Packet data convergence protocol control packet data unit based active queue management

Abstract

A network entity (900, 1000) can determine (710) that a sequence number, SN, gap will be created. The network entity can further determine (720) a packet data convergence protocol, PDCP, SN of a first PDCP data protocol data unit, PDU, packet. The network entity can further 5 replace (730) a second PDCP data PDU packet with a PDCP control PDU including an indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet.

Description

9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001PACKET DATA CONVERGENCE PROTOCOL CONTROL PACKET DATA UNIT BASED ACTIVE QUEUE MANAGEMENTTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure is related to wireless communication systems and more particularly to packet data convergence protocol (“PDCP”) control packet data unit (“PDU”) based active queue management (“AQM”).BACKGROUND

[0002] Recently, the system architectures (SAI and SA2) groups of the 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (“3GPP”) have defined study items to identify use cases and architectural enhancements that will enable integrated sensing and communication (“ISAC”) in cellular network. The term ISAC can correspond to the internal term joint communication and sensing (“JCAS”), used for the same technology.

[0003] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of current 5thgeneration radio access network (“NG- RAN”) architecture. The NG-RAN architecture can be further described as follows. The NG- RAN includes a set of 5thgeneration (“5G”) base stations (referred to herein as gNBs) connected to the 5thgeneration core network (“5GC”) through the next generation (“NG”) network. A gNB can support frequency division duplex (“FDD”) mode, time division duplex (“TDD”) mode or dual mode operation. gNBs can be interconnected through the Xn interface. A gNB can include a gNB-central unit (“CU”) and gNB-distributed units (“DUs”). A gNB-CU and a gNB- DU are connected via a Fl logical interface. One gNB-DU is connected to only one gNB-CU. For resiliency, a gNB-DU may be connected to multiple gNB-CU by appropriate implementation. NG, Xn, and Fl are logical interfaces. The NG-RAN is layered into a Radio Network Layer (“RNL”) and a Transport Network Layer (“TNL”). The NG-RAN architecture (e.g., the NG-RAN logical nodes and interfaces between them) is defined as part of the RNL. For each NG-RAN interface (e.g., NG, Xn, and Fl) the related TNL protocol and the functionality are specified. The TNL provides services for user plane transport and signaling transport. NG, Xn and Fl are logical interfaces.

[0004] For NG-RAN, the NG and Xn-C interfaces for a gNB consisting of a gNB-CU and gNB-DUs, terminate in the gNB-CU. For EN-DC, the Sl-U and X2-C interfaces for a gNB including a gNB-CU and gNB-DUs, terminate in the gNB-CU. The gNB-CU and connected gNB-DUs are only visible to other gNBs and the 5GC as a gNB.

[0005] In some examples of network sharing with multiple cell ID broadcast, each CellIdentity associated with a subset of PLMNs corresponds to a gNB-DU and the gNB-CU it is connected to, for example, the corresponding gNB-DUs share the same physical layer cell9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001 resources. For resiliency, a gNB-DU may be connected to multiple gNB-CUs by appropriate implementation.

[0006] For NG-RAN, the NG and Xn-C interfaces for a gNB consisting of a gNB-CU and gNB-DUs, terminate in the gNB-CU. For EN-DC, the Sl-U and X2-C interfaces for a gNB consisting of a gNB-CU and gNB-DUs, terminate in the gNB-CU. The gNB-CU and connected gNB-DUs are only visible to other gNBs and the 5GC as a gNB.

[0007] The node hosting user plane part of NR PDCP (e.g., gNB-CU, gNB-CU-UP, and forEN-DC, MeNB or SgNB depending on the bearer split) shall perform user inactivity monitoring and further informs its inactivity or (re)activation to the node having C-plane connection towards the core network (e.g., over El, X2). The node hosting NR RLC (e.g. gNB-DU) may perform user inactivity monitoring and further inform its inactivity or (re)activation to the node hosting control plane, e.g. gNB-CU or gNB-CU-CP.

[0008] UL PDCP configuration (i.e. how the UE uses the UL at the assisting node) is indicated via X2-C (for EN-DC), Xn-C (for NG-RAN) and Fl-C. Radio Link Outage / Resume for DL and / or UL is indicated via X2-U (for EN-DC), Xn-U (for NG-RAN) and Fl-U.

