Policy control with analytic service assistance for energy efficiency

Abstract

In one or more systems, methods, and / or devices there may be techniques that carry out policy control with analytic service assistance for energy efficiency. To accomplish this, the energy efficiency may be carried out in one or more approaches, such as event exposure, registration, configuration update, and / or the like. An energy-saving and / or efficiency strategy may have a goal and / or one or more parameters. Each strategy involve one or more steps, such as inputting / collecting data, analyzing the data, and outputting a recommendation. In one instance, the recommendation and / or overall strategy may be location based, event based, time based, and / or the like.

Description

POLICY CONTROL WITH ANALYTIC SERVICE ASSISTANCE FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCYCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 620,022, filed Jan 11 , 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.SUMMARY

[0002] In one or more systems, methods, and / or devices there may be techniques that carry out policy control with analytic service assistance for energy efficiency. To accomplish this, the energy efficiency may be carried out in one or more approaches, such as event exposure, registration, configuration update, and / or the like. An energy-saving and / or efficiency strategy may have a goal and / or one or more parameters. Each strategy involve one or more steps, such as inputting / collecting data, analyzing the data, and outputting a recommendation. In one instance, the recommendation and / or overall strategy may be location based, event based, time based, and / or the like.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals in the figures indicate like elements, and wherein:

[0004] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented;

[0005] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment;

[0006] FIG. 1 C is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1 A according to an embodiment;

[0007] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating a further example RAN and a further example CN that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment;

[0008] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a reference model of 5G / NextGen network;

[0009] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of an analytic service procedure for recommended energysavings strategy;

[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a future AM policy update procedure;

[0011] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of an energy-saving strategy enforcement procedure; and

[0012] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a WTRU method according to one or more techniques described herein.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] One or more of the following acronyms may be used herein: 5G Core Network (5GC), 5G System (5GS), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Control Plane (CP), Downlink (DL), Data Network (DN), Data Network Name (DNN), Multicast / Broadcast Service (MBS), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Network Function (NF), Policy Control Function (PCF), (Radio) Access Network (©AN), Session Management Function (SMF), Tracking Area (TA), Unified Data Management (UDM), Uplink (UL), User Plane Function (UPF).

[0014] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communications system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word discrete Fourier transform Spread OFDM (ZT-UW-DFT-S-OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a radio access network (RAN) 104, a core network (ON) 106, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 1 10, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a station (STA), may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fl device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch orother wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0016] The communications systems 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 1 14a, 1 14b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a NodeB, an eNode B (eNB), a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a next generation NodeB, such as a gNode B (gNB), a new radio (NR) NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 1 14a, 1 14b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 1 14b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0017] The base station 1 14a may be part of the RAN 104, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, and the like. The base station 1 14a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a wireless service to a specific geographical area that may be relatively fixed or that may change over time The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 1 14a may include three transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 1 14a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0018] The base stations 114a, 1 14b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 1 16 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0019] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High- Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed Uplink (UL) Packet Access (HSU PA).

[0020] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE- Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0021] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR Radio Access , which may establish the air interface 116 using NR.

[0022] In an embodiment, the base station 1 14a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 1 14a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for instance using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., an eNB and a gNB).

[0023] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1 X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[0024] The base station 114b in FIG. 1 A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g„ WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1A, the base station 1 14b may have a direct connection to the Internet 1 10. Thus, the base station 1 14b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106.

[0025] The RAN 104 may be in communication with the CN 106, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d . The data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as differing throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, and the like. The CN 106 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 and / or the CN 106 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104, which may be utilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0026] The CN 106 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 1 10, and / or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit- switched telephone networks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and / or the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communications networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 1 12 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT.

[0027] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0028] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1 B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138, among others. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any subcombination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0029] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 1 18 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG. 1 B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be appreciated that the processor 1 18 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0030] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 1 16. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0031] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 1 B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0032] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities.Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.1 1 , for example.

[0033] The processor 1 18 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 1 18 may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0034] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0035] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 1 16 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determine its location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0036] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e- compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a Virtual Reality and / or Augmented Reality (VR / AR) device, anactivity tracker, and the like. The peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors. The sensors may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor, an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, a humidity sensor and the like.

[0037] The WTRU 102 may include a full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and DL (e.g., for reception) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit to reduce and or substantially eliminate selfinterference via either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a halfduplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or the DL (e.g., for reception)).

[0038] FIG. 1 C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 1 16. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0039] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 1 16. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0040] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0041] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1 C may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW) 166. While the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator

[0042] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0043] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0044] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0045] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional landline communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 1 12, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0046] Although the WTRU is described in FIGS. 1A-1 D as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments that such a terminal may use (e.g., temporarily or permanently) wired communication interfaces with the communication network.

[0047] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0048] A WLAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or an interface to a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic in to and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that originates from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to respective destinations. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where the source STA may send traffic to the AP and theAP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. The traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. The peer-to-peer traffic may be sent between (e.g., directly between) the source and destination STAs with a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use an 802.1 1e DLS or an 802.11 z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs (e.g., all of the STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may sometimes be referred to herein as an “ad-hoc” mode of communication.

[0049] When using the 802.11 ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operations, the AP may transmit a beacon on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a dynamically set width. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example in 802.1 1 systems. For CSMA / CA, the STAs (e.g., every STA), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0050] High Throughput (HT) STAs may use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, for example, via a combination of the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or nonadjacent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0051] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. The 40 MHz, and / or 80 MHz, channels may be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining 8 contiguous 20 MHz channels, or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data, after channel encoding, may be passed through a segment parser that may divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing, and time domain processing, may be done on each stream separately. The streams may be mapped on to the two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the above described operation for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be sent to the Medium Access Control (MAC).

[0052] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11 af and 802.1 1 ah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11 af and 802.11 ah relative to those used in 802.1 1n, and 802.11 ac. 802.11 af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.1 1 ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHzbandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.1 1 ah may support Meter Type Control / Machine-Type Communications (MTC), such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities including support for (e.g., only support for) certain and / or limited bandwidths. The MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0053] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11n, 802.11 ac, 802.1 1 af, and 802.1 1 ah, include a channel which may be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the largest common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA, from among all STAs in operating in a BSS, which supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode. In the example of 802.1 1 ah, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for STAs (e.g., MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1 MHz mode, even if the AP, and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or Network Allocation Vector (NAV) settings may depend on the status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to a STA (which supports only a 1 MHz operating mode) transmitting to the AP, all available frequency bands may be considered busy even though a majority of the available frequency bands remains idle.

