specific data: Additional information on the Analytics ID(s) the AMF is subscribed related to the UE specific Analytics, i.e., per Analytics ID it contains the following parameters: Analytics Filter Information, Target of Analytics reporting, Analytics Reporting Info. The information included in the UE Context allows the new AMF to be aware of which Event subscriptions it should provide, and to which consumer NFs, and of which Analytics subscriptions it should consume, and who is the current NWDAF provider. Considering the NWDAF services consumed by the source AMF, it could happen that while the AMF is being changed, the provider NWDAF sends a notification to the old AMF as the provider doesn’t know yet about the change of consumer. In this case, the old AMF could reply with an Error response to the provider which could include a redirect to the new consumer.

[0019] Considering the case of change of a NF which involves change of provider for an active subscription, another approach used in 3GPP is to use dedicated system operation. One example is considered in NWDAF specifications in 3GPP TS 23.288. A consumer has a subscription (or more) established with a certain NWDAF provider (source). This source NWDAF provider could trigger an analytics subscription transfer to another (target) NWDAF provider; in this case, there is a transfer of provider role for the subscription. As shown in Fig. 3, this transfer is realized with the source NWDAF provider invoking the Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Transfer operation, and the subscription transfer will include information on the Subscription Correlation ID(s) and the associated consumer. Finally, the target NWDAF provider can inform the analytics consumer about the successful analytics subscription transfer using a Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Notify message, including in this message the old Subscription Correlation ID(s) so that the consumer can correlate the new provider to the correct subscriptions.

[0020] SUMMARY

[0021] As part of developing embodiments herein one or more problems have been identified.

[0022] Currently as part of 6G research there are proposals of service-based interfaces (SBI) between RAN and CN network functions as well as proposals of considering architectures where RAN can directly interact with multiple CN network functions. As part of these ideas, it is possible that the RAN will have relations with multiple CN network functions. Eventually, such relations could be modelled as RAN having different interfaces towards each CN network function it interacts with, or such relations could be modelled as the RAN functions consuming and / or providing different network services from / to the CN functions. The service interactions can use both request-response and subscribe-notify communication patterns. The latter pattern is particularly interesting since it allows to model UE specific service interactions and more long- lasting relations as subscriptions. E.g., RAN functions can subscribe to updates on session related information from the CN functions, while the CN functions can subscribe to updates on state or mobility related information from the RAN. The service interaction is not limited by these examples and could be related to other things such as:

[0023] - Security related information as session keys, authorization information, secure tokens, etc. - Session related information, like quality of service (QoS) requirements, per flow / UE priorities, retention priorities, QoS fulfilment, etc.

[0024] Policy related information, like mobility policies, slice related policies, service policies UE capability related information

[0025] - Traffic or mobility related information

[0026] Network events and I or analytics

[0027] UE-state related information

[0028] - Etc.

[0029] A further aspect to be considered is that the RAN could take over some roles currently provided by the CN functions. For instance, it could become the RAN’s responsibility to update multiple CN entities about inter-RAN node, or function, mobility, as well as updating other services towards the CN instead of this being AMF’s responsibility as in current 5G system. This could be motivated as part of RAN directly interacting with multiple CN network functions.

[0030] A re-design of system procedures, leveraging on service-based approaches and on design principles such as loose coupling and modularity among services, could bring to having permanent / semi-permanent relationships between RAN and CN in the form of subscription, shown in Fig. 4. In case of mobility, i.e. , a UE moves from a source to a target RAN node or function, the subscriptions established between the source RAN and CN need to be re-stablished or transferred to the target RAN function, e.g., target base station, as also illustrated in Fig. 4. The same discussion applies when a CN function has subscriptions established with RAN and there is change of CN function, e.g., due to relocation, or scaling up / down, failure: these subscriptions need to be re-stablished or transferred to the target CN function as illustrated in Fig. 5. Furthermore, there could be new services, e.g., sensing, computation offloading, which could create new relationships between RAN and CN that should be updated in case of RAN change for a UE.

[0031] When focusing on the update of relations established between RAN node or function and a CN function due to UE mobility, one should note that radio handovers, or other radio mobility, could happen quite frequently, e.g. for UEs moving along a road, for some UEs, hence one could expect that updates of relations established between RAN node or function and a CN function could be more frequently compared to updates of relations between CN functions. This is valid more in general for scenarios where changes of relations established between two network functions could happen more frequently and without an explicit interaction between the two communicating entities. For example, in case of a programmed shutdown of one instance of a certain function for example for maintenance or update or scaling down, the relation previously established by that instance with another network function could be moved to another instance.

[0032] Further focusing on radio handover, this typically involves a preparation phase where the new RAN node or function is preparing resources for the incoming handover as well as transferring network service information. During this preparation phase it could happen that other signaling procedures are initiated, e.g., by some CN function towards the source RAN node or function, e.g., a notification coming from a CN function. In 5G the case of race conditions between handovers and other signaling procedure is solved by the source RAN node rejecting any incoming message during the handover preparation. Outside the handover case, a similar approach can be used for AMF change. As stated in the section above, if NWDAF provides a notification to the old AMF, it is responsibility of the old AMF to reply with an Error response to the provider which could include a redirect to the new consumer. Overall, this approach puts responsibility on the old consumer of a network service to take some actions towards the provider of the same network service.

[0033] Another aspect to consider is that radio handover can be triggered at any time due to changing radio conditions and typically also needs to be executed quickly in order to avoid radio link failures. This means that radio handover may conflict with other signaling related to other less critical network services, e.g., meaning it is not possible to wait with the handover until the other signaling procedure is finished.

[0034] An object of embodiments herein is to handle a network service in a communication network in an efficient manner.

[0035] According to an aspect the object is achieved, according to some embodiments herein, by providing a method performed by a target consumer network node for handling a network service in a communication network. The target consumer network node receives an indication from a source consumer network node, wherein the indication indicates a synchronization status of a network service consumed by the source consumer network node. The target consumer network node further initiates a check of the indicated synchronization status with a current synchronization status.

[0036] According to another aspect the object is achieved, according to some embodiments herein, by providing a method performed by a source consumer network node for handling a network service in a communication network. The source consumer network node determines to transfer consumption of the network service to a target consumer network node. The source consumer further transmits an indication to the target consumer network node, wherein the indication indicates a synchronization status of the network service.

[0037] According to yet another aspect the object is achieved, according to some embodiments herein, by providing a method performed by a provider network node for handling a network service in a communication network. The provider network node provides the network service to a source consumer network node. The provider network node further initiates a check of an indicated synchronization status of a target consumer network node with a current synchronization status, and / or a provision of one or more service messages, to the target consumer network node, of the current synchronization status. It is furthermore provided herein a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the methods herein, as performed by the target consumer network node, the source consumer network node, and the provider network node, respectively. It is additionally provided herein a computer- readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the methods herein, as performed by the target consumer network node, the source consumer network node, and the provider network node, respectively.

[0038] According to another aspect the object is achieved by providing a target consumer network node, a source consumer network node, and a provider network node configured to perform the methods herein, respectively.

[0039] Thus, it is herein provided a target consumer network node comprising: a network interface configured to communicate with other nodes over a communication network; and a synchronization circuitry configured to handle a network service in the communication network by: receiving an indication from a source consumer network node, wherein the indication indicates a synchronization status of a network service consumed by the source consumer network node; and initiating a check of the indicated synchronization status with a current synchronization status.

[0040] Thus, it is herein provided a source consumer network node comprising: a network interface configured to communicate with other nodes over a communication network; and a synchronization circuitry configured to handle a network service in the communication network by: determining to transfer consumption of the network service to a target consumer network node; and transmitting an indication to the target consumer network node, wherein the indication indicates a synchronization status of the network service.

[0041] Thus, it is herein provided a provider network node comprising: a network interface configured to communicate with other nodes over a communication network; and a synchronization circuitry configured to handle a network service in the communication network by: providing the network service to a source consumer network node; and initiating a check of an indicated synchronization status of a target consumer network node with a current synchronization status, and / or a provision of one or more service messages, to the target consumer network node, of the current synchronization status.

[0042] Embodiments herein provide a solution that is introduced for cases when there is a change of consumer role for a service, where the new consumer receives from the old consumer information about the synchronization status related to the service. Information about the synchronization status of the service is used by the new consumer to synchronize the service with the provider, where this includes checking with the service status matches that of the provider network node, i.e. , status is up-to-date, and to eventually obtaining the missing service information that will allow to re-synchronize the status of the service.

[0043] An advantage of embodiments herein is that it provides a better architectural design when there is a need to transfer a consumer role of the network service from an old to a target node or function, for example, for a long-lasting service relation such as subscription. By moving the responsibility to the target consumer network node or function, to check the synchronization with the provider network node, the target consumer network node does not have to rely anymore on the behavior of the source consumer network node to make sure that the service is synchronized.

[0044] Thus, embodiments herein handle an efficient communication in a wireless communication network.