[0009] The NG-RAN is layered into a Radio Network Layer (RNL) and a Transport Network Layer (TNL). The NG-RAN architecture (e.g., the NG-RAN logical nodes and interfaces between them) is defined as part of the RNL. For each NG-RAN interface (NG, Xn, Fl) the related TNL protocol and the functionality are specified. The TNL provides services for user plane transport, signalling transport. In NG-Flex configuration, each NG-RAN node is connected to all AMFs of AMF Sets within an AMF Region supporting at least one slice also supported by the NG-RAN node. The AMF Set and the AMF Region are defined in 3GPP. If security protection for control plane and user plane data on TNL of NG-RAN interfaces has to be supported, NDS / IP 3GPP TS 33.501 shall be applied.

[0010] The overall architecture for separation of gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP is depicted in FIG. 2.

[0011] A gNB may consist of a gNB-CU-CP, multiple gNB-CU-UPs and multiple gNB- DUs. The gNB-CU-CP is connected to the gNB-DU through the Fl-C interface. The gNB-CU- UP is connected to the gNB-DU through the Fl-U interface. The gNB-CU-UP is connected to the gNB-CU-CP through the El interface. One gNB-DU is connected to only one gNB-CU-CP. One gNB-CU-UP is connected to only one gNB-CU-CP. For resiliency, a gNB-DU and / or a gNB-CU-UP may be connected to multiple gNB-CU-CPs by appropriate implementation. One gNB-DU can be connected to multiple gNB-CU-UPs under the control of the same gNB-CU- CP. One gNB-CU-UP can be connected to multiple DUs under the control of the same gNB- CU-CP.9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001

[0012] The connectivity between a gNB-CU-UP and a gNB-DU is established by the gNB- CU-CP using Bearer Context Management functions. The gNB-CU-CP selects the appropriate gNB-CU-UP(s) for the requested services for the UE. In case of multiple CU-UPs they belong to same security domain. Data forwarding between gNB-CU-UPs during intra-gNB-CU-CP handover within a gNB may be supported by Xn-U.SUMMARY

[0013] According to some embodiments, a method of operating a communication device is provided. The method includes determining that a sequence number, SN, gap will be created. The method further includes determining a packet data convergence protocol, PDCP, SN of a first PDCP protocol data unit, PDU, packet. The method further includes replacing a second PDCP data PDU packet with a PDCP control PDU including an indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet.

[0014] According to other embodiments, a method of operating a network node is provided. The method includes determining that a sequence number, SN, gap will be created. The method further includes determining a packet data convergence protocol, PDCP, SN of a first PDCP protocol data unit, PDU, packet. The method further includes replacing a second PDCP data PDU packet with a PDCP control PDU including an indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet.

[0015] According to other embodiments, a communication device, a network node, a system, a host, a computer program, a computer program product, or a non-transitory computer- readable medium is provided to perform one of the above methods.

[0016] Certain aspects of these embodiments may provide technical advantages. In some embodiments, with this procedure the AQM packet discard can be applied in RLC SDU buffer without introducing a PDCP SN gap even when PDCP Integrity Protection is applied. In some examples, this can lead to the AQM packet discard reaching the application server earlier, and the server will more quickly reduce the rate reducing the buffer queue size and latency. In other words, the AQM packet discard can be applied at head of the RLC buffer instead of head of PDCP buffer (like tail of RLC buffer).

[0017] For certain QoS classes there may also be a benefit of discarding RLC SDUs for other reasons than AQM. Hence, RLC SDUs that have been waiting during a time interval that exceeds a certain minimum age threshold for which the associated QoS class considers the data units to be too old, can be discarded because there is no longer any benefit of sending them to the UE. Additional or alternative embodiments avoid introducing an unnecessary PDCP SN gap at the UE receiver.9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001

[0018] In additional or alternative embodiments, replacing a PDCP PDU lost on a transport link in RAN with the PDCP control PDU can result in advancing the PDCP window to reduce the reordering delay in the receiving entity (UE).

[0019] Although it is possible to configure the PDCP receiver instance in the UE to handle the received PDCP PDUs out-of-order, and thus not wait for any missing packets, the out-of- order setting has a number of disadvantages. In some examples, some transport protocols (such as TCP and QUIC) will under certain conditions perform a fast retransmit when the application server gets duplicated TCP acks, indicating packets missing or out-of-order. In additional or alternative examples, in a DC deployment where data units are sent on both legs, there is a greater risk of getting a rather big out-of-order of packets between the legs when the transmission rates for the legs can quickly change. This may result in frequent out-of-order packets and which may result in bad performance of the application, depending on how well the application can handle out-of-order packets.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of inventive concepts. In the drawings:

[0021] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a NG-RAN architecture;

[0022] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a gNB architecture with separation of gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP;

[0023] FIG. 3 s a flow chart illustrating an example of handling a RLC SDU buffer in response to determining the buffer is overloaded in accordance with some embodiments;

