Methods and mechanisms for QOS enforcement in a local network

Abstract

A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) may include a processor and a memory. The WTRU may be configured to receive a command message from an access and mobility management function (AMF) that indicates to perform a user identity authentication procedure. The WTRU may be configured to send a response message to the AMF. On condition that an AAA server is authenticated, the WTRU may be configured to send local connection information to the AAA server that enables the AAA server to configure quality of service (QoS) for the WTRU's traffic.

Description

METHODS AND MECHANISMS FOR QOS ENFORCEMENT IN A LOCAL NETWORKCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Number 63 / 622,691 , filed January 19, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] An operator may utilize user-specific identities in the 3GPP network. Operators may utilize user-specific identities in the 3GPP network and / or provide a service delivery tailored based on the user identity. A user identity may be a human using a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), an application running on the WTRU, and / or a device behind a WTRU gateway.

[0003] In secondary authentication procedures, a WTRU may be authenticated by a third party authentication server via intermediate functions in the 5GC (e.g., session management function (SMF), AMF, and / or network exposure function (NEF)). These procedures are known as packet data unit (PDU) session secondary authentication and authorization, or network slice specific authentication and authorization (NSSAA), and / or UAV UAS authentication and authorization (UUAA). The WTRU may use a non- 3GPP user identity and / or credentials during an authentication and authorization procedure before being granted access to the network resources (e.g., PDU Session, network slice, and / or data network (DN)).SUMMARY

[0004] A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) may include a processor and a memory. The WTRU may be configured to receive a command message from an access and mobility management function (AMF) that indicates to perform a user identity authentication procedure. The command message may indicate one or more of an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) identity request message, an identity of an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server, and / or an indication of whether a home network requests that the WTRU provides information about its local connection during the user identity authentication procedure. The WTRU may beconfigured to send a response message to the AMF. The response message may indicate one or more of an EAP identity response message and / or the identity of the AAA server. The EAP identity response message may indicate a user identity and / or a local connection information. On condition that the AAA server is authenticated, the WTRLI may be configured to send local connection information to the AAA server that enables the AAA server to configure quality of service (QoS) for the WTRU’s traffic. The local connection information may include one or more of a service set identifier (SSID) associated with a Wi-Fi access point (AP) that the WTRU is using to connect, a basic service set identifier (BSSID) that is associated with the Wi-Fi AP that the WTRU is using to connect, a local internet protocol (IP) address assigned to the WTRU by a home operator’s access IP network, and / or a media access control (MAC) address of the WTRU.

[0005] The command message may include a non-access stratum (NAS) unique identifier (UID) authentication command message. The response message may include a NAS UID authentication response message.

[0006] The WTRU may be configured to participate in an authentication of the user identifier and the AAA server.

[0007] The WTRU may be configured to use a graphical user interface (GUI) to display a message that indicates a successful authentication.

[0008] The WTRU may be configured to trigger a registration procedure with a visited 5G core network (5GC) at every change of local IP connectivity. The every change of local IP connectivity may include a Wi-Fi AP change, a change of the SSID, and / or a change of the BSSID. The WTRU may be further configured to trigger a second user identity authentication with the home operator to configure a second QoS treatment for the WTRU at a change of local connectivity. The change of local connectivity may include a change of Wi-Fi access network.

[0009] A non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) may be configured to inform the WTRU about a change of IP address of an internet protocol security tunnel (IPsec tunnel) of the WTRU.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented.

[0011] 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.

[0012] 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. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0013] 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.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting an example network architecture.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a diagram depicting an example enhanced network architecture.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a call flow illustrating QoS enforcement in a local network.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] 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 DFT-Spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a RAN 104 / 113, a CN106 / 115, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, 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” and / or a “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 subscriptionbased 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-Fi device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a headmounted 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 WTRU.

[0019] 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 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, a NR NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0020] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, 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, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receivewireless 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 114a may include three transceivers, i.e. , one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a 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.