[0054] In the United States, the available frequency bands, which may be used by 802.11 ah, are from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency bands are from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11 ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the country code.

[0055] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 1 16. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0056] The RAN 104 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gN Bs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 1 16 In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement M IMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 108b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregationtechnology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0057] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframe or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e g., containing a varying number of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time).

[0058] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without also accessing other RANs (e.g., such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c). In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as a mobility anchor point. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with / connect to gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating with / connecting to another RAN such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In the non-standalone configuration, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may serve as a mobility anchor for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for servicing WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0059] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, DC, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards User Plane Function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 182a, 182b and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with one another over an Xn interface.

[0060] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1 D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. While the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0061] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via an N2 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, support for network slicing (e.g., handling of different protocol data unit (PDU) sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, management of the registration area, termination of non- access stratum (NAS) signaling, mobility management, and the like. Network slicing may be used by the AMF 182a, 182b in order to customize CN support for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the types of services being utilized WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for MTC access, and the like. The AMF 182a, 182b may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE- A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0062] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 106 via an N1 1 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to a UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 106 via an N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating UE IP address, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing DL data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP based, Ethernet-based, and the like.

[0063] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 1 10, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering DL packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0064] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS)server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to a local DN 185a, 185b through the UPF 184a, 184b via the N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0065] In view of FIGs. 1A-1 D, and the corresponding description of FIGs. 1A-1 D, one or more, or all, of the functions described herein with regard to one or more of: WTRU 102a-d, Base Station 114a- b, eNode-B 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF 182a-b, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b, and / or any other device(s) described herein, may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all, of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0066] The emulation devices may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, the one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device may be directly coupled to another device for purposes of testing and / or performing testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0067] The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, including all, functions while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in a testing scenario in a testing laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network in order to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0068] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a model of a potential architecture of 5G and / or NextGen network. As shown, RAN 208 may refer to a radio access network based on the 5G RAT or Evolved E-UTRA that connects to the NextGen core network. The Access Control and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 203 may include one or more of the following functionalities: Registration management, Connection management, Reachability management, Mobility Management, etc. The Session Management Function (SMF) 204 mayinclude one or more of the following functionalities: session management (including session establishment, modify and release), WTRU IP address allocation, selection and control of UP function, etc. The User Plane Function (UPF) 209 may include one or more ofthe following functionalities: packet routing & forwarding, packet inspection, traffic usage reporting, etc. The Policy Control Function (PCF) 205 may include one or more of the following functionalities: supporting unified policy framework to govern network behavior, provision of policy rules to control plane function(s) to enforce them, accessing subscription information relevant for policy decision, etc.

[0069] In some cases, network energy-saving and efficiency may be important in a given communications network, such as for one or more devices in the network and / or of the network in its entirety. In one case, network energy-savings may include the core network function and RAN interactions, analytics, etc. For example, there may be energy usage adjustment for NF from CN aspect, energy-saving related decision making, NF selection leveraging NF energy states, for network energy-saving including core network function and RAN interactions, analytics, etc. In approaching network energy-saving and efficiencies herein, one or more questions may be addressed: whether and how to enhance the existing operations and procedures to satisfy the energy-saving and energy efficiency requirements; Whether and how to enhance the NF selection / re-selection related functionalities considering energy-saving and energy efficiency based on e.g., NF energy states, analytics, and energy related information; whether and how to enhance network analytics for network energy-saving and network energy efficiency; and / or, what, if any, energy related information (e.g. per QoS flow / PDU session / WTRU / NF) is required and how it is collected to support 5GS enhancement. As discussed herein, the terms energy and power may be interchangeable.

[0070] In one approach for network energy-saving and efficiency, a Network Data Analytics method / device may provide statistics and / or predictions based on specific requests from the entities consuming this information. Some examples of the type of information that this feature is capable of providing may include statistics and / or predictions on base station status information, base station resource usage, communication, and / or mobility performance in an area of interest (e.g., defined as an area within a certain radius of a defined center, one or preconfigured zones relative to a known location, or the like). The target of such analytics may comprise a single WTRU, a group of WTRUs, or any WTRU that may be in an area of interest. Furthermore, network data analytics may be provided to characterize Network Function load, and / or Network Slice load, as well as data analytics that can provide predictions and statistics regarding WTRU mobility, expected WTRU behavior, and even observed service experience at multiple levels, including Network Slice, service experience for a particular application or service experience for a particular application over a particular access type (e.g., RAT type, resource such as frequency, etc.).

[0071] For network energy-saving and efficiency, one or more entities (e.g., NF, RAN node, WTRU) may change their operation (e.g., operational state, operational power), and / or it may result in the change of one or more service areas, available services, and / or quality of services. It may be desirable to find an optimal energy-saving strategy with minimizing service degradation or user impact (e.g., due to the seamless service availability of a 5G system and / or sustainable quality of service to achieve service level(s) of one or more subscribers). Accordingly, one or more solutions may be provided herein that address how a 5G system can determine energy-saving strategy with minimizing user impact.

[0072] For network energy-saving and efficiency, an expected network availability change may be indicated (e.g., as early as possible) to a WTRU so that the WTRU can move to a proper network resource to minimize service interruption. The information may be available to both active mode WTRU and / or idle mode WTRU. Accordingly, one or more solutions may be provided herein that address how a 5G system may apply energy efficient operation while minimizing service interruption to a WTRU (e.g., in active or idle mode).

[0073] In order to address the above questions, and / or to generally improve the field of communication networks, there may be a plurality of approaches, disclosed herein, to improving network energy-saving and efficiency.