[0045] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] Embodiments will now be described in more detail in relation to the enclosed drawings, in which:

[0047] Fig. 1 is a schematic overview depicting current Xn handover procedure in 3GPP TS 23.502 according to prior art;

[0048] Fig. 2 is a schematic overview depicting steps 1-7 of registration procedure, 3GPP TS 23.502 according to prior art. NOTE: this is not the complete registration procedure;

[0049] Fig. 3 is a schematic overview depicting Analytics Subscription Transfer initiated by source NWDAF, 3GPP TS 23.288;

[0050] Fig. 4 shows a possible 6G architecture with service based interfaces between RAN and ON functions, showing that relations of service between RAN and ON should be updated in case of RAN changes for a UE;

[0051] Fig. 5 shows a possible 6G architecture with service based interfaces between RAN and ON functions, showing that relations of service between RAN and ON should be updated in case of changes of ON functions with relationships (e.g., subscribed services) to RAN. Fig. 6 shows an overview depicting a communication network according to embodiments herein;

[0052] Fig. 7 is a combined flowchart and signaling scheme according to some embodiments herein;

[0053] Fig. 8 is a schematic flowchart depicting a method performed by a target consumer network node according to embodiments herein;

[0054] Fig. 9 is a schematic flowchart depicting a method performed by a source consumer network node according to embodiments herein;

[0055] Fig. 10 is a schematic flowchart depicting a method performed by a provider network node according to embodiments herein;

[0056] Fig. 11 shows service information transferred as part of UE context, focusing on the example of change of consumer role between RAN nodes or functions.

[0057] Fig. 12 shows service information transferred as part of UE context, focusing on the example of change of consumer role between AMFs, using as baseline the registration procedure shown in Fig. 2. This could be seen in a more general way as a context transfer between a “new NF” and an “old NF”.

[0058] Fig. 13 are combined flowchart and signaling schemes according to some embodiments herein;

[0059] Fig. 14 are combined flowchart and signaling schemes according to some embodiments herein;

[0060] Fig. 15 are combined flowchart and signaling schemes according to some embodiments herein;

[0061] Fig. 16a are combined flowchart and signaling schemes according to some embodiments herein;

[0062] Fig. 16b are combined flowchart and signaling schemes according to some embodiments herein;

[0063] Fig. 17 is a combined flowchart and signaling scheme according to some embodiments herein;

[0064] Fig. 18 shows a block diagram depicting embodiments of a target consumer network node according to embodiments herein;

[0065] Fig. 19 shows a block diagram depicting embodiments of a source consumer network node according to embodiments herein;

[0066] Fig. 20 shows a block diagram depicting embodiments of a provider network node according to embodiments herein;

[0067] Fig. 21 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments;

[0068] Fig. 22 shows a UE QQ200 in accordance with some embodiments; Fig. 23 shows a network node QQ300 in accordance with some embodiments;

[0069] Fig. 24 is a block diagram of a host QQ400, which may be an embodiment of the host QQ116 of Fig. 21 , in accordance with various aspects described herein;

[0070] Fig. 25 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ500 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized; and

[0071] Fig. 26 shows a communication diagram of a host QQ602 communicating via a network node QQ604 with a UE QQ606 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.

[0072] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] Embodiments herein relate to communication networks in general. Fig. 6 is a schematic overview depicting a communication network 1. The communication network 1 comprises one or more access networks, such as RANs, and one or more CNs. The communication network 1 may use one or a number of different technologies. Embodiments herein relate to recent technology trends that are of particular interest in a NR context, however, embodiments are also applicable in further development of existing wireless communications systems such as e.g. LTE or WCDMA.

[0074] In the communication network 1 , one or more UEs such as a user equipment (UE) 10 exemplified herein as a wireless device such as a mobile station, a non-access point (non-AP) station (STA), a STA and / or a wireless terminal, are comprised communicating via e.g. one or more Access Networks (AN), e.g. RAN, to one or more CNs. It should be understood by the skilled in the art that “UE” is a non-limiting term which means any terminal, wireless communications terminal, user equipment, narrowband internet of things (NB-loT) device, Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, Device to Device (D2D) terminal, or node e.g. smart phone, laptop, mobile phone, sensor, relay, mobile tablets or even a small base station capable of communicating using radio communication with a radio network node within an area served by the radio network node.

[0075] The wireless communication network 1 comprises a first radio network node 12 or just radio network node 12, providing radio coverage over a geographical area, a first service area 11 or first cell, of a first radio access technology (RAT), such as NR, LTE, WiFi, or similar. The first radio network node 12 may be a transmission and reception point such as an access node, an access controller, a base station, A NG-RAN node, e.g. a radio base station such as a gNodeB (gNB), an evolved Node B (eNB, eNode B), a NodeB, a base transceiver station, a radio remote unit, an Access Point Base Station, a base station router, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point or an Access Point Station (AP STA), a transmission arrangement of a radio base station, a stand-alone access point or any other network unit or node capable of communicating with a UE within the area served by the first radio network node 12 depending e.g. on the first radio access technology and terminology used. The first radio network node 12 may be referred to as a master node, a primary node, wherein the service area may be referred to as a serving cell, and the master node communicates with the UE in form of DL transmissions to the UE and UL transmissions from the UE 10.

[0076] The communication network 1 comprises a second radio network node 13, providing radio coverage over a geographical area, a second service area 14 or second cell, of a second RAT, such as NR, LTE, WiFi, or similar. The second radio network node 13 may be a transmission and reception point such as an access node, an access controller, a base station, e.g. a radio base station such as a gNB, an eNB, a NodeB, a base transceiver station, a radio remote unit, an Access Point Base Station, a base station router, a WLAN access point or an AP STA, a transmission arrangement of a radio base station, a stand-alone access point or any other network unit or node capable of communicating with a UE within the area served by the second radio network node depending e.g. on the first radio access technology and terminology used. The second radio network node may be referred to as a secondary node or target radio network node, wherein the service area may be referred to as a secondary cell or target cell, and the second radio network node 13 communicates with the UE 10 in form of DL transmissions to the UE 10 and UL transmissions from the UE 10.

[0077] It should be noted that a service area may be denoted as cell, beam, beam group or similar to define an area of radio coverage. The first RAT may be the same RAT as the second RAT or the first RAT may be a different RAT than the second RAT.

[0078] The communication network 1 may further comprise a number of network nodes providing NFs or actually instantiations of NFs also referred to as NF instances, such as a first network node 15, for example, an AMF or PCF, and a second network node 16 such as an AMF or PCF. The different NF instances may have similar or different tasks. Other functions may be for LTE such as MME or similar.

[0079] The respective node may be a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server or processing resources in a server farm or same node. Embodiments herein may be implemented as physical bare metal, virtual or cloud native such as Kubernetes environment in, e.g., hyper-cloud networks.

[0080] According to embodiments herein a network service such as a subscription of updates and / or changes of a NF is established between a source consumer network node 110 and a provider network node 120. The source consumer network node 110 may comprise the UE 10, the first or the second radio network node 12, 13 or any of the network nodes. The provider network node 120 may comprise any of the network nodes or the first or the second radio network node 12, 13.

[0081] Thus, the source consumer network node 110 consumes, e.g., subscribes to, the network service from the provider network node 120. The provider network node 120 may comprise the first or the second radio network node 12, 13 or any of the network nodes. The consumption of the network service may be handed over to a target consumer network node 130. The target consumer network node 130 may comprise any of the network nodes or the first or the second radio network node 12, 13 or another UE. The consumption of the network service may be transferred from the source consumer network node 110 to the target consumer network node 130 due to change of responsibility for a target object of the network service, mobility of a UE, a load balancing, and / or a radio link failure.

[0082] According to embodiments herein it is herein provided the target consumer network node 130 receives an indication from the source consumer network node 110. The indication indicates a synchronization status of a network service consumed by the source consumer network node 110. The target consumer network node 130 initiates a check of the indicated synchronization status with a current synchronization status. The target consumer network node 130 may, for example, transmit a message to the provider network node 120 indicating its synchronization status and may receive a validity indication from the provider network node 120.

[0083] An advantage of embodiments herein is that it provides a better architectural design when there is a need to transfer a consumer role of the network service from an old to a target node or function, for example, for a long-lasting service relation such as subscription. By moving the responsibility to the target consumer network node 130 or function, to check the synchronization with the provider network node 120, the target consumer network node 130 does not have to rely anymore on the behavior of the source consumer network node 110 to make sure that the service is synchronized.

[0084] Embodiments herein allow a continuation with network service provisioning for an active subscription when there are frequent changes of service consumers, e.g., due to handover, guaranteeing a mechanism for keeping track of service synchronization during handover preparation and execution phases.

[0085] It is herein used the following terminology:

[0086] • “service” is established between a consumer node or function (e.g., RAN) and a provider node or function (e.g., RAN or CN). For instance, a RAN node or function subscribing to a service provided by a CN function, with the service being associated to a target object / resource such as a wireless device (e.g., UE) handled by the RAN node or function. Examples could be subscription to policy updates for a UE, or to session updates for one or more sessions of a UE, or to network analytics for a UE. As part of this subscription the service provider provides relevant notifications to the consumer RAN node or function. Service could also interpreted as an established relation between two entities, e.g., a RAN node or function having a relation with a CN function (e.g. AMF) for handling a certain UE.

