First network node, second network node and methods therein, in a communications network

Abstract

A method performed by a first network node is provided. The method is for handling a balance of resources related to a UE in a communications network. The first network node receives (401) a balance enquiry from the UE during an ongoing data session. The balance is related to one or more out of: amount of resources consumed by the UE and amount of resources remaining for the UE. The first network node requests (402) a second network node to notify a copy of data resources used by the UE. The first network node receives (403) a response from the second network node. The response comprises the requested data resources comprising the data resources accumulated in the second network node and the data resources reported by a third network node. The first network node determines (404) the balance of resources for the UE. This determination is based on one or more out of: the received response from the second network node and the data resources used by the UE in the ongoing data sessions. The first network node reports (405) the determined balance of resources to the UE. The first network node enables the ongoing data session for the UE to continue uninterrupted. To continue uninterrupted comprises any one or more out of: unmodifying any counter comprising the data resources used by the UE, deliberately avoiding any updating and deliberately avoiding any re-authorization activities and charging request activities.

Description

[0001] FIRST NETWORK NODE, SECOND NETWORK NODE AND METHODS THEREIN, IN A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Embodiments herein relate to a first network node, a second network node and methods therein. In some aspects, embodiments relate to handling a balance of resources related to a User Equipment (UE) in a communications network.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] In a typical wireless communication network, wireless devices, also known as wireless communication devices, mobile stations, stations (STA) and / or User Equipment (UE), communicate via a Wide Area Network or a Local Area Network such as a Wi-Fi network or a cellular network comprising a Radio Access Network (RAN) part and a Core Network (CN) part. The RAN covers a geographical area which is divided into service areas or cell areas, which may also be referred to as a beam or a beam group, with each service area or cell area being served by a radio network node such as a radio access node e.g., a Wi-Fi access point, a Base Station (BS) or a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may also be denoted, for example, a Base Station (BS), a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), or gNodeB (gNB) as denoted in Fifth Generation (5G) telecommunications. A service area or cell area is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio network node. The radio network node communicates over an air interface operating on a radio frequency with the wireless devices within the range of the radio network node.

[0006] 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is the standardization body for specifying the standards for the cellular system evolution, e.g., including 3G, 4G, 5G and the future evolutions. Specifications for Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E- UTRA) and Evolved Packet System (EPS) have been completed within the 3GPP. In 4G also called a Fourth Generation (4G) network, EPS is core network and E-UTRA is radio access network. In 5G, 5G Core (5GC) is core network, NR is radio access network. As a continued network evolution, the new release of 3GPP specifies a 5G network also referred to as 5G New Radio (NR) and 5GC.

[0007] Frequency bands for 5G NR are being separated into two different frequency ranges, Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and Frequency Range 2 (FR2). FR1 comprises sub-6 GHz frequency bands. Some of these bands are bands traditionally used by legacy standards but have been extended to cover potential new spectrum offerings from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. FR2 comprises frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. Bands in this millimeter wave range have shorter range but higher available bandwidth than bands in the FR1.

[0008] Multi-antenna techniques may significantly increase the data rates and reliability of a wireless communication system. For a wireless connection between a single user, such as UE, and a base station (BS), the performance is in particular improved if both the transmitter and the receiver are equipped with multiple antennas, which results in a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication channel. This may be referred to as Single-User (SU)-MIMO. In the scenario where MIMO techniques is used for the wireless connection between multiple users and the base station, MIMO enables the users to communicate with the base station simultaneously using the same time-frequency resources by spatially separating the users, which increases further the cell capacity. This may be referred to as Multi-User (MU)-MIMO. Note that MU-MIMO may benefit when each UE only has one antenna. The cell capacity can be increased linearly with respect to the number of antennas at the BS side. Due to that, more and more antennas are employed in BS. Such systems and / or related techniques are commonly referred to as massive MIMO.

[0009] 5GC architecture comprises Converged Charging System (CCS) which is a combination of online and offline charging whereby information related to a chargeable event is collected, formatted, transferred and evaluated in order to make it possible to determine the usage of resources for which the charged party may be billed e.g., in offline charging or the subscriber’s account balance may be debited e.g., in online charging. The network resources that are monitored by the CCS comprises e.g., buckets, balances, accumulator, accounts, and counters. In online charging, the charging information is transferred from the network to the Online Charging System (OCS) or to the Converged Charging System (CCS). The 3GPP 5GC Architecture provides functions such as e.g., Charging Function (CHF), Charging Trigger Function (CTF), Account Balance Management Function (ABMF), the Charging Gateway Function (CGF), the Rating Function (RF) and Charging Enablement Function (CEF), that implement offline and / or online charging mechanisms. To support these charging mechanisms, the network performs real-time monitoring of resource usage to detect the relevant chargeable events. The CTF generates these charging events based on the observation of network resource usage. The CTF is embedded in all charging relevant Network Elements (NE) and Network Functions (NFs) and collects charging information within the NEs and NFs concerning the use of network resources by the users. The charging relevant NEs comprises e.g., Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN), Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN), Packet Gateway (PGw). The charging relevant NFs comprises e.g., Session Management Function (SMF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and Access Management Function (AMF). The CTF interacts with the CHF comprised in the CCS using Nchf interface for consuming the services of the CHF. The CHF comprises the Online Charging Function (OCF) providing quota management functionality under Credit- Control terminology and the Charging Data Function (CDF) providing Charging Data Records (CDRs) generation functionality for charging events received from the CTF or CEF.

[0010] SUMMARY

[0011] As part of developing embodiments herein, the inventors identified some problems that first will be described.

[0012] Currently, it is possible to retrieve the balance information related to the usage of resources by a user after the total charge has been deducted for the used resources. This balance information e.g., resource usage in e.g., bytes, seconds or any generic unit is reported by the CTF via one or more Charging Request such as e.g., Credit Control Request (CCR) in case of OCS, Charging Data Request (CDR) in case of CCS messages. The balance information related to the resources used by the user may be e.g., data consumed by the user, data remaining for the user, account balance e.g., say monetary resources remaining for the user. The Charging Request message may be e.g., a CCR update request (CCR-U) which is sent when a threshold for usage of resources has been reached. The Charging Update Request reports the actual usage of resources. The Charging Termination Request message may be e.g., a CCR termination request (CCR-T) which comprises credit-control information relevant to the existing session and a report of the total usage and / or consumption of resources and is sent to terminate a credit-control session. Currently, it is possible to report the balance information considering the usage reported by the CTF and the quota reserved but not the exact usage of resources.

[0013] Figure 1 and Figure 2 show an example scenario of a UE with an initial allotted data resource of e.g., 10GB. A UE may herein be referred to as e.g., a client, a user, a subscriber and a Communications Service Provider (CSP) that is serving the UE. The CSP may e.g., be a call center, a customer care center. After a specific time, t, the UE may want to know the remaining balance of data resources i.e. , remaining bytes available for the UE to use. To get this information, the UE may send a request to e.g., the CHF to notify the balance of resources i.e., data resources. Figure 1 shows the case in which the CHF retrieves the balance without using any re-Authorization procedure. Re-authorization procedures such as e.g., RAR message in case of Diameter in 3G and / or 4G, Notify message in case of Service Based Interface (SBI) in 5G is a callback mechanism which helps the OCS and / or CCS to understand the current session state in CTF. A response with success code indicates the session exists. In addition, the CTF reports the current usage of resources in response to any Charging Request Message. In this case, the balance reported to the UE by the CHF is 8GB i.e., 6GB plus a reserved balance of 2GB. The data resources e.g., 0.5GB used at e.g., the CTF e.g., SMF and the data resources e.g., 0.5GB used in the UPF have not been comprised in the reported balance to the UE thereby providing an incorrect balance information. Instead of the enquiring the balance of resources in e.g., GB, the user may also enquire the account balance say e.g., consumed data costs such as monetary resources in e.g., dollars i.e., a user with an initial allotted account balance of 10$ with a subscription plan of 1$ / GB.