[0074] Generally, for any given system concerned with energy-saving and efficiency, there may be an analysis (e.g., energy-saving strategy analysis) component and a recommendation / determination (e.g., energy-saving strategy recommendation) component that may result in instructions sent to one or more devices to alter a configuration, alter a behavior, take an action, etc. to achieve energy-saving and efficiency. The analysis may be dependent upon information (e.g., data, statistics, etc.) that is / are requested and / or received from one or more entities. The information may be received dynamically, periodically, or trigger based. Strategy may by interchangeable to analysis and recommendation herein.

[0075] A network function (e.g., NWDAF, NEF, or the like) may provide an energy-saving strategy analysis and recommendation service; in one instance, the NF may be labeled as an Energy-saving Analytic NF or ESANF. In one case, the analysis and recommendation may be provided by different NF entities. In one case, the analysis and recommendation may be performed / provided by the same entity. As discussed herein, an entity may be any type of device disclosed herein, such as but not limited to a WTRU, base station, network function, network node, and the like.

[0076] An energy-saving strategy (which may be interchangeable with strategy) may generally represent (e.g., overall plan, algorithm which has input and out, instructions / commands, and / or thelike) how to manage energy consumption of each entity at a given target area and / or at a given target period (e.g., starting time and ending time) in order to achieve a goal (e.g., requested).

[0077] A strategy may also be for a target WTRU or group of WTRUs, for one or more target application(s), service(s), and / or a NW slice (e.g., limit the energy consumption of each entity serving a group of WTRUs for a NW slice, etc.).

[0078] A strategy may have one or more goals. A strategy, analysis, and / or recommendation may be applicable for all involved entities (e.g., of a network, a cell, a type, a WTRU, etc.), individual entities, and / or for one or more sets of entities (e.g., each set has a different goal). A WTRU may determine whether a message related to a strategy, analysis, and / or recommendation is relevant to the WTRU based on one or more means, such as an explicit indication (e.g., identifier), an implied indication (e.g., based on resource usage, group identifier, etc.).

[0079] A goal (e.g., requested, configured, etc.) for energy-saving and efficiency, may include a goal to achieve an energy-saving efficiency (e.g., ratio of total power consumption versus total power capacity) and / or a goal to limit a total power consumption (e.g., for one or more targets as disclosed herein) to be under a target threshold. In one instance, the target may be for a specific target area and / or for a specific target period of time.

[0080] A goal may include an average / target power saving efficiency (e.g., value, limit, threshold, etc.) over all involved entities (e.g., of a network, a cell, a type, etc.), individual entities, and / or for one or more sets of entities (e.g., each set has a different goal). This goal may be for a time window or may be an instantaneous peak value that an entity(ies) should not exceed.

[0081] A goal for a power consumption limit may include a limit to the aggregated power consumption of all involved entities or a limit to the power consumption of an individual entity or a group of entities.

[0082] A strategy may be managed by one or more authorities, such as a mobile operator or third party service provider (e.g., that provides a strategy to the mobile operator and / or on behalf of the mobile operator). In any scenario, there may be an application function / server and / or a (e.g., dedicated) NF for managing one or more strategies. For example, when a third party service provider provides a strategy, there may be an application function dedicated for managing the energy-saving strategy.

[0083] A strategy may be determined at one or more different levels. Generally, a strategy may require input in order to determine an output (e.g., receiving data and processing the data according to the strategy to generate an output that implements the strategy). A determination is necessarilymade, in some cases, by a strategy. For example, a strategy may be determined at RAN level, Tracking Area level, a NF or an NF set level, or a NW Slice level.

[0084] A strategy may be determined at a single WTRU or group of WTRU level. For example, a strategy may take into consideration WTRU related energy consumption information, such as energy resources reserved for a WTRU or a group of WTRUs and so on.

[0085] A first entity (e.g., a management entity, or a strategy management entity, or an entity that serves multiple purposes, including strategy management) may send a request for analysis and / or a recommendation to one or more second entities (e.g., ESANF) and determine a strategy based on a response message (e.g., received in response to the request) that includes information concerning results of an analysis and / or recommendation. For example, the first entity may have a plurality of strategies, and determine one or more strategies depending on an analysis and / or recommendation. For example, the first entity may have a strategy (e.g., focused on a specific one or more entities) and use the strategy and any analysis and / or recommendation received to generate an output of the strategy, as disclosed herein.

[0086] An analysis and / or recommendation may include analytic information of a strategy (e.g., statistical / historical information of a strategy achieving a goal) and / or predictions / recommendations information of a strategy to achieve a goal.

[0087] For each level of a strategy, an analysis / recommendation may be requested and provided.

[0088] A strategy per RAN level may be to manage RAN nodes (e.g., cell site, gNB, RSU, etc.) at a target area for achieving a goal.

[0089] A strategy per RAN level or analysis / recommendation per RAN level may include one or more of the following: a strategy for an individual entity, for example turning on / off of cell sites, limiting capacity of cell site, controlling number of bearers in the cell site, controlling data rate of WTRU (AMBR of WTRUs in the cell site); a strategy for a group of entities, for example to limit a total number of capacity (e.g., total number of user or total number of terminals, total number of bearers, total number of PDU sessions, etc.) or to limit average capacity (e.g , average data rate of cell sites, average number of active users or active terminal of cell sites, etc.); a strategy for a group of entities, for example load redistribution among cell site, handover strategy, strategy handling WTRUs in idle mode, etc.; a strategy for a group of entities for limiting capacity per network slice or per application, for example limiting number of bearers, limiting data rate used for a NW slice or for an application, etc.; and / or, a strategy for some RAN node to work for controlling a WTRU but not for serving user data, for example based on the strategy some RAN node(s) may participate (e.g., only) in sending system information or paging information and notifying the WTRU to ramp on other RAN nodes.

[0090] A strategy per tracking area may manage one or more RAN nodes of each tracking area at the target area for achieving a goal.

[0091] A strategy per tracking area and / or an analysis / recommendation per tracking area may include one or more of the following: a strategy whether to support NW slices and traffic for an application per tracking area; and / or a strategy per RAN level for RAN nodes in the tracking area.

[0092] A strategy per NF level may manage NFs or NF set serving a target area for achieving a goal.