[0021] The base stations 114a, 114b 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 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0022] 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 / 113 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 115 / 116 / 117 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 UL Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0023] 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).

[0024] 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 New Radio (NR).

[0025] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a 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., a eNB and a gNB).

[0026] 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 1X, 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.

[0027] The base station 114b in FIG. 1A 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 WTRUs 102c, 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. 1 A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106 / 115.

[0028] The RAN 104 / 113 may be in communication with the CN 106 / 115, 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 / 115 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 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may be utilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E- UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0029] The CN 106 / 115 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, 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 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT.

[0030] 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. 1 A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ acellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 118 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 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0033] 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 116. 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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 802.11 , for example.

[0036] The processor 118 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 lightemitting 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 118 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), readonly 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).

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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 116 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.

[0039] 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, an activity 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, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0040] 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 downlink (e.g., for reception) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit 139 to reduce and or substantially eliminate self-interference via either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (notshown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WRTU 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 downlink (e.g., for reception)).

[0041] 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 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0042] 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 116. 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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 (or PGW) 166. While each of 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.

[0045] 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 acontrol plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0046] 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.

[0047] 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.

[0048] The ON 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the ON 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 land-line 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 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0049] Although the WTRU is described in FIGS. 1 A-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.

[0050] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0051] 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 an 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 tothe 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 the AP 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 802.11 e 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.

[0052] When using the 802.11ac 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 via signaling. 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 in 802.11 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] 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+80configuration, 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).

[0055] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11 af and 802.11 ah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11 ah relative to those used in 802.11 n, and 802.11ac. 802.11 af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11 ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11 ah may support Meter Type Control / Machine-Type Communications, 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).

[0056] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11 n, 802.11 ac, 802.11 af, and 802.11 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 802.11 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, the entire available frequency bands may be considered busy even though a majority of the frequency bands remains idle and may be available.

[0057] 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.

[0058] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 113 may employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 113 may also be in communication with the CN 115.

[0059] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO 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 aggregation technology. 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).

[0060] 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 usingsubframe or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., containing varying number of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time).

[0061] 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.

[0062] 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, dual connectivity, 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.

[0063] The CN 115 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 each of the foregoingelements are depicted as part of the CN 115, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0064] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 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 PDU sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, management of the registration area, termination of 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 machine type communication (MTC) access, and / or the like. The AMF 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 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.

[0065] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via an N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to a UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115 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 WTRU IP address, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing downlink data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP based, Ethernet-based, and the like.

[0066] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N3 interface, 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. 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 downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0067] The CN 115 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 115 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 115 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 115 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 Data Network (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.

[0068] In view of Figures 1 A-1 D, and the corresponding description of Figures 1 A-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-ab, 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.

[0069] 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 may performing testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0070] 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 wirelesscommunication 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.

[0071] Network slice specific authentication and authorization (NSSAA) may be provided. The access and mobility management function (AMF) may initiate the procedure between the WTRU and authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server after a registration procedure completes.

[0072] A WTRU may be associated with a human user who has an assigned user identifier. When the WTRU connects to a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) and / or non-3gpp gateway function (TNGF), the connection between the WTRU and / or N3IWF / TNGF may be internet protocol (IP) based. This IP connection may travel through the IP network that is owned by an operator that is different than the operator that owns the N3IWF and / or TNGF.

[0073] As described herein, enhancements to an N3IWF may also be applied to the trusted non-3gpp gateway function (TNGF). As described herein, enhancements to an TNGF may also be applied to the N3IWF. As described herein, enhancements to a AAA server may also be applied to an application function (AF), an application server (AS), and / or an authentication server function (AUSF).