[0087] • “service transfer” refers to the case when the role of service consumer is moved to a new node or function, hence the relations with the service provider needs to be updated. An example is a wireless device, e.g., UE, moving to a target RAN node or function, this implying that relations for the services associated to the device which were consumed by the source RAN node or function need to be transferred to the target RAN node or function. One aspect to be noted is that a network service consumption may be transferred between a source and a target consumer RAN node or function, but this disclosure can also be applied also to cases where the transferring of network service consumption happens between a source CN node / function and a target CN node / function, e.g., due to scaling up / down of CN function instances or re-location. Another aspect to be noted is that the disclosure is described having in mind updates of long-lasting service relations, e.g., subscription-based service. Nevertheless, the solution may also be applied to the case of request-response services.

[0088] Considering the problems above in the summary, a better solution with regards to complexity and separation of concern would be if it is a target RAN node which is responsible for synchronizing the state since it is the target RAN node that is the new subscriber to the network service.

[0089] The proposed solution introduces a mechanism for synchronization of network services which, for example, a source RAN was consuming from CN functions after change of service consumer due to inter RAN mobility, e.g., base station change. The solution is based on that a target RAN node or function is provided with information, i.e. the indication, from the source RAN node or function about the last known status of the consumed network service, e.g., subscription. Based on this information the target RAN node or function checks the state of the network service by, for example, interacting with the provider network node 120 such as a subscription provider. This allows the target consumer to initiate a re-synchronization if the target consumer or the provider determines that the service status is not up to date. Thus, a variant of the solution is that the re-synchronization is triggered by the provider network node 120. This can be obtained with the subscription provider receiving a query from the target RAN node or function and determine that the current state of the target RAN node or function is not up to date.

[0090] In both these variants the solution is not relying on the source RAN node or function to handle the synchronization other than providing the target RAN node or function with the last known status.

[0091] Fig. 7 shows a combined flowchart and signaling scheme according to embodiments herein.

[0092] Action 701. The source consumer network node 110 may consume the network service from the provider network node 120.

[0093] Action 702. The source consumer network node 110 may determine, or be requested, to handover the consumption of the network service to the target consumer network node 130.

[0094] Action 703. The source consumer network node 110 transmits the indication to the target consumer network node 130, wherein the indication indicates the synchronization status of the network service, i.e., the synchronization status of the network service at the source consumer network node 110. The indication may indicate a time, a number, and / or an identifier of a message. For example, the indication may indicate a last received message ID at the source consumer network node 110.

[0095] Action 704. The target consumer network node 130 initiates the check of the indicated synchronization status with a current synchronization status. For example, the target consumer network node 130 may transmit to the provider network node 120, an indication indicating the received synchronization status, such as the last received message ID at the source consumer network node 110. The provider network node 120 may then check the indicated synchronization status with the current synchronization status at the provider network node 120.

[0096] Action 705. The provider network node 120 may further transmit to the target consumer network node 130 one or more service messages to update the synchronization status at the target consumer network node 130.

[0097] Action 706. The target consumer network node 130 may receive the service messages and update to a correct synchronization status.

[0098] By moving the responsibility to the target consumer network node 130 or function, to check the synchronization with the provider network node 120, the target consumer network node 130 does not have to rely anymore on the behavior of the source consumer network node 110 to make sure that the service is synchronized.

[0099] Once the provider network node 120 is contacted by the target consumer network node 130, if new notifications associated to the subscription are generated, the provider network node 120 may send these notifications only to the source consumer network node 110, or only to target consumer network node 130, or to both. Thus, this has the benefit that the source consumer network node 110 can continue to receive updates for subscribed services during the handover preparation, which is useful if the handover is for any reason aborted (e.g. due to target rejecting the handover request, or that UE is unable to perform radio access to the target cell or node). The solution thus enables a smooth fallback to the source consumer network node 110 with no or minimum interruption of existing subscriptions.

[0100] The method actions performed by the target consumer network node 130, such as an NF node or a RAN node, for handling a network service in the communication network 1 according to embodiments will now be described with reference to a flowchart depicted in Fig. 8. The actions do not have to be taken in the order stated below but may be taken in any suitable order. Dashed boxes indicate optional features.

[0101] Action 801. The target consumer network node 130 may receive an indication of transfer such as a request to transfer consumption of the network service from the source consumer network node 110. The consumption of the network service may be transferred from the source consumer network node 110 to the target consumer network node 130 due to change of responsibility for a target object of the network service, mobility of a UE, a load balancing, and / or a radio link failure.

[0102] Action 802. The target consumer network node 130 receives the indication from the source consumer network node 110. The indication indicates the synchronization status of the network service consumed by the source consumer network node 110. The synchronization status may be indicated in a message or in an information element.

[0103] Action 803. The target consumer network node 130 initiates the check of the indicated synchronization status with the current synchronization status. The target consumer network node 130 may initiate the checking by obtaining the current synchronization status, for example, from the provider network node 120, and by checking whether the indicated synchronization status matches the current synchronization status. In case the indicated synchronization status does not match the current synchronization status, the target consumer network node 130 may request one or more service messages from the provider network node 120. Additionally or alternatively, the target consumer network node 130 may transmit the indicated synchronization status to the provider network node 120 requesting to check the validity of the indicated synchronization status. The target consumer may then receive from the provider network node 120, a validity indication about a synchronization status check, indicating whether the synchronization status included in the request matches the current synchronization status of the provider network node 120 or not. The target consumer network node 130 may then perform an action taking the validity indication into account. The target consumer network node 130 may, for example, with a proviso that the validity indication indicates a match of the requested synchronization status with the current synchronization status of the provider network node 120, trigger an establishment or a continuation of consumption of the network service. The target consumer network node 130 may, with a proviso that the validity indication indicates not a match of the requested synchronization status with the current synchronization status of the provider network node 120 and also receiving a trigger indication for triggering an establishment of a network service, trigger the establishment of the network service. As an example of initiating the check of the indicated synchronization status with the current synchronization status, the target consumer network node 130 may transmit a request to a provider network node 120, requesting to check the synchronization status of the network service, wherein the request further includes a request to obtain service messages to update the indicated synchronization status. The target consumer network node 130 may then receive from the provider network node 120, one or more service messages related to the current synchronization status and thereby indicating that the synchronization status included in the request does not match the current synchronization status of the provider network node 120. The target consumer network node 130 may further update the synchronization status of the network service based on the received one or more service messages. The synchronization status may be related to a time, a number, and / or an identifier of a message related to the network service. Thus, the target consumer network node 130 may transmit an indicate the received synchronization status as a time, a number, and / or an identifier of a message to the provider network node 120 that the provider network node 120 then checks with the current synchronization status. The synchronization status may comprise a last received message number, a service context identity, and / or a time of last change to a service context.

[0104] It should be noted that the network service may comprise a service providing a relationship between the provider network node 120 and the respective consumer network node associated to a target object / resource. The network service may, for example, comprise a subscription to notifications of updates or changes to information associated to the target object I resource hosted at or obtained by the provider network node 120. The network service may comprise a subscription to notifications of one or more network events monitored by the provider network node 120 associated to the target object I resource. The network service may comprise a service provided by the provider network node 120 related to handling the respective target object / resource requested by the consumer network node, e.g., to create or modify or get the status of the target object I resource.

[0105] The method actions performed by the source consumer network node 110, such as an NF node or a RAN node, for handling a network service in the communication network 1 according to embodiments will now be described with reference to a flowchart depicted in Fig. 9. The actions do not have to be taken in the order stated below but may be taken in any suitable order. Dashed boxes indicate optional features.

[0106] Action 901. The source consumer network node 110 determines to transfer consumption of the network service to the target consumer network node 130. The source consumer network node 110 may determine to transfer the network service due to: change of responsibility for a target object of the network service, mobility of a UE, load balancing, and / or radio link failure.

[0107] Action 902. The source consumer network node 110 transmits the indication to the target consumer network node 130, wherein the indication indicates a synchronization status of the network service. The synchronization status may be indicated in a message or in an information element. The synchronization status may be related to the time, the number, and / or the identifier of the message related to the network service. Thus, the source consumer network node 110 may transmit the indicate of the received synchronization status as a time, a number, and / or an identifier of a message. The synchronization status may, e.g., comprise a last received message number, a service context identity, and / or a time of last change to a service context.

[0108] It should be noted that the network service may comprise a service providing a relationship between the provider network node 120 and the respective consumer network node associated to a target object / resource. The network service may, for example, comprise a subscription to notifications of updates or changes to information associated to a target object I resource hosted at or obtained by the provider network node 120. The network service may comprise a subscription to notifications of one or more network events monitored by the provider network node 120 associated to a target object I resource. The network service may comprise a service provided by the provider network node 120 related to handling the respective target object I resource requested by the consumer network node, e.g., to create or modify or get the status of the target object I resource.

[0109] The method actions performed by the provider network node 120, such as an NF node or a RAN node, for handling a network service in the communication network 1 according to embodiments will now be described with reference to a flowchart depicted in Fig. 10. The actions do not have to be taken in the order stated below but may be taken in any suitable order. Dashed boxes indicate optional features.

[0110] Action 1001. The provider network node 120 provides the network service to the source consumer network node 110. For example, the source consumer network node 110 may have a subscription of updates or changes of the provider network node 120.