[0093] A strategy per NF level or Energy-saving Strategy Analysis / Recommendation per NF level may include one or more of the following: a strategy to determine service area (e.g., list of Tracking Area) of each NF or NF set; a strategy to determine the supported NW slices at a target service area or at a determined service area of NFs or NF group, for example this strategy may include a limit number of NW slice per service area of NFs or NF groups, where this limit may be different from one service area to another or may be the same; a strategy to provide limits, such as limiting a number of transactions, limiting a number of users, limiting a number of terminals served by the NFs or NF set; and / or, a strategy to determine a different energy consumption limit per supported NW slice and to apply a different strategy, for example by limiting service area (e.g., list of tracking area), number of transactions, or number of users per supported NW slice to achieve the energy consumption limit at a (e.g., determined) service area or at a target service area.

[0094] A strategy per NW Slice level is for a NW slice to manage NFs or NF set that is common (e.g , AMF, PCF, etc.) or dedicated to the NW slice (e.g., SMF, UPF, PCF, etc.) and / or manage RAN nodes serving the NW slice at a target area for a goal.

[0095] A strategy per NW slice level or analysis / recommendation per NW slice level may include one or more of the following: a strategy to determine a service area (e.g., list of tracking area) of each NF or NF set; a strategy of limits, such as limiting the capacity of each NF or NF set, for example limiting number of transactions, limiting number of users or number of terminals, limiting number of PDU session or QoS flows served by the NFs or NF set (e.g., maximum number per NF or average number of NFs); a strategy of limits, such as limiting the capacity of each NF or NF set per application, for example limiting number of PDU sessions, limiting number of QoS flows, limiting (e.g., aggregated or average) data rate per QoS flows / PDU session used to carry traffic for the application; and / or, a strategy per RAN level for limiting capacity per NW slice.

[0096] A strategy per DNN level or application level may be to manage NFs or NF set that is / are assigned for DNN or Application traffic (e.g., SMF, UPF, PCF, etc.) and / or manage RAN nodes serving radio resource associated to DNN or Application traffic at the target area for achieving a goal.

[0097] A strategy per DNN level or Application level may include one or more of the following: a strategy to determine service area (e.g., list of tracking area) of each NF or NF set; a strategy of limiting , such as limiting the capacity of each NF or NF set, for example limiting number of transactions, limiting number of users or number of terminals, limiting number of PDU session or QoS flows served by the NFs or NF set (e.g., maximum number per NF or average number of NFs) for the DNN or for the traffic flows for the Application; a strategy such of limiting, such as limiting the capacity of each NF or NF set per application, for example, limiting number of PDU sessions, limiting number of QoS flows, limiting (aggregated or average) data rate per QoS flows / PDU session used to carry traffic for the application or the DNN; and / or, a strategy per RAN level for limiting capacity for radio resources associate to DNN or Application traffic.

[0098] A strategy may impact a policy for one or more WTRU(s) at a target area. Impact to a policy may result in an updated policy, and the updated policy may include an adjusted WTRU's available service area, available radio resource, maximum data rate for application, handover, and / or idle mode operation based on a strategy. A policy function may provide the updated policy immediately or may provide a future policy update in advance to the WTRU (e.g., via a message, including the policy update, such as a configuration).

[0099] For example, a strategy for a tracking area may include an update, where the update includes a list of allowed NW slice(s) at the tracking area (e.g., some NW slices may change to a partially available NW slice), and / or a list of service area restriction (e.g., some tracking areas may change to unallowed service area). A WTRU at a target area may be provided with a future access and mobility policy update, which may include an updated list of NW slice and / or updated service area restriction.

[0100] In order to derive a strategy, an entity (e.g., such as a NF, for example NWDAF), may perform data collection from one or more ether entities (e.g., RAN nodes, NFs serving the target area, WTRUs, etc.). For different strategy levels, different RAN nodes and / or different NFs or NF set(s) may be chosen and involved for data collection.

[0101] For example, for a strategy for NG-RAN nodes, each RAN node may provide information, such as a number of active WTRUs, number of available cells in each active WTRU, load level in RAN node or in cell level, and / or the like. Historical data may be provided (e.g., in addition to, or alternatively) from each RAN node, such as historical data of load information, number of active WTRU, etc.

[0102] If needed, a NG-RAN node may communicate with a WTRU(s) or communicate with other cells to gather information, such as a number of available cells, channel status of each available cell for a WTRU, etc.

[0103] For example, for a strategy for a tracking area each RAN node may provide the information per NW slice or per application, for example load level in each cell per NW slice or per bearer for the application. The information may include instant information and / or historical information.

[0104] For gathering historical data of RAN node or WTRU which is served at the target area, the NF may communicate with AF or NWDAF.

[0105] NF(e.g., NWDAF), OAM, or AF may provide (e.g., additional) analytic data for each RAN node or WTRU at a target area, for example future WTRU’s mobility pattern, history of usage of traffic or traffic pattern per application, etc.

[0106] Communicate (e.g., or communication, or message exchange, or request and response, or configured, inform, indicate, etc.) as used herein may include a first entity sending a message, where the message includes a request. One or more second entities may receive the message, and the request included in the message. The one or more second entities may process the request, and send a response message, where the response message pertains to the request. At any point during this process, feedback may be requested, feedback may be sent (e.g., either in response to a request or regardless of whether a request for feedback was included); the feedback may act as a confirmation that a relevant message was received, not received, or received in part. The feedback may include other information, such as a reasoning for a confirmation status

[0107] In one example, there may be a method for a WTRU to adapt to network energy-saving strategies while minimizing service interruption and maintaining service quality. The WTRU may perform several steps. First, the WTRU may receive an initial notification from a network about expected changes in service availability, operational state, or quality of service due to energy-saving strategies. These notifications may be disseminated to both active-mode and idle-mode WTRUs via signaling mechanisms disclosed herein. For idle-mode WTRUs, these notifications may include updates to access and mobility management policies, such as adjustments to allowed PLMN or service areas.

[0108] The WTRU may receive updated network policies provided by the Policy Control Function (PCF) or equivalent entities. These policies may define configurations to service areas, changes in network slice availability, or constraints on maximum data rates and other quality-of-service parameters. When future policy updates are provided, the WTRU may store them for future triggers, such as planning and transitions. In some instances, the updates may have an associated triggerand / or one or more associated parameters (e.g., the conditions or context in which a configuration, change, action of the update). Based on these updates, the WTRU may update its configurations and services. For instance, a WTRU may seamlessly transition to alternative network slices or cells, adjust application behavior such as data throttling for non-critical apps, and initiate handover or reselection procedures to ensure service continuity. Idle-mode WTRUs may also be configured to periodically update tracking to ensure readiness for transitions when entering active mode.