[0074] FIG. 2 depicts a diagram of an example network architecture 200. In examples, a WTRU’s home operator may not have a complete 5G core deployed and / or may not have an N3IWF and / or TNGF that the WTRU may reach. A WTRU 202 may use a WiFi AP 204 to connect to a home operator’s access IP network 210. The WTRU 202 may use the home operator’s access IP network 210 to establish an IPSec tunnel with a Visited Operator’s 5GC 218. Policy engine 206 may be an entity that evaluates policy conditions and performs actions, for example based on the policy inputs and evaluation, broadband and other network resource allocation determined for the WTRU. IP anchor 208 may refer to the network node which acts as a fixed point of reference for WTRU IPconnection, routing data between the home operator’s IP network 210 and visited operator’s 5GC 218. UPF 216 may be an example of an IP anchor 208. AMF 214 may refer to the visited operator’s access and mobility management function in the 5GS, which manages control plane functions for example, registration and connection management, mobility management and authentication for the WTRUs. In 224, N6 LAN may refer to the external data network (e.g., Internet, enterprise network, cloud services, etc.) which is connected to the edge of the 5GC, for example, user plane function UPF 216, via the N6 interface. The N6 interface may provide the functionality of WTRU user data routing between the 5G core and external data networks.

[0075] The home operator 220 may have a user data management and / or user data repository (UDM / UDR) 222 deployed. The UDM / UDR 222 may hold the subscription information of the WTRU 202. The UDM / UDR 222 may participate in registration, PDU session establishment, and / or PDU session modification procedures that involve the WTRU.

[0076] The WTRU 202 may establish PDU Session(s) anchored in UPF(s) 216 that are hosted in the Visited Operator’s 5GC 218. QoS for the PDU Session(s) may be configured in the Visited Operator’s 5GC 218 and the QoS settings may be based on subscription information of the WTRU 202. Since the QoS settings may be based on the subscription information of the WTRU 202, the home operator has a degree of control over the QoS treatment that is received by the WTRU’s traffic. The degree of control may apply (e.g., only apply) to how the traffic is treated in the Visited Operator’s 5GC 218.

[0077] When traffic that is associated with the WTRU 202 traverses the home operator’s access IP Network 210, the home operator may identify that the traffic is coming from, or going to, an N3IWF and / or TNGF 212 in the Visited Operator’s 5GC 218. However, the home operator’s access IP Network 210 may not identify the WTRU 202 associated with each traffic flow. This may be a problem because the home operator may not configure QoS treatment for the WTRU’s traffic as the traffic traverses the home operator’s access IP network. For example, the home operator may desire to configure certain QoS treatment for traffic associated with WTRUs subscribed to the homeoperator and / or different QoS treatment for traffic associated with WTRUs not subscribed to the home operator.

[0078] FIG. 3 shows a diagram of an example of network architecture 300 enhanced to include an interface, which is labeled as AAA-interface 332, between the AMF 314 in the visited operator’s network 318 and an AAA server 328 in the home operator’s 5GC 320. Additionally or alternatively, the home operator’s 5GC 320 (e.g., the AAA server 328) may interface to the home operator’s access IP network 310. The interface to the home operator’s 5GC 320 (e.g., the AAA server 328) may be an application program interface (API) interface 326 used to configure QoS for IP flows, and is labeled as Policy-API 330. Policy engine 306 may be an entity that evaluates policy conditions and performs actions, for example based on the policy inputs and evaluation, broadband and other network resource allocation determined for the WTRLI. IP anchor 308 may refer to the network node which acts as a fixed point of reference for WTRLI IP connection, routing data between the home operator’s IP network 310 and visited operator’s 5GC 318. User plane function (UPF) 316 may be an entity in the 5G core network which is responsible for handling of WTRU user data traffic. The UPF 316 may provide the routing and forwarding functionality for the WTRU user data between the 5G core network and external network (e.g., internet, enterprise network, cloud services etc.). In 324, N6 LAN may refer to the external data network (e.g., Internet, enterprise network, cloud services, etc.) which is connected to the edge of the 5GC, for example, user plane function UPF 316, via the N6 interface. The N6 interface may provide the functionality of WTRU user data routing between the 5G core and external data networks.

[0079] The principles of the embodiments described herein include, but are not limited to: during a registration procedure, the AMF 314 may detect that the home network requests that the user identifier of the WTRU 302 be authenticated. The detection may be based on an indication in the subscription information of the WTRU 302 that the AMF 314 receives from the UDM / UDR 322.