[0014] Figure 2 shows the case in which the CHF retrieves the balance by using a reauthorization procedure. In this case, additional operations are used to retrieve a balance of 7GB i.e., 5 GB plus a reserved balance of 2GB which is the correct real time balance at the time, t, and this comprises the data resources used in CTF and UPF. Thus, it is currently not possible to retrieve the correct balance of resources used by the user at the time of balance enquiry without forcing a re-authorization procedure. Forcing a reauthorization procedure during balance enquiry has several issues. The re-authorization procedure is a costly operation and is not related to balance enquiry and is unnecessary to be used for this purpose. In addition, performing a re-authorization procedure increases the number of signalling operations in CTF, UPF and including the triggering of Charging Update Request towards the CHF which are not required for the reporting of the balance of resources used by the user. Also, during this re-authorization procedure, the Charging Request - Update such as e.g., CCR-U performs a session update and counter reset at the different nodes and entities involved in the balance enquiry process such as e.g., CHF, CTF, UPF which also are not necessary for the reporting of the balance of used resources. This procedure involves two message flows between CTF and CHF with significant payload involved thereby increasing the traffic between CHF and CTF and hence increasing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Hence if the above method using the re-authorization procedure is to be used for balance enquiry, the request for balance enquiry should wait for 2 successful REST request between CTF and CHF which makes the balance enquiry session to hold the ongoing session until the communication between CHF and CTF gets completed.

[0015] An object of embodiments herein is to improve handling the balance of resources related to UEs in a communications network.

[0016] According to an aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a method performed by a first network node. The method is for handling a balance of resources related to a UE in a communications network. The first network node receives a balance enquiry from the UE during an ongoing data session. The balance is related to one or more out of: amount of resources consumed by the UE and amount of resources remaining for the UE. The first network node requests a second network node to notify a copy of data resources used by the UE. The first network node receives a response from the second network node. The response comprises the requested data resources comprising the data resources accumulated in the second network node and the data resources reported by a third network node. The first network node determines the balance of resources for the UE. This determination is based on one or more out of: the received response from the second network node and the data resources used by the UE in the ongoing data sessions. The first network node reports the determined balance of resources to the UE. The first network node enables the ongoing data session for the UE to continue uninterrupted. To continue uninterrupted comprises any one or more out of: unmodifying any counter comprising the data resources used by the UE, deliberately avoiding any updating and deliberately avoiding any re-authorization activities and charging request activities.

[0017] According to an aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a method performed by a second network node. The method is for handling a balance of resources related to a UE in a communications network. The second network node receives a request from a first network node. The request is to notify a copy of data resources used by the UE. The second network node requests a third network node to report a copy of data resources used by the UE. The second network node receives, from the third network node, the copy of data resources used by the UE. The second network node calculates the requested data resources comprising the data resources accumulated in the second network node and the data resources reported by a third network node. The second network node reports, in response to the request by the first network node, the calculated data resources. The second network node enables the ongoing data session for the UE to continue uninterrupted. To continue uninterrupted comprises any one or more out of: unmodifying any counter comprising the data resources used by the UE, deliberately avoiding any updating and deliberately avoiding any re-authorization activities and charging request activities.

[0018] According to another aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a first network node. The first network node is configured to handle a balance of resources related to a UE in a communications network. The first network node is further configured to receive a balance enquiry from the UE during an ongoing data session. The balance is related to one or more out of: amount of resources consumed by the UE and amount of resources remaining for the UE. The first network node is further configured to request a second network node to notify a copy of data resources used by the UE. The first network node is further configured to receive a response from the second network node. The response is adapted to comprise the requested data resources comprising the data resources accumulated in the second network node and the data resources reported by a third network node. The first network node is further configured to determine the balance of resources for the UE based on one or more out of: the received response from the second network node and the data resources used by the UE in the ongoing data sessions. The first network node is further configured to report the determined balance of resources to the UE. The first network node is further configured to enable the ongoing data session for the UE to continue uninterrupted, comprising any one or more out of: unmodifying any counter comprising the data resources used by the UE, deliberately avoiding any updating and deliberately avoiding any re-authorization activities and charging request activities.

[0019] According to an aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a second network node. The second network node is configured to handle a balance of resources related to a UE in a communications network. The second network node is further configured to receive a request from a first network node. The request is to notify a copy of data resources used by the UE. The second network node is further configured to request a third network node to report a copy of data resources used by the UE. The second network node is further configured to receive, from the third network node, the copy of data resources used by the UE. The second network node is further configured to calculate the requested data resources comprising the data resources accumulated in the second network node and the data resources reported by a third network node. The second network node is further configured to report, in response to the request by the first network node, the calculated data resources. The second network node is further configured to enable the ongoing data session for the UE to continue uninterrupted, comprising any one or more out of: unmodifying any counter comprising the data resources used by the UE, deliberately avoiding any updating and deliberately avoiding any re-authorization activities and charging request activities.

[0020] Thanks to that the first network node can selectively obtain information related to only the balance of resources e.g., data resources used by the UE from the second network node and the third network node, it is possible to avoid any unnecessary operations that are unrelated to a balance enquiry e.g., modification of counters comprising the resources used by the UE, updating, re-authorization activities. This will result in an improved handling and reporting of the accurate balance of resources related to a UE in a communications network. This is due to the reduction in the traffic on the network e.g., between the first network node and second network node by avoiding the unnecessary operations unrelated to the balance enquiry which would otherwise be executed while using the re-authorization procedure to obtain the correct balance of resources used by the UE.

[0021] Embodiments herein may provide one or more of the following advantages: They enable the UE to receive the real time balance information at the time of balance enquiry without performing a Charging Request - Update e.g., CCR-U and / or a re-authorization notification. The received balance comprises of the resources used by the UE until the time of balance enquiry.

[0022] They reduce the traffic between CTF and CHF and avoids unnecessary reauthorization notifications for a real time balance enquiry.

[0023] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Examples of embodiments herein are described in more detail with reference to attached drawings in which: Figure 1 is a combined signaling scheme and flowchart according to prior art. Figure 2 is a combined signaling scheme and flowchart according to prior art. Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments of a communications network.

[0025] Figure 4 is a flowchart depicting an embodiment of a method in a first network node. Figure 5 is a flowchart depicting an embodiment of a method in a second network node.

[0026] Figure 6 is a combined signaling scheme and flowchart according to an example embodiment of a method herein.

[0027] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments of a first network node. Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments of a second network node.

[0028] Figure 9 schematically illustrates embodiments of a communication system. Figure 10 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a UE.

[0029] Figure 11 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a network node.

[0030] Figure 12 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a host.

[0031] Figure 13 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a virtualization environment.

[0032] Figure 14 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a communication diagram of a host.