[0024] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example of handling a RLC SDU buffer in response to determining a packet has been lost;

[0025] FIGS. 5-6 are schematic diagrams illustrating examples of handling a RLC SDU buffer in accordance with some embodiments;

[0026] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an example of operations performed by a network entity to manage a RLC SDU buffer in accordance with some embodiments;

[0027] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0028] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a user equipment in accordance with some embodiments;

[0029] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a network node in accordance with some embodiments;9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001

[0030] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a host, which may be an embodiment of the host of FIG. 8, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0031] FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a virtualization environment in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0032] FIG. 13 shows a communication diagram of a host communicating via a network node with a user equipment over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] 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, in which examples of embodiments of inventive concepts are shown. Inventive concepts may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of present inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present / used in another embodiment.

[0034] In NG-RAN Dual Connectivity (“DC”) is expected to be frequently used. One DC configuration is when an eNB and a gNB are connected with the same UE (called EN-DC), and another configuration is when two gNBs are connected with the same UE (NR-DC). When DC is setup for a UE it allows traffic to be sent to and received from the UE to both nodes involved in the DC connection.

[0035] As described above in regards to FIG. 2, a gNB-CU can be separated into gNB-CU- CP for control plane functionality and gNB-CU-UP with user plane functionality including for example PDCP while a gNB-DU hosts RLC and lower protocol layers.

[0036] 5G RAN protocol PDCP can supports in order delivery and integrity protection. In order delivery can mean that the receiving PDCP entity secures that PDCP PDU packets are delivered in PDCP sequence number order to higher layers. As an example: a missing packet may lead to buffering of newer packets until the old missing packet is correctly received and all packets can be delivered to higher layers in order. The waiting period is stopped when a timer runs out, but typically that timer is configured long enough to introduce an interrupt which is longer than acceptable for AQM packet discards. Integrity Protection can include applying functionality to detect if a user data packet has changed / corrupted between the sending and receiving PDCP entity.9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001

[0037] It can be common to introduce buffer management in RAN (and in nodes on the Internet). This can minimize buffering latency (bufferbloat) and is typically realized as a single packet discard when packet age in a buffer exceeds a preconfigured value. Such packet discard leads to a transmission back off at the TCP / application server and this can lead to a reduced user data buffer and latency. This functionality can be called Active Queue Management (“AQM”). The benefits of AQM are large in high-rate deployments as the required amount of storage memory becomes much lower, as well as the largely reduced latency and response time for the end user.

[0038] The AQM functionality can be located just before the bottleneck where user data packets will be queued up when the rate of incoming user data packets are higher than the outgoing rate. This means that both RLC SDU buffer and PDCP SDU buffers are relevant as AQM locations in 5G RAN.

[0039] PDCP SDU buffer is well suited for AQM when flow control is used between gNB-CU-UP and gNB-DU which leads to buffering of excessive packets in PDCP SDU buffer. Flow control is normally applied when Dual Connectivity / Downlink PDCP Aggregation (due to 2 Cell Groups to share a DRB) is configured or when a transport link (Fl- U / X2-U / Xn-U) is limiting transmission capacity / rate to lower layers. In these use cases AQM packet discard can efficiently be executed by discarding a single packet from the PDCP SDU buffer and before the PDCP protocol has been applied meaning that neither Sequence Number nor Integrity Protection has been applied.

[0040] The RLC SDU buffer is preferred for AQM location when there is no limitation or bottleneck before RLC why all packets are buffered in the RLC SDU buffer, and the most common use case is a normal NR DRB without Dual Connectivity (MN terminated MCG DRB).

[0041] As described above, many use cases have a preference to perform AQM packet discard in RLC SDU buffer but there are cases when such functionality (active Integrity Protection when an RLC SDU is truncated) will introduce performance dips.

[0042] There currently exist certain challenges. In some examples, performing an AQM packet discard in RLC will introduce two issues as the PDCP protocol has already been applied. If an RLC SDU packet is discarded, this means that PDCP in order delivery in the UE will be triggered due to a missing PDCP PDU sequence number. One available mitigation in this case is to corrupt or truncate the user data packet part leading to that PDCP header is intact and no sequence number gap detected, while higher protocol layers (typically TCP or QUIC) will detect a faulty user data packet and discard it. This will introduce a single packet discard with the intended purpose.9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001

[0043] However, if PDCP Integrity Protection is applied on the user data, this functionality in the UE will detect changed user data and therefore discard the whole PDCP SDU ahead of PDCP sequence number is checked for in order delivery. This will result in that in order delivery will stop the transmission of user data to higher layers and wait for the missing user data packet.