[0080] The registration accept message from the AMF 314 may indicate to the WTRU 302 that the registration of the WTRU 302 has been accepted on the condition that the user of the WTRU 302 successfully authenticates with the home network.

[0081] After the visited network sends a registration accept message to the WTRU 302, the AMF 314 may initiate an authentication procedure between the WTRU 302 and / or AAA server 328. The AMF 314 may indicate that the WTRU’s home network additionally requests information about the WTRU’s local connection.

[0082] During the authentication procedure the WTRU 302 may provide the AAA server 328 information about the WTRU’s local connection. The home operator’s 5GC 320 (e.g., AAA server 328) may use information about the local connection to configure QoS for the WTRU’s traffic in the home operator’s access IP Network 310. For example, the WTRU 302 may provide the following information to the AAA server 328: first, the SSID associated with the Wi-Fi AP 304 that the WTRU 302 uses to connect; second, the BSSID associated with the Wi-Fi AP 304 that the WTRU 302 uses to connect; third, the local IP address the home operator’s access IP Network 310 assigned to the WTRU 302; and fourth, the WTRU’s MAC address.

[0083] The AAA server 328 (or another function in the 5GC) may invoke an API 326 of the home operator’s access IP Network 310 to configure QoS treatment for the WTRU 302. The API invocation may provide the SSID, BSSID, local IP address, MAC address and / or an indication of the desired QoS level. The home operator’s access IP network 310 may use the SSID, BSSID, WTRU MAC Address, and / or local IP Address to identify the traffic flow.

[0084] QoS enforcement may be provided in a local network. A WTRU 302 may receive a NAS UID AUTHENTICATION COMMAND message from the AMF 314, for example, to carry out a user identity authentication procedure. The NAS UID AUTHENTICATION COMMAND message may include an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) Identity Request Message, an identity of an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server 328, and / or an indication of whether the home network requests that the WTRU 302 provide information about its local connection during the authentication procedure.

[0085] The WTRU 302 may send a NAS UID authentication response message to the AMF 314. The NAS UID authentication response message may include an EAP identity response message, and / or the identity of the AAA server 328.

[0086] The EAP identity response message may include a user identity, and / or local connection information.

[0087] The WTRU 302 may participate in a procedure where the AAA server 328 authenticates the User Identifier and the WTRU 302 authenticates an AAA server 328.

[0088] If the AAA server 328 is authenticated, the WTRU 302 may send local connection information to the AAA server 328, for example, so that the AAA server 328 may configure QoS for the WTRU’s traffic. The local connection information may include a service set identifier (SSID) associated with the Wi-Fi access point (AP) 304 that the WTRU may use to connect. The local connection information may include a basic service set identifier (BSSID) associated with the Wi-Fi AP 304 that the WTRU 302 may use to connect. The local connection information may include a Local IP Address that the home operator’s access internet protocol (IP) network 310 assigned to the WTRU 302. The local connection information may include a medium access channel (MAC) address of the WTRU 302.

[0089] Additionally or alternatively, the WTRU 302 may indicate that the WTRU 302 is configured to not share the local connection information. Additionally or alternatively, the WTRU 302 may indicate that the WTRU 302 is not connected via an IP Network controlled by the home operator. If the WTRU 302 does not provide the requested information then no QoS treatment may be configured for the WTRU 302 for the local traffic by the home operator.

[0090] Additionally or alternatively, the home operator may configure the WTRU 302 to trigger a registration procedure with the visited 5G core network (5GC) 318 at a (e.g., every) change of local IP connectivity (e.g., Wi-Fi access point change and / or change of the SSID and / or BSSID). The registration procedure may trigger fresh user identity authentication with the home operator. The registration procedure may provide (e.g., subsequently provide) the opportunity to the home operator to configure the QoS treatment for the WTRU 302 at the change of local connectivity (e.g. change of Wi-Fi Access network).