[0033] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In example embodiments herein, a notification type is introduced on Nchf_ConvergedCharging interface. In some embodiments the notification type may be referred to as a service operation e.g., notify Used Service Units (notifyUSU). The Nchf_ConvergedCharging interface is used for the interaction between the first network node and the second network node. The first network node may e.g., be a CCS comprising the CHF, the CHF, OCS, CCS. The second network node may e.g., be a CTF such as e.g., SMF, PGw, GGSN. According to example embodiments herein, this notification type e.g., notifyUSU allows to send a notification request from the first network node e.g., CHF to the second network node e.g., CTF. This notification request may request the second network node to only report the copy of data resources used by the UE at the point of enquiry without performing any re-authorization related activities. A UE may herein be referred to as a client, a user or a subscriber. The data resources used by the UE requested by the first network node may e.g., be the Used Service Units (USUs). Examples of embodiments herein, enable the second network node to trigger a Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session modification request towards the third network node e.g., User Plane Function (UPF) to only report the copy of used resources e.g., USUs for the UE without doing any modification. A UPF in 5GC is responsible for handling the data plane functions, facilitating the efficient transfer of user data between the device and the network. It manages packet forwarding, traffic routing, and user plane processing to ensure optimal data transmission in the 5G network. PFCP is a 3GPP protocol used on the Sx / N4 interface by a control plane function such as e.g., the second network node e.g., CTF e.g., SMF to request the UPF to create, modify and / or report the PFCP session information. Examples of embodiments herein, allow the second network node to include the reported usage of resources of the UE from the third network node in its response towards the first network node. According to example embodiments herein, the first network node upon receiving the response having the resources used by the UE performs a pseudo rating and returns the balance without updating any balance information in the first network node. The balance information related to the resources used by the UE may be e.g., data consumed by the UE, data remaining for the UE, account balance e.g., say consumed data costs such as monetary resources e.g., in dollars remaining for the UE.

[0035] Figure 3 is a schematic overview depicting a communications network 100 wherein embodiments herein may be implemented. The communications network 100 comprises one or more RANs, one or more CNs such as CN 106.

[0036] The communications network 100 may use 5G NR but may further use a number of other different technologies, such as, 6G, Wi-Fi, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE- Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Global System for Mobile communications / enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (GSM / EDGE), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), or Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), just to mention a few possible implementations.

[0037] RAN nodes, such as RAN node 110, operate in the RAN the communications network 100. The RAN node 110 may each be a transmission and reception point e.g. a radio access network node such as a base station, e.g. a radio base station such as a NodeB, an evolved Node B (eNB, eNode B), an NR Node B (gNB), a base transceiver station, a radio remote unit, an Access Point Base Station, a base station router, a transmission arrangement of a radio base station, a stand-alone access point, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point or an Access Point Station (AP STA), an access controller, or any other network unit capable of communicating with UEs, such as a UE 121 , within a cell, served by the RAN node 110. The RAN node 110 may be referred to as a serving radio network node and may communicate with the UE 121 with Downlink (DL) transmissions to the UE 121 and Uplink (UL) transmissions from the UE 121.

[0038] One or more UEs operate in the wireless communication network 100, such as e.g. the UE 121. The UE 121 may e.g. be a wireless device, an NR device, a mobile station, a wireless terminal, an NB-loT device, an MTC device, an eMTC device, a CAT-M device, a WiFi device, an LTE device and a non-access point (non-AP) STA, a STA. The UE 121 may communicate with one or more CN nodes such as e.g., CN nodes 131, 132 and 133 in the CN 106 via a RAN node such as e.g., RAN node 110. It should be understood by the skilled in the art that “UE” is a non-limiting term which means any terminal, client, mobile client, IMS client, wireless communication terminal, user equipment, Device to Device (D2D) terminal, or node e.g. smart phone, laptop, mobile phone, sensor, relay, mobile tablets or even a car or any small base station communicating within a cell.

[0039] The UE 121 may, e.g., be represented by a user or a subscriber or a client with a UE such as e.g., UE 121. According to some other embodiments, the UE 121 i.e. , the user with UE 121 may communicate with the CN nodes 131 , 132, 133 via the RAN node 110 through e.g., a CSP that is serving the UE 121. The CSP may e.g., be represented by a call center, a customer care center.

[0040] CN nodes, such as e.g., first network node 131 , operate in the CN 106 of the communications network 100. According to some embodiments herein the first network node 131 may e.g., be represented a CCS, CHF, CCS.

[0041] CN nodes, such as e.g., second network node 132, operate in the CN 106 of the communications network 100. According to some embodiments herein the second network node 132 may e.g., be represented a CTF such as e.g., SMF, GGSN, PGw.

[0042] CN nodes, such as e.g., third network node 133, operate in the CN 106 of the communications network 100. According to some embodiments herein the third network node 133 may e.g., be represented a UPF

[0043] Methods according to embodiments herein are performed by the first network node 131 and second network node 132. These nodes may be Distributed Nodes (DN)s and functionality, e.g. comprised in a cloud 170 as shown in Figure 3.

[0044] Example embodiments herein provide a service operation Nchf Converged charging_notify Used Service Units (Nchf_Convergedcharging_notifyUSU) in the 5GC Service Based Interface (SBI) i.e., the Nchf_Convergedcharging interface. In these embodiments, this service operation when triggered from the first network node 131 e.g., CHF to the second network node 132 e.g., CTF, allows the second network node 132 to report the data resources used by the UE 121 e.g., current USU counter values to the first network node 131 without performing a re-authorization procedure. According to example embodiments herein, the first network node 131 performs a pseudo calculation of the real time balance using the data resources used by the UE 121 as reported by the second network node 132. Examples of embodiments herein e.g., provide a method to report the real time balance information to the UE 121 from the first network node e.g., without requesting a Charging Request - Update such as e.g., CCR-U from the second network node 132.

[0045] A number of embodiments will now be described, some of which may be seen as alternatives, while some may be used in combination.

[0046] A method according to embodiments will first be described as seen from the view of the first network node 131 together with Figure 4, and then as seen from the view of the second network node 132 together with Figure 5.

[0047] Figure 4 shows exemplary embodiments of a method performed by the first network node 131. The first network node 131 may be represented by any one out of: a Charging Function (CHF), Converged Charging System (CCS), Online Charging System (OCS). The method is for handling a balance of resources related to a UE 121 in a communications network 100.

[0048] According to an example scenario, a UE such as e.g., UE 121 wants to get the balance of the remaining data resources left for the UE 121 to use. This may be performed e.g., by the user to check the balance to recharge the account in case of low balance or by the CSP to report the current balance and data usage to the user. The first network node 131 , which is responsible for providing this information to the UE 121 by obtaining the used data resources by the UE 121 from the second network node 132 and third network node 133, may want to perform the balance retrieval from the second network node 132 and the third network node 133 using a minimum number of operations so as to reduce the traffic on the network.

[0049] The method comprises the following actions, which actions may be taken in any suitable order. Optional actions are referred to as dashed boxes in Figure 4. Action 401. The first network node 131 receives a balance enquiry from the UE 121 during an ongoing data session. The ongoing data session may e.g., be a voice session measured e.g., in time, data usage session measured e.g., in volume such as e.g., bytes. The balance is related to one or more out of: amount of resources consumed by the UE 121 and amount of resources remaining for the UE 121. As mentioned earlier, the balance information related to the resources used by the UE 121 may be e.g., data consumed by the UE 121 , data remaining for the UE 121 , account balance e.g., say consumed data costs such as monetary resources e.g., in dollars remaining for the UE 121.