[0111] Action 1002. The provider network node 120 initiates the check of an indicated synchronization status of the target consumer network node 130 with the current synchronization status, and / or a provision of one or more service messages, to the target consumer network node 130, of the current synchronization status. The provider network node 120 may initiate the provision of the one or more service messages related to the current synchronization status is initiated upon a request from the target consumer network node 130. The check may be initiated by receiving the indication from the target consumer network node 130, wherein the indication indicates the indicated synchronization status. The provider network node 120 may then compare the indicated synchronization status with the current synchronization status stored at the provider network node 120. The synchronization status may be indicated in a message or in an information element. The synchronization status may be related to the time, the number, and / or the identifier of the message related to the network service. Thus, the provider network node 120 may receive the indication of the synchronization status as a time, a number, and / or an identifier of a message. The synchronization status may, e.g., comprise a last received message number, a service context identity, and / or a time of last change to a service context. The provider network node 120 may initiate the check by providing the current synchronization status to the target consumer network node 130. The provider network node 120 may initiate the check by receiving the indicated synchronization status from the target consumer network node 130 requesting to check the validity of the indicated synchronization status; transmitting to the target consumer network node 130, the validity indication about the synchronization status check, indicating whether the synchronization status included in the request matches the current synchronization status of the provider network node 120 or not. The provider network node 120 may transmit the trigger indication for triggering an establishment of a network service, triggering the establishment of the network service.

[0112] It should be noted that the network service may comprise a service providing a relationship between the provider network node 120 and the respective consumer network node associated to a target object / resource. The network service may, for example, comprise a subscription to notifications of updates or changes to information associated to a target object I resource hosted at or obtained by the provider network node 120. The network service may comprise a subscription to notifications of one or more network events monitored by the provider network node 120 associated to a target object I resource. The network service may comprise a service provided by the provider network node 120 related to handling the respective target object / resource requested by the consumer network node, e.g., to create or modify or get the status of the target object I resource. The consumption of the network service may be transferred from the source consumer network node 110 to the target consumer network node 130 due to change of responsibility for a target object of the network service, mobility of a UE, a load balancing, and / or a radio link failure.

[0113] According to embodiments herein, when there is a change of a consumer role, such as changing from a source to a target RAN node or function, the target RAN node or function (new consumer) is provided with the indication indicating the synchronization status of the network service. The indication may be included or being part of service information. Service information comprises information related to the network service which has to be transferred from the source to the target network consumer node, e.g., RAN node or function as an example of network consumer node. Service information may include, but not limited to, the following information:

[0114] - Service name;

[0115] - Service ID (e.g., a correlation ID);

[0116] - Service producer, in the form of IP address, uniform resource indicator (URI), fully qualified domain name (FQDN), etc.;

[0117] - Service token, which could be for instance used in upcoming interactions as proof that the new target RAN node or function is authorized to interact with the service producer; The service token can be associated with a specific UE and / or it can be associated with a specific network function or network function instance and / or other.

[0118] - Service configuration, which are service-specific information such as service target, e.g., UE the service refers to, whether the service refers to a specific slice or protocol data unit (PDU) Session of the UE, whether specific data are requested as part of the service request, specific settings for notifications such as intervals, maximum number of reports, etc.;

[0119] - The indication according to embodiments herein. This may comprise service synchronization information, which may be used in upcoming interactions between the target consumer network node 130 or function and the provider network node 120 to check if the service context is up to date. This is new information which is currently not present when a service is transferred. Examples of the indication such as service synchronization information are:

[0120] "Last message number” that the source consumer network node 110 or function has received from the provider network node 120, or “Expected message number” that the source consumer network node 110 expects from the provider network node 120. For clarification, here “message number” refers to a message exchanged as part of the service, e.g., a number associated to a service notification, and it is not related sequence number of packets / service data units (SDU) exchanged between provider network node 120 and the source consumer network node 110 at e.g. transport layer. It is herein referred to as “message number” but it could be any sort of identifier associated to the message, not necessarily a progressive number. Here one possibility may be that the provider network node 120 such as a service producer, includes a message number to each message sent to the source consumer network node 110, a message number which is increased or updated at each new message. This information is currently not present when the provider network node 120 sends a message (e.g., notification) to a service consumer. Or another possibility could be that it is the source consumer network node 110 itself which monitors and associates a number or identifier to the messages received from the provider network node 120.

[0121] Information about service context status, e.g., “Context version ID” or “Context transaction ID” or “Number of changes to context”. Here it could be the source consumer network node 110, which monitors and updates the value of the “Context version ID” or “Context transaction ID” or “Number of changes to context”, e.g., when receiving notifications from the provider. Or it could be that such information is updated by the provider network node 120, and it is included in the messages sent by the provider network node 120 to the source consumer network node 110. This information is currently not present when the provider network node 120 sends a notification to the source consumer network node 110.

[0122] “Time of last change to service context”. Here it could be the source consumer network node 110, which updates the value of the “Time of last change to service context”, e.g., when receiving messages from the provider. Or it could be that “Time of last change to service context” is included in the messages sent by the provider network node 120 to the source consumer network node 110. This information is currently not present when the provider network node 120 sends a notification to the source consumer network node 110. Embodiments herein may focus on transfer of service consumer role for subscription-based services, but in general the Service synchronization information indicated above could be also used in other cases, e.g., used in request-response services for instance included in a service request by a service consumer or in a service response from a service provider to keep track of the status for a certain service / context.

[0123] The source consumer network node 110 such as a source RAN node or function becomes aware of which services to transfer to the target consumer network node 130 such as a target RAN node or function using various methods such as:

[0124] • Based on available information on neighboring RAN nodes or functions, the source consumer network node 110 may know which services are supported by the target RAN node or function.

[0125] • Based on information obtained through service / NF discovery, a source RAN node or function and / or a source CN function could discover which services are supported by a target RAN and / or target CN function.

[0126] • Based on standard, e.g., standard defines which service should a RAN node or function support and which should be transferred when RAN handling a UE changes.

[0127] • Based on explicit feedback provided by the target RAN node or function. For example, extending the current handover procedure, the target RAN node or function could be informed of which services are currently established for the UE, and the target RAN could indicate which services are accepted to be transferred.

[0128] A first method to transfer the indication is to transfer it as part of UE Context. Considering the example of a handover where there is a change of consumer role between RAN nodes or functions, the indication or service information may be either included in the “HO request” or in the “Retrieve UE Context response” sent by the source RAN node or function to the target RAN node or function. These options are shown in Fig. 11. Fig. 11 shows service information transferred as part of UE context, focusing on the example of change of consumer role between RAN nodes or functions.

[0129] Another example of this method is when a new NF, being an example of the target consumer network node 130, fetches the UE context from the former NF, being an example of the source consumer network node 110, to which a certain target object / resource (e.g., UE) is associated. Fig. 12 shows the example of a new AMF retrieving the UE context from an old AMF, where the UE Context is extended with the service information discussed above. Here the novelty compared to legacy is that the UE context is extended to include the indication such as Service synchronization information. Fig. 12 shows service information transferred as part of UE context, focusing on the example of change of consumer role between AMFs, using as baseline the registration procedure shown in Fig. 2. This could be seen in a more general way as a context transfer between a “new NF” and an “old NF”.

[0130] Other ways to transfer the indication or service information may be based on the usage of system operations. Different realizations are possible:

[0131] Using a “Subscription transfer” operation triggered by the source consumer network node 110 towards the target consumer network node 130. The trigger could be, e.g., sending an “HO request” to the target consumer network node 130 or function, or receiving an “HO response”, or sending a “Retrieve UE context response”, or receiving an “HO complete”, or receiving a “Release Resources”, or receiving a “Handover success”. In one example, the “Subscription transfer” operation could be service specific, e.g., one operation for “Service X subscription transfer (service X information)” and one for “Service Y subscription transfer (service Y information)” as shown in Fig. 13 (left). In another example, the “Subscription transfer” operation could be a single operation for all services to be transferred, e.g., “Subscription transfer (Service X information, Service Y information)” as shown in Fig. 13 (right). Compared to legacy, the novelty is that an explicit service operation is introduced for the change of service consumer. In the second example, another novelty would be that one generic system operation is used to transfer all services, instead of using service-specific operation.

[0132] Using a “Subscription transfer” operation triggered by the target consumer network node 130 or function, shown in Fig. 14. The target consumer network node 130 or function may send a “Subscription transfer request” to the source consumer network node 110 or function, with the source consumer network node 110 or function replying with a “Subscription transfer response (service information)” message. This is a new approach which is not considered in the legacy way of handling change of consumer. As in the bullet above, the operation could be either a per-service operation as in Fig. 14 (right) or a generic operation as in Fig. 14 (left). The target consumer network node 130 or function may trigger this operation based on one of the following triggers:

[0133] Reception of a “HO request” message from the source consumer network node 110 or function;

[0134] Sending of a “Retrieve UE Context request” message to the source consumer network node 110 or function;

[0135] Reception of a “Retrieve UE Context response” message from the source consumer network node 110 or function;

[0136] Based on an indication “trigger subscription transfer” included in the UE Context. Here the additional novelty (in addition to the novelty related to the system operation as such) would be that the UE Context contains this new “indication trigger subscription transfer”. The “trigger subscription transfer” could be a generic indication, or there could be different indications for different services, e.g., “trigger Service X subscription transfer”, “trigger Service Y subscription transfer”.