[0091] The non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) 312 may inform the AMF 314 about the change of the IP address of an IPsec tunnel of the WTRU 302. Informing the AMF 314 about the change of the IP address may prompt the AMF 314 to start a freshuser identity authentication and / or subsequently configure the QoS treatment for the WTRU 302 as per the new local connection. The user identity authentication procedure may be optional and / or skipped by the AAA server 328 if required.

[0092] FIG. 4 is a diagram depicting an example procedure 400 for QoS enforcement in a local network.

[0093] In step 412, the WTRU 402 may use the Wi-Fi AP to connect to the home operator’s access IP network. The WTRU 402 may use the home operator's access IP network to establish an IPsec tunnel to connect to the visited network’s N3IWF 404. The WTRU 402 may then send registration requests to the AMF 406.

[0094] In step 414, as part of the registration procedure, the home operator UDM / UDR 408 may update the AMF 406 with the subscription information about the WTRU 402. The subscription information may be sent to the AMF 406 as part of an Nudm_SDM_Get service invocation.

[0095] The subscription information may include an indication that the home network wants the WTRU 402 to perform user identity authentication procedure with the home network’s AAA server 410.

[0096] The subscription information may indicate the identity of the AAA server 410 with which the home network wants the WTRU 402 to perform the authentication procedure.

[0097] The subscription information may indicate that the home network requests that the WTRU 402 provide information about its local connection during the authentication procedure.

[0098] In step 416, the AMF 406 may send a Registration Accept message to the WTRU 402.

[0099] In step 418, based on the WTRU’s subscription as provided by the home operator UDM / UDR 408, the AMF 406 may determine that user identity authentication is required. The AMF 406 may then send a command message to the WTRU 402. The command message may include a NAS UID authentication command message. For example, the NAS UID authentication command message is a new message and may include one or more of the following information: an EAP identity request message, the identity of the AAA server 410 that was received in step 414, and / or an indication of whether the home network requests that the WTRU 402 provide information about itslocal connection during the authentication procedure. The information of steps 416 and / or 418 may be sent in the same NAS message.

[0100] In other words, the WTRU 402 may receive the command message (e.g., a NAS UID AUTHENTICATION COMMAND message) from the AMF 406 that indicates to perform a user identity authentication procedure. The command message may indicate one or more of an EAP identity request message, an identity of the AAA server 410, and / or an indication of whether a home network requests that the WTRU 402 provides information about its local connection during the user identity authentication procedure.

[0101] When the WTRU 402 receives the NAS UID authentication command message, the WTRU 402 may prompt the human user to provide the user identity that is associated with AAA server 410 that was identified in the NAS UID authentication command message. For example, the WTRU 402 may display a message in a graphical user interface (GUI) that says “Please provide the user identity that is associated with MNO XYZ”. The name “MNO XYZ” may be derived from the identity of the AAA server 410. The message may also request a credential such as a password.

[0102] Additionally or alternatively, the WTRU 402 may provide an interface that allows a user to configure a user identity, credential, and / or associated AAA server 410 (e.g., MNO identity). When the WTRU 402 receives the NAS UID authentication command message, the WTRU 402 may use the configured user identity and / or credential associated with the AAA server 410 in the rest of the user identity authentication procedure.

[0103] Additionally or alternatively, the SMF entity 406 of the 5GC during or after the PDU session establishment procedure may trigger the user identity authentication procedure as described herein e.g., in step 418).

[0104] In step 420, the WTRU 402 may send a response message to the AMF 406. The response message may include a NAS UID authentication response message. The response message may indicate one or more of an EAP identity response message and / or the identity of the AAA server. The EAP identity response message may indicate a user identity and / or a local connection information. For example, the NAS UID authentication response message is a new message and may include the following information an EAP identity response message, and / or the identity of the AAA server410 the WTRU 402 received in step 418. The identity of the AAA server 410 the WTRU 402 received in step 418 may be sent back to the AMF 406 in step 420. By sending the identity back to the AMF 406, the AMF 406 may identify to which AAA server 410 to route the EAP identity response message.