[0044] This can lead to all user data transmissions applying in order delivery (which today includes normal MBB user data traffic) being negatively affected when operators activate Integrity Protection.

[0045] In additional or alternative examples, an additional issue can occur when PDCP PDUs are sent from PDCP in one node (gNB or gNB-CU-UP) to another (gNB or gNB-DU) over any of the transport interfaces Xn-U or Fl-U and one or more PDCP PDUs are lost over the transport link. These losses can introduce a PDCP SN gap. The PDCP SN gap can be mitigated when the gNB-DU detects the PDCP SN gap and signals lost NR-U SN to the gNB / gNB-CU-UP for retransmission. The retransmission is then delayed with at least 1 transport link Round-Trip- Time introducing a reordering delay in the UEs transmission from PDCP to upper layers.

[0046] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. In some embodiments, a procedure includes replacing an RLC SDU intended for AQM packet discard or at detection of a PSCP PDU lost over a transport link in RAN with a PDCP control PDU including an Advance PDCP SN window message. In additional or alternative embodiments, many RLC SDUs can be replaced with one PDCP control PDU indicating an Advance PDCP SN window message.

[0047] Various embodiments herein describe updating the handling of the AQM single user data packet discard in RLC / gNB-DU. In some embodiments, using the new 3GPP proposal for PDCP Control PDUs advancing the PDCP transmission window and when an AQM packet discard is triggered in RLC this PDCP PDU is replaced by a PDCP Control PDU including advancing the PDCP SN (sequence number) with the same PDCP SN that was replaced. This creation of a PDCP Control PDU can be done by RLC because PDCP control messages are, according to the standard, neither encrypted nor integrity protected.

[0048] While various embodiments herein are described in regards to AQM, these innovations are also applicable in the opposite direction meaning UL transmission from the UE..

[0049] In additional or alternative embodiments, a transport link packet loss can be identified using NR-U SN. When the NR-U SN gap is detected, it can be replaced by a PDCP control PDU including advancing the PDCP SN by one compared to the last correctly received PDCP PDU SN. The PDCP PDU SN expected to be lost can be further estimated in particular when the correctly received PDCP PDU SN just before the missing NR-U SN and the next following correctly received PDCP PDU SN includes a 1 PDCP PDU SN gap. Such a single9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001 transport link packet loss often is caused by a AQM / RED single packet discard functionality in a router or switch or caused by a quality loss on the transport link.

[0050] FIGS. 3-4 are flow charts illustrating examples of operations performed by an RLC entity to handle an RLC SDU buffer. In FIG. 3 the RLC entity determines that the RLC SDU buffer is overloaded (e.g., as part of an AQM procedure, the buffer being too long, or the buffer being too old). In response, the RLC entity can replace a RLC SDU (e.g., the RLC SDU of a the next PDCP PDU to be sent) with a PDCP control PDU including an indication of a SN of the RLC SDU. In some examples, the indication of the SN of the RLC SDU includes an indication to advance the SN.

[0051] In FIG. 4 the RLC entity determines that a packet has been lost. In response, the RLC entity can replace a RLC SDU (e.g., the RLC SDU of a the next PDCP PDU to be sent) with a PDCP control PDU including an indication of a SN of the RLC SDU. In some examples, the indication of the SN of the RLC SDU includes an indication to advance the SN.

[0052] FIGS. 5-6 illustrate an example of the RLC SDU buffer of FIGS. 3-4. In FIG. 5

[0053] In some embodiments, the innovations are highly applicable in CloudRAN as the separation of gNB into gNB-CU and gNB-DU introduce additional benefits with a pure gNB- DU implemented AQM functionality.

[0054] Operations of the network node 1000 (implemented using the structure of FIG. 10) will now be discussed with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 7 according to some embodiments of inventive concepts. For example, modules may be stored in memory 1004 of FIG. 10, and these modules may provide instructions so that when the instructions of a module are executed by respective network node processing circuitry 1002, network node 1000 performs respective operations of the flow chart.

[0055] FIG. 7 includes an example of operations performed by a network entity to perform manage a RLC SDU buffer.

[0056] At block 710, processing circuitry 902 determines that a SN gap will be created. In some embodiments, determining that the SN gap will be created includes determining that that a first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded or that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost. In some examples, determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded or that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost includes determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded as part of an active queue management, AQM, process associated with a RLC SDU buffer that includes the second PDCP PDU packet, that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded. In additional or alternative examples, determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded includes determining at least one of: a volume of the9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001RLC SDU buffer exceeds a threshold size; and an entry of the RLC SDU buffer exceeds a threshold age.