[0109] The WTRU may communicate (e.g., send / receive) with the network, such as measurement information, telemetry data, etc., such as current cell load information and the status of neighboring cells. The WTRU may also adapt its behavior to optimize energy usage, such as reducing the frequency of uplink transmissions or deferring non-urgent data. Feedback mechanisms may be employed to refine these strategies further (e.g , where the WTRU is configured to send a report after an update). The WTRU may report mobility patterns, usage trends, and traffic demands to network entities like NWDAF or RAN nodes, enabling continuous optimization. In cases where service degradation is detected, the WTRU may request refined policies or alternative resources.

[0110] The WTRU may determine to take actions based on data (e.g., from itself or received from the network), such as moving to alternative resources before expected service degradation occurs based on historical data. For targeted applications, the WTRU may dynamically prioritize or limit traffic based on energy-saving policies, such as restricting bandwidth for non-critical apps during energysaving periods.

[0111] FIG. 3 illustrates an example analytic procedure for recommended energy-saving strategy. Generally, there may be multiple entities that may communicate with one another to facilitate the implementation, and possibly the determination, of a strategy. As shown, there is a WTRU (e.g., UE) 301 , RAN 302, AMF 303, SMF 304, PCF 305, GAM 306, NWDAF 307, NEF 308, and / or an AF / NF 309. While a plurality of steps are shown, it is intended that the illustrated process is merely an example and that this process may be altered from what is illustrated, meaning one or more steps may be omitted, reordered, and / or modified.

[0112] At 31 1 , a first entity (e.g., AF / NF, or any other entity disclosed herein) that manages a strategy may be triggered by a request for an update (e.g., an request sent in a message, the request relating to updating a strategy, such as by regulation and / or by information received, such as statistics of energy consumption). The strategy (e.g., related to the update request) may be associated with a target area and / or a target period. The strategy may be requested for a specific target goal, for example, increasing energy-saving efficiency, limiting energy consumption to a threshold, or any other goal disclosed herein.

[0113] At 312, the first entity (e.g., AF / NF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) may send a service request for a strategy analytics / recommendation to a second entity (e.g., ESANF, NF such as NWDAF or NEF, or other entity disclosed herein). The service request for the strategy analytics / recommendation may include target area, target period, target goal for energy-saving, level of energy-saving strategy (e.g., RAN level, Tracking Area level, NF or NF set level or NW slice level), and / or one or more other parameters related to the strategy and / or goa.

[0114] In one case, when the service request is from a AF which is non-trusted third party entity, the service request may be sent to the NF via NEF. The request may additionally include target WTRU and / or group of WTRUs, target Application(s) for which energy-saving strategy is desired, and / or one or more other parameters.

[0115] At 313, after receiving the service request for energy-saving strategy analytics / recommendation, the second entity (e.g ., ESANF, NWDAF as shown, or any entity disclosed herein) may identify one or more entities for data collection (e.g. RAN nodes, NFs or NF set, AF, NWDAF) based on one or more of the received parameters (e.g., target goal, target area, target period and level of energy-saving strategy, etc.).

[0116] At 314, the second entity (e.g., ESANF, NWDAF as shown, or other entity disclosed herein) may collect data for a fourth entity (e g., OAM as shown, or any entity disclosed herein). The collected data may include any data of relevance to energy efficiency and saving, such as resource usage status and related information (e.g., consumed data rate, utilization ratio of processing power, etc.), energy consumption status and related information (e.g., operational system specification, cooling system specification, etc., environmental data(e.g., temperature, precipitation, etc.), and / or the like. The information may include both current information and historical information.

[0117] At 315, the second entity (e.g., ESANF, NWDAF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) may collect data from entities identified at 313. For example, the following data may be collected from the identified entities: From an AMF- list of WTRUs, supported NW slice information, WTRU's mobility, and / or any other data disclosed herein; From NSCAF- slice-based energy usage information, and / or any other data disclosed herein; From SMF- number of PDU session, PDU session active time, Priority, and / or any other data disclosed herein; From NWDAF- analytic data, and / or any other data disclosed herein.

[0118] At 316, the second entity (e.g., ESANF, NWDAF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) may collect data from the first entity (e.g., AF / NF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein), which may be associated to the supported NW slice service and / or Application at the targetarea. For example, requested service activity for an application, future data usage requirements, etc., may be collected.

[0119] At 317, the second entity (e.g., ESANF, NWDAF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) may collect data from one or more entities (e.g., RAN node) identified at 313. For example, the collected data from RAN nodes may include the one or more of a list of WTRUs served by the RAN nodes, number of Bearer available and / or active, number of signaling Bearer available and / or active, number of data Bearer available and / or active, Data rate of active bearers, Data rate per WTRU, etc.

[0120] At 318, the second entity (e.g., ESANF, NWDAF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) may collect analytic data from the network entity (e.g., NWDAF as shown) relating to one or more other entities (e.g., the NF, RAN node, WTRU's activities). The second entity may internally collect analytic data, or a different network entity may be involved in data collection for analytic data relating to one or more other entities. For example, analysis of aggregated data rate, number of signaling transactions, or expected data rate may be collected. The analysis data may be collected per RAN level, TA level, application level, NW slice level, or the like (e.g., as disclosed herein).

[0121] At 319, based on collected data, the second entity (e.g., ESANF, NWDAF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) may provide energy-saving strategy analytics / recommendation. The energy-saving strategy analytics / recommendation may be derived according to the requested level of energy-saving strategy. The energy-saving strategy analytics / recommendation may be provided with candidate entities, recommended operation of each candidate entity, and / or a recommended operational period (e.g., start time, end time).

[0122] At 320, the second entity (e.g., ESANF, NWDAF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) may send a service response for energy-saving strategy analytics / recommendation with recommended energy-saving strategy. It may include a list of candidate entities, recommended operation of each candidate entity, and / or recommended operational period.