[0105] The EAP identity response message sent in step 420 may include one or more of the following information: a user identity, and / or local connection information.

[0106] The WTRU 402 may use the identity of the AAA server 410 to determine what user identity needs to be authenticated. For example, the identity of the AAA server 410 may be AAA-Server@MNO-ldentity.net. The WTRU 402 may use the MNO- Identity to determine which user identity to provide.

[0107] If the WTRU 402 received an indication that the home network requests that the WTRU 402 provide information about its local connection, then the message may include the local connection information.

[0108] The local connection information may include one or more of the following information: the SSID associated with the Wi-Fi AP that the WTRU 402 uses to connect, the BSSID associated with the Wi-Fi AP that the WTRU 402 uses to connect, the local IP address assigned to the WTRU 402 by the home operator’s access IP Network, and / or the WTRU’s MAC address.

[0109] In step 422, the AMF 406 may receive the NAS UID authentication response message. The AMF 406 may then determine the AAA server 410 based on the AAA server identity provided by the WTRU 402.

[0110] In step 424, the AMF 406 may invoke a service of the AAA server 410. The AMF 406 may provide the EAP identity response message to the AAA server 410.

[0111] In steps 426 and 428 the AAA server 410 may trigger the user identity authentication procedure with the WTRU 402 (e.g., using the EAP messages relayed by the AMF 406 via the non-access stratum mobility management (NAS MM) transport (e.g., downlink)). EAP messages from the AAA server 410 may request additional information about the local connection from the WTRU 402. EAP responses from the WTRU 402 may be sent to the AMF 406 via NAS MM transport (e.g., uplink) and / or sent to the AAA server 410 by the AMF 406.

[0112] In addition, the WTRU 402 may participate in the authentication of user identifier and the AAA server 410. The authentication may refer to a mutual authentication performed between the WTRU 402 and an external AAA server 410, authenticating the user identifier being used by the WTRU 402. For example, an EAP framework may be used for the user identifier authentication. In a successful authentication, the user identifier may be authenticated by the AAA server 410 which verifies the credentials and grants access. Steps 426 and 428 may occur multiple times depending on the underlying authentication procedure. On condition that the AAA server 410 is authenticated, the WTRU 402 may send local connection information to the AAA server 410 that enables the AAA server 410 to configure quality of service (QoS) for the WTRU’s traffic. The local connection information may include one or more of a service set identifier (SSID) associated with a Wi-Fi access point (AP) that the WTRU 402 is using to connect, a basic service set identifier (BSSID) that is associated with the Wi-Fi AP that the WTRU 402 is using to connect, a local internet protocol (IP) address assigned to the WTRU 402 by a home operator’s access IP network, and / or a media access control (MAC) address of the WTRU 402. For example, the WTRU 402 may choose to send the local connection information to the AAA server 410 in a message that comes later in the procedure than the EAP identity response message. For example, the WTRU 402 may choose to send the local connection information to the AAA server 410 after (e.g., only after) the WTRU 402 authenticates the AAA server 410.

[0113] Additionally or alternatively, the WTRU 402 may indicate that the WTRU 402 is configured to not share the local connection information. Additionally or alternatively, the WTRU 402 may indicate that the WTRU 402 is not connected via an IP network controlled by the home operator.

[0114] If the WTRU 402 does not provide the requested information, the whole procedure may be deemed unsuccessful, and / or the home operate may not provide any QoS treatment to the WTRU 402.

[0115] In step 430, the AAA server 410 may complete the user identity authentication based on the provided information by the WTRU 402. The AAA server 410 may inform the WTRU 402 about its success via the EAP messages the AMF 406 transports via NAS MM transport.

[0116] In this step 430, the WTRU 402 may use a GUI to display a message that indicates that the user has been successfully authenticated and / or is being provided with upgraded service (e.g., QoS) over the Wi-Fi network. Additionally or alternatively, the WTRU 402 may use a GUI to display a message that the user has not successfully authenticated and / or is not being provided with upgraded service (e.g., QoS) over the Wi-Fi network.