[0050] Action 402. The first network node 131 requests the second network node 132 to notify a copy of data resources used by the UE 121. The data resources used by the UE 121 requested by the first network node 131 may e.g., be the USUs, the counter value of USUs, the used data units, used monetary units. The second network node 132 may be represented by any one out of: a Charging Trigger Function, CTF, a Session Management Function, SMF, GGSN, PGw. In some embodiments, the requesting of the second network node 132 to notify the copy of data resources used by the UE 121 is performed by using a service operation in a converged charging service interface. In these embodiments, the service operation in the converged charging service interface is represented by a notifyUSU in a Nchf_Convergedcharging interface. As described earlier, using the service operation, notifyUSU, may indicate the second network node 132 to notify only the data resources used by the UE 121 without performing any further operations such as e.g., resetting the counter values holding the data resources for the UE 121, performing re-authorization, performing updation.

[0051] Action 403. The first network node 131 receives a response from the second network node 132. This response comprises the requested data resources comprising the data resources accumulated in the second network node 132 and the data resources reported by the third network node 133. The third network node 133 may be represented by any one out of: a User Plane Function, UPF. In some embodiments, the second network node 132 requests the third network node 133 to report the data resources used by the UE 121 by sending a PFCP session modification request with a special indication. The special indication may be to report only the data resources used by the UE 121 without performing any further operations such as e.g., resetting the counter values holding the data resources for the UE 121 , performing re-authorization, performing updating. The data resources used by the UE 121 requested by the second network node 132 from the third network node 133 may e.g., be the USUs, the counter value of USUs, the used data units, used monetary units. Action 404. The first network node 131 determines the balance of resources for the UE 121 based on one or more out of: the received response from the second network node 132, and the data resources used by the UE 121 in the ongoing data sessions. The determined balance of resources for the UE 121 may e.g., be the amount of data consumed and / or remaining e.g., in bytes or the account balance consumed and / or remaining for the UE 121 e.g., consumed data costs such as monetary resources e.g., in dollars.

[0052] Action 405. The first network node 131 reports the determined balance of resources to the UE 121. The reported balance of resources to the UE 121 may e.g., be the amount of data consumed and / or remaining e.g., in bytes or the account balance consumed and / or remaining for the UE 121 e.g., consumed data costs such as monetary resources e.g., in dollars.

[0053] By performing the above Action 402, Action 403 and Action 404, the first network node 131 enables the ongoing data session for the UE 121 to continue uninterrupted, comprising any one or more out of: unmodifying any counter comprising the data resources used by the UE 121, deliberately avoiding any updating and deliberately avoiding any re-authorization activities and charging request activities.

[0054] In this way by using the methods above, the first network node 131 is able to reduce the number of operations required for retrieving the information related to the balance of data resources for the UE 121. The first network node 131 is also able to improve turnaround time and avoid multiple updating of the resource when the UE 121 retries or enquires repeatedly and / or frequently.

[0055] Figure 5 shows exemplary embodiments of a method performed by the second network node 132. The second network node 132 may be represented by any one out of: a Charging Trigger Function (CTF), a Session Management Function (SMF). The method is for handling a balance of resources related to a UE 121 in a communications network 100. In some embodiments, the balance is related to one or more out of: amount of resources consumed by the UE 121 and amount of resources remaining for the UE 121. As mentioned earlier, the balance information related to the resources used by the UE 121 may be e.g., data consumed by the UE 121, data remaining for the UE 121 , account balance e.g., say consumed data costs such as monetary resources e.g., in dollars remaining for the UE 121. According to an example scenario as mentioned above, the UE 121 , e.g., a user with a UE such as e.g., UE 121 , wants to get the balance of the remaining data resources left for the UE 121 to use. This may be performed e.g., by the user to check the balance to recharge the account in case of low balance or by the CSP to report the current balance and data usage to the user. The UE 121 may request the first network node 131 to provide this balance of resources. The second network node 132, which is responsible for providing this information to the first network node 131 by obtaining the used data resources by the UE 121 from the third network node 133, may want to perform the balance retrieval from the third network node 133 by using a minimum number of operations so as to reduce the traffic on the network.

[0056] The method comprises the following actions, which actions may be taken in any suitable order. Optional actions are referred to as dashed boxes in Figure 5.

[0057] Action 501. The second network node 132 receives a request from a first network node 131 e.g., CHF to notify a copy of data resources used by the UE 121. The data resources used by the UE 121 requested by the first network node 131 from the second network node 132 may e.g., be the USUs, the counter value of USUs, the used data units, used monetary units. As described above in the example scenario above, the first network node 131 may be sending this request after the first network node 131 has received a request from the UE 121 to notify the UE 121 of the balance of resources. The first network node 131 may be represented by any one out of: a Charging Function, CHF, Converged Charging System, CCS, Online Charging System, OCS.

[0058] In some embodiments, the receiving of the request from the first network node 131 to notify the copy of data resources used by the UE 121 is performed by using a service operation in a converged charging service interface. In these embodiments, the service operation in the converged charging service interface is represented by a notifyUSU in a Nchf_Convergedcharging interface. As described earlier in Action 402, by using the service operation, notifyUSU, the first network node 131 may indicate the second network node 132 to notify only the data resources used by the UE 121 without performing any further operations such as e.g., resetting the counter values holding the data resources for the UE 121, performing re-authorization, performing updating.

[0059] Action 502. The second network node 132 requests a third network node 133 to report a copy of data resources used by the UE 121. The third network node 133 may be represented by any one out of: a User Plane Function, UPF. In some embodiments, the requesting of the third network node 133 is performed by using a Packet Forwarding Control Protocol, PFCP, session modification request with a special indication to report only the copy of the data resources used by the UE 121.

[0060] The special indication may be to report only the data resources used by the UE 121 without performing any further operations such as e.g., resetting the counter values holding the data resources for the UE 121 , performing re-authorization, performing updation. The data resources used by the UE 121 requested by the second network node 132 from the third network node 133 may e.g., be the USUs, the counter value of USUs, the used data units, used monetary units.

[0061] Action 503. The second network node 132 receives from the third network node 133, the copy of data resources used by the UE 121. The data resources used by the UE 121 received by the second network node 132 from the third network node 133 may e.g., be the USUs, the counter value of USUs, the used data units, used monetary units.

[0062] Action 504. The second network node 132 calculates the requested data resources comprising the data resources accumulated in the second network node 132 and the data resources reported by a third network node 133. This calculation may be performed by consolidation based on service e.g., Rating Group and summing up the USU accumulated in the second network node 132 and the USU reported by the third network node 133.

[0063] Action 505. The second network node 132 reports, in response to the request by the first network node 131, the calculated data resources.

[0064] By performing the above Action 502, Action 503 and Action 504, the second network node 132 enables the ongoing data session for the UE 121 to continue uninterrupted, comprising any one or more out of: unmodifying any counter comprising the data resources used by the UE 121, deliberately avoiding any updating and deliberately avoiding any re-authorization activities and charging request activities.

[0065] In this way by using the methods above, the second network node 132 is able to reduce the number of operations required for retrieving the information related to the balance of data resources for the UE 121. The second network node 132 enables the first network node 131 to reduce the number of operations the first network node 131 requires for the balance retrieval. The second network node 132 is also able to improve turnaround time and avoid multiple updating of the resource when the UE 121 retries or enquires repeatedly and / or frequently. Embodiments herein such as the embodiments mentioned above will now be further described and exemplified. The text below is applicable to and may be combined with any suitable embodiment described above.