[0057] At block 720, processing circuitry 902 determines a PDCP SN of a first PDCP data PDU packet.

[0058] At block 730, processing circuitry 902 replaces a second PDCP data PDU packet with a PDCP control PDU including an indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet. In some embodiments, the second PDCP data PDU is a plurality of PDCP data PDU packets. Replacing the second PDCP data PDU with the PDCP control PDU includes replacing the plurality of PDCP data PDU with the PDCP control PDU.

[0059] In additional or alternative embodiments, the indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet includes an indication to advance a PDCP window. In some examples, the indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet includes an indication that the PDCP SN be advanced by one compared to a last correctly received PDCP PDU SN.

[0060] In additional or alternative embodiments, the network node is configured to provide a distributed unit, DU, and replacing the RLC SDU of the second PDCP data PDU packet with the PDCP control PDU includes replacing, by the DU, the RLC SDU of the second PDCP data PDU packet with the first PDCP data PDU. In some examples, replacing the RLC SDU of the second PDCP data PDU packet with the PDCP control PDU includes transmitting the PDCP control PDU instead of the RLC SDU to a communication device.

[0061] In additional or alternative examples, determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded or that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost includes determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded as part of a random early detection, RED, process associated with a RLC SDU buffer that includes the second PDCP data PDU packet, that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded.

[0062] In additional or alternative embodiments, determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded or that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost includes determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost over a transport link.

[0063] In additional or alternative embodiments, the second PDCP data PDU packet is the first PDCP data PDU packet.

[0064] In additional or alternative embodiments, the second PDCP data PDU packet is separate from the first PDCP data PDU packet.

[0065] Although the operations of IFG. 7 have been described as being completed by network node 1000, the operations may be performed by any network entity. For example, the operations may be performed by a communication device, for example, UE 900 (implemented using the structure of FIG. 9). In some examples, modules may be stored in memory 910 of9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001FIG. 9, and these modules may provide instructions so that when the instructions of a module are executed by respective communication device processing circuitry 902, processing circuitry 902 performs respective operations of the flow chart.

[0066] In some embodiments, when the network entity includes a communication device, replacing the RLC SDU of the second PDCP PDU packet with the PDCP control PDU includes transmitting the PDCP control PDU instead of the RLC SDU to a network node.

[0067] Various operations from the flow chart of FIG. 7 may be optional with respect to some embodiments of network nodes and related methods.

[0068] FIG. 8 shows an example of a communication system 800 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0069] In the example, the communication system 800 includes a telecommunication network 802 that includes an access network 804, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 806, which includes one or more core network nodes 808. The access network 804 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 810a and 810b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 810), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the network nodes 810 are 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 the network nodes 810 may include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 802 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 802 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 802, including one or more network nodes 810 and / or core network nodes 808.

[0070] 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 RAN control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time RAN automation application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Intents and content-aware9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001 notifications described herein may be communicated from a 3GPP network node or an ORAN network node over 3GPP-defined interfaces (e.g., N2, N3) and / or ORAN Alliance-defined interfaces (e.g., Al, 01). Moreover, an ORAN network 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. The network nodes 810 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting wireless devices 812a, 812b, 812c, and 812d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 812) to the core network 806 over one or more wireless connections. The network nodes 810 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 812a, 812b, 812c, and 812d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 812) to the core network 806 over one or more wireless connections.

[0071] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 800 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 800 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0072] The UEs 812 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 810 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 810 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 812 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 802 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 802.

[0073] In the depicted example, the core network 806 connects the network nodes 810 to one or more hosts, such as host 816. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 806 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 808) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001 may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 808. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0074] The host 816 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 804 and / or the telecommunication network 802, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 816 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more 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.

[0075] As a whole, the communication system 800 of FIG. 8 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Micro wave 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.

[0076] In some examples, the telecommunication network 802 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 802 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 802. For example, the telecommunications network 802 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001

[0077] In some examples, the UEs 812 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 804 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 804. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved- UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0078] In the example, the hub 814 communicates with the access network 804 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 812c and / or 812d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 810b). In some examples, the hub 814 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 814 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 806 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 814 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 810, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 814. As another example, the hub 814 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 814 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 814 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 814 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 814 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular in if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0079] The hub 814 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 810b. The hub 814 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 814 and UEs (e.g., UE 812c and / or 812d), and between the hub 814 and the core network 806. In other examples, the hub 814 is connected to the core network 806 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 814 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 804 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 810 while still connected via the hub 814 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 814 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 810b. In other embodiments,9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001 the hub 814 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 810b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0080] FIG. 9 shows a UE 900 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0081] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle- to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0082] The UE 900 includes processing circuitry 902 that is operatively coupled via a bus 904 to an input / output interface 906, a power source 908, a memory 910, a communication interface 912, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in FIG. 9. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0083] The processing circuitry 902 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 910. The processing circuitry 902 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic,9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001 field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 902 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0084] In the example, the input / output interface 906 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 900. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0085] In some embodiments, the power source 908 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 908 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 908 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 900 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 908. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 908 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 900 to which power is supplied.