[0117] In step 432, at successful user identity authentication for the WTRU 402, the AAA server 410 may configure the QoS for the WTRU’s traffic in the home operator’s access IP Network. The AAA server 410 (or another function in the 5GC) may invoke an API of the home operator’s access IP Network to configure QoS treatment for the WTRU 402. The SSID, BSSID, local IP Address, WTRU’s MAC address, and / or an indication of the desired QoS level may be provided in the API invocation. The SSID, BSSID, and / or local IP address may be used by the home operator’s access IP Network to identify the traffic flow.

[0118] In step 434, additionally or alternatively, the WTRU 402 may be configured by the home operator to trigger a registration procedure with the visited 5GC at every change of the local IP connectivity. The every change of local IP connectivity may include a WiFi AP change, a change of the SSID, and / or a change of the BSSID. In this additional registration step, the WTRU 402 may trigger a second user identity authentication with the home operator to configure a second QoS treatment for the WTRU 402 at the change of local connectivity. The change of local connectivity may include a change of Wi-Fi access network.

[0119] In step 436, the N3IWF 404 may inform the AMF 406 and the WTRU 402 about the change of the IP address of the WTRU’s IPsec tunnel. This trigger may prompt the AMF 406 to start a fresh user identity authentication. This trigger may subsequently configure the QoS treatment for the WTRU 406 as per the new local connection. The user identity authentication procedure may be optional and / or skipped by the AAA server 410 if required.

[0120] Local connection information may be included in a registration complete message. For example, the AMF 406 may indicate in the Registration Accept message of step 416, that the WTRU 402 should provide local connection information and theWTRU 402 may respond by providing the local connection information in a Registration Complete Message. The AMF 406 may then forward the local connection information to the AAA server 410. The AMF 406 may determine the identity of the AAA server 410 based on information received from the UDM in the WTRU’s subscription information.

[0121] Local connection information may be included in a NAS message, for example, during registration. Additionally or alternatively, the WTRU 402 may provide the local connection information to the network during a registration procedure. Providing the local connection information during a registration procedure may mean sending the local connection information after sending a Registration Request and / or before receiving a Registration Accept message. For example, the WTRU 402 may perform an internet key exchange (IKE) authentication procedure with the N3IWF 404 after sending a Registration Request and / or before receiving a Registration Response. During the IKE authentication procedure, when the WTRU 402 sends a NAS message to the network (e.g., such as a Security Mode Complete message), the NAS message may also carry the local connection information.

[0122] The WTRU 402 may use information in a policy to determine that the WTRU 402 needs to send the local connection information in a NAS message. For example, a wireless local area network selection policy (WLANSP) may indicate that the WTRU 402 should send local connection information when the WTRU 402 is attached to certain SSIDs.

[0123] The WTRU 402 may send the local connection information upon receiving an indication from AMF 406 in a NAS message (e.g., Security Mode Command). The AMF 406 may determine to send the local connection information based on subscription data from UDM 408 as described herein and / or from an existing security context if the WTRU 402 has already registered to the network via a 3GPP connection.

[0124] When the AMF 406 receives the local connection information, the AMF 406 may send the local connection information to the AAA Server 410 as described herein.

[0125] Local connection information may be provided to a home network. As described herein, the AMF 406 may send local connection information to the AAA server 410. Additionally or alternatively, the local connection information may be sent to an AF in the home network.

[0126] In examples, when the AMF 406 obtains the WTRU’s subscription information from the UDM / UDR 408, the subscription information may include a notification address and / or Correlation ID associated with local connection information. Whenever the AMF 406 receives local connection information from the WTRLI 402, the AMF 406 may forward the local connection information and / or Correlation ID to the notification address. The notification address may be an address of the AF and / or NEF. The notification address may receive the local connection information and / or Correlation ID. The recipient AF and / or NEF may use the Correlation ID to determine with which WTRU the local connection information is associated.