[0137] Sending of a “Handover success” message to the source consumer network node 110 or function;

[0138] Based on target consumer network node 130 internal information, e.g., the information that the UE is now handled by the target consumer network node 130.

[0139] Fig. 13 shows examples of service transfer triggered by the source consumer network node 110 or function. In a more general way, the interaction happens between a generic pair of “source service consumer” and “target service consumer” (the consumer pairs being either RAN nodes or functions or CN NFs).

[0140] Fig. 14 shows examples of service transfer triggered by the target consumer network node 130 or function. In a more general way, the interaction happens between a generic pair of “source service consumer” and “target service consumer” (the consumer pairs being either RAN nodes or functions or CN functions).

[0141] In the remainder of this description, it is assumed that a target RAN node or function, being an example of the target consumer network node 130, receives the “Service synchronization information” from the source RAN node or function, being an example of the source consumer network node 110.

[0142] Mechanisms for checking if the context is up to date, related to actions 803 and 1002: target RAN node or function provides the subscription provider (CN function) with information about its last known status.

[0143] In order to check if the context is up to date, one approach is that the target RAN node or function (in general, the new consumer) informs the service provider (CN function) about its last know service synchronization information, so that the provider can check whether the service is up to date or not. In this approach, it is responsibility of the target RAN node or function to inform the service provider about its last known service status, and it is responsibility of the service consumer to check whether the context is up to date or not. This is a new solution, currently not available in legacy solutions.

[0144] In one realization, the target RAN node or function sends to the service provider (part of) the “Service information” received from the source RAN node or function, including the last known “Service synchronization information”. The service provider is now aware of which service is being transferred to the target RAN node or function and of the service synchronization status as known by the new consumer. This is shown in Fig.15 (left). In another realization, extending the previous example, when the target RAN node or function contacts the service provider, it also requests any updates about the service, if the service is not up to date, in addition to sending (part of) the “Service information”. This is shown in Fig. 15 (right).

[0145] Fig. 15 shows examples of the target RAN node or function sending (part of) the “Service information” to the service provider, a CN function in this example. In a more general way, this interaction happens between a new service consumer and the service provider. In addition to what shown in the picture, the new consumer could be a CN function interacting with a RAN node or function as provider, or the new consumer could be a CN function interacting with another CN function as provider.

[0146] Considering the examples in Fig. 15, the target RAN node or function could contact the service provider either during the handover preparation phase (i.e. , the UE has not yet moved to target RAN node or function) or as a result of a successful handover execution phase (i.e., the UE has moved to target RAN node or function). When the target RAN node or function contacts the service provider, the service provider can start providing service information (e.g., notifications) also to the target RAN node or function if needed.

[0147] Once the service provider becomes aware of the “Service synchronization information” known by the target RAN node or function, it can check whether the context is up to date or not by comparing with its own service synchronization information. To reduce security risks, reauthentication between the new consumer and the provider could be triggered in any case, such as context being already up-to-date at the new consumer or not. The service provider may then act in different ways:

[0148] • If the context is up to date, the service provider may reply to the target RAN node or function indicating that “Service is up to date”. This is shown in Fig. 16a (left).

[0149] • If the context is not up to date, the service provider may reply to the target RAN node or function indicating that “Service is not up to date”. Depending on its logic, the target RAN node or function could trigger a re-start of the service, e.g., by triggering a new subscription. Or it could be that need for service re-start will be explicitly indicated by the service provider. These examples are shown in Fig. 16a (right).

[0150] • If the context is not up to date, the service provider could reply to the target RAN node or function indicating that “Service is not up to date”. Depending on its logic, the target RAN node or function could trigger a re-sync of the service, e.g., by sending a “Service update request” to the service provider. The service provider could then gather the service updates needed to re-sync the context (e.g., notifications missed by the target RAN node or function) and provide such updates to the target RAN node or function. This is shown in Fig. 16b (left) • If the context is not up to date, and the target RAN node or function requested to be provided with updates when sending the “Service information” to the provider, the service provider could gather the information that are needed by the target RAN node or function to get the context up to date and provides such information to the target RAN node or function. This is shown in Fig. 16b (right)

[0151] Figs. 16a-16b show examples of how a CN function, as service provider, becomes aware of the “Service synchronization information” known by the new consumer being a RAN node or function. In a more general way, this interaction happens between the new service consumer and the service provider. In addition to what is shown in the picture, the target RAN node or function could be a CN function interacting with a RAN node or function as provider, or the target RAN node or function may be a CN function interacting with another CN function as provider.

[0152] Cases in Fig. 16b may require that the service provider keeps track of some of the past information provided to the source RAN node in order to re-send such information if needed. Which types of information are stored by the service producer, how many past information are stored (e.g., how many past notifications) and for how long could be related to service configuration and / or to service requirements.

[0153] Once the provider is contacted by target RAN node, if new notifications associated to the subscription are generated, the provider could send these notifications only to the source RAN node, or only to the target RAN node, or to both. This depends, e.g., on the type of service. Even if only the source RAN node receives these new notifications, our method offers a way for the pair new consumer-provider to check if the service state is synchronized (and in case to re-sync if not).

[0154] Mechanism for checking if the context, being an example of the synchronization status, is up to date: target RAN node or function requests information about the last knows status to the subscription provider (CN function).

[0155] In order to check if the context is up to date, another approach is that the target RAN node or function requests information about the service status to the service provider (CN function), so that the target RAN node or function can check whether the service is up to date or not. In this approach, it is responsibility of the target RAN node or function to obtain information from the service provider about its last known service status, and it is responsibility of the target RAN node or function to check whether the service is up to date or not.

[0156] In one realization, the target RAN node or function sends a “Check service context synchronization status request” to the service provider. As a reply to this request, the service provider includes as response its own “Service synchronization information”1. When the target RAN node or function contacts the service provider, the service provider could start providing service information, e.g., notifications, also to the target RAN node or function. The target RAN node or function can now check whether the context is up to date or not by comparing the “Service synchronization information” received by the service provider with the “Service synchronization information” received from the source RAN node or function. If the context is not up to date, the target RAN node or function can trigger a service re-start, e.g., by triggering a new subscription. One example of this realization is shown in Fig. 17. Fig. 17 shows an example where the provider network node 120 comprises a CN function that sends its own “Service synchronization information” to a new (target) consumer being a target RAN node or function. In a more general way, this interaction happens between a new service consumer and the service provider. In addition to what is shown in the Fig. 17, the new consumer could be a CN function interacting with a RAN node or function as provider, or the new consumer could be a CN function interacting with another CN function as provider.

[0157] NOTE: in the two subsections above, when target RAN node or function contacts the subscription / service provider to check if the context is up to date, the communication between the target RAN node or function and subscription provider can happen in different way:

[0158] • In one example, the messages for checking if the context is up to date are included as part of other interactions between the target RAN node or function. For example, the target RAN node or function may send a service update to the subscription provider to confirm to the provider that it took over the role of service consumer, the service update also contains the messages for checking if the context is up to date.

[0159] • In another example, the messages for checking if the context is up to date are exchanged by using separate service procedures.

[0160] Once the provider network node 120 is contacted by the target consumer network node 130, if new notifications associated to the subscription are generated, the provider network node 120 may send these notifications only to the source consumer network node 110, or only to the target consumer network node 130, or to both. This depends, e.g., on the type of service. Even if only the old consumer receives these new notifications, embodiments herein offer a way for the pair new consumer-provider to check if the service state is synchronized, and in case to resynchronize if the service state is not synchronized. Fig. 18 is a block diagram depicting the target consumer network node 130, such as an NF node or a RAN node, for handling a network service in the communication network according to embodiments herein.

[0161] The target consumer network node 130 may comprise processing circuitry 1801, e.g., one or more processors, configured to perform the methods herein.

[0162] The target consumer network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 1801 may be configured to receive the indication such as a request to transfer consumption of the network service from the source consumer network node 110. The consumption of the network service may be transferred from the source consumer network node 110 to the target consumer network node 130 due to change of responsibility for a target object of the network service, mobility of a UE, a load balancing, and / or a radio link failure.

[0163] The target consumer network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 1801 is configured to receive the indication from the source consumer network node 110. The indication indicates the synchronization status of the network service consumed by the source consumer network node 110. The synchronization status may be indicated in a message or in an information element.