[0086] The memory 910 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable readonly memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 910 includes one or more application programs 914, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine,9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001 or other application, and corresponding data 916. The memory 910 may store, for use by the UE 900, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0087] The memory 910 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 910 may allow the UE 900 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 910, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0088] The processing circuitry 902 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 912. The communication interface 912 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 922. The communication interface 912 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 918 and / or a receiver 920 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 918 and receiver 920 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 922) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0089] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 912 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short- range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based 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 as9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / intemet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0090] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 912, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0091] 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.

[0092] 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 900 shown in FIG. 9.9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001

[0093] 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 3 GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0094] 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.

[0095] FIG. 10 shows a network node 1000 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), NR NodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes, or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., intelligent controller, O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0096] 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 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).

[0097] 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 transceiver9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001 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).

[0098] The network node 1000 includes a processing circuitry 1002, a memory 1004, a communication interface 1006, and a power source 1008. The network node 1000 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., aNodeB 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 1000 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 1000 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1004 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1010 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1000 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1000, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 1000.

[0099] The processing circuitry 1002 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 1000 components, such as the memory 1004, to provide network node 1000 functionality.

[0100] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1012 and baseband processing circuitry 1014. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1012 and the baseband processing circuitry 1014 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1012 and baseband processing circuitry 1014 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001

[0101] The memory 1004 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 1002. The memory 1004 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 1002 and utilized by the network node 1000. The memory 1004 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1002 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1006. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 and memory 1004 is integrated.

[0102] The communication interface 1006 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 1006 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1016 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 1006 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1018 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1010. Radio front-end circuitry 1018 comprises filters 1020 and amplifiers 1022. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 may be connected to an antenna 1010 and processing circuitry 1002. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1010 and processing circuitry 1002. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1020 and / or amplifiers 1022. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1010. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1010 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1018. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1002. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0103] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1000 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1018, instead, the processing circuitry 1002 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1010. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1012 is part of the communication interface 1006. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1006 includes one or more ports or terminals 1016,9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001 the radio front-end circuitry 1018, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1012, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1006 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1014, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0104] The antenna 1010 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1010 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1018 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1010 is separate from the network node 1000 and connectable to the network node 1000 through an interface or port.

[0105] The antenna 1010, communication interface 1006, and / or the processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1010, the communication interface 1006, and / or the processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as 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.

[0106] The power source 1008 provides power to the various components of network node 1000 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1008 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1000 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1000 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 1008. As a further example, the power source 1008 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0107] Embodiments of the network node 1000 may include additional components beyond those shown in FIG. 10 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 1000 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1000 and to allow output of information from the network node 1000. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1000.9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001

[0108] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a host 1100, which may be an embodiment of the host 816 of FIG. 8, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1100 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 1100 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0109] The host 1100 includes processing circuitry 1102 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1104 to an input / output interface 1106, a network interface 1108, a power source 1110, and a memory 1112. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as FIGS. 9 and 10, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1100.

[0110] The memory 1112 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1114 and data 1116, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 1100 or data generated by the host 1100 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1100 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1114 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application programs 1114 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 1100 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 1114 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0111] FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1200 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001 virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1200 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1200 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0112] Applications 1202 (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.

[0113] Hardware 1204 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1206 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1208a and 1208b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1208), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1206 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1208.

[0114] The VMs 1208 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1206. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1202 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1208, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0115] In the context of NFV, a VM 1208 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1208, and that part of hardware 1204 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001 responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1208 on top of the hardware 1204 and corresponds to the application 1202.

[0116] Hardware 1204 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1204 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1204 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1210, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1202. In some embodiments, hardware 1204 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or 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 1212 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0117] FIG. 13 shows a communication diagram of a host 1302 communicating via a network node 1304 with a UE 1306 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 812a of FIG. 8 and / or UE 900 of FIG. 9), network node (such as network node 810a of FIG. 8 and / or network node 1000 of FIG. 10), and host (such as host 816 of FIG. 8 and / or host 1100 of FIG. 11) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to FIG. 13.