[0066] As mentioned above, according to some example embodiments herein, the UE 121 with an initial allotted data resource of e.g., 10GB. After a specific time, t, the UE 121 may want to know the remaining balance of data resources e.g., remaining bytes available for the UE 121 to use. To get this information, the UE 121 may send a request to the first network node 131 e.g., the CHF to notify the balance of resources e.g., data resources. Instead of the enquiring the balance of resources in e.g., GB, the UE 121 may enquire the account balance say e.g., consumed data costs such as monetary resources e.g., in dollars i.e. , a UE 121 with an initial allotted account balance of 10$ with a subscription plan of 1$ / GB. The above-described actions according to embodiments herein are described in detail with the above-mentioned example scenario as outlined in Figure 6. The figure captures the use of the examples of the described embodiments herein in improving the balance retrieval process performed by the first network node 131 e.g., CHF, the second network node 132 e.g., CTF such as e.g., SMF, and the third network node 133 e.g., UPF.

[0067] Action 601. The initial balance allotted for the UE 121 is e.g., 10GB. The initial balance may also correspond to the account balance of the UE 121 say e.g., consumed data costs such as monetary resources e.g., in dollars.

[0068] Action 602. In this action, Charging Request-Create such as e.g., CCR-lnitial (CCR-I) is sent from the second network node 132 e.g., CTF to the first network node 131 e.g., CHF. This is performed to create the charging data session with CHF and authorize and / or authenticate the UE 121 to either allow or not allow the service based on the balance information of the user account of the UE 121.

[0069] Action 603. In response, a Charging Response such as e.g., Credit Control Answer-Initial (CCA-I) with a Granted Service Units (GSU) of 2GB is sent from the first network node 131 to the second network node 132.

[0070] Action 604. The second network node 132 then performs a Charging Request Update when the data usage e.g., reporting conditions of the USU is reached.

[0071] Action 605. The first network node 131 performs the logic to update the balance information of the UE 121 and then make the reservation further allowing the data session. Then the first network node 131 responds with a Charging Response-Update such as e.g., CCA-Update (CCA-ll) with a Granted Service Units (GSU) of 2GB which is sent to the second network node 132.

[0072] Action 606. As described in Action 401, the UE 121 makes a balance enquiry to the first network node 131 at time, t. The enquiry from the UE 121 may notify the first network node 131 to report the balance of data resources consumed and / or remaining for the UE 121 as e.g., bytes or the account balance consumed and / or remaining for the UE 121 say e.g., consumed data costs such as monetary resources e.g., in dollars. The data resources used by the UE 121 as known by the first network node 131 at time t is 8GB (6GB plus a reserved balance of 2GB). However, the first network node 131 must obtain further data resources used by the UE accumulated in the second network node 132 e.g., CTF and the third network node 133 e.g., UPF.

[0073] Action 607. According to example embodiments herein, the service operation notifyUSU request is sent towards the second network node 132 e.g., CTF from the first network node 131 e.g., CHF as mentioned above in Action 402 and Action 501. When the second network node 132 e.g., CTF receives a notifyUSU request, it responds with the copy of data resources e.g., USUs without doing any re-authorization related activities in the second network node 132 e.g., CTF such as e.g., SMF.

[0074] Action 608. In some embodiments described herein as mentioned in Action 502, the second network node 132 e.g., CTF e.g., SMF sends a PFCP session modification request with a special indication for just reporting the current used data resources in real time from the third network node 133 e.g., UPF. In these embodiments, the third network node 133 e.g., UPF understands that the third network node 133 must not make any changes to the ongoing data session. In these embodiments, the third network node 133 also knows that it must just send the copy of used data resources by the UE 121 such as e.g., counters with USUs, used data units, used monetary units to the second network node 132 e.g., CTF such as e.g., SMF. In this example scenario, the third network node 133 responds with the used data resources such as USUs e.g., 0.5GB that was accumulated since the last PFCP session modification request from the second network node 132. This will be performed without resetting any counters.

[0075] Action 609 and 610. As seen above in Action 504, the second network node 132 may then add the used data resources reported from the third network node 133 e.g., 0.5GB and the used data resources that the second network node 132 has accumulated already since the last interrogation by the first network node 131 e.g., 0.5GB and report it back as e.g., 1GB to the first network node 131 e.g., CHF. Action 611. The first network node 131 then performs a pseudo rating using the reported used data resources. The pseudo rating herein means the logic for updation is performed but without committing any balance information and reports the calculated balance to the UE 121. Thus, the correct real time balance of e.g., 7GB (6GB plus a reserved balance of 1 GB) is reported to the UE 121.

[0076] Thus, according to examples of embodiments herein, the flow in the second network node 132 is not interrupted due to the reporting of the balance of resources e.g., USUs. Thus, no updating and no re-reservation is performed unlike the Charging request triggered by SMF as part of re-authorization procedure. Examples of embodiments herein also provides a method for the first network node 131 such as e.g., CHF to only calculate the pseudo rating of the balance comprising the used data resources such as e.g., USUs received from the second network node 132, but not committing any balances. Thus by performing the above-mentioned actions, the real time flow on the first network node 131 is also not interrupted due to this balance enquiry.

[0077] Based on the embodiments described herein, the following changes could be introduced to 3GPP standard specification 3GPP TS 32.290 and / or 3GPP TS 32.291.

[0078] - A service operation Nchf_Convergeccharging_notifyUSU will be introduced. This will be triggered by the first network node 131 e.g., CHF. It will use the notifyURI that the first network node 131 e.g., CHF has gotten from the Create / Update operation. A notifyURI is an information element received in the payload of the service operation Charging request - create / update in the Nchf_Convergeccharging interface from the second network node 132. This contains the URL of the callback and / or the notification request to be sent by the first network node 131.

[0079] Service operation name: Nchf_ConvergedCharging_NotifyUSU

[0080] Description: Request the second network node 132 e.g., CTF such as e.g., NF consumers to report data resources e.g., USUs used by the UE 121 e.g., subscriber.

[0081] Known NF Consumers: SMF, IMS-Node, SMF+PGW-C.

[0082] Inputs, Required: Subscriber Identifier

[0083] Inputs, Optional: Rating Group, Service Identifier.

[0084] Outputs, Required: Result Indication such as e.g., data consumed and / or remaining for the UE 121 e.g., bytes and / or account balance consumed and / or remaining for the UE 121 such as say e.g., consumed data costs such as monetary resources e.g., in dollars.

[0085] Outputs, Optional: Details of Used data resources e.g., USU.

[0086] According to embodiments described herein, the payload for

[0087] Nchf_Convergeccharging_notifyllSU request is illustrated in Table 1 below:

[0088] According to embodiments described herein, the payload for

[0089] Nchf_Convergeccharging_notifyllSU response is illustrated in Table 2 below:

[0090] In the above table, the first network node 131 is represented as CHF, the second network node 132 is represented as CTF or NF consumers.

[0091] According to examples of embodiments herein, the PFCP session modification interface of 3GPP standard specification TS 29.244 will be modified with an additional request parameter. This additional request parameter is to indicate that only reporting of current usage of data resources such as e.g., counter values, USUs. is required for a request without doing any re-authorization related activities such as e.g., clearing counters, sending Usage Reporting Rules (URR) or modifying URR.