[0164] The target consumer network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 1801 is configured to initiate the check of the indicated synchronization status with the current synchronization status. The target consumer network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 1801 may be configured to initiate the checking by obtaining the current synchronization status, for example, from the provider network node 120, and by checking whether the indicated synchronization status matches the current synchronization status. In case the indicated synchronization status does not match the current synchronization status, the target consumer network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 1801 may be configured to request one or more service messages from the provider network node 120. Additionally, or alternatively, the target consumer network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 1801 may be configured to transmit the indicated synchronization status to the provider network node 120 requesting to check the validity of the indicated synchronization status. The target consumer network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 1801 may be configured to receive from the provider network node 120, a validity indication about a synchronization status check, indicating whether the synchronization status included in the request matches the current synchronization status of the provider network node 120 or not. The target consumer network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 1801 may be configured to perform an action taking the validity indication into account. The target consumer network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 1801 may be configured to, for example, with the proviso that the validity indication indicates a match of the requested synchronization status with the current synchronization status of the provider network node 120, trigger the establishment or the continuation of consumption of the network service. The target consumer network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 1801 may be configured to, with the proviso that the validity indication indicates not a match of the requested synchronization status with the current synchronization status of the provider network node 120 and also receiving a trigger indication for triggering an establishment of a network service, trigger the establishment of the network service. As an example of initiating the check of the indicated synchronization status with the current synchronization status, the target consumer network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 1801 may be configured to transmit a request to a provider network node 120, requesting to check the synchronization status of the network service, wherein the request further includes a request to obtain service messages to update the indicated synchronization status. The target consumer network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 1801 may be configured to receive from the provider network node 120, one or more service messages related to the current synchronization status and thereby indicating that the synchronization status included in the request does not match the current synchronization status of the provider network node 120. The target consumer network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 1801 may be configured to update the synchronization status of the network service based on the received one or more service messages.

[0165] The synchronization status may be related to a time, a number, and / or an identifier of a message related to the network service. Thus, the target consumer network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 1801 may be configured to transmit an indication of the received synchronization status as a time, a number, and / or an identifier of a message to the provider network node 120 that the provider network node 120 then checks with the current synchronization status. The synchronization status may comprise a last received message number, a service context identity, and / or a time of last change to a service context.

[0166] It should be noted that the network service may comprise a service providing a relationship between the provider network node 120 and the respective consumer network node. The network service may, for example, comprise a subscription to notifications of updates or changes to information hosted at or obtained by the provider network node 120. The network service may comprise a subscription to notifications of one or more network events monitored by the provider network node 120.

[0167] The target consumer network node 130 may comprise a memory 1805. The memory 1805 comprises one or more units to be used to store data on, such as data packets, indications, messages, network service information, synchronization status, service messages, network information, session information, configurations, information, events and applications to perform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar. Furthermore, the target consumer network node 130 may comprise a communication interface 1806 such as comprising a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver and / or one or more antennas.

[0168] Thus, it is herein provided a target consumer network node 130 comprising: a network interface such as the communication interface 1806, configured to communicate with other nodes over a communication network; and a synchronization circuitry such as the processing circuitry 1801, configured to handle a network service in the communication network by: receiving an indication from a source consumer network node, wherein the indication indicates a synchronization status of a network service consumed by the source consumer network node; and initiating a check of the indicated synchronization status with a current synchronization status.

[0169] The methods according to the embodiments described herein for the target consumer network node 130 are respectively implemented by means of, e.g., a computer program product 1807 or a computer program, comprising instructions, i.e. , software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the target consumer network node 130. The computer program product 1807 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 1808, e g., a disc, a universal serial bus (USB) stick or similar. The computer-readable storage medium 1808, having stored thereon the computer program product, may comprise the instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the target consumer network node 130. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a transitory or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Thus, embodiments herein may disclose the target consumer network node 130 for handling communication in a wireless communication network, wherein the target consumer network node 130 comprises processing circuitry and a memory, said memory comprising instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said target consumer network node 130 is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

[0170] Fig. 19 is a block diagram depicting the source consumer network node 110 such as an NF node or a RAN node, for handling a network service in the communication network 1 according to embodiments will now be described

[0171] The network node 17 may comprise processing circuitry 1901 , e.g., one or more processors, configured to perform the methods herein.

[0172] The source consumer network node 110 and / or the processing circuitry 1901 is configured to determine to transfer the consumption of the network service to the target consumer network node 130. The source consumer network node 110 and / or the processing circuitry 1901 may be configured to determine to transfer the network service due to: change of responsibility for a target object of the network service, mobility of a user equipment, load balancing, and / or radio link failure.

[0173] The source consumer network node 110 and / or the processing circuitry 1901 is configured to transmit the indication to the target consumer network node 130, wherein the indication indicates the synchronization status of the network service. The synchronization status may be indicated in a message or in an information element. The synchronization status may be related to the time, the number, and / or the identifier of the message related to the network service. Thus, the source consumer network node 110 and / or the processing circuitry 1901 may be configured to transmit the indication of the received synchronization status as a time, a number, and / or an identifier of a message. The synchronization status may, e.g., comprise a last received message number, a service context identity, and / or a time of last change to a service context.

[0174] It should be noted that the network service may comprise a service providing a relationship between the provider network node 120 and the respective consumer network node. The network service may, for example, comprise a subscription to notifications of updates or changes to information hosted at or obtained by the provider network node 120. The network service may comprise a subscription to notifications of one or more network events monitored by the provider network node 120.

[0175] The source consumer network node 110 may comprise a memory 1905. The memory 1905 comprises one or more units to be used to store data on, such as data packets, indications, messages, network service information, service messages, synchronization status, network information, session information, configurations, information, events and applications to perform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar. Furthermore, the source consumer network node 110 may comprise a communication interface 1906 such as comprising a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver and / or one or more antennas.

[0176] Thus, it is herein provided a source consumer network node comprising: a network interface, such as the communication interface 1906, configured to communicate with other nodes over a communication network; and a synchronization circuitry, such as the processing circuitry 1901, configured to handle a network service in the communication network by: determining to transfer consumption of the network service to a target consumer network node; and transmitting an indication to the target consumer network node, wherein the indication indicates a synchronization status of the network service.

[0177] The methods according to the embodiments described herein for the source consumer network node 110 are respectively implemented by means of, e.g., a computer program product 1907 or a computer program, comprising instructions, i.e. , software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the source consumer network node 110. The computer program product 1907 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 1908, e.g., a disc, a universal serial bus (USB) stick or similar. The computer-readable storage medium 1908, having stored thereon the computer program product, may comprise the instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the source consumer network node 110. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a transitory or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Thus, embodiments herein may disclose the source consumer network node 110 for handling communication in a wireless communication network, wherein the source consumer network node 110 comprises processing circuitry and a memory, said memory comprising instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said source consumer network node 110 is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

[0178] Fig. 20 is a block diagram depicting the provider network node 120, such as an NF node or a RAN node, for handling a network service in the communication network 1 according to embodiments will now be.

[0179] The provider network node 120 may comprise processing circuitry 2001, e.g., one or more processors, configured to perform the methods herein.

[0180] The provider network node 120 and / or the processing circuitry 2001 is configured to provide the network service to the source consumer network node 110. For example, the provider network node 120 and / or the processing circuitry 2001 may be configured to have a subscription of updates or changes of the provider network node 120.

[0181] The provider network node 120 and / or the processing circuitry 2001 is configured to initiate the check of the indicated synchronization status of the target consumer network node 130 with the current synchronization status, and / or the provision of one or more service messages, to the target consumer network node 130, of the current synchronization status. The provider network node 120 and / or the processing circuitry 2001 may be configured to initiate the provision of the one or more service messages related to the current synchronization status is initiated upon a request from the target consumer network node 130. The check may be initiated by receiving the indication from the target consumer network node 130, wherein the indication indicates the indicated synchronization status. The provider network node 120 and / or the processing circuitry 2001 may be configured to compare the indicated synchronization status with the current synchronization status stored at the provider network node 120. The synchronization status may be indicated in a message or in an information element. The synchronization status may be related to the time, the number, and / or the identifier of the message related to the network service. Thus, the provider network node 120 and / or the processing circuitry 2001 may be configured to receive the indication of the synchronization status as a time, a number, and / or an identifier of a message. The synchronization status may, e.g., comprise a last received message number, a service context identity, and / or a time of last change to a service context. The provider network node 120 and / or the processing circuitry 2001 may be configured to initiate the check by providing the current synchronization status to the target consumer network node 130. It should be noted that the network service may comprise a service providing a relationship between the provider network node 120 and the respective consumer network node associated to a target object / resource. The network service may, for example, comprise a subscription to notifications of updates or changes to information associated to a target object I resource hosted at or obtained by the provider network node 120. The network service may comprise a subscription to notifications of one or more network events monitored by the provider network node 120 associated to a target object I resource. The network service may comprise a service provided by the provider network node 120 related to handling the respective target object I resource requested by the consumer network node, e.g., to create or modify or get the status of the target object I resource. The consumption of the network service may be transferred from the source consumer network node 110 to the target consumer network node 130 due to change of responsibility for a target object of the network service, mobility of a UE, a load balancing, and / or a radio link failure.

[0182] The provider network node 120 may comprise a memory 2005. The memory 2005 comprises one or more units to be used to store data on, such as data packets, indications, messages, network service information, message information, synchronization status, network information, session information, configurations, information, events and applications to perform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar. Furthermore, the provider network node 120 may comprise a communication interface 2006 such as comprising a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver and / or one or more antennas.

[0183] Thus, it is herein provided a provider network node comprising: a network interface, such as the communication interface 2006, configured to communicate with other nodes over a communication network; and a synchronization circuitry, such as the processing circuitry 2001, configured to handle a network service in the communication network by: providing the network service to a source consumer network node; and initiating a check of an indicated synchronization status of a target consumer network node with a current synchronization status, and / or a provision of one or more service messages, to the target consumer network node, of the current synchronization status.