[0118] Like host 1100, embodiments of host 1302 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1302 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 1302 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 1306 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1350 extending between the UE 1306 and host 1302. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1350.

[0119] The network node 1304 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1302 and UE 1306. The connection 1360 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 806 of FIG. 8) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0120] The UE 1306 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1306 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001 application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1306 with the support of the host 1302. In the host 1302, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1350 terminating at the UE 1306 and host 1302. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1350 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1350.

[0121] The OTT connection 1350 may extend via a connection 1360 between the host 1302 and the network node 1304 and via a wireless connection 1370 between the network node 1304 and the UE 1306 to provide the connection between the host 1302 and the UE 1306. The connection 1360 and wireless connection 1370, over which the OTT connection 1350 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1302 and the UE 1306 via the network node 1304, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0122] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1350, in step 1308, the host 1302 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1306. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1306 that shares data with the host 1302 without explicit human interaction. In step 1310, the host 1302 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1306. The host 1302 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1306. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1306 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1306. The transmission may pass via the network node 1304, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1312, the network node 1304 transmits to the UE 1306 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1302 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1314, the UE 1306 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1306 associated with the host application executed by the host 1302.

[0123] In some examples, the UE 1306 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1302. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1302. Accordingly, in step 1316, the UE 1306 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001 of the UE 1306. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1306 initiates, in step 1318, transmission of the user data towards the host 1302 via the network node 1304. In step 1320, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1304 receives user data from the UE 1306 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1302. In step 1322, the host 1302 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1306.

[0124] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1306 using the OTT connection 1350, in which the wireless connection 1370 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may enable an AQM packet discard to be applied in a RLC SDU buffer without introducing a PDCP SN gap even when PDCP Integrity Protection is applied.

[0125] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1302. As another example, the host 1302 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1302 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1302 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1302 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 1302 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and / or transmitting data.

[0126] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1350 between the host 1302 and UE 1306, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1302 and / or UE 1306. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1350 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1350 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1304. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001 practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host 1302. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1350 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0127] 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.

[0128] 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.

Claims

9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a communication device (900), the method comprising: determining (710) that a sequence number, SN, gap will be created; determining (720) a packet data convergence protocol, PDCP, SN of a first PDCP data protocol data unit, PDU, packet; and replacing (730) a second PDCP data PDU packet with a PDCP control PDU including an indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet.

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein determining that the SN gap will be created comprises determining that that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded or that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost.

3. The method of Claim 2, wherein determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded or that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost comprises determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded as part of an active queue management, AQM, process associated with a radio link control, RLC, service data unit, SDU, buffer that includes the second PDCP data PDU packet.

4. The method of Claim 3, wherein determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded comprises determining at least one of: a volume of the RLC SDU buffer exceeds a threshold size; and an entry of the RLC SDU buffer exceeds a threshold age.

5. The method of Claim 2, wherein determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded or that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost comprises determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost as part of a random early detection, RED, process.

6. The method of Claim 2, wherein determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded or that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost comprises determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost over a transport link.

7. The method of any of Claims 1-6, wherein the second PDCP data PDU packet is the first9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001PDCP data PDU packet.

8. The method of any of Claims 1-6, wherein the second PDCP data PDU packet is separate from the first PDCP data PDU packet.

9. The method of any of Claims 1-8 wherein the second PDCP data PDU packet is a plurality of PDCP data PDU packets, and wherein replacing the second PDCP data PDU with the PDCP control PDU comprises replacing the plurality of PDCP data PDUs with the PDCP control PDU.

10. The method of any of Claims 1-9, wherein the indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet comprises an indication to advance a PDCP window.

11. The method of any of Claims 1-10, wherein the indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet comprises an indication that the PDCP SN be advanced by one compared to a last correctly received PDCP PDU SN.

12. The method of any of Claims 1-11, wherein the communication device is a first communication device, and wherein replacing the second PDCP data PDU packet with the PDCP control PDU comprises transmitting the PDCP control PDU instead of the second PDCP data PDU to a network node or a second communication device.

13. A method of operating a network node (1000), the method comprising: determining (710) that a sequence number, SN, gap will be created; determining (720) a packet data convergence protocol, PDCP, SN of a first PDCP data protocol data unit, PDU, packet; and replacing (730) a second PDCP data PDU packet with a PDCP control PDU including an indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet.

14. The method of Claim 13, wherein determining that the SN gap will be created comprises determining that that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded or that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost.