[0092] To perform the method actions above, the first network node 131 is configured to handle a balance of resources related to a UE 121 in a communications network 100.

[0093] The first network node 131 may comprise an arrangement depicted in Figure 7. The first network node 131 may comprise an input and output interface 700 configured to communicate in the communications network 100, e.g., with the second network node 132. The input and output interface 700 may comprise a wireless receiver not shown, and a wireless transmitter not shown.

[0094] The first network node 131 is further configured to receive a balance enquiry from the UE 121 during an ongoing data session. The balance is related to one or more out of: amount of resources consumed by the UE 121 and amount of resources remaining for the UE 121. The first network node 131 is further configured to request a second network node 132 to notify a copy of data resources used by the UE 121. The first network node 131 is further configured to receive a response from the second network node 132. The response is adapted to comprise the requested data resources comprising the data resources accumulated in the second network node 132 and the data resources reported by a third network node 133. The first network node 131 is further configured to determine the balance of resources for the UE 121 based on one or more out of: the received response from the second network node 132, and the data resources used by the UE 121 in the ongoing data sessions. The first network node 131 is further configured to report the determined balance of resources to the UE 121. The first network node 131 is further configured to enable the ongoing data session for the UE 121 to continue uninterrupted, comprising any one or more out of: unmodifying any counter comprising the data resources used by the UE 121, deliberately avoiding any updating and deliberately avoiding any re-authorization activities and charging request activities.

[0095] In some embodiments, the requesting of the second network node 132 to notify the copy of data resources used by the UE 121 is adapted to be performed by using a service operation in a converged charging service interface. In these embodiments, the service operation in the converged charging service interface is represented by a notifyUSU in a Nchf_Convergedcharging interface.

[0096] In some embodiments, the first network node 131 is represented by any one out of: a Charging Function, CHF, Converged Charging System, CCS, Online Charging System, OCS. In some embodiments, the second network node 132 is represented by any one out of: a Charging Trigger Function, CTF, a Session Management Function, SMF. In some embodiments, the third network node 133 is represented by any one out of: a User Plane Function, UPF.

[0097] To perform the method actions above, the second network node 132 is configured to handle a balance of resources related to a UE 121 in a communications network 100. The second network node 132 may comprise an arrangement depicted in Figure 8. The second network node 132 may comprise an input and output interface 800 configured to communicate in the communications network 100, e.g., with the first network node 131. The input and output interface 800 may comprise a wireless receiver not shown, and a wireless transmitter not shown.

[0098] The second network node 132 is further configured to receive a request from a first network node 131 to notify a copy of data resources used by the UE 121. The second network node 132 is further configured to request a third network node 133 to report a copy of data resources used by the UE 121. The second network node 132 is further configured to receive, from the third network node 133, the copy of data resources used by the UE 121. The second network node 132 is further configured to calculate the requested data resources comprising the data resources accumulated in the second network node 132 and the data resources reported by a third network node 133. The second network node 132 is further configured to report, in response to the request by the first network node 131 , the calculated data resources. The second network node 132 is further configured to enable the ongoing data session for the UE 121 to continue uninterrupted, comprising any one or more out of: unmodifying any counter comprising the data resources used by the UE 121, deliberately avoiding any updating and deliberately avoiding any re-authorization activities and charging request activities.

[0099] In some embodiments, the receiving of the request from the first network node 131 to notify the copy of data resources used by the UE 121 is adapted to be performed by using a service operation in a converged charging service interface. In these embodiments, the service operation in the converged charging service interface is represented by a notifyUSU in a Nchf_Convergedcharging interface.

[0100] In some embodiments, the requesting of the third network node 133 is adapted to be performed using a Packet Forwarding Control Protocol, PFCP, session modification request with a special indication to report only the copy of the data resources used by the UE 121.

[0101] In some embodiments, the first network node 131 is represented by any one out of: a Charging Function, CHF, Converged Charging System, CCS, Online Charging System, OCS. In some embodiments, the second network node 132 is represented by any one out of: a Charging Trigger Function, CTF, a Session Management Function, SMF, GGSN, PGw. In some embodiments, the third network node 133 is represented by any one out of: a User Plane Function, UPF. Embodiments herein may be implemented through a respective processor or one or more processors, such as the respective processor 710 of a processing circuitry in the first network node 131 depicted in Figure 7, and processor 810 of a processing circuitry in the second network node 132 depicted in Figure 8 together with respective computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the respective first network node 131 and second network node 132. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It is however feasible with other data carriers such as a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the respective first network node 131 and second network node 132.

[0102] The first network node 131 and second network node 132 may further comprise a respective memory 720 and memory 820 comprising one or more memory units. The respective memory 720 and memory 820 comprises instructions executable by the processor in the respective first network node 131 and second network node 132. The respective memory 720 and memory 820 are arranged to be used to store e.g., media functions, indications, tags, information, data, configurations, communication data, and applications to perform the methods herein when being executed in the respective first network node 131 and second network node 132.

[0103] In some embodiments, a respective computer program 730 and computer program 830 comprises instructions, which when executed by the respective at least one processor 710 and processor 810, cause the at least one processor of respective first network node 131 and second network node 132 to perform the actions above.

[0104] In some embodiments, a respective carrier 740 and carrier 840 comprises the respective computer program 730 and computer program 830, wherein the respective carrier 740 and carrier 840 is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0105] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that units in the respective first network node 131 and second network node 132 described above may refer to a combination of analog and digital circuits, and / or one or more processors configured with software and / or firmware, e.g. stored in the respective first network node 131 and second network node 132, that when executed by the respective one or more processors such as the processors described above. One or more of these processors, as well as the other digital hardware, may be included in a single Application-Specific Integrated Circuitry ASIC, or several processors and various digital hardware may be distributed among several separate components, whether individually packaged or assembled into a System-on-a- Chip (SoC).

[0106] ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION

[0107] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0108] Figure 9 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0109] In the example, the communication system QQ100 includes a telecommunication network QQ102 that includes an access network QQ104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network QQ106, which includes one or more core network nodes QQ108. The access network QQ104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes QQ110a and QQ110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes QQ110), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network QQ102 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network QQ102 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network QQ102, including one or more network nodes QQ110 and / or core network nodes QQ108.

[0110] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O- CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an A1 , F1, W1 , E1, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes QQ110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 121, QQ112a, QQ112b, QQ112c, and QQ112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs QQ112) to the core network QQ106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0111] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system QQ100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system QQ100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0112] The UEs QQ112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes QQ110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes QQ110 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs QQ112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network QQ102 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network QQ102.