[0184] The methods according to the embodiments described herein for the provider network node 120 are respectively implemented by means of, e.g., a computer program product 2007 or a computer program, comprising instructions, i.e. , software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the provider network node 120. The computer program product 2007 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 2008, e.g., a disc, a universal serial bus (USB) stick or similar. The computer-readable storage medium 2008, having stored thereon the computer program product, may comprise the instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the provider network node 120. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a transitory or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Thus, embodiments herein may disclose the provider network node 120 for handling communication in a wireless communication network, wherein the provider network node 120 comprises processing circuitry and a memory, said memory comprising instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said provider network node 120 is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

[0185] In some embodiments a more general term “network node” or “radio network node” is used and it can correspond to any type of radio-network node or any network node, which communicates with a UE and / or with another network node.

[0186] In some embodiments the non-limiting term wireless device or UE is used and it refers to any type of wireless device communicating with a network node and / or with another wireless device in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UE are target device, device to device (D2D) UE, proximity capable UE (aka ProSe UE), loT capable device, machine type UE or UE capable of machine to machine (M2M) communication, Tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embedded equipped (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles etc.

[0187] Embodiments are applicable to any RAT or multi-RAT systems, where the wireless device receives and / or transmit signals (e.g. data) e.g. NR, Wi-Fi, LTE, LTE-Advanced, WCDMA, Global System for Mobile communications / enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (GSM / EDGE), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), or Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), just to mention a few possible implementations.

[0188] As will be readily understood by those familiar with communications design, that functions means or circuits may be implemented using digital logic and / or one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other digital hardware. In some embodiments, several or all of the various functions may be implemented together, such as in a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or in two or more separate devices with appropriate hardware and / or software interfaces between them. Several of the functions may be implemented on a processor shared with other functional components of a wireless device or network node, for example.

[0189] Alternatively, several of the functional elements of the processing means discussed may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware, while others are provided with hardware for executing software, in association with the appropriate software or firmware. Thus, the term “processor” or “controller” as used herein does not exclusively refer to hardware capable of executing software and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware and / or program or application data. Other hardware, conventional and / or custom, may also be included. Designers of communications devices will appreciate the cost, performance, and maintenance trade-offs inherent in these design choices. Any appropriate steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual apparatuses. Each virtual apparatus may comprise a number of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the respective functional unit to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0190] Fig. 21 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0191] In the example, the communication system QQ100 includes a telecommunication network QQ102 that includes an access network QQ104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network QQ106, which includes one or more core network nodes QQ108. The access network QQ104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes QQ110a and QQ110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes QQ110) being examples of the first radio network node 12 and second radio network node 13, 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, being examples of the entities herein, 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 QQ102 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network QQ102 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 QQ102, including one or more network nodes QQ110 and / or core network nodes QQ108.

[0192] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (0-Rll), an open distributed unit (0-Dll), 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 A1, F1, W1, E1 , 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 0-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes QQ110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of the user equipment (UE) 10, such as by connecting UEs QQ112a, QQ112b, QQ112c, and QQ112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs QQ112) to the core network QQ106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0193] 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 QQ100 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 QQ100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0194] The UEs QQ112 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 QQ110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes QQ110 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs QQ112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network QQ102 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 QQ102.

[0195] In the depicted example, the core network QQ106 connects the network nodes QQ110 to one or more hosts, such as host QQ116. 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 QQ106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node QQ108) such as network node 15 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 QQ108. 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 (ALISF), 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).

[0196] The host QQ116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network QQ104 and / or the telecommunication network QQ102, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host QQ116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0197] As a whole, the communication system QQ100 of Fig. 21 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.

[0198] In some examples, the telecommunication network QQ102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network QQ102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network QQ102. For example, the telecommunications network QQ102 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.

[0199] In some examples, the UEs QQ112 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 QQ104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network QQ104. 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).

[0200] In the example, the hub QQ114 communicates with the access network QQ104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node QQ110b). In some examples, the hub QQ114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub QQ114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network QQ106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub QQ114 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 QQ110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub QQ114. As another example, the hub QQ114 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 QQ114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub QQ114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub QQ114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub QQ114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0201] The hub QQ114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node QQ110b. The hub QQ114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub QQ114 and UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d), and between the hub QQ114 and the core network QQ106. In other examples, the hub QQ114 is connected to the core network QQ106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub QQ114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network QQ104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes QQ110 while still connected via the hub QQ114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub QQ114 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 QQ110b. In other embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a nondedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node QQ110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels. Fig. 22 shows a UE QQ200 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, 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- loT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0202] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP 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).

[0203] The UE QQ200 includes processing circuitry QQ202 that is operatively coupled via a bus QQ204 to an input / output interface QQ206, a power source QQ208, a memory QQ210, a communication interface QQ212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 22. 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.

[0204] The processing circuitry QQ202 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 QQ210. The processing circuitry QQ202 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 QQ202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). In the example, the input / output interface QQ206 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 QQ200. 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.

[0205] In some embodiments, the power source QQ208 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 QQ208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source QQ208 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE QQ200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source QQ208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source QQ208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE QQ200 to which power is supplied.

[0206] The memory QQ210 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable readonly memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory QQ210 includes one or more application programs QQ214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data QQ216. The memory QQ210 may store, for use by the UE QQ200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0207] The memory QQ210 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 (IIICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a IISIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The IIICC may for example be an embedded IIICC (elllCC), integrated IIICC (illlCC) or a removable IIICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory QQ210 may allow the UE QQ200 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 QQ210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0208] The processing circuitry QQ202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface QQ212. The communication interface QQ212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna QQ222. The communication interface QQ212 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 QQ218 and / or a receiver QQ220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter QQ218 and receiver QQ220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna QQ222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0209] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface QQ212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0210] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface QQ212, 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).

[0211] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0212] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for 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 a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE QQ200 shown in Figure 22.

[0213] 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-loT 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.

[0214] 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.

[0215] Fig. 23 shows a network node QQ300 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0216] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio 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).

[0217] 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).

[0218] The network node QQ300 includes a processing circuitry QQ302, a memory QQ304, a communication interface QQ306, and a power source QQ308. The network node QQ300 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node QQ300 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 QQ300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory QQ304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna QQ310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node QQ300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node QQ300, 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 QQ300.

[0219] The processing circuitry QQ302 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 QQ300 components, such as the memory QQ304, to provide network node QQ300 functionality.

[0220] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and the baseband processing circuitry QQ314 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 QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0221] The memory QQ304 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 QQ302. The memory QQ304 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 QQ302 and utilized by the network node QQ300. The memory QQ304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry QQ302 and / or any data received via the communication interface QQ306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 and memory QQ304 is integrated. The communication interface QQ306 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 QQ306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) QQ316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface QQ306 also includes radio front-end circuitry QQ318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna QQ310. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 comprises filters QQ320 and amplifiers QQ322. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may be connected to an antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 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 QQ318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters QQ320 and / or amplifiers QQ322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna QQ310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna QQ310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry QQ318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry QQ302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0222] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node QQ300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry QQ318, instead, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna QQ310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 is part of the communication interface QQ306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface QQ306 includes one or more ports or terminals QQ316, the radio front-end circuitry QQ318, and the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface QQ306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry QQ314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0223] The antenna QQ310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna QQ310 may be coupled to the radio frontend circuitry QQ318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna QQ310 is separate from the network node QQ300 and connectable to the network node QQ300 through an interface or port.

[0224] The antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 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 QQ310, the communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0225] The power source QQ308 provides power to the various components of network node QQ300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source QQ308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node QQ300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 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 QQ308. As a further example, the power source QQ308 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.

[0226] Embodiments of the network node QQ300 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 23 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 QQ300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node QQ300 and to allow output of information from the network node QQ300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node QQ300.

[0227] Fig. 24 is a block diagram of a host QQ400, which may be an embodiment of the host QQ116 of Figure 21, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host QQ400 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 QQ400 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0228] The host QQ400 includes processing circuitry QQ402 that is operatively coupled via a bus QQ404 to an input / output interface QQ406, a network interface QQ408, a power source QQ410, and a memory QQ412. 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 22 and 23, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host QQ400.

[0229] The memory QQ412 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs QQ414 and data QQ416, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host QQ400 or data generated by the host QQ400 for a UE. Embodiments of the host QQ400 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs QQ414 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., FLAG, 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 QQ414 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 QQ400 may select and / or indicate a different host for over- the-top services for a UE. The host application programs QQ414 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.

[0230] Fig. 25 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ500 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 QQ500 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 QQ500 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface.

[0231] Applications QQ502 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0232] Hardware QQ504 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 QQ506 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs QQ508a and QQ508b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs QQ508), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer QQ506 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs QQ508.

[0233] The VMs QQ508 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer QQ506. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance QQ502 may be implemented on one or more of VMs QQ508, 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.

[0234] In the context of NFV, a VM QQ508 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 QQ508, and that part of hardware QQ504 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 QQ508 on top of the hardware QQ504 and corresponds to the application QQ502.