[0127] Additionally or alternatively, the AMF 406 may register the local connection information associated with the WTRU 402 in the UDM 408 upon successful authentication.

[0128] As described herein, when the AF receives the local connection information, the AF may invoke an API of the home operator’s IP Network to request that the WTRU’s traffic be provided a certain level of QoS.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:1 . A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), comprising: a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is configured to: receive a command message from an access and mobility management function (AMF) that indicates to perform a user identity authentication procedure, wherein the command message indicates one or more of an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) identity request message, an identity of an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server, or an indication of whether a home network requests that the WTRU provides information about its local connection during the user identity authentication procedure; and send a response message to the AMF, the response message indicating one or more of an EAP identity response message or the identity of the AAA server, wherein the EAP identity response message indicating a user identity or a local connection information; and on condition that the AAA server is authenticated, the processor is further configured to: send local connection information to the AAA server that enables the AAA server to configure quality of service (QoS) for the WTRU’s traffic, wherein the local connection information comprises one or more of a service set identifier (SSID) associated with a Wi-Fi access point (AP) that the WTRU is using to connect, a basic service set identifier (BSSID) that is associated with the Wi-Fi AP that the WTRU is using to connect, a local internet protocol (IP) address assigned to the WTRU by a home operator’s access IP network, or a media access control (MAC) address of the WTRU.

2. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the command message comprises a non-access stratum (NAS) unique identifier (UID) authentication command message.

3. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the response message comprises a NAS UID authentication response message.

4. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: participate in an authentication of the user identifier and the AAA server.

5. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: use a graphical user interface (GUI) to display a message that indicates a successful authentication.

6. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: trigger a registration procedure with a visited 5G core network (5GC) at every change of local IP connectivity.

7. The WTRU of claim 6, wherein the every change of local IP connectivity comprises a Wi-Fi AP change, a change of the SSID, or a change of the BSSID.

8. The WTRU of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to: trigger a second user identity authentication with the home operator to configure a second QoS treatment for the WTRU at a change of local connectivity.

9. The WTRU of claim 8, wherein the change of local connectivity comprises a change of Wi-Fi access network.

10. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) is configured to inform the WTRU about a change of IP address of an internet protocol security tunnel (IPsec tunnel) of the WTRU.

11. A method comprising: receiving a command message from an access and mobility management function (AMF) that indicates to perform a user identity authentication procedure, wherein the command message indicates one or more of an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) identity request message, an identity of an authentication, authorizationand accounting (AAA) server, or an indication of whether a home network requests that the WTRU provides information about its local connection during the user identity authentication procedure; and sending a response message to the AMF, the response message indicating one or more of an EAP identity response message or the identity of the AAA server, wherein the EAP identity response message indicating a user identity or a local connection information; and on condition that the AAA server is authenticated, further comprising: sending local connection information to the AAA server that enables the AAA server to configure quality of service (QoS) for the WTRU’s traffic, wherein the local connection information comprises one or more of a service set identifier (SSID) associated with a Wi-Fi access point (AP) that the WTRU is using to connect, a basic service set identifier (BSSID) that is associated with the Wi-Fi AP that the WTRU is using to connect, a local internet protocol (IP) address assigned to the WTRU by a home operator’s access IP network, or a media access control (MAC) address of the WTRU.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the command message comprises a non- access stratum (NAS) unique identifier (UID) authentication command message.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the response message comprises a NAS UID authentication response message.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising: participating in an authentication of the user identifier and the AAA server.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising: using a graphical user interface (GUI) to display a message that indicates a successful authentication.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:triggering a registration procedure with a visited 5G core network (5GC) at every change of local IP connectivity.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the every change of local IP connectivity comprises a Wi-Fi AP change, a change of the SSID, or a change of the BSSID.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising: triggering a second user identity authentication with the home operator to configure a second QoS treatment for the WTRU at a change of local connectivity.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the change of local connectivity comprises a change of Wi-Fi access network.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) is configured to inform the WTRU about a change of IP address of an internet protocol security tunnel (IPsec tunnel) of the WTRU.

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