15. The method of Claim 14, wherein determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W001 be discarded or that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost comprises determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded as part of an active queue management, AQM, process associated with a radio link control, RLC, service data unit, SDU, buffer that includes the second PDCP data PDU packet.

16. The method of Claim 15, wherein determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded comprises determining at least one of: a volume of the RLC SDU buffer exceeds a threshold size; and an entry of the RLC SDU buffer exceeds a threshold age.

17. The method of Claim 14, wherein determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded or that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost comprises determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost as part of a random early detection, RED, process.

18. The method of Claim 14, wherein determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet will be discarded or that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost comprises determining that the first PDCP data PDU packet has been lost over a transport link.

19. The method of any of Claims 13-18, wherein the second PDCP data PDU packet is the first PDCP data PDU packet.

20. The method of any of Claims 13-18, wherein the second PDCP data PDU packet is separate from the first PDCP data PDU packet.

21. The method of any of Claims 13-20 wherein the second PDCP data PDU is a plurality of PDCP data PDU packets, and wherein replacing the second PDCP data PDU comprises replacing the plurality of PDCP data PDUs with the PDCP control PDU.

22. The method of any of Claims 13-21, wherein the indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet comprises an indication to advance a PDCP window.

23. The method of any of Claims 13-22, wherein the indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet comprises an indication that the PDCP SN be advanced by one compared to a last correctly received PDCP PDU SN.9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W00124. The method of any of Claims 13-23, wherein the network node is a first network node, and wherein replacing the second PDCP data PDU packet with the PDCP control PDU comprises transmitting the PDCP control PDU instead of the second PDCP data PDU to a second network node or a communication device.

25. The method of any of Claims 13-24, wherein the network node is configured to provide a distributed unit, DU, and wherein replacing the second PDCP data PDU packet with the PDCP control PDU comprises replacing, by the DU, the second PDCP data PDU packet with the PDCP PDU.

26. The method of any of Claims 13-24, wherein the network node is configured to provide a central unit, CU, and wherein replacing the second PDCP data PDU packet with the PDCP control PDU comprises replacing, by the CU, the second PDCP data PDU packet with the PDCP PDU.

27. A communication device (900) adapted to perform operations comprising: determining (710) that a sequence number, SN, gap will be created; determining (720) a packet data convergence protocol, PDCP, SN of a first PDCP data protocol data unit, PDU, packet; and replacing (730) a second PDCP data PDU packet with a PDCP control PDU including an indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet.

28. The communication device of Claim 27, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2-12.

29. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a communication device (900), whereby execution of the program code causes the communication device to perform operations comprising: determining (710) that a sequence number, SN, gap will be created; determining (720) a packet data convergence protocol, PDCP, SN of a first PDCP data protocol data unit, PDU, packet; and replacing (730) a second PDCP data PDU packet with a PDCP control PDU including an indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet.9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W00130. The computer program of Claim 29, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2-12.

31. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium (910) including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a communication device (900), whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations comprising: determining (710) that a sequence number, SN, gap will be created; determining (720) a packet data convergence protocol, PDCP, SN of a first PDCP data protocol data unit, PDU, packet; and replacing (730) a second PDCP data PDU packet with a PDCP control PDU including an indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet.

32. The computer program product of Claim 31, further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2-12.

33. A network node (1000) adapted to perform operations comprising: determining (710) that a sequence number, SN, gap will be created; determining (720) a packet data convergence protocol, PDCP, SN of a first PDCP data protocol data unit, PDU, packet; and replacing (730) a second PDCP data PDU packet with a PDCP control PDU including an indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet.

34. The network node of Claim 33, further comprising any of the operations of Claims 14-26.

35. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (1002) of a network node (1000), whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations comprising: determining (710) that a sequence number, SN, gap will be created; determining (720) a packet data convergence protocol, PDCP, SN of a first PDCP data protocol data unit, PDU, packet; and replacing (730) a second PDCP data PDU packet with a PDCP control PDU including an indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet.

36. The computer program of Claim 35, further comprising any of the operations of Claims9900-110532W001 / Pl 10532W00114-26.

37. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium (1006) including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (1002) of a network node (1000), whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations comprising: determining (710) that a sequence number, SN, gap will be created; determining (720) a packet data convergence protocol, PDCP, SN of a first PDCP data protocol data unit, PDU, packet; and replacing (730) a second PDCP data PDU packet with a PDCP control PDU including an indication of the PDCP SN of the first PDCP data PDU packet.

38. The computer program product of Claim 37, further comprising any of the operations of Claims 14-26.

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