[0123] At 321 , after receiving recommended energy-saving strategy analytics / recommendation, the first entity (e.g., AF / NF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) may decide / determine / automatically, based on the communication, to apply the recommended energysaving strategy at the target area.

[0124] At 322, when a new energy-saving strategy is determined and applied, the first entity (e.g., AF / NF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) may inform the strategy to one or more other entities (RAN, AMF, SMF / UPF, etc.) and one or more other entities operate according to the strategy. The first entity (e.g., AF / NF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) managing energy-savingstrategy may inform another entity (e.g., PCF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) the updated policy and / or service-related information for WTRUs at the target area according to the new energy-saving strategy. For example, based on energy-saving strategy, allowed NW slice information, allowed service area information, RFSP index information may change, and / or the like.

[0125] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a future AM policy update procedure. Generally, there may be multiple entities that may communicate with one another to facilitate a policy update procedure. As shown, there is a WTRU (e.g., UE) 401 , RAN 402, AMF 403, SMF 404, PCF 405, and / or an AF / NF 406. While a plurality of steps are shown, it is intended that the illustrated process is merely an example and that this process may be altered from what is illustrated, meaning one or more steps may be omitted , reordered, and / or modified.

[0126] At 410, service information relating to a first entity (e.g ., AF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) may change. For example, AF or NF may determine to apply a new energy-saving strategy.

[0127] At 411 , after receiving updated service information or policy from the first entity for some target area and / or effective time, a second entity (e.g., PCF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) may update policy for WTRUs at the target area for future policy or service change with effective time. For example, a PCF may generate future Access and Mobility Related Policy that includes the change of RFSP index, service area restriction, available tracking area information, allowed NW slice information, etc. with effective time (e.g., when the new policy will take effect).

[0128] Additionally or alternatively, a third entity (e.g., AMF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) may receive future updates of WTRU configuration information (e.g., allowed NSSAI information, future update of service area restriction, etc.) with candidate WTRU’s information (e.g., for a group of WTRUs, for some NW slices, etc.) from the first entity (e.g., AF or NF, or any other entity disclosed herein) directly (e.g., for some group of WTRUs, for some NW slices, etc.).

[0129] At 412, the WTRU may send a registration request to the third entity serving the target area, for example, when the WTRU newly enters the target area and / or indicated by the system (e.g., based on configuration change indication in the system information block).

[0130] At 413, based on the registration request, the third entity may send an AM Policy Association request to the second entity (e.g., PCF, as shown) for the WTRU.

[0131] At 414, when the second entity responds to the Policy association request, it may include a future AM Policy update with effective time (e.g., time parameter, time period, start time, end time, etc.). For example, a service area restriction change, configured or allowed NW slice information change, and / or URSP rule update with an effective time. The different effective times may beappended for each policy content or one effective time may be used for all policy content for future AM Policy updates. The time parameter may, in effect, act as at least part of a trigger to implement the policy content (e.g., action, configuration, etc.).

[0132] At 415, when the third entity sends a registration response to the WTRU, it may include a future AM policy update based on the received information. When the third entity receives future update of WTRU configuration information for the WTRU (i.e., WTRU belongs to the list for future updates of WTRU configuration), the third entity may include the future update of WTRU configuration information in the registration response to the WTRU.

[0133] At 416, as another possibility, the second entity may inform the third entity about the future AM Policy update for WTRU(s).

[0134] At 417, after receiving the update for future AM Policy update from the second entity, the third entity may send a WTRU configuration update change request to provide future AM Policy update to the WTRU.

[0135] Additionally or alternatively, when the third entity receives a future update of WTRU configuration information for the WTRU (e.g., WTRU belongs to the list for future updates of WTRU configuration), the third entity may include the future update of WTRU configuration information in the WTRU configuration update change request to the WTRU.

[0136] At 418, after receiving a WTRU configuration update change, the WTRU may send a response.

[0137] At 419, the WTRU may operate to apply future AM Policy update(s) or future updates of WTRU configuration information. For example, when the WTRU is located at the tracking area or cell site that will not be available based on future AM policy, the WTRU may perform handover or reregister to an available cell site or tracking area after applying the future AM policy. For example, when the WTRU’s allowed NW slice is not available after an effective time based on a future AM policy update, the WTRU may try to make registration at another available cell site or AMF for the requested NW slice. As may be understood from the example, the WTRU may take an action (e.g., as described herein); the action may occur / trigger based on the configuration of the future AM policy update and / or time parameter associated with AM policy.

[0138] Alternatively or Additionally, after 416, the third entity may page the WTRU for the future AM Policy update with an effective time.

[0139] FIG.5 illustrates an example of an energy-saving strategy enforcement procedure. Generally, there may be multiple entities that may communicate with one another to facilitate a policy update procedure. As shown, there is a WTRU (e.g., UE) 501 , RAN 502, AMF 503, SMF 504, PCF505, and / or an AF / NF 506. While a plurality of steps are shown, it is intended that the illustrated process is merely an example and that this process may be altered from what is illustrated, meaning one or more steps may be omitted, reordered, and / or modified.

[0140] At 510, service information relating to a first entity (e.g., AF / NF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) may change. For example, AF or NF may determine to apply a new energy-saving strategy.

[0141] At 51 1 , the first entity may send a request for energy-saving strategy enforcement to a second entity (e.g., a RAN as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein, such as a group of gNBs). The strategy enforcement may include a strategy per RAN level as described herein (e.g., turning on / off of cell sites, recommended capacity of cell sites, handover strategy, etc.).

[0142] At 512a, based on energy-saving strategy enforcement, the second entity may initiate handover of WTRUs to another available cell site. When there is any WTRU requested handover, the second entity may apply handover policy to the WTRU based on the strategy (e.g., accept or reject the incoming handover request or redirect to other cell site, etc.).

[0143] At 512b, based on a strategy enforcement, the second entity may apply a different Idle mode policy per strategy (e.g., informing different RFSP index for cell reselection, accept or reject the service request, and / or redirect to other cell for service request, etc.)

[0144] At 513, the first entity may send a request for energy-saving strategy enforcement to a third entity (e.g., SMF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) or set of third entities set (e.g. per DNN or per NS slice). The energy-saving strategy enforcement may include a strategy per NW slice level, per DNN level, or per application level as described herein.