[0113] In the depicted example, the core network QQ106 connects the network nodes QQ110 to one or more hosts, such as host QQ116. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network QQ106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node QQ108) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node QQ108. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (ALISF), Subscription Identifier Deconcealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0114] The host QQ116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network QQ104 and / or the telecommunication network QQ102, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host QQ116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0115] As a whole, the communication system QQ100 of Figure 9 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0116] In some examples, the telecommunication network QQ102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network QQ102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network QQ102. For example, the telecommunications network QQ102 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0117] In some examples, the UEs QQ112 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network QQ104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network QQ104. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi- RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0118] In the example, the hub QQ114 communicates with the access network QQ104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node QQ110b). In some examples, the hub QQ114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub QQ114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network QQ106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes QQ110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub QQ114. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub QQ114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub QQ114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub QQ114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0119] The hub QQ114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node QQ110b. The hub QQ114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub QQ114 and UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d), and between the hub QQ114 and the core network QQ106. In other examples, the hub QQ114 is connected to the core network QQ106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub QQ114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network QQ104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes QQ110 while still connected via the hub QQ114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node QQ110b. In other embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node QQ110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0120] Figure 10 shows a UE QQ200 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes such as e.g., first network node 131 and second network node 132 and / or other UEs, such as e.g., UE 121. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-loT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0121] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0122] The UE QQ200 includes processing circuitry QQ202 that is operatively coupled via a bus QQ204 to an input / output interface QQ206, a power source QQ208, a memory QQ210, a communication interface QQ212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 10. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0123] The processing circuitry QQ202 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory QQ210. The processing circuitry QQ202 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry QQ202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0124] In the example, the input / output interface QQ206 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE QQ200. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device. In some embodiments, the power source QQ208 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source QQ208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source QQ208 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE QQ200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source QQ208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source QQ208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE QQ200 to which power is supplied.

[0125] The memory QQ210 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory QQ210 includes one or more application programs QQ214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data QQ216. The memory QQ210 may store, for use by the UE QQ200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0126] The memory QQ210 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUlCC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory QQ210 may allow the UE QQ200 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory QQ210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium. The processing circuitry QQ202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface QQ212. The communication interface QQ212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna QQ222. The communication interface QQ212 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter QQ218 and / or a receiver QQ220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter QQ218 and receiver QQ220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna QQ222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0127] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface QQ212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0128] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface QQ212, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0129] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0130] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE QQ200 shown in Figure 10.

[0131] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-loT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0132] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0133] Figure 11 shows a network node QQ300 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), O- RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0134] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0135] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi- cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0136] The network node QQ300 includes a processing circuitry QQ302, a memory QQ304, a communication interface QQ306, and a power source QQ308. The network node QQ300 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node QQ300 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node QQ300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory QQ304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna QQ310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node QQ300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node QQ300, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node QQ300.

[0137] The processing circuitry QQ302 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node QQ300 components, such as the memory QQ304, to provide network node QQ300 functionality.

[0138] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and the baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0139] The memory QQ304 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device- readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry QQ302. The memory QQ304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry QQ302 and utilized by the network node QQ300. The memory QQ304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry QQ302 and / or any data received via the communication interface QQ306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 and memory QQ304 is integrated.

[0140] The communication interface QQ306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface QQ306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) QQ316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface QQ306 also includes radio front-end circuitry QQ318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna QQ310. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 comprises filters QQ320 and amplifiers QQ322. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may be connected to an antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters QQ320 and / or amplifiers QQ322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna QQ310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna QQ310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry QQ318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry QQ302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0141] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node QQ300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry QQ318, instead, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna QQ310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 is part of the communication interface QQ306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface QQ306 includes one or more ports or terminals QQ316, the radio front-end circuitry QQ318, and the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface QQ306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry QQ314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0142] The antenna QQ310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna QQ310 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry QQ318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna QQ310 is separate from the network node QQ300 and connectable to the network node QQ300 through an interface or port.

[0143] The antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna QQ310, the communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0144] The power source QQ308 provides power to the various components of network node QQ300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source QQ308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node QQ300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source QQ308. As a further example, the power source QQ308 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0145] Embodiments of the network node QQ300 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 11 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node QQ300 and to allow output of information from the network node QQ300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node QQ300.

[0146] Figure 12 is a block diagram of a host QQ400, which may be an embodiment of the host QQ116 of Figure 9, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host QQ400 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host QQ400 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0147] The host QQ400 includes processing circuitry QQ402 that is operatively coupled via a bus QQ404 to an input / output interface QQ406, a network interface QQ408, a power source QQ410, and a memory QQ412. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures QQ2 and QQ3, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host QQ400.

[0148] The memory QQ412 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs QQ414 and data QQ416, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host QQ400 or data generated by the host QQ400 for a UE. Embodiments of the host QQ400 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs QQ414 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAG, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application programs QQ414 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host QQ400 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs QQ414 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc. Figure 13 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ500 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments QQ500 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment QQ500 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O- Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface.

[0149] Applications QQ502 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0150] Hardware QQ504 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers QQ506 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs QQ508a and QQ508b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs QQ508), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer QQ506 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs QQ508.

[0151] The VMs QQ508 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer QQ506. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance QQ502 may be implemented on one or more of VMs QQ508, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0152] In the context of NFV, a VM QQ508 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs QQ508, and that part of hardware QQ504 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs QQ508 on top of the hardware QQ504 and corresponds to the application QQ502.

[0153] Hardware QQ504 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware QQ504 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware QQ504 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration QQ510, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications QQ502. In some embodiments, hardware QQ504 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system QQ512 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0154] Figure 14 shows a communication diagram of a host QQ602 communicating via a network node QQ604 with a UE QQ606 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE QQ112a of Figure 9 and / or UE QQ200 of Figure 10), network node (such as network node QQ110a of Figure 9 and / or network node QQ300 of Figure 11), and host (such as host QQ116 of Figure 9 and / or host QQ400 of Figure 12) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 14. Like host QQ400, embodiments of host QQ602 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host QQ602 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host QQ602 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE QQ606 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection QQ650 extending between the UE QQ606 and host QQ602. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection QQ650.

[0155] The network node QQ604 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host QQ602 and UE QQ606. The connection QQ660 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network QQ106 of Figure 9) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0156] The UE QQ606 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE QQ606 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE QQ606 with the support of the host QQ602. In the host QQ602, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection QQ650 terminating at the UE QQ606 and host QQ602. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection QQ650 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection QQ650.

[0157] The OTT connection QQ650 may extend via a connection QQ660 between the host QQ602 and the network node QQ604 and via a wireless connection QQ670 between the network node QQ604 and the UE QQ606 to provide the connection between the host QQ602 and the UE QQ606. The connection QQ660 and wireless connection QQ670, over which the OTT connection QQ650 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host QQ602 and the UE QQ606 via the network node QQ604, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0158] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection QQ650, in step QQ608, the host QQ602 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE QQ606. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE QQ606 that shares data with the host QQ602 without explicit human interaction. In step QQ610, the host QQ602 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE QQ606. The host QQ602 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE QQ606. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE QQ606 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE QQ606. The transmission may pass via the network node QQ604, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step QQ612, the network node QQ604 transmits to the UE QQ606 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host QQ602 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step QQ614, the UE QQ606 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE QQ606 associated with the host application executed by the host QQ602.

[0159] In some examples, the UE QQ606 executes a client application which provides user data to the host QQ602. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host QQ602. Accordingly, in step QQ616, the UE QQ606 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of the UE QQ606. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE QQ606 initiates, in step QQ618, transmission of the user data towards the host QQ602 via the network node QQ604. In step QQ620, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node QQ604 receives user data from the UE QQ606 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host QQ602. In step QQ622, the host QQ602 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE QQ606.

[0160] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE QQ606 using the OTT connection QQ650, in which the wireless connection QQ670 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve the latency and thereby provide benefits such as reduced user waiting time.

[0161] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host QQ602. As another example, the host QQ602 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host QQ602 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host QQ602 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host QQ602 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host QQ602 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and / or transmitting data.