[0235] Hardware QQ504 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware QQ504 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware QQ504 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 QQ510, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications QQ502. In some embodiments, hardware QQ504 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system QQ512 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0236] Fig. 26 shows a communication diagram of a host QQ602 communicating via a network node QQ604 with a UE QQ606 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE QQ112a of Figure 21 and / or UE QQ200 of Figure 22), network node (such as network node QQ110a of Figure 21 and / or network node QQ300 of Figure 23), and host (such as host QQ116 of Figure 21 and / or host QQ400 of Figure 24) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 26.

[0237] Like host QQ400, embodiments of host QQ602 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host QQ602 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host QQ602 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 QQ606 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection QQ650 extending between the UE QQ606 and host QQ602. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection QQ650.

[0238] The network node QQ604 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host QQ602 and UE QQ606. The connection QQ660 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network QQ106 of Figure 21) 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.

[0239] The UE QQ606 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE QQ606 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 QQ606 with the support of the host QQ602. In the host QQ602, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection QQ650 terminating at the UE QQ606 and host QQ602. 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 QQ650 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection QQ650.

[0240] The OTT connection QQ650 may extend via a connection QQ660 between the host QQ602 and the network node QQ604 and via a wireless connection QQ670 between the network node QQ604 and the UE QQ606 to provide the connection between the host QQ602 and the UE QQ606. The connection QQ660 and wireless connection QQ670, over which the OTT connection QQ650 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host QQ602 and the UE QQ606 via the network node QQ604, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0241] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection QQ650, in step QQ608, the host QQ602 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 QQ606. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE QQ606 that shares data with the host QQ602 without explicit human interaction. In step QQ610, the host QQ602 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE QQ606. The host QQ602 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE QQ606. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE QQ606 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE QQ606. The transmission may pass via the network node QQ604, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step QQ612, the network node QQ604 transmits to the UE QQ606 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host QQ602 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step QQ614, the UE QQ606 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE QQ606 associated with the host application executed by the host QQ602.

[0242] In some examples, the UE QQ606 executes a client application which provides user data to the host QQ602. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host QQ602. Accordingly, in step QQ616, the UE QQ606 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 QQ606. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE QQ606 initiates, in step QQ618, transmission of the user data towards the host QQ602 via the network node QQ604. In step QQ620, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node QQ604 receives user data from the UE QQ606 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host QQ602. In step QQ622, the host QQ602 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE QQ606.

[0243] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE QQ606 using the OTT connection QQ650, in which the wireless connection QQ670 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve transfer consumption of network services and thereby provide benefits such as better communication, better responsiveness, and / or better battery life.

[0244] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host QQ602. As another example, the host QQ602 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host QQ602 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host QQ602 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host QQ602 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 QQ602 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.

[0245] 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 QQ650 between the host QQ602 and UE QQ606, 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 QQ602 and / or UE QQ606. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection QQ650 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 QQ650 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node QQ604. 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 QQ602. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection QQ650 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0246] 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.

[0247] 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.

[0248] It will be appreciated that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings represent non-limiting examples of the methods and apparatus taught herein. As such, the apparatus and techniques taught herein are not limited by the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. Instead, the embodiments herein are limited only by the following claims and their legal equivalents.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a target consumer network node (130) for handling a network service in a communication network (1), the method comprising: receiving (802) an indication from a source consumer network node (110), wherein the indication indicates a synchronization status of a network service consumed by the source consumer network node (110); and initiating (803) a check of the indicated synchronization status with a current synchronization status.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein initiating (803) the check comprises: transmitting the indicated synchronization status to a provider network node (120) requesting to check the validity of the indicated synchronization status; receiving from the provider network node (120), a validity indication about a synchronization status check, indicating whether the synchronization status included in the request matches the current synchronization status of the provider network node (120) or not; and performing an action taking the validity indication into account.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein performing the action comprises, with a proviso that the validity indication indicates a match of the requested synchronization status with the current synchronization status of the provider network node (120), triggering an establishment or a continuation of consumption of the network service.

4. The method according to any of the claims 2-3, wherein performing the action comprises, with a proviso that the validity indication indicates not a match of the requested synchronization status with the current synchronization status of the provider network node (120), and also receiving a trigger indication for triggering an establishment of a network service, triggering the establishment of the network service.

5. The method according to any of the claims 1-4, wherein initiating (803) the check comprises transmitting a request to a provider network node (120), requesting to check the synchronization status of the network service, wherein the request further includes a request to obtain service messages to update the indicated synchronization status; receiving from the provider network node (120), one or more service messages related to the current synchronization status indicating that the synchronization status included in the request does not match the current synchronization status of the provider network node (120); andupdating the synchronization status of the network service based on the received one or more service messages.

6. The method according to any of the claims 1-4, wherein initiating (803) the check comprises obtaining the current synchronization status and checking whether the indicated synchronization status matches the current synchronization status.

7. The method according to any of the claims 1-6, wherein the synchronization status is related to a time, a number, and / or an identifier of a message related to the network service.

8. The method according to any of the claims 1-7, wherein the synchronization status comprises a last received message number, a service context identity, and / or a time of last change to a service context.

9. The method according to any of the claims 1-8, wherein the network service comprises: a subscription to notifications of updates or changes to information hosted at or obtained by the provider network node (120), and / or a subscription to notifications of one or more network events monitored by the provider network node (120).

10. The method according to any of the claims 1-9, wherein consumption of the network service is transferred from the source consumer network node (110) to the target consumer network node (130) due to: change of responsibility for a target object of the network service, mobility of a UE, a load balancing, and / or a radio link failure.

11. A method performed by a source consumer network node (110) for handling a network service in a communication network (1), the method comprising: determining (901) to transfer consumption of the network service to a target consumer network node (130); and transmitting (902) an indication to the target consumer network node (130), wherein the indication indicates a synchronization status of the network service.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the synchronization status is related to a time, a number, and / or an identifier of a message related to the network service.

13. The method according to any of the claims 11-12, wherein the synchronization status comprises a last received message number, a service context identity, and / or a time of last change to a service context.

14. The method according to any of the claims 11-13, wherein the network service comprises: a subscription to notifications of updates or changes to information hosted at or obtained by a provider network node (120), and / or a subscription to notifications of one or more network events monitored by the provider network node (120).

15. The method according to any of the claims 11-14, wherein determining to transfer the network service is due to: change of responsibility for a target object of the network service, mobility of a user equipment, load balancing, and / or radio link failure.

16. A method performed by a provider network node (120) for handling a network service in a communication network (1), the method comprising: providing (1001) the network service to a source consumer network node (110); and initiating (1002) a check of an indicated synchronization status of a target consumer network node (130) with a current synchronization status, and / or a provision of one or more service messages, to the target consumer network node (130), of the current synchronization status.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein initiating the provision of the one or more service messages related to the current synchronization status is initiated upon a request from the target consumer network node (130).

18. The method according to any of the claims 16-17, wherein the check is initiated by receiving an indication from the target consumer network node (130), wherein the indication indicates the indicated synchronization status; and comparing the indicated synchronization status with the current synchronization status stored at the provider network node (120).

19. The method according to any of the claims 16-18, wherein the indicated synchronization status is related to a time, a number, and / or an identifier of a message related to the network service.

20. The method according to any of the claims 16-19, wherein the indicated synchronization status comprises a last message number, a service context identity, and / or a time of last change to a service context.

21. The method according to any of the claims 16-20, wherein the network service comprises: a subscription to notifications of updates or changes to information hosted ator obtained by the provider network node (120), and / or a subscription to notifications of one or more network events monitored by the provider network node (120).

22. The method according to any of the claims 16-21 , wherein consumption of the network service is transferred from the source consumer network node (110) to the target consumer network node (130) due to change of responsibility for the target object of the service, mobility of a UE, a load balancing, and / or a radio link failure.

23. A target consumer network node (130) comprising: a network interface configured to communicate with other nodes over a communication network; and a synchronization circuitry configured to handle a network service in the communication network by: receiving an indication from a source consumer network node (110), wherein the indication indicates a synchronization status of a network service consumed by the source consumer network node (110); and initiating a check of the indicated synchronization status with a current synchronization status.

24. The target consumer network node (130) according to claim 23, wherein the target consumer network node (130) is configured to perform the method according to any of the claims 2-10.

25. A source consumer network node (110) comprising: a network interface configured to communicate with other nodes over a communication network; a synchronization circuitry configured to handle a network service in the communication network by: determining to transfer consumption of the network service to a target consumer network node (130); and transmitting an indication to the target consumer network node (130), wherein the indication indicates a synchronization status of the network service.

26. The source consumer network node (110) according to claim 25, wherein the source consumer network node (110) is configured to perform the method according to any of the claims 12-15.

27. A provider network node (120) comprising:a network interface configured to communicate with other nodes over a communication network; a synchronization circuitry configured to handle a network service in the communication network by: providing the network service to a source consumer network node (110); and initiating a check of an indicated synchronization status of a target consumer network node (130) with a current synchronization status, and / or a provision of one or more service messages, to the target consumer network node (130), of the current synchronization status.

28. The provider network node (120) according to claim 27, wherein the provider network node (120) is configured to perform the method according to any of the claims 17-22.

29. A computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the claims 1-22, as performed by the target consumer network node (130), the source consumer network node (110), and the provider network node (120), respectively.

30. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the claims 1-22, as performed by the target consumer network node (130), the source consumer network node (110), and the provider network node (120), respectively.

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