[0145] At 514, based on a strategy enforcement, the third entity may apply different PDU session management policy (e.g., accept or reject PDU session setup / modification request per DNN or NW slice, activation or deactivation of PDU session, change of PDU session anchor, etc.). Based on the PDU session management policy, the third entity may send the PDU session modification request to WTRU to release PDU session, release QoS flows, change of PDU session anchor, etc.). When there is a WTRU requested PDU session establishment, the third entity may accept or reject PDU session request per strategy.

[0146] When applying a strategy, the third entity may interact with a fourth entity (e.g., PCF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) to determine energy-saving policy enforcement actions.

[0147] At 515, the first entity may send a request for energy-saving strategy enforcement to a fifth entity (e.g., AMF as shown, or any other entity disclosed herein) or fifth entity set. The strategy enforcement may include a strategy per NW slice level, or per DNN level as disclosed herein.

[0148] At 516, based on a strategy enforcement, the fifth entity may apply energy-saving policy against incoming PDU session setup request per DNN or per NW slice, (e.g., reject PDU session setup request based on transaction quota per DNN or per NW slice, etc.)

[0149] When applying energy-saving strategy, the fifth entity may use a sixth entity (e.g., NSCAF, or any other entity disclosed herein) to determine slice-based energy usage info and the fifth entity may interact with the fourth entity to determine energy-saving policy enforcement actions.

[0150] In one example, one or more entities may preform the following. There may be a service request for a strategy (e.g., related to energy-savings) for a target area, a target period, a level, and / or a target goal. Entities may be identified for data collection (e.g., based on collected data type, and / or any parameter disclosed herein) for the strategy that may be determined for the service request. The data collection may be performed with one or more entities (e.g., OAM, NF or NF set, RAN, NWDAF, AF, or any entity disclosed herein). Based on the collected data, strategy analytics / recommendation may be provided that includes candidate entities, recommended operation of each candidate entity, and / or a recommended operational period (e.g , start time, end time). The analytics and / or recommendation may be sent to the relevant entities.

[0151] In one example, a WTRU may receive a future AM policy update or future update of a WTRU configuration with an effective time. This information may be received generally in a message (e.g., a configuration message or configuration update message), or as part of a response to a registration request. The WTRU may apply the update or future update, which may include one or more actions, such as cell reselection, handover to the proper cell site, re-registration before effective time, or any other action disclosed herein.

[0152] In one example, an entity (e.g., an AMF or any other entity disclosed herein) may receive a future AM policy update from another entity (e.g. a PCF or any other entity disclosed herein). Additionally, alternatively, the entity may receive an update of WTRU configuration with candidate WTRU list from an entity that manages energy-savings strategies. For a WTRU belonging to the candidate WTRU list, the future AM policy or future update configuration may be sent in a message (e.g., configuration update procedure) or in response to a registration request.

[0153] From the description herein (e.g., FIG. 4 and related), it may be understood that there may be a method for updating an access mobility (AM) policy in a communications system to increase energy savings. The system may include at least a WTRU and a network, wherein the WTRU may receive a future AM policy update and / or a message with configuration during a registration procedure or a WTRU configuration update procedure. This update may be accompanied by an effective time parameter indicating when the policy or configuration changes may take effect, be triggered, and / orbe implemented. The WTRU may process the received update and implement the update in operations such as cell reselection, handover to an appropriate cell site, or re-registration with the network.

[0154] From the description herein (e.g., FIG. 4 and related), it may be understood that there may be a method performed by an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) in a network. The AMF may receive a future AM policy update or an updated WTRU configuration from the Policy Control Function (PCF) or an Application Function (AF) or Network Function (NF) that manages energy-saving strategies. This update may be accompanied by a list of candidate WTRUs that are targeted for these policy changes. For WTRUs identified in the candidate list, the AMF communicates the future AM policy or configuration update to the WTRU as part of the registration response or during a WTRU configuration update procedure.

[0155] Generally, a WTRU may manage future Access and Mobility (AM) policy updates or updates to WTRU configuration information. Initially, the WTRU may receive a message of an upcoming AM policy update or a future update to its configuration during either the registration procedure, the WTRU configuration update procedure, or some other process that the WTRU may be involved in (e.g., attaching to a cell, handoff, reconnecting, etc.). This message may include an effective time or event (e.g., triggers)for an changes indicated in the message to take effect. Subsequently, the WTRU may carry out operations to ensure seamless application of these changes (e.g., apply configurations given a specific trigger), such as performing cell reselection, transitioning to an appropriate cell site via handover, or initiating a re-registration process before the effective time or event arrives. Concurrently, an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) may coordinate with a Policy Control Function (PCF) to acquire future AM policy updates or receives configuration updates, including a candidate WTRU list, from Application Functions (AF) or Network Functions (NF) responsible for energy-saving strategies. For WTRUs identified in the candidate list, the AMF may inform them of the future AM policy or configuration updates through some procedure as described herein, such as the registration response or WTRU configuration update procedure. This method may ensure efficient and proactive management of mobility and configuration changes, minimizing disruption to the WTRU's operation, and reduce power usage.

[0156] In one example, WTRU may receive a message. In one instance, the message may be preceded by an initial message from the WTRU that provides information to the network. In one instance, the message may be preceded by an initial message from the WTRU as part of some sort of procedure (e.g., registration, update, attach, etc.). The message may contain configuration information. The message may contain a trigger time or event for implementing one or more configuration updates that were included in the configuration information. The configurationinformation may relate to cell reselection, handover, re-registration, network slice selection, cell selection, or any other aspect described herein. At the relevant point in time, the WTRU may make the update, and carry on a process with the updated changes. In one instance, the initial message may be optional if the WTRU receives an unrequested configuration update. In one instance, the initial message may include measurement data of data measured by the WTRU.

[0157] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a WTRU method according to one or more techniques described herein. At 601 , the WTRU may send an initial message (e.g., a registration update request message, or the like as described herein). At 602, the WTRU may receive a response message that includes an access mobility policy update from the network. The message may be a registration response or a configuration update or the like, and the message may include an access mobility policy update and related parameters. At 603, the WTRU may apply a change, configuration, or perform an action (e.g., implement the update) based on the access mobility update based on one or more parameters associated with the access mobility update.