[0162] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection QQ650 between the host QQ602 and UE QQ606, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host QQ602 and / or UE QQ606. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection QQ650 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection QQ650 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node QQ604. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host QQ602. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection QQ650 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0163] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0164] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0165] When using the word "comprise" or “comprising” it shall be interpreted as nonlimiting, i.e. meaning "consist at least of'.

[0166] The embodiments herein are not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. Various alternatives, modifications and equivalents may be used.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a first network node (131), for handling a balance of resources related to a UE (121) in a communications network (100), the method comprising: receiving (401) a balance enquiry from the UE (121) during an ongoing data session, which balance is related to one or more out of: amount of resources consumed by the UE (121) and amount of resources remaining for the UE (121), requesting (402) a second network node (132) to notify a copy of data resources used_by the UE (121), receiving (403) a response from the second network node (132), which response comprises the requested data resources comprising the data resources accumulated in the second network node (132) and the data resources reported by a third network node (133), determining (404) the balance of resources for the UE (121) based on one or more out of: the received response from the second network node (132), and the data resources used by the UE (121) in the ongoing data sessions, and reporting (405) the determined balance of resources to the UE (121), enabling the ongoing data session for the UE (121) to continue uninterrupted, comprising any one or more out of: unmodifying any counter comprising the data resources used by the UE (121), deliberately avoiding any updating and deliberately avoiding any re-authorization activities and charging request activities.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein requesting (402) the second network node (132) to notify the copy of data resources used by the UE (121) is performed by using a service operation in a converged charging service interface.

3. The method according to any of claims 1-2, wherein the service operation in the converged charging service interface is represented by a notifyUSU in a Nchf_Convergedcharging interface.

4. The method according to any of the claims 1-3, wherein any one or more out of:the first network node (131) is represented by any one out of: a Charging Function, CHF, Converged Charging System, CCS, Online Charging System, OCS, and the second network node (132) is represented by any one out of: a Charging Trigger Function, CTF, a Session Management Function, SMF, GGSN, PGw, and the third network node (133) is represented by any one out of: a User Plane Function, UPF.

5. A computer program (730) comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor (710), causes the processor (710) to perform actions according to any of the claims 1-4.

6. A carrier (740) comprising the computer program (730) of claim 5, wherein the carrier (740) is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

7. A method performed by a second network node (132), for handling a balance of resources related to a UE (121) in a communications network (100), the method comprising: receiving (501) a request from a first network node (131) to notify a copy of data resources used_by the UE (121), requesting (502) a third network node (133) to report a copy of data resources used by the UE (121), receiving (503), from the third network node (133), the copy of data resources used by the UE (121), calculating (504) the requested data resources comprising the data resources accumulated in the second network node (132) and the data resources reported by a third network node (133), reporting (505), in response to the request by the first network node (131), the calculated data resources, enabling the ongoing data session for the UE (121) to continue uninterrupted, comprising any one or more out of: unmodifying any counter comprising the dataresources used by the UE (121), deliberately avoiding any updating and deliberately avoiding any re-authorization activities and charging request activities.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein receiving (501) the request from the first network node (131) to notify the copy of data resources used by the UE (121) is performed by using a service operation in a converged charging service interface.

9. The method according to any of claims 7-8, wherein the service operation in the converged charging service interface is represented by a notifyUSU in a Nchf_Convergedcharging interface.

10. The method according to any of claims 7-9, wherein the requesting (502) of the third network node (133) is performed by using a Packet Forwarding Control Protocol, PFCP, session modification request with a special indication to report only the copy of the data resources used by the UE (121).

11. The method according to any of the claims 7-10, wherein any one or more out of: the first network node (131) is represented by any one out of: a Charging Function, CHF, Converged Charging System, CCS, Online Charging System, OCS, and the second network node (132) is represented by any one out of: a Charging Trigger Function, CTF, a Session Management Function, SMF, GGSN, PGw, and the third network node (133) is represented by any one out of: a User Plane Function, UPF.

12. A computer program (830) comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor (810), causes the processor (810) to perform actions according to any of the claims 7-11.

13. A carrier (840) comprising the computer program (830) of claim 12, wherein the carrier (840) is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

14. A first network node (131) configured to handle a balance of resources related to a UE (121) in a communications network (100), the first network node (131) further configured to: receive a balance enquiry from the UE (121) during an ongoing data session, which balance is related to one or more out of: amount of resources consumed by the UE (121) and amount of resources remaining for the UE (121), request a second network node (132) to notify a copy of data resources used by the UE (121), receive a response from the second network node (132), which response is adapted to comprise the requested data resources comprising the data resources accumulated in the second network node (132) and the data resources reported by a third network node e.g., UPF (133), determine the balance of resources for the UE (121) based on one or more out of: the received response from the second network node (132), and the data resources used by the UE (121) in the ongoing data sessions, and report the determined balance of resources to the UE (121), enabling the ongoing data session for the UE (121) to continue uninterrupted, comprising any one or more out of: unmodifying any counter comprising the data resources used by the UE (121), deliberately avoiding any updating and deliberately avoiding any re-authorization activities and charging request activities.

15. The first network node (131) according to claim 14, wherein the requesting of the second network node (132) to notify the copy of data resources used by the UE (121) is adapted to be performed by using a service operation in a converged charging service interface.

16. The first network node (131) according to any of claims 14-15, wherein the service operation in the converged charging service interface is represented by a notifyUSU in a Nchf_Convergedcharging interface.

17. The first network node (131) according to any of the claims 14-16, wherein any one or more out of:the first network node (131) is represented by any one out of: a Charging Function, CHF, Converged Charging System, CCS, Online Charging System, OCS, and the second network node (132) is represented by any one out of: a Charging Trigger Function, CTF, a Session Management Function, SMF.GGSN, PGw, and the third network node (133) is represented by any one out of: a User Plane Function, UPF.

18. A second network node (132) configured to handle a balance of resources related to a UE (121) in a communications network (100), the second network node (132) further configured to: receive a request from a first network node (131) to notify a copy of data resources used by the UE (121), request a third network node (133) to report a copy of data resources used by the UE (121), receive, from the third network node (133), the copy of data resources used by the UE (121), calculate the requested data resources comprising the data resources accumulated in the second network node (132) and the data resources reported by a third network node (133), report, in response to the request by the first network node (131), the calculated data resources, enabling the ongoing data session for the UE (121) to continue uninterrupted, comprising any one or more out of: unmodifying any counter comprising the data resources used by the UE (121), deliberately avoiding any updating and deliberately avoiding any re-authorization activities and charging request activities.

19. The second network node (132) according to claim 18, wherein the receiving of the request from the first network node (131) to notify the copy of data resources used by the UE (121) is adapted to be performed by using a service operation in a converged charging service interface.

20. The second network node (132) according to any of claims 18-19, wherein the service operation in the converged charging service interface is represented by a notifyllSU in a Nchf_Convergedcharging interface.

21. The second network node (132) according to any of claims 18-20, wherein the requesting of the third network node (133) is adapted to be performed using a Packet Forwarding Control Protocol, PFCP, session modification request with a special indication to report only the copy of the data resources used by the UE (121).

22. The second network node (132) according to any of the claims 18-21, wherein any one or more out of: the first network node (131) is represented by any one out of: a Charging Function, CHF, Converged Charging System, CCS, Online Charging System, OCS, and the second network node (132) is represented by any one out of: a Charging Trigger Function, CTF, a Session Management Function, SMF, and the third network node (133) is represented by any one out of: a User Plane Function, UPF.

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