[0158] In some cases, the example of FIG. 6 may be understood demonstrate how a WTRU may preemptively be configured to adapt or perform an action based on the update message (e.g., preemptive to some parameter, condition, trigger, etc.). For example, the update may include or be sent with a time parameter, and the time parameter may dictate when the update is applied or implemented depending on what the update For example, the update may relate to one or more of, but not limited to, the following: configuration and implementation of a service area restriction change of the WTRU; configuration and implementation of a selection an alternative resource or network slice; configuration and implementation of a User Equipment Route Selection Policy; and / or, configuration and implementation for a RAT / frequency selection priority (RFSP) index. In one instance, a time parameter associated with the update may be an effective time, a start time, a time period, or an end time. The time may be absolute, and / or relative.

[0159] In one example, the described steps herein may be implemented independently or collectively, and additional steps may be included to optimize energy savings further or enhance the efficiency of the update mechanism. Steps may also be omitted if deemed unnecessary for specific implementations. The methods disclosed herein are intended to be flexible, allowing for various configurations and additional procedures to accommodate specific network and device requirements.

[0160] As described herein, a higher layer may refer to one or more layers in a protocol stack, or a specific sublayer within the protocol stack. The protocol stack may comprise of one or more layers in a WTRU or a network node (e.g., eNB, gNB, other functional entity, etc.), where each layer may have one or more sublayers. Each layer / sublayer may be responsible for one or more functions. Each layer / sublayer may communicate with one or more of the other layers / sublayers, directly or indirectly.In some cases, these layers may be numbered, such as Layer 1 , Layer 2, and Layer 3. For example, Layer 3 may comprise of one or more of the following: Non-Access Stratum (NAS), Internet Protocol (IP), and / or Radio Resource Control (RRC). For example, Layer 2 may comprise of one or more of the following: Packet Data Convergence Control (PDCP), Radio Link Control (RLC), and / or Medium Access Control (MAC). For example, Layer 3 may comprise of physical (PHY) layer type operations. The greater the number of the layer, the higher it is relative to other layers (e.g., Layer 3 is higher than Layer 1). In some cases, the aforementioned examples may be called layers / sublayers themselves irrespective of layer number, and may be referred to as a higher layer as described herein. For example, from highest to lowest, a higher layer may refer to one or more of the following layers / sublayers: a NAS layer, a RRC layer, a PDCP layer, a RLC layer, a MAC layer, and / or a PHY layer. Any reference herein to a higher layer in conjunction with a process, device, or system will refer to a layer that is higher than the layer of the process, device, or system. In some cases, reference to a higher layer herein may refer to a function or operation performed by one or more layers described herein. In some cases, reference to a high layer herein may refer to information that is sent or received by one or more layers described herein. In some cases, reference to a higher layer herein may refer to a configuration that is sent and / or received by one or more layers described herein.

[0161] Although features and elements are described above in particular combinations (e.g., embodiments, methods, examples, etc.), one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. For example, as disclosed herein there may be a method described in association with a figure for illustrative purposes, and one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that one or more features or elements from this method may be used alone or in combination with one or more features from another method described elsewhere. A symbol 7’ (e.g., forward slash) may be used herein to represent ‘and / or’, where for example, ‘A / B’ may imply ‘A and / or B'. As used herein, ‘a’ and 'an' and similar phrases are to be interpreted as ‘one or more' and ‘at least one'. Similarly, any term which ends with the suffix ‘(s)’ is to be interpreted as ‘one or more' and ‘at least one’. The term 'may' is to be interpreted as 'may, for example’ or indicate that something "does happen" or "can happen". In addition, the methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted over wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), a register, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and digitalversatile disks (DVDs). A processor in association with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

[0162] As disclosed herein, 'a' and 'an' and similar phrases are to be interpreted as 'one or more’ and ‘at least one’. Similarly, any term which ends with the suffix ‘(s)’ is to be interpreted as ‘one or more’ and ‘at least one’. The term ‘may’ is to be interpreted as ‘may, for example’. A symbol 7’ (e.g., forward slash) as used herein, unless otherwise indicated, represents ‘and / or’, where for example, ‘A / B’ may imply ‘A and / or B’.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is Claimed:1 . A method performed by a wireless transmit-receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising: sending a registration request; receiving a registration response, wherein the registration response includes a future access mobility (AM) policy update and an associated time parameter; and applying the future AM policy update based on the associated time parameter.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the future AM policy update is associated with an energysavings strategy, wherein the energy-savings strategy was determined based on one or more parameters.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the WTRU sends a message in response to receiving the registration response.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the future AM policy update includes configuration for service area restriction change of the WTRU.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the future AM policy update includes configuration for selecting an alternative resource or network slice.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the future AM policy update includes configuration for a User Equipment Route Selection Policy (URSP).

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the future AM policy update includes configuration for a RAT / frequency selection priority (RFSP) index.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the associated time parameter is an effective time, a start time, a time period, or an end time associated with a configuration indicated in the future AM policy update.

9. A wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU), the WTRU comprising: means for sending a registration request; means for receiving a registration response, wherein the registration response includes a future access mobility (AM) policy update and an associated time parameter; and means for applying the future AM policy update based on the associated time parameter.

10. The WTRU of claim 9, wherein the future AM policy update is associated with an energysavings strategy, wherein the energy-savings strategy was determined based on one or more parameters.

11. The WTRU of claim 9, wherein the WTRU sends a message in response to receiving the registration response.

12. The WTRU of claim 9, wherein the future AM policy update includes configuration for service area restriction change of the WTRU.

13. The WTRU of claim 9, wherein the future AM policy update includes configuration for selecting an alternative resource or network slice.

14. The WTRU of claim 9, wherein the future AM policy update includes configuration for a User Equipment Route Selection Policy (URSP).

15. The WTRU of claim 9, wherein the future AM policy update includes configuration for a RAT / frequency selection priority (RFSP) index.

16. The WTRU of claim 9, wherein the associated time parameter is an effective time, a start time, a time period, or an end time associated with a configuration indicated in the future AM policy update.

Images